Futile vs. Sky Defence in Sunland Park Handicap

Futile will take on sharp local Sky Defence on Sunday when he invades from Arkansas for the $150,000 Sunland Park Handicap. The race is the premier offering for older horses at the New Mexico meet, which closes Tuesday.

The Sunday card also includes the $110,000 Copper Top Futurity, a 4 1/2-furlong race for 2-year-olds bred in New Mexico.

Sky Defence and Futile are the 121-pound highweights in the seven-horse Sunland Park Handicap. Sky Defence has won both the $65,000 Winsham Lad and $75,000 Curribot at the meet, while Futile is looking for his first stakes win after running second in the $125,000 Fifth Season in January at Oaklawn.

Others making up the field include Deputy’s Echo, runner-up in the Curribot, and G M Gage, winner of the $100,000 New Mexico State University Handicap in his last start March 25 at Sunland.

KEY CONTENDERS

Futile, by Broken Vow
Last 3 Beyers: 77-89-88

◗ He will stretch out around two turns off a fifth-place finish in a $35,000 starter allowance race at six furlongs March 25 at Oaklawn. The winner of the race, Wings Locked Up, was coming off a stakes win at Sam Houston and was to shoot for another Saturday at Oaklawn in the Grade 3, $400,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap. Futile shipped Thursday to Sunland, according to trainer Chris Hartman.

“I’m happy to get him back stretched out,” Hartman said. “We got in between suitable races there in Hot Springs. I stuck him in the three-quarters because he had a little success sprinting earlier in his career.

“I think he’s going to run well. He’s been training well. We gave him a nice three-eighths [work]. He swallowed that pretty good – just a little tuner-upper. So, he’s training forwardly. I think he fits.”

◗ Hartman is now based in Arkansas and Kentucky, but earlier in his career he won three training titles at Sunland.

“I think he’ll like that style of race out there, a firmer track,” he said.

◗ Tracy Hebert has the mount from post 7 for Jackie Rojas and Chris Wilkins.

Sky Defence, by First Defence
Last 3 Beyers: 87-85-90

◗ He is closing out an excellent meet, winning the first two handicap races in the local series and running second and third in two allowances in his four starts this season at Sunland.

◗ Ken Tohill has the mount from the rail for Richard Lueck and trainer Susan Arnett.

Derby, Oaks hopefuls shipping

Runaway Ghost, the Sunland Derby winner headed to the Kentucky Derby, and Blamed, the Sunland Oaks winner pointing to the Kentucky Oaks, are both scheduled to fly out Tuesday, according to their respective trainers, Todd Fincher and Joel Marr.

Runaway Ghost was scheduled to work over the weekend at Sunland.

“It will be somewhat of a stiff work,” Fincher said. “We’re going to have to let him work a little bit.”

Jockey Tracy Hebert was scheduled to be aboard and will travel to Churchill to continue working Runaway Ghost in advance of the Kentucky Derby.

Blamed also was scheduled to drill over the weekend.

“It may be a two-minute clip,” Marr said.