La Senora features big purse, rematch

It might be a bit early in the year for local 3-year-old fillies to be running for six figures, but if you are a New Mexico-bred, $125,000 awaits in the La Senora Handicap on Saturday at Sunland Park. Assigned weights also go counter to convention at this point in the calendar, but a full field of 12 will line up in the six-furlong headliner.

Winter Mist and Leading Moves, first and second in the D&F Sawyer Futurity at Albuquerque last September in their last start, share highweight honors in the La Senora at 121 pounds.

Winter Mist proved a half-length best in the D&F Sawyer to pick up her second career victory from six starts. The Dooley Guinn trainee has never finished out of the money and has been training well for her 2009 debut. Ken Tohill will ride.

Leading Moves suffered her first defeat in five starts in the Sawyer Futurity while odds-on. The daughter of Ghostly Moves possesses a high turn of early foot, which should prove to be a tactical advantage in Saturday's large field. She is trained by Dominic Duree and will be ridden by B.J. Theriot.

Excessive Victory, a 16-length winner at first asking at Albuquerque last fall, has the benefit of a recent start, putting her in the minority in the La Senora. Following some freshening after a near miss in allowance company in early November, the Carlos Sedillo charge returned here Dec. 28 with a sharp gate-to-wire allowance score. Ricardo Jaime will be in the saddle and make up most of the 119-pound weight assignment.

Also rated at 119 pounds is Dream Kin. The stakes veteran returns to a sprint distance Saturday after an even fifth-place performance against males in the Eddy City at Zia Park last month. Prior to that start, the Desert God filly finished a solid second in the rich New Mexico Juvenile Filly Stakes in November at Zia. Carlo Madeira has the call.