The Road to the Kentucky Derby makes a stop in New Mexico Feb. 16 as nine 3-year-olds compete over 1 1/16 miles in the $400,000 Sunland Park Derby. The top five finishers will receive qualifying points on a 20-10-6-4-2 scale.
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has won this race three times before, but not since Chitu took home the prize in 2014. He sends one of the top prospects from his barn, Getaway Car, in an attempt to get back in the win column.
After a pair of victories to start his career, including the Best Pal Stakes (G3) at Del Mar, the son of Curlin has been stuck in the shadows of stablemates Citizen Bull and Gaming. After finishing fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) behind that pair, he set the pace in the Dec. 14 Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) but was run down by Journalism and defeated 3 1/2 lengths as the runner-up.
Video: Los Alamitos Futurity (G2)
Now, Getaway Car finally has the barn's spotlight to himself as the field's lone Baffert entrant. His company kept has earned him 9-5 morning-line favoritism for SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert Masterson, Tom Ryan, Waves Edge Capital, and Catherine Donovan.
Leslie Amestoy, Pierre Jean Amestoy Jr. and Roger Beasley's McKinzie Street has also had his fair share of run-ins with the top Baffert runners. Twice grade 1-placed, including in his lone start around two turns, the son of McKinzie previously trained by Tim Yakteen makes his barn debut for Justin Evans Saturday.
Three Chimneys Farm's Touchy is the third and final runner with graded experience, having run fourth in the Saratoga Special Stakes (G2) last summer. Yet to travel beyond 6 1/2 furlongs, he enters as the 7-2 second choice for trainer Wesley Ward off a runner-up effort in the Jan. 4 Turfway Prevue Stakes at Turfway Park.
Randy Howg's Take Charge Tom leads the local runners off his one-length victory in the one-mile Riley Allison Derby, the track's local prep race. The dual stakes-winning son of Tom's d'Etat is undefeated in three starts and usually is found prompting the pace. He is one of two runners in the field trained by Robertino Diodoro as Itsmybirthday enters off consecutive wins at Turf Paradise to start his career.
Sunland Park, Sunday, February 16, 2025, Race 9Entries: Sunland Park Derby
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Itsmybirthday (KY) Harry Hernandez 123 Robertino Diodoro 20/1 2 2Remember Big Jim (KY) Elvin Gonzalez 123 Dick Cappellucci 12/1 3 3Smash It (LA) Florent Geroux 123 Todd W. Fincher 12/1 4 4Getaway Car (KY) Juan J. Hernandez 123 Bob Baffert 9/5 5 5Spenard (KY) Luis A. Valenzuela 123 Tena Birdwell 20/1 6 6Take Charge Tom (KY) Orlando Mojica 123 Robertino Diodoro 8/1 7 7McKinzie Street (KY) Ramon A. Vazquez 123 Justin R. Evans 4/1 8 8Touchy (KY) Joel Rosario 123 Wesley A. Ward 7/2 9 9Caldera (KY) Rafael Bejarano 123 D. Wayne Lukas 5/1
Two races earlier, the $250,000 Sunland Park Oaks will award the same point values for the Road to the Kentucky Oaks.
Baffert again finds himself with the 9-5 morning line favorite as he ships Michael Lund Petersen's Maysam off a six-length debut victory at Santa Anita Park Jan. 24. Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen sends a pair of fillies in Runnin N Gunnin and Enchanting as he aims to win the race a second consecutive year.
Sunland Park, Sunday, February 16, 2025, Race 7Entries: Sunland Park Oaks
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Rogue Justice (KY) Florent Geroux 121 Todd W. Fincher 10/1 2 2Runnin N Gunnin (KY) Alfredo J. Juarez, Jr. 121 Steven M. Asmussen 3/1 3 3Pink Pacific (KY) Tracy J. Hebert 121 Gary W. Cross 9/2 4 4Maysam (KY) Juan J. Hernandez 121 Bob Baffert 9/5 5 5Enchanting (KY) Ramon A. Vazquez 121 Steven M. Asmussen 7/2 6 6Street Colors (CA) Enrique Portillo Gomez 121 Luis C. Rojero 15/1 7 7Stubby (KY) Elvin Gonzalez 121 Dick Cappellucci 10/1
