Hustle Up stretches out to preferred distance in Casino at the Downs Thoroughbred Derby

Hustle Up will be returning to his best lick Saturday night when he stretches back out around two turns for the $90,000 Casino at the Downs Thoroughbred Derby at the Downs at Albuquerque.

The one-mile race is restricted to 3-year-olds bred in New Mexico. It goes as the third race.

Hustle Up will be making his second start off a layoff when he takes on nine others, including Sunscreen, winner of the $100,000 New Mexico Breeders’ Derby in March at Sunland Park.

“Route racing’s his game,” trainer Todd Fincher said of Hustle Up. “That’s where he needs to be.”

Hustle Up was freshened this spring following a seventh-place finish in the Grade 3, $800,000 Sunland Park Derby in March. He returned to action July 28 at Ruidoso Downs, setting the pace before finishing eighth in the 5 1/2-furlong Road Runner Stakes.

“He’s got natural speed, a big stride and stamina,” Fincher said. “I think he needed the longer distance.”

Hustle Up put up his best career Beyer Speed Figure, an 83, at two turns in February, when he won the $100,000 Mine That Bird Derby over open company at Sunland. It’s one of three route stakes wins for the horse, who started his career with seven straight wins, including two sprint stakes.

Hustle Up, who overall is 8 for 12, is owned by Dale F. Taylor Racing, Bobby McQueen, and Suzanne Kirby. He will break from post 5 under Roimes Chirinos.

Hustle Up is by the Pulpit stallion Abstraction. He was bred by Fincher and Brad King.

Sunscreen returns to racing with straight 3-year-olds off a fifth-place finish in the $50,000 Land of Enchantment Stakes on July 28 at Ruidoso. He will be making the third start of his form cycle Saturday.

Elvin Gonzalez has the mount from post 8 on Sunscreen, who could get a stalking trip off probable pacesetter Hustle Up.

Sunscreen has been working at Ruidoso, where his trainer, Casey Lambert, on Friday led the Thoroughbred standings heading into the final week of the meet. Sunscreen is a son of the Gone West stallion Southwestern Heat. He was bred by R.D. Hubbard, who races the horse with Shaun Hubbard.