Mt Veeder tops Evans-trained trifecta in KLAQ Handicap

Mt Veeder led a Justin Evans-trained sweep of the top three spots in the $65,000 KLAQ Handicap on Saturday at Sunland Park, where he outran stablemates Concord Fast and Redneck Humor. He won by 1 1/2 lengths over Concord Fast, while it was another three-quarters of a length back in third to favorite Redneck Humor.

The KLAQ was a five-furlong race for 3-year-olds and up and the first stakes of the meet that opened Friday. It shared a card with the $85,000 Jess Burner Memorial for Quarter Horses won by Play Misty Foreme ($7.60).

Mt Veeder ($10) was content to stalk the pace as Redneck Humor set fractions of 21.28 seconds for the opening quarter and 43.93 for the half-mile. Mt Veeder overtook that rival and covered the distance on a fast track in a blazing 55.35 seconds. Alfredo Juarez Jr. was aboard Saturday.

Mt Veeder was winning his seventh race in his last eight starts, with two of those victories coming in 870-yard “hook races” against Quarter Horses. He is a son of Ghostzapper and he races for the partnership of Bill Tomasic and Go-To-Toga Racing.

Redneck Humor was seeking his seventh stakes win of the year in the KLAQ. He was the 125-pound highweight one start after finishing a troubled second to Mt Veeder in the $75,000 Zia Park Sprint in November.