Straight Up G leads gate to wire in Mine That Bird Derby
Straight Up G might have punched his ticket to the Grade 3, $500,000 Sunland Derby with his wire-to-wire win Sunday in the $100,000 Mine That Bird Derby at Sunland Park.
“We’ll definitely be looking at the Sunland Derby,” winning trainer Richard Baltas said in an interview broadcast by Sunland Park.
The Mine That Bird Derby was the final local prep for the Sunland Derby on March 27. It also was one of four stakes on Sunday’s card, with Miss Hard Knocks winning the $75,000 Island Fashion in what served as the final local prep for the $300,000 Sunland Park Oaks.
Straight Up G ($4) on Sunday set fractions of 23.79 seconds for the opening quarter, 46.88 for the half-mile, and 1:10.56 for six furlongs, racing over a track rated fast. He continued to lead while covering the 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.96.
Straight Up G won by three-quarters of a length over Bye Bye Bobby, while it was another three-quarters of a length back in third to Classic Moment.
Ricardo Gonzalez was aboard Straight Up G. The horse came into the race off a runner-up finish in the California Cup Derby on Jan. 15 at Santa Anita. One race prior, he captured the King Glorious for California-breds on Dec. 12 at Los Alamitos.
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“He’s got so much natural speed,” Baltas said. “He breaks sharp all the time, puts himself right in the race. He’s a nice 3-year-old.”
Baltas and Jim Rome, who bred and owns Straight Up G in the name of his Jungle Racing, both said the Mine That Bird Derby was a chance to test the horse on the road and in open company.
“He passed his test,” Baltas said.
“I’m really proud of the way he ran,” Rome said in a post-race interview broadcast by Sunland. “He’d never been outside of California. We wanted to try open company, see how he measured up.”
Rome said he has one broodmare, Gidget Girl, the dam of Straight Up G. The horse by Straight Fire has now won 3 of 5 starts and earned $203,660.
The Sunland Derby rewards its first four finishers Kentucky Derby points on a scale of 50-20-10-5. The same points schedule applies to the Sunland Oaks and the Kentucky Oaks.
Miss Hard Knocks ($9.20) won her third straight race in the Island Fashion for 3-year-old fillies. She stalked the pace through an opening quarter in 24.11 and a half-mile in 47.07. Miss Hard Knocks took over from there, fended off a bid from Tyler’s Dream, and had more for the stretch run to cover the mile in 1:37.71.
Harry Hernandez was aboard for Jeremy Ramsland and trainer Bart Hone.
“She ran a nice race,” Hone said in an interview broadcast by Sunland. “It was nice to see her get around the two turns.”
Hone said he would discuss a potential start in the Sunland Park Oaks with Ramsland.
“It’s a possibility,” he said.
Miss Hard Knocks previously won a Jan. 17 maiden race at Turf Paradise and the $65,000 Borderplex on Jan. 30 at Sunland. She is a daughter of Mr Speaker and was making her two-turn debut Sunday.
Miss Hard Knocks won by 1 1/2 lengths over Manorelli, who was an 11-length maiden special weight sprint winner Jan. 23 at Santa Anita. It was another head back in third to Landslid, who was coming off a fourth-place finish in the $100,000 Ruthless on Feb. 6.
* Jet Set Warrior ($21.40) stormed home through the stretch to catch Massive Roar on the wire for a neck win in the $100,000 Red Hedeman Mile for 3-year-olds bred in New Mexico. The winner covered the distance in 1:38.78.
* The first stakes on the card was the $100,000 Albert and Henry Dominguez Memorial Handicap for older New Mexico-breds at 1 1/16 miles, and Sea Emperor ($16.40) was always prominent for a neck win over Jet N G. The winner covered the distance in 1:44.08.