Wild On Ice ($72.80) upsets Sunland Park Derby, considers Kentucky Derby

Wild On Ice upset the Grade 3, $600,000 Sunland Park Derby at 35-1 on Sunday and, while he picked up 50 Kentucky Derby points, his status for the race is to be determined, according to trainer Joel Marr.

Wild On Ice is not currently nominated to the Triple Crown. Late nominations for the race close Monday at a cost of $6,000. Marr said in a post-race interview broadcast by Sunland that he did not know yet whether the horse would advance to the May 6 classic at Churchill Downs.

“We weren’t thinking about any of that until a few minutes ago,” Marr said.

Wild On Ice ($72.80) broke last in the Sunland Derby and was content to stalk dueling leaders Henry Q and Hard to Figure in third, through a posted time of six furlongs in 1:10.64. Wild On Ice advanced three wide on the final turn, took the lead past the eighth pole, and battled with Low Expectations for a 1 3/4-length win over that one. Wild On Ice covered the 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:51.38.
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“He was up there, took a little breather and he really performed well,” winning rider Ken Tohill said in a post-race interview broadcast by Sunland.

Wild On Ice came into the Sunland Derby off a distant third-place finish to Henry Q in the Mine That Bird Derby at Sunland. Prior to that race, Wild On Ice was a troubled ninth in the Riley Allison Derby at Sunland.

“The whole team kept believing and wanted to give him one more shot,” said Marr, who is best known as the trainer of the 19-for-19 mare Peppers Pride.

Wild On Ice is a Texas-bred son of Tapizar who races for his breeder, Frank Sumpter. The horse won his first two races, both sprints at Zia Park. Overall, Wild On Ice is 3 for 5 and the first-place check of $356,400 that he earned Sunday pushed his bankroll to $405,400.

Low Expectations, who is nominated to the Triple Crown, earned 20 points for the Kentucky Derby. Henry Q, who finished 2 1/3 lengths behind Low Expectations in third, is not nominated to the Triple Crown, nor is fourth-place finisher How Did He Do That. One in Vermillion, who was fifth, earned 5 points Sunday.

Sunland announced Marr and Tohill, who are mainstays in New Mexico, won the Sunland Derby for the first time Sunday.

Fort Bragg was scratched from the race and is entered in the Florida Derby.

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