Mr Money Bags settled in for Zia Park Derby

Mr Money Bags is scheduled to work Sunday for an intended start in the $250,000 Zia Park Derby, according to his trainer, Mike Neatherlin.

Based in Texas, Mr Money Bags has remained at Zia since winning the track’s $50,000 Roadrunner Stakes on Oct. 28.

“He came out of the race really well,” Neatherlin said. “We’ll work him light, just enough to stretch his legs a little bit.”

Neatherlin said he will step up the horse’s works in subsequent weeks. The Zia Park Derby, at a mile and a sixteenth, will be run Nov. 27. It is part of the Land of Enchantment card of seven stakes worth a cumulative $1 million.

Mr Money Bags was making his first start since July in the Roadrunner, a six furlong stakes he won by a nose with a determined run up the rail. It was the tightest finish for the horse. His other five wins, including three additional stakes, have come by margins ranging from 5 1/2 lengths to 11 1/2 lengths.

“He had to work hard for that one,” Neatherlin said. “A trainer will tell you that you find out more about a horse in a hard-fought race than winning by 10 lengths. If you look at the form on this horse, he’s always won by a lot of lengths. This is the first time he’s ever had to fight for something. I didn’t really know how he was going to respond. I learned more about him in this last race than I ever knew about him.

“He overcame a lot of things – that layoff, first time against older horses. He showed a lot of character to me.”

Neatherlin said he decided to keep Mr Money Bags at Zia in part to help him acclimate to the higher altitude. The track is 3,600 feet above sea level.

Ernesto Valdez-Jiminez has the mount on Mr Money Bags in the Zia Park Derby.

“He’s 4 for 4 on him,” Neatherlin said. “This horse really responds to Ernesto. He just knows how to ride this horse.”

Mr Money Bags is a Texas-bred son of Silver City who races for his breeder, Roy W. Cobb.