Surf N Ski, 9, enters Budweiser Handicap at top of game
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
The 9-year-old Surf N Ski will be looking to back up a track-record performance from last month when he runs in the $75,000 Budweiser Handicap on Sunday at Sunland Park in New Mexico.
The Budweiser, for 4-year-olds and up going six furlongs, is one of two stakes on the card, both for sprinters. The other is the $75,000 El Diario Handicap for fillies and mares. Both races could produce starters for stakes on next month’s Sunland Derby Day.
Seven are set to start in the Budweiser, including the Justin Evans-trained trio of Toews On Ice, Redneck Humor, and Flashy Indian.
Surf N Ski ran the race of his life at Sunland on Jan. 14, setting a track record while winning a $20,000 claiming race. Surf N Ski wired the field, winning by 5 1/2 lengths and covering six furlongs on a fast track in a blazing 1:07.50. He earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 95.
The last time Surf N Ski ran in a stakes, he won the $35,000 Arapahoe Park Sprint in May. It was the first stakes win for Surf N Ski, a son of Unbridled Native and a half-brother to the Grade 1 winner What a View.
Ken Tohill has the mount on Surf N Ski from post 4 for owner Eli Diamant and trainer Dick Cappellucci.
Toews On Ice, who was a Grade 3 winner in 2015, also used wire-to-wire tactics in his last start, capturing an optional $40,000 claiming sprint Jan. 10 at Sunland. He covered 5 1/2 furlongs in a quick 1:02.60. Ry Eikleberry was aboard and again has the mount from post 3.
Redneck Humor, a multiple stakes winner, is the 121-pound highweight in the Budweiser.
◗ K P Wildcat is highweighted at 123 pounds for the El Diario, which will be run over 6 1/2 furlongs. She is seeking her second straight win, having won an optional $20,000 claiming sprint Jan. 13 at Sunland. The start was her first since running second in the $300,000 Zia Park Oaks last November.
The chief threat could by Bryn’s Fancy Pants, a winner of seven of nine career starts. She is making a rare appearance outside of the New Mexico-bred ranks but defeated open company in her last race, a second-level allowance Jan. 28 at Sunland.