Sunland Park meet opens; Derby, Oaks will be run for first time since 2019

The Sunland Park Derby will be run for the first time in three years on March 27 as part of the New Mexico track’s meet that opens on Friday. The race that carries eligibility points for the Kentucky Derby was last held in 2019, when Cutting Humor won over Anothertwistafate.

Sunland Park, which is located right across the border from El Paso, Texas, will race 55 dates through April 3. The track has a mixed-meet format that features races for Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses.

The richest offering this meet is the Grade 3, $500,000 Sunland Derby. It will be run over 1 1/8 miles. The first four finishers will earn Kentucky Derby points on a scale of 50-20-10-5. The Sunland Derby, which in the past has been worth as much as $800,000, will anchor a card of seven Thoroughbred stakes. The program will be worth more than $1.6 million, according to a press release from Sunland.

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The card includes the Sunland Park Oaks, which has been boosted in value from its traditional purse of $200,000 to $300,000. The 1 1/16-mile race again will offer eligibility points for the Kentucky Oaks. The first four finishers will earn those points on a scale of 50-20-10-5, according to the Kentucky Oaks preps list from Churchill Downs. Both the Sunland Derby and the Sunland Oaks will be Lasix-free races in 2022.

Other stakes making up the richest card of the meet are the $100,000 Bill Thomas Memorial Stakes, $100,000 Harry Henson Handicap, $250,000 New Mexico Breeders’ Derby, $250,000 New Mexico Breeders’ Oaks, and the $120,000 New Mexico State University Stakes.

The most recent Sunland Derby Day in 2019 resulted in a record all-sources handle of $4.8 million. The number was a record not only for Sunland Park, but also for New Mexico. Attendance for the card reached 16,957. It was the 60th anniversary season for Sunland.

The track was looking to build on the momentum in 2020, but the Sunland Derby was scheduled at the start of the pandemic and shortly after the race and its supporting stakes were drawn, the decision was made to cancel the card. The effects of the pandemic, which left the track’s casino shuttered, led to the cancellation of Sunland Derby Day in 2021.

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Sunland officials project purses this meet will average $250,000 a day. The stakes program opens with a double on Saturday, with the $65,000 KLAQ Handicap sharing top billing with the $100,000 New Mexico State Racing Commission Handicap.

The most significant stakes for Quarter Horses is the Grade 1 Sunland Park Championship, which has been moved to Jan. 2 after being a fixture the last week of each year. The race at the classic distance of 440 yards has drawn seven horses, including Empressum and Instygator, who will be making their first starts at 4 after winning Grade 1 races as 3-year-olds in 2021.