Shue Fly Trials to be held Saturday at Sunland Park
SUNLAND PARK – A total of 44 horses have been entered in five trial heats to be held Saturday at Sunland Park which will determine the starting field for the $100,000-added Shue Fly Stakes.
The five trial heats, which will be run as races three through seven on Saturday’s 10-race card, will each be run at a distance of 400 yards. The top 10 fastest qualifiers from the trial heats will automatically be entered for the finals of the restricted Grade 2 event, which will be run Saturday, Jan. 31.
Pour Me A Drinkk, coming off a win in the New Mexico Classic Futurity on Nov. 23 at Zia Park, is the leading money earner among the starters in the trial heats. Bred and trained by Fred Danley and owned by Danley and Bob McClure, Pour Me A Drinkk has earned more than $184,000 while winning three times from six starts.
The 3-year-old son of Prospect to the Top has been installed as the 5-to-2 morning line favorite in the fourth trial, which will go as race six on the Saturday program. Pour Me A Drinkk will be ridden by his regular pilot James Flores. The pair will break from post five in the nine-horse field.
Pour Me A Drinkk will likely face tough competition in that trial heat from Michael G. Parker’s Jet Black Eagles, the second choice on the morning line to be ridden by Christian Ramos for trainer Dominic Duree.
Jet Black Eagles was third in his most recent start, a state-bred maiden dash at Zia Park on Nov. 29. The son of Jet Black Patriot was fifth in his only stakes appearance as a 2-year-old last year in the New Mexico Breeders’ Futurity last spring at SunRay Park and Casino.
The third trial heat will be headlined by Alepony, LLC’s Holliday, a multiple stakes-placed son of Big Daddy Cartel trained by Jesus Soto.
Holliday, a three-time winner from seven career starts, was off the board when last seen in the New Mexico State Fair QH Futurity at Albuquerque Downs on Oct. 12. Prior to that, Holliday finished fourth in the Mountain Top Futurity at Ruidoso Downs and was third in the New Mexico Spring Futurity at Sunland Park.
Bred by MJ Farms and purchased for $61,000 at the 2024 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale, Holliday is the 5-to-2 morning line favorite in the third trial heat and will break from post three under Jesse Levario. Just to the inside of Holliday is Tony Sedillo-trained Fire Powwer, the second choice on the morning line. Owned by CHR Racing, the son of Big Daddy Cartel has only missed the board once in eight career starts, owning a pair of wins and earnings topping $117,000.
Last seen finishing off the board in the NM Classic Futurity at Zia Park, Fire Powwer won the New Mexican Spring Fling at Sunland Park last spring before finishing second in the NM Breeders Futurity at SunRay Park.
Bred by La Feliz Montana Ranch LLC and purchased for $40,000 at the 2024 Ruidoso New Mexico Bred QH Yearling Sale, Fire Powwer will be ridden by Luis Martinez.
The five trial heats are part of a strong Saturday program, which also features the $80,000 Red Or Green Stakes, which will be run as the ninth race on the card.
First post time Saturday is 12:25 p.m. Race days during the 66th season of live racing are Friday through Monday until the season closes Sunday, April 5. Friday and Saturday cards will feature quarter horse racing, while thoroughbred racing will be held Sunday and Monday.