Blazing Navarone primed to move forward in Casino at the Downs Thoroughbred Derby

Blazing Navarone will have some key variables in his favor Saturday night at the Downs at Albuquerque when he takes on nine others in the $75,000 Casino at the Downs Thoroughbred Derby.

The field for the one-mile race for New Mexico-breds includes his stablemate Hollywood Henry and the four-time stakes-placed Western Warning.

Blazing Navarone is the class of the race with earnings of $230,726 and a 5-for-10 career record that includes three stakes wins. Blazing Navarone won the $85,000 Four Rivers John Deere in December at Zia Park, the $85,000 Red Hedeman Mile in January at Sunland Park, and the $100,000 New Mexico Breeders’ Derby in March at Sunland.

Blazing Navarone has raced once since winning those stakes in successive fashion, finishing fourth in the $50,000 Road Runner on July 29 at Ruidoso. The 5 1/2-furlong race went in quick 1:03.40 and Blazing Navarone has reason to move forward Saturday in what will be his second start in four months.

Two of Blazing Navarone’s stakes wins came around two turns, and he returns to that configuration Saturday. He’s bred to be at his best routing, as his sire, Song of Navarone, won five route stakes, including the WinStar Derby – now known as the Sunland Park Derby – as well as the Zia Park Distance Championship and the Sunland Park Handicap.

Alfredo Juarez Jr. has the mount on Blazing Navarone from post 3 for Henry Dominguez, and the jockey-trainer team has been winning at a 37 percent clip at Albuquerque since 2017, according to Daily Racing Form statistics.

Dominguez will also send out Hollywood Henry, who will be looking for his first two-turn win. One of his stakes placings came in a route when he finished second to Blazing Navarone in the Red Hedeman Mile.

Jorge Bourdieu has the mount from post 10.

Sires Cup series at Retama

Retama Park puts on a pair of Sires Cup series races for Quarter Horses on Saturday night, with fastest qualifier Kashman in the $124,000 Futurity and Louisiana Seis leading the $63,300 Derby.

Kashman won his 350-yard trial Aug. 17 by a length in 18.03 seconds.

The chief threat could be Baller, who cruised by two lengths in his trial the same night, covering the distance in 18.24.

Louisiana Seis was the fastest Derby qualifier, winning his Aug. 18 trial at 400 yards in 20.06 seconds.