Zia Park: Alsvid giving weight to older horses in Premiere Cup

Shelly McShane/Coady Photography

Alsvid, a 3-year-old, will carry 123 pounds in the Premiere Cup at Zia Park.

Alsvid will be seeking the fifth stakes win of his young career Sunday at Zia Park, when he starts as the 123-pound highweight in the $100,000 Premiere Cup Handicap. The race, to be run over six furlongs, is the first of the meet’s three major open-company stakes for Thoroughbreds.

Alsvid is part of a 10-horse field that includes Warning Song, winner of the $30,000 Omaha at Horsemen’s Park in his last start; Peacenik, who was claimed last out at Del Mar; Streakin’ Mohican, winner of the $40,000 Arapahoe Park Sprint; and Imco Spirit, a multiple stakes winner at Zia. Safe Trip, meanwhile, last raced at Monmouth Park.

Alsvid, who is 3, will be meeting older horses in the Premiere Cup, but he defeated such rivals in his last start Aug. 11, when he won the $103,000 David M. Vance Sprint at Remington Park. It was his fourth career stakes win behind the $75,000 Kip Deville in his second career start last October and the Golden Circle and Prairie Mile this year at Prairie Meadows.

Alsvid has tactical speed and owns the field’s best last-race Beyer Speed Figure, a 97, earned for covering six furlong in 1:08.60 in the Vance. Chris Landeros, the horse’s regular rider, will again be aboard for trainer Chris Hartmann. Alsvid races for Black Hawk Stable.

Warning Song has won two of his last three starts, with his lone loss during that period a third-place finish in the $125,000 Iowa Sprint Handicap. Warning Song will be cutting back from a mile for what will be his first start since the Omaha on July 22. Alejandro Medellin has the mount for trainer Jon Arnett.

Peacenik was a $40,000 claim out of a 5  1/2-furlong sprint at Del Mar on Aug. 22. He finished second by a neck. Trainer Cody Autrey has given the mount to Roman Chapa.

Imco Spirit will be making his first start since June, when he finished second by a half-length in the $90,000 San Juan County Commissioners at SunRay Park. He will be turning back from 1 1/8 miles and is a sprint stakes winner at Zia. Overall, the horse is 4 for 7 over the local main track, where he has banked $247,369. Enrique Gomez has the mount for trainer Henry Dominguez.

Streakin’ Mohican enters the Premiere Cup off a second-place finish in an allowance at Arapahoe on Aug. 18. Earlier in the Colorado meet, he won the track’s Sprint at six furlongs with a Beyer of 99.