Speed Merchant seeks fourth career stakes win in Red Hedeman Mile
SUNLAND PARK — Speed Merchant and jockey Luis Valenzuela will load into the starting gate for Sunday’s 23rd running of the Red Hedeman Mile at Sunland Park looking for their third consecutive win.
The Red Hedeman Mile, the sixth race on Sunday’s stakes-laden program headlined by the $500,000 Sunland Derby, features a field of nine New Mexico-bred 3-year-olds.
Speed Merchant, a son of Marking owned by Dale F. Taylor Racing, LLC, is quickly becoming one of the state’s most successful thoroughbreds, having won five of his six career starts with earnings topping $315,000.
Bred in New Mexico by Brad King & Chris Coleman, Speed Merchant is coming off a half-length win in the Corralito Steak House Stakes over this course last month. Prior to that, he was a stakes winner at Zia Park, having scored a 9-length rout in the Hobbs Fall Classic Stakes.
Trained by Todd Fincher, Speed Merchant earned his first career stakes win last fall at Albuquerque Downs by winning the New Mexico State Fair Thoroughbred Futurity.
Speed Merchant drew the three post in the Red Hedeman Mile and has been installed as the 6-5 morning line favorite.
Judge Lanier Racing’s Vanishing Money is the 3-1 second choice on the morning line for the Red Hedeman Mile. The son of Conquest Mo Money broke his maiden in smashing fashion over this course last month in his career debut.
Bred in New Mexico by McKenna Thoroughbreds, LLC, Vanishing Money is trained by Dick Cappellucci and will be ridden by Alfredo Juarez, Jr. They will break from post seven in the contest.
The field, with morning line odds and jockeys, for the $100,000 Red Hedeman Mile:
1- Risk Capital (20-1) Olaf Hernandez
2- Apremont (30-1) Francisco Amparan
3- Speed Merchant (6-5) Luis Valenzuela
4- M G Rojo Loco (30-1) Miguel Perez
5- Flash of Valor (12-1) Luis Negron
6- Reads Artful Run (15-1) Enrique Gomez
7- Vanishing Money (3-1) Alfredo Juarez, Jr.
8- Buy Local (6-1) Christian Ramos
9- Cash Waterfall (4-1) Oscar Andrade, Jr.