Zia Park Oaks gets wealth of talent

Family Tree leads a cornucopia of 3-year-old fillies that have landed in New Mexico for the $300,000 Zia Park Oaks on Wednesday. The 1 1/16-mile race also has drawn Land Over Sea, the runner-up in the Kentucky Oaks; Victress, the winner of the British Columbia Oaks at Hastings; and Coniah, who seeks her first two-turn win after finishing third last out in the Grade 2 Raven Run at Keeneland.

The Zia Park Oaks anchors a card of nine stakes worth $1.2 million on the annual Land of Enchantment card, including the $200,000 Zia Park Derby and the $150,000 Distance Championship.

Family Tree is running in the Zia Oaks because of the purse and the age restriction, said Wayne Catalano, who trains Family Tree for Mary and Gary West.

“It’s kind of the last 3-year-old race of the year on dirt,” said Catalano. “It was kind of mapped out by the group. She’s got a Grade 1 placing, a Grade 2 win, and now we want to try to build up the bankroll.”

Family Tree, by Smart Strike

(Last 3 Beyers: 88-83-88)

 She won the Grade 3 Iowa Oaks and Grade 2 Indiana Oaks before heading to Saratoga and finishing third in the Grade 1 Alabama. Family Tree last raced Sept. 25, finishing third in the $200,000 Remington Oaks. The 1-2 favorite, she dueled on the front end over a track rated good.

“She didn’t care for that track,” said Catalano.

 Family Tree, who flew into New Mexico on Sunday, will break from post 6 under Florent Geroux.

“She’ll do whatever you want,” Catalano said. “She’s better stalking.”

Ready to Confess, by More Than Ready

(Last 3 Beyers: 90-84-86)

 Ready to Confess has been a frequent rival of Family Tree’s, winning an allowance over that one in May at Churchill then finishing second to her in the Iowa Oaks. Ready to Confess enters Wednesday’s race off a runner-up finish in the Remington Park Oaks, a race in which she was prominent throughout at 11-1.

“It was a big effort,” said trainer Donnie Von Hemel. “Family Tree, we’ve been back and forth with her. Unfortunately, she’s won the bigger races than when we beat her, but both fillies are graded-stakes-type fillies. We’re sure happy with the way our filly is coming into the race.”

 Ready to Confess, a Pin Oak homebred out of the Grade 1-winning mare Confessional, will break from post 5 under Joe Rocco, Jr.

Coniah, by Harlington

(Last 3 Beyers: 88-87-86)

 She was sent to New Mexico by owners James and Tammy McKenney and trainer Kiaran McLaughlin about four days after the Raven Run, said Jon Arnett, who has handled her training at Zia.

“They just wanted her to train over this racetrack and get a couple of works underneath her,” he said. “They just wanted to get her kind of used to things here. We have a little more altitude here than where she’s been at. I think all of that will really benefit her.”

 Kent Desormeaux has the mount from the rail on Coniah, who figures to be prominent stretching out from seven-eighths Wednesday.