Sunland Derby highlight of Sunland mixed meet

The multiple stakes winner Wildatlanticstorm has ties to New Mexico and could develop into a candidate for the Grade 3, $600,000 Sunland Park Derby. The Kentucky Derby points race on March 26 is the highlight of the Sunland meet, which opens Friday. The 55-date season, for Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses, will run through April 2.

Wildatlanticstorm stamped himself as a prospect of note earlier this month, when he won the $400,000 Springboard Mile at Remington Park with a Beyer Speed Figure of 94. Trainer Ray Ashford Jr. said Wildatlanticstorm will be considered for the Sunland Derby, which offers its winner 50 points for the Kentucky Derby.

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“My family lives in New Mexico and I have a lot of friends in New Mexico,” Ashford said. “It’s an option.”

The Sunland Derby will be showcased on a card of seven stakes that includes the $300,000 Sunland Park Oaks. The Oaks offers its winner 50 points for the Kentucky Oaks. The stakes for Sunland Derby Day will be worth a cumulative $1.6 million.

“Sunland does a good job with the stakes program,” said Todd Fincher, the winner of last season’s title who has a full stable settled in for the meet. “It incentivizes people to bring good horses here.”

Fincher’s barn includes Grade 3 winner Senor Buscador, who is returning from a vacation. Slammed, who won a stakes last season at Sunland before going on to win the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America at Keeneland, will join Fincher’s local stable later in the season. She is getting some time off.

“This is home, there’s good weather, good racing, and lots of stakes,” said Fincher.

Sunland’s stakes program gets underway Saturday with the $350,000 Championship, a 440 yard race for Quarter Horses. It drew world champion Danjer. Friday and Saturday’s races will all be for Quarter Horses.

The card Sunday is for Thoroughbreds and there’s a stakes double. The $65,000 KLAQ Handicap drew nine, while the $100,000 New Mexico State Racing Commission Handicap goes with 11. In a new policy this meet, all Thoroughbred stakes will be run Lasix-free, according to a notice from Sunland.

The final card of opening week will be run on Tuesday, and it’s all for Thoroughbreds.

First post daily is 12:25 p.m. Mountain.

Purses for the meet are projected by Sunland to average $275,000 a program. Last season, the track boosted purses by 25 percent during the middle of the meet, which realized a slight uptick in handle.

The road to the Sunland Derby starts on Jan. 29, with the running of the $100,000 Riley Allison at a mile. The $100,000 Mine That Bird Derby at 1 1/16 miles on Feb. 26 will serve as the final local stepping-stone to the Sunland Derby.

Wildatlanticstorm is now based at Sam Houston and could launch his 3-year-old season in the Southwest at Oaklawn, or in one of the Kentucky Derby points races at Fair Grounds, said Ashford. All the while, the barn will be keeping an eye on the developments in New Mexico.

“We’ll kind of see where he takes us,” said Ashford.

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