Mine That Star goes for sweep in Sunland Park Handicap
Mine That Star has been known for his pedigree as a half-brother to 2009 Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird.
But this meet at Sunland Park he’s made a name for himself as a racehorse and on Saturday will be going for a sweep of the track’s route series for older horses in the $100,000 Sunland Park Handicap.
Mine That Star has won both the $65,000 Winsham Lad Handicap at a mile on Jan. 23 and the $75,000 Curribot Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on March 5. He will move to 1 1/8 miles for the Sunland Park Handicap, which has drawn nine horses including stakes winners Convention, Magic Mosco, Zestful, and Sheriff Brown.
Mine That Star will break from post 4 under jockey Francisco Amparan.
“He’s training up to it great,” said Nancy Summers, the former jockey who now trains Mine That Star for Judge Lanier Racing. “I think he’s bred to go that far. I mean, he is a half-brother to Mine That Bird.”
Mine That Star owns the field’s best last-race Beyer Speed Figure, a 92. The 5-year-old by Pioneerof the Nile started racing around two turns on a regular basis in November.
“He started in Albuquerque, his first few races for us, going short,” Summers said. “That’s all they were offering at that time. They didn’t have a lot of route races going. I was eager to stretch him out, which I’ve gotten to do now, because I thought that fit him.
“He’s learning to relax more every race, it looks like to me.”
Mine That Star was a $775,000 yearling who also went through an auction as an older horse and was purchased for $35,000 by Tom McKenna of Judge Lanier Racing. He turned the May-foaled horse out following the sale, and Mine That Star would return from a more than year layoff to win his maiden last September.
“Tom took him home and gave him some time off, and I think he was just a late maturer,” Summers said. “He’s just a monster now.
“He’s just a big, beautiful horse. He trains great. He’s a good doer. He’s just tough.”
Sunland’s meet ends Sunday, and Summers will move her stable to the Downs at Albuquerque. But she could be traveling to Lone Star Park later this year with Mine That Star. She said depending on his performance Saturday, and how he trains going forward, Mine That Star could get his first shot at graded stakes company in the $400,000 Steve Sexton Mile on May 30.
“I know Tom’s wanting to step up, and he deserves a chance at it if everything goes well,” Summers said of Mine That Star.
Mine That Star is out of the mare Mining My Own, who in addition to $2.2 million earner Mine That Bird has produced multiple Grade 1 winner Dullahan. Dullahan earned $1.7 million.
It’s a defining pedigree. But Mine That Star has now defined himself as a racehorse, too.