Sunland: Attila's Hurricane attempts two turns in Red Hedeman Mile

The undefeated Attila’s Hurricane will be taking on four stakes winners Saturday when he tries two turns for the first time in the $85,000 Red Hedeman Mile at Sunland Park. He is part of a 10-horse field for the race restricted to 2-year-olds bred in New Mexico. Other set to start include stakes winners Storms Surprise, Jenson’s Miracle, Thermal, and Indication N M.

But it is Attila’s Hurricane who could go favored after winning the first two starts of his career by a combined 13 lengths. The races came in sprints at Zia Park, against New Mexico-breds. He won a maiden special weight by 5 1/4 lengths Nov. 3, then took a first-level allowance by more than seven lengths Nov. 27. Attila’s Hurricane won his debut from off the pace, but in the allowance he went wire-to-wire.

Isaias Enriquez was aboard for both wins and has the mount again Saturday when Attila’s Hurricane will break from post 3. 

“He is pretty fast,” said Bart Hone, who trains Attila’s Hurricane for breeder Gary Thompson. “I’m just hoping that he’ll relax. We’ve been training him to relax a little bit and if he will, I think he’ll get the mile.

“In his first start, he had the next-to-the-outside post, and we just let him break and he did relax a little bit and he finished up strong. In the next race he had the one hole. I was a little concerned about having it in case he broke a little slow, and he didn’t break right on the button. Isaias shipped him up to get position and when he asked him to run he opened up and won very nicely.”

Attila’s Hurricane is a son of Attila’s Storm, a Grade 3-winning sprinter who ranks as the leading 2-year-old sire in New Mexico. The stallion’s other starters in the Red Hedeman include Thermal, his leading 2-year-old earner, and Indication N M.