Evans runners will control pace in Downs at Albuquerque Handicap

Trainer Justin Evans’s horses Pendleton and Articulator appear to be the speed of the $200,000 Downs at Albuquerque Handicap on Saturday.

“It doesn’t look there’s a ton of early pace in the race,” he said. “It looks like Articulator and Pendleton could have it their own way on the front end, may be able to get away from them.”

Evans said from there, the task will be to hold off Restrainedvengence, the 122-pound highweight who comes off a runner-up finish in the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile on turf Aug. 23.

“Restrainedvengence is definitely the horse to be watching for, for sure,” Evans said.

The 1 1/8-mile Downs at Albuquerque Handicap is for 3-year-olds and up and drew a field of nine. It is the richest Thoroughbred offering of the New Mexico meet and shares a card with the $50,000 Manzano, a six-furlong race for 2-year-olds that drew a field of 11. Fabulous Forum invades for the Manzano off a win in the Gold Rush Futurity at Arapahoe Park.

Pendleton, a multiple stakes winner, is the second-highweight in the Downs at Albuquerque Handicap at 120 pounds. He comes off a runner-up finish in the $55,000 Budweiser Special on Aug. 30 at Albuquerque. The seven-furlong race was the first start in four months for the horse owned by Bill Tomasic and Susan Tomasic.

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“He bounced out of his last race, the Budweiser, really well,” Evans said. “We were happy with that race. He ran a good race, maybe didn’t have him cranked up 100 percent. He had made a trip out to California. We were going to run him out there, and things didn’t work out.”

Evans likes the added ground Pendleton picks up Saturday.

“I think it will help him,” he said. “I think he’s a better two-turn horse than he is one, and he likes this track. He’s run tough here. He’s run fast, handles it good, likes the track.”

Frank Reyes has the mount on Pendleton from post 6.

Articulator will break from post 4 following a nine-length win in a mile allowance at Arapahoe. For the effort, he earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 90.

“That horse, it seems like the light bulb went off when we stretched him out around two turns,” Evans said.

Restrainedvengence returns to New Mexico, where he won the $75,000 Curribot in March at Sunland Park. The race was intended to be his prep for the $150,000 Sunland Park Handicap, but when the coronavirus pandemic struck, it led to a shortened meet at Sunland.

Restrainedvengence went home to California and won the $100,000 All American at Golden Gate with a Beyer Figure of 103. Clark Spencer takes over the training of Restrainedvengence from Val Brinkerhoff as the pandemic has led to horses shipping into New Mexico going into the care of trainers with stables on the grounds. Restrainedvengence last worked Sept. 6 at Del Mar.

“Val’s horse is a great horse – what a nice horse,” Evans said. “I sure would have been happy to hear COVID canceled his van ride over here, but it didn’t work out that way.”

Restrainedvengence will start from post 5.

Others in the field include Vangilder, who won last year’s Charles Taylor Derby at Albuquerque before finishing a close second in the Super Derby at Louisiana Downs, and multiple stakes winner American Dubai.