Fincher has strong hand on New Mexico Cup Day

Trainer Todd Fincher won the New Mexico Cup Classic with a 3-year-old facing older rivals last season at Zia Park and will attempt to do the same Wednesday with the promising Evacuee.

The race is one of eight $50,000 Thoroughbred stakes on the card. They are restricted to New Mexico-breds.

This year is a different look for the New Mexico Cup, which in the past has featured both Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse stakes on a single program in late October – for total purses of $1.8 million.

But the coronavirus pandemic has changed things for 2020. Most of the purses have been reduced as Zia’s casino has not been able to open. In addition, a later start to the meet and the subsequent time change led to the Quarter Horse stakes being run Monday and the Thoroughbred offerings grouped together on Wednesday.

Despite the changes, the New Mexico Cup remains one of the most significant offerings of the Zia meet.

“It’s very important to have these races,” said Fincher, a longtime leading trainer in New Mexico. “It’s vital. Everybody has suffered through the pandemic, and the owners are really suffering with the purse cuts in New Mexico. People are bailing out. The New Mexico breeding program is about these big races and they’re vital to keep everybody going.

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“This is a bright spot.”

Fincher has had some notable New Mexico Cup afternoons and will be well-represented Wednesday.

“Every year we aim for this day,” he said.

Evacuee seeks to follow in the footsteps of Hustle Up, who defeated older rivals in last year’s Rocky Gulch Classic, when it was worth $185,000. Evacuee is moving back to two turns for the mile race. When last seen at the trip, he was second in the $100,000 Casino at the Downs Derby on Sept. 5 at Albuquerque. He put in a strong closing bid and had a very wide trip, Fincher said.

“The horse wants to run long,” Fincher said. “The setup doesn’t look good.”

Fincher said he would like to see more pace in the Classic.

Next Affair is a candidate to wire the seven-horse field after leading throughout for a local allowance win Oct. 21. He defeated fellow Classic starters Thunder Dome, who won this race two years ago, and Shining Source.

Evacuee will break from post 3 under Aldo Arboleda. The stakes winner races for B4 Farms.

Efforts N Results, who won the Casino at the Downs Derby over Evacuee, runs in the New Mexico Cup Derby at six furlongs. Fincher will counter with Cerveza and Franchise Tagged.

“There’s four or five pretty good horses in that race,” Fincher said. “It’s up for grabs.”

Franchise Tagged was second in a recent allowance at Zia, earning a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 75.

“Franchise Tagged is really blossoming at Zia,” Fincher said. “He really enjoys the track.”

Cerveza won the Road Runner at Ruidoso Downs in July.

“Cerveza has been on point all year,” Fincher said.

Fincher’s other starters on the card include runners in both stakes for 2-year-olds. He saddles stakes winner Comic Hot Toddy and the perfect Sassy Gal in the Lassie. The race drew seven fillies and will be run over six furlongs.

Comic Hot Toddy comes off a stakes win at 5 1/2 furlongs Aug. 16 at Ruidoso Downs. She darted to a five-length win in the Rio Grande Senorita Futurity. The 56 Beyer Speed Figure she earned is the best career number in the field Wednesday.

“She’s very quick, gives it her all – has a big heart,” said Fincher, who trains the daughter of Indian Firewater for her breeder, Helen Nave.

Shane Laviolette has the mount on Comic Hot Toddy from post 4.

“She’ll just go,” Fincher said. “She’ll leave there trying to go to the front – go as far and as fast as she can. She’s a big-hearted filly, and that’s how she likes to run.”

Sassy Gal has won both of her starts and is making her stakes debut.

“She’s a pretty versatile filly,” Fincher said. “If the pace is hot, she’ll sit off of it a ways and come running.”

Sassy Gal is a daughter of Marking who races for her breeder, Lee Lewis. She will break from post 3 under J.R. Coates.

Fincher’s starters in the Juvenile at six furlongs are Aisle Runner, Chess Tray, and Coming Abstraction. Aisle Runner is the most accomplished. A stakes winner who overall has two career victories, he is coming off a score in the New Mexico State Fair Futurity on Sept. 20 at the Downs at Albuquerque.

“It was a perfect race,” Fincher said. “He broke good and had a perfect stalking position.”

Aisle Runner darted clear by 2 3/4 lengths and could get a similar trip Wednesday when he breaks from post 5 under Luis Fuentes.

“I think there’s plenty of speed in there and they might get in a little battle,” Fincher said. “He might sit just off of it. We’ll leave it to the break and the rider.”

Fincher has another top contender on the card in Hennessy Express, who goes in the Peppers Pride Filly and Mare Championship.