Sunland Park: Red Lead shooting for third Curribot Handicap win

Red Lead will attempt to win the $50,000 Curribot Handicap at Sunland Park for the third time in his career on Sunday. He’s part of a seven-horse field for the mile and a sixteenth race that also drew Jaycito, a Grade 1 winner at 2; Dry Summer, back in town after spending some of last season in Southern California; and Smack Ridge, the 122-pound starting highweight following his win in the $50,000 Winsham Lad at Sunland.

Red Lead, an 8-year-old who has earned $854,546, first won the Curribot in 2010. His second win in the race came last year, when he rolled home by a length and a quarter. Sunday, the horse will be seeking to rebound from an uncharacteristic seventh-place finish in an optional $62,500 claimer at Oaklawn on Jan. 26.

“I put him on a trailer Tuesday morning and shipped him to my brother’s barn [at Sunland],” said Chris Hartman, who trains Red Lead. “He’s back on a track that he likes. We ran him [at Oaklawn] and he didn’t seem like he had an affinity for the surface. He’s been pretty effective over that Sunland track. He loves it over there.”

Red Lead has compiled a 7-for-14 record at Sunland, where he has earned more than $250,000. The horse, who is housed in trainer Alex Hartman’s barn, races for Joey Davis. Chris Hartman said Red Lead is a long range candidate for the $75,000 Sunland Park Handicap on April 13.

Jaycito was second in an optional $40,000 claimer at Sunland in his last start Jan. 25. Ry Eikleberry will be aboard for Tony Pennington and trainer Justin Evans.

Dry Summer missed by three-quarters of a length in the Winsham Lad in his most recent start Jan. 5. Trainer Joel Marr has given the mount to Carlos Madeira.