Sunland Derby: Expected favorite Slow Down Andy adding blinkers
Slow Down Andy could move into the fast lane on the road to the Kentucky Derby with the right kind of performance in Sunday’s Grade 3, $500,000 Sunland Park Derby.
The Southern California shipper figures to start as the favorite in the 1 1/8-mile race, which awards the first four finishers Kentucky Derby points on a scale of 50-20-10-5.
The Sunland Derby is the centerpiece of a card that boasts seven stakes worth a cumulative $1.6 million. It’s the richest afternoon of the meet, and includes the $300,000 Sunland Park Oaks.
Slow Down Andy is part of a field of eight that also lured the first four finishers from the final local prep, the $100,000 Mine That Bird Derby: Straight Up G, Bye Bye Bobby, Classic Moment, and Fowler Blue.
“This race kind of checked the boxes for us that make it a perfect fit,” said Doug O’Neill, who trains Slow Down Andy and has won two runnings of the Sunland Derby.
Slow Down Andy has accumulated 10 points for the Kentucky Derby by virtue of his win in the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity in December. He was a length winner over Messier, the next-out winner of the Robert B. Lewis by 15 lengths at Santa Anita. Slow Down Andy has made one start since, finishing sixth in the Risen Star at Fair Grounds after breaking out of the 10-hole.
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“Breaking from the outside, our goal was to kind of go for it and we just kind of got hung out wide,” O’Neill said. “The trip didn’t unfold like we wanted. It was a better-than-it-looked effort. He was a victim of a poor post.
“We’re in the four-hole Sunday. I love the draw, and I think he’s really going to enjoy the track there at Sunland.”
Slow Down Andy, who will be ridden by Mario Gutierrez, will add blinkers for the Sunland Derby.
“He’d trained with and without them,” O’Neill said. “After winning the Los Alamitos Futurity – he ran immaturely down the lane – we talked briefly about putting them on for the Risen Star. But we said, ‘He won without them, why would you do that?’ After the Risen Star, we revisited putting them on, and Mario worked him in them and he worked lights out.”
The six-furlong move in 1:12.20 from the gate was on March 19 at Santa Anita.
Slow Down Andy is a homebred for Reddam Racing. He is by Nyquist, who won the 2016 Kentucky Derby for Reddam, O’Neill, and Gutierrez.
Straight Up G is another Santa Anita-based runner invading for the Sunland Derby. He’s already proven over the local strip, as he won the Mine That Bird Derby by three-quarters of a length Feb. 27. The 1 1/16-mile race was was his first start outside California.
“He came out of the race really well,” said trainer Richard Baltas. “He’s had a nice half-mile breeze, then a nice five-eighths in 59.20 and galloped out really strong. Obviously, this is a little tougher and a little longer distance. We’ll see if he can do it.”
Straight Up G will break from post 8. He will be ridden by Ricardo Gonzalez. Baltas will add new equipment Sunday off the horse’s wire-to-wire win in the Mine That Bird Derby.
“He was aggressive and strong the whole way,” Baltas said. “He did try to jump the tracks. I’m putting a big shadow roll on him. Last time, he had a covered noseband. The main thing is he’s doing great.”
Straight Up G has shown speed in his races and figures to again be prominent Sunday.
“We drew the outside,” Baltas said. “It looks like there’s a good run into the first turn. He doesn’t have to have the lead. If he gets it, that’s fine. The main thing is we don’t want to get parked out too wide.”
Straight Up G is a homebred for Jungle Racing.
Trainer Steve Asmussen, who has won two runnings of the Sunland Derby, will saddle Costa Terra and Classic Moment on Sunday. Costa Terra is a son of Gun Runner who exits a fourth-place finish in an Oaklawn allowance won by Arkansas Derby candidate Call Me Jamal.
Classic Moment rallied for third in the Mine That Bird Derby and last year was a maiden winner over Arkansas Derby candidate Cyberknife.
“Classic Moment, I thought he competed well the other day,” Asmussen said. “I think he’s capable of a little more pace than he showed.”
Joel Rosario is in to ride Classic Moment, who will start from post 2.
The field is completed by Chrome King, winner of the Turf Paradise Derby, and Pepper Spray, winner of the Riley Allison Derby at Sunland.