The $800,000 Sunland Derby (G3) tops a huge Sunday at Sunland Park, which will play host to seven stakes races worth more than $1.4 million. A strong field is assembling for the biggest race of the meeting at the New Mexico venue, with some of the bigger conditioners in this sport shipping in for this test. Recent San Vicente S. (G2) winner Shakin it Up beat a real good field in that one and looms large in here for conditioner Bob Baffert. The fast-closing colt is a bit of a question mark at two turns, but we think he showed a lot of quality in his last and clearly has enough ability to beat these.
The Todd Pletcher-conditioned Overanalyze ran evenly in the Gotham S. (G3) last time but could have needed the race and we wouldn’t sleep on him in here with John Velazquez coming along to ride. Dry Summer took the local prep for this, the Mine That Bird S., and has the edge of having a race over the oval. The son of Any Given Saturday could go off at a nice price, also. Mine That Bird runner-up Show Some Magic and third-place finisher Storm Driver, as well as sharp maiden winner Abraham, Turf Paradise Derby winner Persuasive Paul, Just Win Baby, talented D. Wayne Lukas trainee Titletown Five, John Sadler’s Demonic, a fine maiden winner in his lone start to date, and the Grade 1-winning Power Broker, also from Baffert’s barn, help make this a fine field.
The undercard here will be comprised of the $200,000 Sunland Park Oaks, as well as five other listed events, each of those worth $85,000.