Bella Dona (pictured), a homebred Attila’s Storm filly racing for Robert Driggers, Del Rae Driggers, and Ben Lee Ivey, will make the first start of her 4-year-old campaign in Sunday’s 6-furlong, $100,000 La Coneja Stakes (R) for New Mexico-bred distaffers.
A winner of 10 stakes during her 2- and 3-year-old seasons, Bella Dona is coming off of a wire-to-wire, 3 1/4-length victory in the October 30, $125,000 New Mexico Cup Oaks Championship (R) for state-bred 3-year-old fillies at Zia Park. All told, the filly has won 12 of 13 races — including three of three at Sunland Park — and she has earned $750,068.
Bella Dona drew post 9 and will be ridden by Luis Fuentes for trainer Simon Buechler. Her 11 opponents include Corrina Corrina, a homebred 4-year-old Mr. Trieste filly trained by Gary Cross for owner Derrick W. Jenkins. Corrina Corrina won two New Mexico-bred stakes and earned $339,920 from 12 starts last year, and her sophomore record included a third-place finish, four lengths behind winner Bella Runner, in the open 1 1/16-mile, $250,000 Zia Park Oaks on November 22.
Corrina Corrina drew post 12 and will be ridden by Ken Tohill.
The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey assignments and morning-line odds:
Proofsinthepuddin (Alfredo Juarez Jr.), 8-1
Desertrose Oftexas (Oscar Ceballos), 20-1
Right For You (Jorge Carreno), 15-1
Blue Blazes Who (Francisco Amparan), 20-1
Tight Fittin Jeans (Miguel Perez), 15-1
Tutta Terlingua (Jose Miguel Vazquez), 20-1
Quatro (Miguel Fuentes Jr.), 12-1
Shugs Charlie (Christian Ramos), 15-1
Bella Dona (Luis Fuentes), 6-5
Marking Time (Alejandro Medellin), 10-1
Bikini Time (Enrique Gomez) , 8-1
Corrina Corrina (Ken Tohill), 5-1