O'Neill barn invades for stakes with Irap, Mopotism, Semper Fortis

The Southern California-based team of Reddam Racing and trainer Doug O’Neill have leading contenders in each of Sunday’s three stakes at Sunland Park, including the two 3-year-old races designed to produce starters for the Grade 3, $800,000 Sunland Derby and the $200,000 Sunland Oaks on March 26.

Irap, a half-brother to champion Speightstown, can win his maiden in the $100,000 Mine That Bird Derby at 1 1/16 miles, while Mopotism will get good support in the $75,000 Island Fashion for 3-year-old fillies at a mile off a runner-up finish in the Grade 2 Las Virgenes at Santa Anita.

The other invader for Reddam and O’Neill is Semper Fortis, the seventh-place finisher in the $12 million Pegasus World Cup who starts as the 120-pound second-highweight in the $75,000 Curribot Handicap. Forest Mouse is seeking his third straight win of the Sunland meet and is the 123-pound highweight for the 1 1/16-mile handicap following his win in last month’s Winsham Lad.

Mario Gutierrez will ride the three O’Neill starters. He has been a regular partner with Irap, a son of Tiznow who ran second to Mastery in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Futurity in December. In his most recent start, Irap was second in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis on Feb. 4 at Santa Anita. He earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 88 for his front-running effort, a number that is at least 20 points higher than the last-race Beyer of each of his eight rivals in the Mine That Bird. The rail-drawn runner will remove blinkers Sunday after wearing the equipment for the first time in the Lewis.

The undefeated Conquest Mo Money, who was an 11-length winner of the $100,000 Riley Allison at a mile Jan. 29 at Sunland, is one of the chief threats to Irap. Conquest Mo Money has been flattered since his stakes win, with two horses from the field coming back to win their next starts, including All Shacked Up, who took a first-level allowance at Sunland with a 56 Beyer.

Conquest Mo Money, a son of Uncle Mo whose other win came in a local maiden special weight race at a mile, is owned by Judge Lanier Racing and trained by Miguel Hernandez.

Mopotism, who breaks from post 2 in the Island Fashion, hooked leading 3-year-old filly Unique Bella in the Las Virgenes, finishing closer to that one than anyone else in the field when beaten 8 3/4 lengths. Earlier in her career, Mopotism was third in the Grade 1 Starlet at Los Alamitos. She is a daughter of Uncle Mo.

Her chief rivals include Golden Mischief, a two-time stakes winner coming off a sprint victory at Fair Grounds, and the Sunland-based Sippin, a five-time stakes winner who is 7 for 7.