Liberty Bull stuck in post 10

Liberty Bull drew the far outside post as a lukewarm morning-line favorite in a field of 10 3-year-olds entered for the $600,000 WinStar Derby on Sunday at Sunland Park.

Liberty Bull, winner of the Smarty Jones at Oaklawn Park two starts back, was established as the 3-1 choice in the 1 1/8-mile WinStar Derby. Most of the other favorites drew closer to the rail, with Poni Colada (9-2) getting post 1, Winsome Charm (7-2) post 2, and Ablaze With Spirit (5-1) post 3.

Unlike several other Kentucky Derby preps to be run Saturday, the WinStar Derby is not a graded race despite its big purse. Clearly that hurts the WinStar's drawing power, since earnings in ungraded races are not credited toward eligibility in case more than 20 are entered in the Kentucky Derby.

A handful of nationally renowned jockeys will be in for the day, most notably Garrett Gomez, the 2007 Eclipse Award winner.

From the rail, and with jockeys, this is the WinStar lineup: Poni Colada, Alfredo Juarez Jr.; Winsome Charm, Tyler Baze; Ablaze With Spirit, Gomez; No Jepordy, Corey Nakatani; Banker's Way, Jorge Bordieu Jr.; Capetown Royal, Joe Martinez Jr.; Cape Time, Ken Tohill; Deputyville, Glen Murphy; Screen to Screen, Aaron Gryder; and Liberty Bull, Eddie Razo Jr.

One of the longshots in the field is Capetown Road, whose locally based trainer, Henry Dominguez, won the race last year with Song of Navarone.

The WinStar Derby will be shown live on TVG, with post time set for 5:28 p.m. Mountain. It is carded as the 11th of 12 races and is one of four stakes on easily the richest day of racing this year at Sunland, the south-central New Mexico track located just west of El Paso, Texas.

In the undercard stakes:

* Grace Anatomy will try to recapture her best 2-year-old form as one of the logical choices in the $200,000 WinStar Sunland Park Oaks (race 9), a 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-old fillies. Nakatani has the call on Grace Anatomy, who will break from post 4 in a field of nine. Other top contenders include Sky Mom, winner of the Martha Washington at Oaklawn last out, and California shipper Distorted Passion. Gomez will ride Sky Mom from post 7. Gryder will break from post 5 with Distorted Passion.

* Tough Tiz's Sis, the 2007 Sunland Oaks winner, drew post 3 as the 123-pound highweight and heavy favorite in the $100,000 Harry W. Henson Breeders' Cup Handicap (race 10). Gryder has the call for trainer Bob Baffert. Ten older fillies and mares were entered in the one-mile race, with Delicate Dynamite, the likely second choice. She will carry 121 pounds and be ridden by Razo.

* A field of 10 was entered in the $100,000 New Mexico Breeders' Derby (race 8), for 3-year-old statebreds at a mile.