Sunland Park Derby matches Henry Q vs. Hard to Figure
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Henry Q and the trainer of Hard to Figure, Bob Baffert, are honorary locals when it comes to Sunland Park in New Mexico.
The Southern California-based horses will vie for favoritism Sunday in the Grade 3, $600,000 Sunland Park Derby. Fort Bragg, another leading contender entered in the 1 1/8-mile race, will not start and will re-route to the Florida Derby, according to trainer Tim Yakteen.
Henry Q won the local prep, the $100,000 Mine That Bird Derby, by 14 3/4 lengths on Feb. 28. He shipped in on top of the race, with trainer Doug O’Neill sending him to Sunland counterpart Todd Fincher.
“He’s been here long enough it’s kind of his home turf now,” Fincher said.
Hard to Figure owns the field’s best Beyer Speed Figure for Baffert, who as a child would tag along when his father had business at Sunland.
“When I was 12, 13, they had a little lake in the infield and in between races there would be skiers and jumps entertaining the fans,” Baffert recalled. “I always thought that was pretty cool.
“Sunland was always big-time racing.”
Sunland puts on its biggest show of the year Sunday, with seven stakes worth a cumulative $1.7 million. The Sunland Derby carries points for the Kentucky Derby on a scale of 50-20-15-10-5, and the $300,000 Sunland Park Oaks does the same for the Kentucky Oaks.
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Henry Q, who is not nominated to the Triple Crown, and Hard to Figure, who is ineligible for points because he is trained by Baffert, are part of a field now reduced from seven to six. The group includes One in Vermillion, who is going for his fourth straight stakes win, and Low Expectations, who is 2 for 2 since moving to dirt in January at Santa Anita.
How Did He Do That, a stakes winner, and Wild On Ice, who is stakes-placed, complete the field. Like Henry Q, neither is nominated to the Triple Crown, which has a late closing deadline on Monday.
Henry Q was making both his first start against winners and first start at two turns in the Mine That Bird Derby. For covering 1 1/16 miles in a sharp 1:41.52, the son of Blame earned a career-high Beyer of 93.
“You couldn’t ask for anything better,” Fincher said. “It was perfect. It wasn’t a strong field, but he beat them by a lot, by plenty.”
Henry Q led throughout, but could face a different scenario Sunday in the face of speed rivals Hard to Figure, One in Vermillion, and Low Expectations.
“It looks like there’s going to be a fast pace,” Fincher said. “He came off the pace at Santa Anita in a seven-furlong race. I figure he can rate a little bit if they go too fast.”
Henry Q has worked twice at Sunland since the Mine That Bird.
“He’s doing great, looks phenomenal,” Fincher said.
Edwin Maldonado was aboard last out and has the mount again from post 4. Henry Q races for The Del Mar Group.
Hard to Figure earned a career-high Beyer of 100 for his runner-up finish in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis in his most recent start Feb. 4 at Santa Anita. Baffert put blinkers back on for the race, one start after Hard to Figure finished fifth in the Grade 3 Bob Hope in November at Del Mar.
“He was on the lead [in the Bob Hope] – he’s a very headstrong kind of horse – and saw something in the infield,” Baffert said. “He made a right-hand turn, had to really check him hard throughout that race. We put blinkers back on him and he’s been fine since.”
Hard to Figure is a son of Hard Spun and the mare Ani La, who is a half-sister to 2017 Sunland Derby winner Hence. Hard to Figure, winner of the restricted Capote Stakes at Los Alamitos in September, races for the partnership of Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman.
Flavien Prat has the mount from post 6.
The start will be the first outside of California for Hard to Figure, who because of a lack of available flights had to be vanned to Sunland.
“He’s doing well,” Baffert said Thursday. “We’ll see how he travels. He ships fine. He’s a lot of energy. We’ll see what he does.”
One in Vermillion won his maiden in the Turf Paradise Open Spring Futurity in his second career start May 7. He proceeded to win the Lost in the Fog Juvenile in December at Turf Paradise before capturing the Riley Allison Derby at Sunland in his last start Jan. 29. Harry Hernandez has the mount from post 5 for trainer Esteban Martinez.
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