The eyes of the Thoroughbred racing world will be on New Mexico on Sunday, as Sunland Park Racetrack presents an 11-race all-Thoroughbred card topped by the 1 1/8-mile, $600,000 Sunland Derby (G3).
New Mexico’s lone graded Thoroughbred stakes, the Sunland Derby is a Kentucky Derby-qualifying race. The winner of the race will earn 50 qualifying points, followed by 20 points to the runner-up, 15 to third place, 10 to fourth place and five to fifth.
This year’s Sunland Derby has drawn a field of seven Triple Crown hopefuls, headed by morning-line favorite Hard To Figure. A Kentucky-bred son of multiple graded stakes winner and 2007 Kentucky Derby runner-up Hard Spun, Hard To Figure is trained by Bob Baffert for owners Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman. The chestnut colt ships in from California, where he earned $103,200 from five races and won last year’s 6 1/2-furlong, $75,000 Capote Stakes at Los Alamitos and ran second, a neck behind winner Newgate, in the February 4, $200,000 Robert B.Lewis Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park
Hard To Figure drew post 6 and will be ridden by Flavien Prat.
Leading local trainer Todd Fincher will send out Henry Q, a Kentucky-bred colt by Blame racing for The Del Mar Group and a local stakes winner over the track. Henry Q will be stretching out in distance off of his dominating wire-to-wire, 15-length victory in the 1 1/16-mile, $100,000 Mine That Bird Stakes on February 28.
The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey assignments and morning-line odds:
How Did He Do That (Alfredo Juarez Jr.), 9-2
Low Expectations (Mario Gutierrez), 6-1
Fort Bragg (Juan Hernandez), 4-1
Henry Q (Edwin Maldonado), 3-1
One In Vermillion (Harry Hernandez), 6-1
Hard To Figure (Flavien Prat), 2-1
Wild On Ice (Ken Tohill), 20-1
Qualifying points to this year’s Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs will be on the line in Sunday’s 1 1/16-mile, $300,000 Sunland Park Oaks for 3-year-old fillies. The winner of the Sunland Park Oaks will earn 50 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points, followed by 20 points to the runner-up, 15 to third place, 10 to fourth place, and five to fifth place.
Flying Connection, the morning-line favorite in the field of seven, drew the rail post and will be ridden by Alfredo Juarez Jr. Trained by Todd Fincher for owners Brad King, Randy Andrews, G. Chris Coleman, Jim Cone, Suzanne Kirby and Lee Lewis, the Kentucky-bred daughter of 2016 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Nyquist has won two stakes, including the local Sunland Park Oaks prep, the 1-mile, $75,000 Island Fashion Stakes on February 28.
The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey assignments and morning-line odds:
Flying Connection (Alfredo Juarez Jr.), 9-5
Cairo Moon (Leandro Goncalves), 12-1
Foolish Delight (Miguel Perez), 6-1
Doinitthehardway (Flavien Prat), 2-1
Una Palabra (Harry Hernandez), 5-1
Don’t Get Pickled (Glenn Corbett), 8-1
Love Tank (Ken Tohill), 8-1
Sunland Park’s Sunday program features a total of seven stakes, including three stakes restricted to New Mexico-breds worth a total of $620,000 in purses.
Sunday’s 1 1/16-mile, $250,000 New Mexico Breeders’ Oaks (R) has drawn a field of six state-bred 3-year-old fillies. Doer Not A Faker, a homebred daughter of Diabolical racing for J. Kirk and Judy Robison of El Paso, Texas, is coming off of a neck victory in the February 19, 1-mile Enchantress Stakes (R).
Doer Not A Faker drew the rail post and will be ridden by Luis Fuentes for trainer Todd Fincher.
Eleven state-breds are entered in Sunday’s 1-mile & 70-yard, $120,000 New Mexico State University Handicap (R). Cheese Tray, the 126-pound highweight, is a homebred 5-year-old Attila’s Storm gelding trained by Todd Fincher for owners J. Kirk and Judy Robison. Cheese Tray has won two stakes during the current Sunland Park meet, including the 1 1/16-mile, $100,000 Albert & Henry Dominguez Memorial Handicap (R) on February 28.
Cheese Tray drew post 3 and will be ridden by Luis Fuentes.
A full field of 12 state-bred sophomores are entered in Sunday’s 1 1/16-mile, $250,000 New Mexico Breeders’ Derby (R). Trainer Todd Fincher will send out five contenders, including Pierre and Leslie Amestoy’s Thruthestorm. A two-time stakes winner during the meet, Thruthestorm will be stretching out in distance off of his neck victory in the 1-mile, $100,000 Red Hedeman Mile Stakes (R) on February 28.
Thruthestorm drew post 2 and will be ridden by Luis Fuentes.
Post time for Sunday’s first race at Sunland Park is set for 12:25 p.m. (MDT). The Sunland Derby will be televised live as part of Fox Sports 1’s “America’s Day at the Races.” Estimated post time for the Sunland Derby is 4:45 (MDT).