2023 Kentucky Derby: Sunland Derby winner Wild On Ice made eligible to Triple Crown
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Sunland Park Derby winner Wild On Ice has been made eligible for the Triple Crown, but his status for the Kentucky Derby is to be determined, trainer Joel Marr said Monday.
Wild On Ice won the Grade 3, $600,000 Sunland Derby at 35-1 on Sunday and picked up 50 qualifyinh points for the Kentucky Derby. Late nominations for the Triple Crown closed Monday at a cost of $6,000.
“The money was paid today,” Marr said Monday. “He’s on the list.”
Marr said the decision as to whether Wild On Ice advances to the Kentucky Derby would be made by how the horses trains out of his win and by his breeder and owner, Frank Sumpter.
Marr on Monday was pleased with how Wild On Ice has initially emerged from his 1 1/4-length victory under Ken Tohill.
“He looks great, ate like a monster,” Marr said. “He’s feeling pretty good.”
Wild On Ice tracked the pace in third Sunday, sitting just off dueling leaders Henry Q and Hard to Figure.Wild On Ice took the lead in the stretch and went on to cover the 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:51.39. The posted time for the opening quarter was 20.58 seconds in a probable timer malfunction.
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“We planned to stay right off the pace, and let those two, three, or however many decided to go, go,” Marr said. “We knew we had to stay close and if we had the horse, we’d be in good shape.”
Marr said decisions will come in time regarding the Kentucky Derby.
“We’ll just let him tell us what to do, kind of do some research and studying and decide if realistically we should move on,” he said. “We’ve got a little time to see how he trains and just think about it, try to make the best decision for the horse.
“Some people spend their whole lives and millions and millions of dollars to go to the Derby and Frank’s got his opportunity. If he decides that’s what he wants to do, that’s what we’ll do.”
Marr said Frank Sumpter is the brother of retired jockey Gary Sumpter, who won the All American Futurity in 1976 aboard Real Wind.
“Frank works for Sam Stevens, runs the horse farm,” Marr said of the prominent breeder and owner behind the ‘Who’ horses in New Mexico. “Frank has a couple of horses, claimed this horse’s mother for $5,000 with the sole intent of breeding. He’s taken her out to Kentucky, paid the money to breed her, did his research.”
Wild On Ice’s dam is Slamitagain, by Grand Slam. She is from the female family of Florida Derby winner Vicar. Slamitagain produced Wild On Ice on a mating to Tapizar.
Wild On Ice is a Texas-bred gelding. Sumpter is based in Lamesa, Texas.
Marr was winning the Sunland Derby for the first time Sunday. He is best known as the trainer of Peppers Pride, the New Mexico-bred millionaire who went 19 for 19.
Wild On Ice would be Marr's first starter in the Kentucky Derby. The trainer has long been based in New Mexico, which produced a Kentucky Derby winner in 2009 in Sunland Derby fourth-place finisher Mine That Bird.
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