Wente, a gray son of Big Daddy Cartel racing for Scott Branson and Jimmy Vasquez, will try for his second stakes win of the 2022 Sunland Park meet in Saturday’s 400-yard, $100,000 New Mexico Horse Breeders’ Association Stakes (RG2).

The 5-2 morning-line favorite, Wente is coming off of a nose victory in the 400-yard, $262,000 Shue Fly Stakes RG2 for New Mexico-bred 3-year-olds on January 29. The gelding has won two of eight races and has earned $136,599.

Wente was purchased by Branson and Vasquez as a yearling for 36,000 at the 2020 New Mexico-Bred Sale. The gelding drew post 10 and will be ridden by Sergio Becerra Jr. for trainer Eric Valenzuela.

Other contenders include JC New Dawn, a chestnut Woodbridge gelding trained by Edgar Moreno for owners Telma Meraz and Federico Gonzalez. JC New Dawn has banked $71,138 from six outs, and he is coming off of a third-place finish, one length behind Wente, in the Shue Fly Stakes.

JC New Dawn drew post 8 and will be ridden by Albert Medrano.

The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey assignments and morning-line odds:
Jesses Dinero (Sergio Dominguez), 10-1
Liarliarlegsonfire (Jaime Parga Leos), 12-1
Illegal Review (Esgar Ramirez), 6-1
Wish Bigg (Mario Delgado), 12-1
River Flash (Adrian Ramos), 6-1
Classy Moon (Jose Enrique Ortiz), 9-2
Holland Rock (Christian Ramos), 10-1
JC New Dawn (Albert Medrano), 7-2
Cowboy Zulu (Noe Garcia Jr.), 8-1
Wente (Sergio Becerra Jr.), 5-2
AE-Romeos Ransom (Noe Garcia Jr.), 15-1
AE-Papi Grande Cartel (Jose Daniel Ruiz), 15-1