Fincher goes all in on New Mexico Cup

Trainer Todd Fincher will attack the $2 million New Mexico Cup program Sunday at Zia Park with 24 starters, including two runners he bred, Diabolical Dame and On the Lowdown. Last year, he won four races on what is the richest program of the meet.

The card features 12 stakes, with eight divisional races for Thoroughbreds and four for Quarter Horses. All of the stakes are restricted to horses bred in New Mexico.

Fincher, a 46-year-old native of Denver, is a former jockey. His starters will compete in seven of the Thoroughbred stakes, including five in the featured $180,000 Rocky Gulch Championship.

“A huge percentage of my barn is New Mexico-breds,” Fincher said. “We’ve been building our program, my barn, for 14, 15 years trying to get to this point, and we’ve got a lot of good ones.”

One of New Mexico’s finest is Diabolical Dame, who goes in the $140,000 Distaff Sprint for fillies and mares at six furlongs. Fincher bred the nine-time stakes winner in partnership with Fred Alexander and Brad King. Diabolical Dame is going for her third New Mexico Cup win, and the race will be her first start since an Aug. 26 score in the Carlos Salazar at The Downs at Albuquerque.

“I could have run her in the prep race,” Fincher said. “She’d be coming back in 19, 20 days, and she runs really hard. I just chose to get ready instead of running in the prep. They also have a big day of racing here right before Thanksgiving and there’s a race for her there. I thought [the prep] would be too many races.”

Diabolical Dame is a 5-year-old mare by Diabolical, and she boasts a 14-for-23 career record. She once won seven races in a row, helping to push her earnings to $590,980. Diabolical Dame races for Joe Dee Brooks, Scott Bryant, and Derrol Hubbard. Diabolical Dame will break from post 4 under Roimes Chirinos.

The other Fincher trainees in the Distaff Sprint are Bryn’s Fancy Pants, Tilla Cat, and Tijuana.

On the Lowdown will be going for his third stakes win when he starts in the $140,000 Juvenile over six furlongs. On the Lowdown, who races for Dale Taylor, Bobby McQueen, and Suzanne Kirby, won the $140,000 Copper Top Futurity in April at Sunland and the $141,000 Mountain Top Futurity in June at Ruidoso. Fincher bred On the Lowdown with King.

“They have a good incentive program, the New Mexico-bred deal, and I started dabbling in it many years ago with one here, one there,” Fincher said. “Now, it’s up to 10 or 12 [mares] that I own a piece of. I’ve got partners on all of the mares.”

On the Lowdown will break from post 9 in a field of 12. He will be ridden by Tracy Hebert, who as of Thursday was seven wins from 4,000 career Thoroughbred victories in North America. Fincher also will start Golden Band in the Juvenile.

The Rocky Gulch, a mile race for 3-year-olds and up, is the richest offering for Thoroughbreds, and Fincher will start Storming Back, Hush’s Storm, Go for a Stroll, That’s Who, and Hit a Lick in the field of 12.

“I’ve got five in there and four of them are really in top form and the other one is an older horse, That’s Who, who has won this race before,” Fincher said. “He loves Zia Park.”

The full brothers Hit a Lick and Storming Back come off a first- and third-place finish in the local prep, a mile allowance Oct. 9. Go for a Stroll won another local allowance Oct. 9, while Hush’s Storm won a stakes in September at Ruidoso.

“Go for a Stroll is a 3-year-old that has been a really nice horse,” Fincher said. “He’s won three races this year and $160,000, so he’s had a good campaign. He’s running really good right now.”

Storming Back is the other 3-year-old starter for Fincher, and he will break from the rail under Alfredo Juarez Jr.

“He really ran good last time,” Fincher said. “He was bumped at the start, didn’t have a spot to run down the backside, and really came running late. If he gets a good trip, I think he’ll run great.”

Chirinos has the mount from post 5.

Fincher trainee Sippin will make her first start since March in the $140,000 Oaks, a six furlong race that drew 11. She won the first seven races of her career before finishing third to Mopotism, a pre-entrant in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, in the Island Fashion earlier this year at Sunland.

“We turned her out,” Fincher said. “She was just a tired horse. We turned her out a good three months. She’s fresh and ready.”

◗ Zasha will defend her title in the $170,000 Peppers Pride, a mile race for fillies and mares that drew 12, including the Bart Hone-trained My Bikini Fell Off. Hone on Friday was 10 wins from 2,000 career Thoroughbred training victories in North America.

◗ Mr. Mooch will seek his fourth consecutive win – and third straight stakes – in the $140,000 Derby.

◗ Citizen Geller will be going for his fourth straight win when he starts in the $170,000 Sprint.

◗ Fast Gator will attempt to improve her career record to 3 for 3 when she starts in the $140,000 Lassie.