Express Kid will try to add to his Kentucky Derby points total Sunday, when he defends his home track against shippers from around the country in the $500,000 Sunland Park Derby. The 1 1/16-mile race offers its first five finishers Kentucky Derby points on a scale of 20-10-6-4-2. It drew eight, including Pavlovian from Santa Anita, Bricklin from Oaklawn Park, and the maiden Buntus Foclora from New York. The purse for the Sunland Derby was boosted by $100,000 for this year’s renewal. It’s being showcased on a 10-race card that includes six stakes. The stakes are worth a cumulative $1.15 million and include the $250,000 Sunland Park Oaks. Express Kid was moved from Turf Paradise to Sunland Park after being purchased for $800,000 by Brad and Sharon Kleven at an online Fasig-Tipton auction in January. He will be making his first start for trainer Justin Evans after winning the Springboard Mile at Remington Park – and its 10 Kentucky Derby points – last out for trainer Wade Rarick. Express Kid’s four local drills include a bullet five furlongs in 59.40 seconds on Feb. 3. “His works have been lights out,” Evans said. “He’s really made the transition well. The horse looked fantastic when we got him. Wade Rarick did an excellent job with the horse. He looked great when we got him, so he was kind of turnkey.” :: KENTUCKY DERBY 2026: Top contenders, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more Evans – who has a division of horses at Turf Paradise – felt it was important to move Express Kid to his barn at Sunland soon after the sale. “I think it was really beneficial,” he said. “I wanted to get him over here, start his training over here. Sometimes it seems like it will take a little bit for those horses to get a little bit used to the surface here at Sunland. So I wanted to make sure I got him over here as soon as I could, kind of get him going through the motions, and his works have been great. He’s really handled the surface well.” Express Kid won the Springboard Mile from post 11 but will start from the rail in the Sunland Derby. “He drew the inside and he’s got some speed,” Evans said. “I spoke with [jockey] Juan Hernandez a little bit on the phone. I was happy to get Juan because I wanted an aggressive rider, kind of a speed rider, and so ideally we’d like to send away from there from our inside post position and hopefully we’re able to slow the race down a little bit. “He’s got a really beautiful, long kind of stride to him, kind of a high cruising speed, so hopefully, he can cruise along on the front end and have a big finish left to him when the running starts.” Pavlovian figures to be a threat in the lane off a closing third-place finish in the California Cup Derby on Jan. 17. Earlier in his career, he was second in the Grade 3 Best Pal. “He’s a horse who’s got a tremendous amount of stamina,” trainer Doug O’Neill said. “With these better races, you don’t want to give any equal horse too big of a head start, so we’re hoping he’s within a couple [of lengths] turning for home. He’s got a really stern, steady, competitive finish to him. If he’s within a couple turning for home, I really think he’s got a big chance.” O’Neill – who has won three runnings of the Sunland Derby – will add a set of blinkers to Pavlovian’s equipment. Edwin Maldonado will ride Pavlovian for the first time for Reddam Racing. “He’s a really talented horse,” O’Neill said. “He’s a little bit of a thinker, so I’m glad Edwin got to work him the other day. We put the blinkers back on him and he worked out of the gate. He worked really, really well. They got along really well, so I’m hoping that translates into a good performance. He’s got the talent. If his mind’s on business, he’s going to be right there.” Pavlovian, who has won in blinkers, went six furlongs in 1:14.20 on Feb. 8 at Santa Anita. Daneyko and Way Beyond, who finished a respective first and second in the local prep, the Riley Allison Derby, both are returning to Sunland. Way Beyond, who ships in from Sam Houston, was edged by a nose in the Riley Allison. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. “He’s right on the cusp and he’s doing really well,” said trainer Steve Asmussen, who has twice won the Sunland Derby. “It will be an interesting race.” Bricklin was a first-level allowance winner going a mile Jan. 3 at Oaklawn. The 86 Beyer Speed Figure he earned is the best last-race number in the Sunland Derby. Forty Twenty could set the pace on the move to two turns. He’s a half-brother to Grade 3 winner Take Charge Tom, who won the Riley Allison and Mine That Bird Derby last year at Sunland. Sharons Beach will be scratched, according to Daily Racing Form’s Steve Andersen. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.