Mr Money Bags will try for wire job in Zia Park Derby

Mr Money Bags could wind up being the controlling speed Wednesday in the $250,000 Zia Park Derby, but it didn’t look that way on paper when entries for the 1 1/16-mile race were drawn Nov. 19.

Mr Money Bags was saddled with the widest gate, post 10, and was facing pace rivals in Hustle Up and Proverb. But those horses and three others – Bankit, Sleepy Eyes Todd, and Tone Broke – will be scratched in what will make for a field of five.

Mike Neatherlin, who trains Mr Money Bags, said moving into the five-hole and having a few speed horses coming out of the race is a benefit Wednesday.

“He runs better running free on the front end,” Neatherlin said. “Don’t get me wrong – he’ll come from off of it. He’s just got a high cruising speed. When he gets in that rhythm, he runs his best race.”

The Zia Derby is one of seven stakes on the card. The $1 million Land of Enchantment Day includes the $250,000 Zia Oaks and the $150,000 Zia Distance Championship. There will be scratches from various stakes as nine horses from Remington Park were not allowed to ship into New Mexico due to three recent cases of equine herpesvirus at Remington.

The Zia Derby includes Hastings shipper Final Jeopardy, who in July was second to Code of Honor in the Grade 3 Dwyer at Belmont; Sheriff Brown, a half-brother to Sunland Derby winner Runaway Ghost; Walker Stalker, a sprint stakes winner; and Dueling, who invades from Southern California.

Mr Money Bags shipped in from Texas to win the $50,000 Roadrunner over six furlongs Oct. 28 at Zia, fighting for a nose win over older rivals.

“He’d been off for four months and was working really well, but anytime they’ve been off that long they need a race,” Neatherlin said. “It look him a little while to get into the race. He showed he was real game. He got a little tired, but still stuck it out. He’s come back super.”

Neatherlin elected to keep Mr Money Bags at Zia because of his past experience racing at the Hobbs, N.M., track, where Mr Money Bags won his debut in a maiden special weight sprint last November.

“I’ve started a couple horses two turns and felt like I had them pretty fit and neither finished worth a darn,” he said. “I did some checking and found out it's 3,600-feet elevation. I felt the horses were coming up short. The air was real thin, so I made the decision to keep him here, get him acclimated. I felt like that would be our best shot.”

Mr Money Bags is looking for his fifth stakes win. Ernesto Valdez-Jiminez has the mount for Roy W. Cobb.

Dueling moves back to the main track off a close fourth-place finish in the $77,000 Let It Ride in his turf debut Nov. 9 at Del Mar.

“We wanted to have his final race [of the season] on the dirt,” trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said. “We thought this was an interesting race.”

Dueling will break from the rail under Drayden Van Dyke.

“We want to be, probably on that track, as close as we can be,” Hollendorfer said.

Sheriff Brown closed into a lackadaisical pace for second in a Nov. 4 allowance at Zia.

“Losing Hustle Up will hurt him for the pace factor,” trainer Todd Fincher said. “That’s going to be bad for us. He’s a nice horse. He’ll like the distance. He just had a terrible pace setup last time.”

Ry Eikleberry has the mount on Sheriff Brown for Joe Peacock.

Fincher also trains Hustle Up, and said he will miss the remainder of the year.

The Oaks, also at 1 1/16 miles, drew Southern California shippers Calf Moon Bay and Motion Emotion. The field of six is expected to be scratched down to four as the race has lost Remington Park Oaks winner Lady Apple, while Horologist was scheduled to be scratched, trainer Richard Baltas said Saturday.

Baltas trainee Motion Emotion invades off a runner-up finish in an optional $100,000 claiming route Oct. 18 at Keeneland.

“She’s been training very well,” Baltas said. “I thought this was a good place to nominate. She had a nice breeze [Friday], a little easy half-mile, and she’s ready to go.”

Earlier this year, Motion Emotion was second by a length in the Grade 3 Fantasy, won by Lady Apple, who was the 3-5 morning-line favorite for Wednesday. Mario Gutierrez will ride Motion Emotion for the first time, and he has worked the filly, Baltas said. Calf Moon Bay gets a second shot at stakes company after running third in the Grade 2 Las Virgenes in her last start Feb. 9 at Santa Anita.

“We thought that was a real good race,” Hollendorfer said. “We were very happy that she placed the way she did, and we’re giving her another chance. She’s doing really good.”

Calf Moon Bay will break from post 2 under Van Dyke.

Sky Promise, the champion 3-year-old last year in Canada, will attempt to turn the tables on Bokeelia Island in the Distance Championship at 1 1/8 miles. The pair last met in the $50,000 Veterans at 1 1/16 miles at Zia, with Bookelia Island a 1 3/4-length winner over Sky Promise.

“The last 100 yards he was flying,” trainer Robertino Diodoro said of Sky Promise.

The 11-horse field will lose Lookin At Lee and Net Gain, but has drawn a Southern California invader in Restrainedvenegence. He moves back to dirt for the first time since finishing third in the Grade 3 Longacres Mile in August. Tyler Baze has the mount for trainer Val Brinkerhoff.

◗ Cashcheckorcharge will be going for her fifth straight win when she starts in the $100,000 Distaff.

◗ Chief Cicatriz and Silver Ride invade off Turf Paradise stakes wins for the $100,000 Sprint, which also drew top New Mexico-based runner Pendleton.

◗ Competitive Idea takes on stakes rivals off an impressive debut win in the $75,000 Juvenile. “We have high hopes for him,” Fincher said.

◗ Kentucky shipper Wasabi Girl meets undefeated stakes winner Gee She Sparkles in the $75,000 Princess.