Zia Park: Midnightlowdown's odds will be shorter this time

Midnightlowdown paid $163.60 to win in a stakes on the $2 million New Mexico Cup program when last seen in action at Zia Park. He’s back in the track’s entries on Monday, to lead an allowance sprint for New Mexico-breds that highlights the penultimate card of the meet in Hobbs, N.M.

Midnightlowdown was dismissed at 80-1 in the $140,000 New Mexico Cup Colts and Geldings for 3-year-olds on Oct. 28, but hardly ran like a longshot. He dueled through a half-mile in 44.80 seconds, shook loose of his pace rival, and went on to win by two lengths. Midnightlowdown covered six furlongs in 1:10.80. His win was the biggest upset on the New Mexico Cup card of 11 stakes restricted to Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses.

Monday, Midnightlowdown’s price will be much shorter. The Beyer Speed Figure of 75 that he earned on the New Mexico Cup card is the best last-race number in the no-conditions allowance, a 5 1/2-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds that has a purse of $46,500. Midnightlowdown will be seeking his fourth career win. He came into the New Mexico Cup off a distant fourth in an open-company allowance, but prior to that had won a maiden special weight and first-level allowance, both for statebreds, by a combined margin of 15 lengths.

Gerald Marr trains Midnightlowdown for William Rezzonico and Jeremy Trujillo. Duane Sterling, who was aboard for the New Mexico Cup, has the mount again Monday, from post 2. Midnightlowdown faces other front-runners, and were a duel to develop, it could set up for T.V. Stevie, a stakes winner who rallied for third in the New Mexico Cup Colts and Geldings.

Also on the card, Hennesey Smash will be seeking her fourth consecutive win when she starts in the eighth race, a 5 1/2-furlong no-conditions allowance for 3-year-old fillies bred in New Mexico. She picked up the second stakes win of her career in her last start, when she took the $140,000 New Mexico Cup Fillies. She is a half-sister to four other stakes winners, including Some Ghost, an eight-time stakes winner who earned $899,144.

Both races Monday should produce starters for some upcoming stakes at Sunland Park, which opens Friday.