Leading rider retains hot horse

Cattleman Prospect, a winner of five of his last seven starts, and Alejandro Medellin, the hottest rider this meet at Sunland Park, will try to keep their momentum going on Sunday when they team together in the $100,000 Albert Dominguez Memorial Stakes.

The pair will be looking for their third straight stakes win together in the 1 1/16-mile Dominguez.

"I've got my good pilot on him," said Andres Gonzalez, who trains Cattleman Prospect. "He knows the horse well."

Medellin is 4 for 5 on Cattleman Prospect, with all of those wins coming in stakes. The Dominguez drew a field of 12 older horses bred in New Mexico, including Some Ghost, the race's defending champ, and Ky's Quest, the winner of the $188,000 New Mexico Cup Classic at Zia Park on Nov. 9.

Cattleman Prospect won the $181,000 New Mexico Cup Sprint two starts ago at Zia, then backed up that score with a one-length win in the $125,000 Johnie L. Jamison at 6 1/2 furlongs at Sunland on Dec. 14. He will be moving back to two turns for the first time since his win in the $50,000 Lineage at 1 1/16 miles at Albuquerque in August.

"I like him going around two turns," said Gonzalez. "We'll probably be sitting a little bit off the pace."

Cattleman Prospect will break from post 2 under Medellin, the meet's leading rider who is winning at a 30 percent rate at Sunland.

Some Ghost is a horse-for-course, with $497,665 of his $710,567 in career earnings made at Sunland. He has won nine races at the track, and in his most recent start he was fourth to Cattleman Prospect in the Jamison. Ken Tohill has the mount for trainer Jess Alley.

Ky's Quest was eighth in the Jamison but figures to benefit from the move to two turns. The last time he routed he won the New Mexico Cup Classic. Alfredo Juarez Jr. has the mount for trainer Cliff Lambert.