Wine Police back on dirt, blinkers off for Premiere Cup

Wine Police returns to the New Mexico market Sunday to start as the co-highweight in the $75,000 Premiere Cup Handicap at Zia Park. The six-furlong race for 3-year-olds and up drew a tight but talented cast of six, including Grade 1 winner Jaycito in a rare sprint start and multiple stakes winners Warren’s Knockout and Isn’t He Clever.

The Premiere is the first stakes of the meet at Zia, which opened its 56-date season Saturday.

Wine Police, who spent the summer at Del Mar, and Warren’s Knockout, based in New Mexico, are co-highweighted at 121 pounds for the Premiere.

Premiere Cup Handicap, Race 10

KEY CONTENDERS

Wine Police (Last 3 Beyers: 87-69-85)

◗ Wine Police makes a couple of notable changes for the Premiere Cup. He’s returning to dirt, where he won last year’s $153,000 Remington Park Sprint Cup, after racing over Polytrack at Del Mar. He also is removing blinkers, and he did not wear the equipment for his last win, which came in the Sprint Cup in Oklahoma.

◗ Wine Police enters the Premiere off a third-place finish to Merit Man in the Green Flash on Aug. 13. He also was stakes-placed at Santa Anita earlier this year, finishing second in the Grade 3 Los Angeles.

◗ Enrique Gomez has the mount for J. Kirk and Judy Robison and trainer Henry Dominguez.

Warren’s Knockout (Last 3: Beyers: 91-88-87)

◗ He has won two stakes in his last four starts at Sunland Park and SunRay Park.

◗ Warren’s Knockout missed by a neck last out in the $50,000 Budweiser Special at Albuquerque, which marked his first start in two months.

◗ He’s one of three starters in the field from the barn of trainer Justin Evans, who also will send out Jaycito and Homerun Berti.