Imperial Eagle pursuing third stakes win of 2016

Imperial Eagle will attempt to close out a memorable year Saturday when he headlines the $200,000 Sunland Park Winter Juvenile Championship. He will seek his third stakes win of 2016, following the $3 million All American Futurity and the Grade 1 Southwest Juvenile Championship.

The Winter Juvenile is one of three Quarter Horse stakes on a nine-race program Saturday at Sunland. The stakes will run consecutively.

Astica, a winner of eight of her last nine starts, leads the $85,000 Lou Wooten and Sydney Valentini Handicap, which goes as the seventh race. The Winter Juvenile is slated next as the eighth, while the card closes with the Grade 1, $350,000 Championship at Sunland, a 440-yard race led by Jessies First Down and Zoomin Effortlessly.

But much of the focus will be on Imperial Eagle, who won his division’s most prestigious offering in September in the All American Futurity at Ruidoso Downs. He was up for a neck win, his fourth straight victory in a streak that had included three trial wins dating back to May at Ruidoso.

Imperial Eagle has raced twice since the All American. He finished a troubled eighth in a trial at Zia Park, then came back and won the track’s Southwest Juvenile Championship in his most recent out Dec. 4. He coasted by a length under Esgar Ramirez, who again has the mount for Charles E. Robinson and trainer Tony Sedillo.

The Winter Juvenile, which is run over 400 yards, drew 12.

Jessies First Down and Zoomin Effortlessly, who finished a head apart last out in the Grade 1 Zia Park Distance Championship, will renew their rivalry in the Championship. Jessies First Down, who managed to hold off a late-surging Zoomin Effortlessly at Zia, will break from post 8 on Saturday. Zoomin Effortlesly, the winner of last year’s Championship at Sunland, drew post 9.

The field of 10 also includes First Valiant Sign, the winner of the Texas Classic Derby last out at Lone Star Park. G.R. Carter Jr. was aboard and has the mount again for trainer Michael Joiner.

◗ R.D. and Joan Dale Hubbard of Ruidoso Downs were honored Wednesday by the University of New Mexico, which unveiled a new baseball clubhouse that bears their names. The Hubbards put up the initial donation for the project, giving the school $500,000.