Runaway Ghost outruns Dream Baby Dream in Sunland Derby

Runaway Ghost picked up 50 Kentucky Derby qualifying points Sunday when the New Mexico-based colt won the state’s richest Thoroughbred race: the Grade 3, $800,000 Sunland Derby.

Runaway Ghost darted to a 2 3/4-length win over Dream Baby Dream. Runaway Ghost went off as the favorite in the field of 12.

“I’d say he’s the No. 1 Thoroughbred I’ve ever had,” said Joe Peacock, who bred and owns Runaway Ghost.

The Sunland Derby anchored a card of seven stakes worth more than $1.5 million. The program was the richest of the season at Sunland Park, which is located just across the state line from El Paso, Texas.

Runaway Ghost ($9.80) broke well from post 11 and settled in fourth under Tracy Hebert as All Out Blitz ran the opening half-mile in 45.80 seconds and six furlongs in 1:10.27, pushed along by New York Central (there was no time available for the opening quarter). Runaway Ghost advanced three wide on the final turn, hit the quarter pole in front, and comfortably held off the stretch bid of Dream Baby Dream.

Runaway Ghost covered the 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:49.20.

“We knew with an outside draw we could get the horse to relax better and it worked out,” winning trainer Todd Fincher said. “We had a long run to the first turn. We figured we might be a little wide, but that would be better than a horse laying on us, forcing our hand.

“He was actually a little farther back in the early stages than I thought.”

Runaway Ghost had won two stakes prior to the Sunland Derby, both on the front end. He accounted for the $55,000 Golden Nugget in November at Golden Gate when based in California, then captured the $106,000 Riley Allison in his New Mexico debut Jan. 28 at Sunland

Runaway Ghost is a Kentucky-bred son of Ghostzapper. His dam, Rose’s Desert, was a multiple stakes winner in New Mexico.

Dream Baby Dream earned 20 Kentucky Derby points for his runner-up finish in the Sunland Derby. Peace earned 10 points after winning a photo for third over fourth-place finisher Seven Trumpets, who picked up 5.

Fincher said plans are to be determined for Runaway Ghost, who last week was made a late nominee to the Triple Crown.

“We’ll see how he comes back from this race,” Fincher said. “We all want to go to the Derby, but we’ll put the horse first and let him tell us what we want to do.”

Mine That Bird in 2009 parlayed a fourth-place finish in the Sunland Derby into a 50-1 upset in the Kentucky Derby.

Runaway Ghost earned $400,000 for his win in the Sunland Derby to improve his career record to four wins from seven starts for earnings of $563,510.

The remaining order of finish in the Sunland Derby was Dark Vader in fifth, followed by Choo Choo, Shane Zain, All Out Blitz, Prince Lucky, New York Central, Hollywood Star, and Fortified Effort.

Record handle for Sunland Park

Sunland Park handled $4,278,343 on its 12-race card from all sources Sunday in what is a record for the track, according to Dustin Dix, director of racing operations for Sunland. The handle number eclipsed the previous record of $3,820,986 set on Sunland Derby Day in 2013.

Sunland handled $3,947,381 on its races off-track Sunday, while $330,962 was bet on the card ontrack, according to figures from Sunland.

Dix said attendance ontrack was 16,717.