Speed Merchant seeks third stakes win in Corralito Steak House Stakes
Trainer Todd Fincher will saddle as many as five runners in Monday’s 25th running of the $80,000 Corralito Steak House Stakes for New Mexico-bred 3-year-olds at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino.
Speed Merchant, listed as the 6-to-5 morning line favorite in the Corralito Steak House Stakes, is in search of his second straight win and third career stakes triumph. The son of Marking is coming off a devastating 9-length win last month in the Hobbs Fall Classic. Prior to that, Speed Merchant scored a win in the New Mexico State Fair Thoroughbred Futurity last October at Albuquerque Downs.
Owned by Dale F. Taylor Racing, LLC and bred in New Mexico by Brad King & Chris Coleman, Speed Merchant has earned more than $267,000 and has won four times from five career starts. He will break from post six in the 8-horse field and will be ridden by his regular pilot Luis Valenzuela.
Fincher will also be represented in the Corralito Steak House Stakes by J. Kirk and Judy Robison’s Cash Waterfall, who was runnerup behind Speed Merchant in the Hobbs Fall Classic.
The son of Sporting Chance, bred in New Mexico by J. Kirk and Judy Robison and Downstream Racing LLC, Cash Waterfall has one win from four starts with earnings of more than $69,000.
Listed as the 4-to-1 second choice, Cash Waterfall and jockey Oscar Andrade, Jr. will break from post five in the Corralito Steak House Stakes which will go as the eighth race on the Monday program and has a scheduled post time of 3:32 p.m.
Fincher will also send out 9-to-2 third choice Buy Local, as well as longshots Risk Capital and Country Club Sport in the Corralito Steak House Stakes, one of two stakes races on the Monday program. The $80,000 La Senora Stakes, for statebred 3-year-old fillies, will be held on the same program.
The field, with morning line odds and jockeys, for the $80,000 Corralito Steak House Stakes:
1- READS ARTFUL RUN (20-1) Enrique Gomez
2- RISK CAPITAL (12-1) Olaf Hernandez
3- BUY LOCAL (9/2) Guillermo Rodriguez
4- COWBOY CAMPFIRE (6-1) Miguel Perez
5- CASH WATERFALL (4-1) Oscar Andrade, Jr.
6- SPEED MERCHANT (6/5) Luis Valenzuela
7- FORT SUMNER (5-1) Luis Negron
8- COUNTRY CLUB SPORT (20-1) Ken Tohill