2012 Sunland Park Derby – A Long-shot Path to the Triple Crown

When “racinos,” a combination racetrack and casino, began to crop up across the country more than a decade ago, a byproduct of that change was new paths to the Kentucky Derby were forged. One example of this can be found in New Mexico, where the Grade 3, $800,000 Sunland Park Derby is now squarely on the radar of potential Kentucky Derby contenders.

Sunland Park, which opened in 1959, was for decades nothing more than a small, regional track where local horsemen would race their low-priced Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses. That changed in 1999 when slot machines were legalized at Sunland Park, with the mandate a portion of the revenue would be put towards race purses.

Flush with new cash, Sunland Park inaugurated the Sunland Park Derby in 2003. The 1 1/8-mile contest would gain in stature during the subsequent years, but really had its reputation boosted when Mine That Bird parlayed a fourth-place finish in the Sunland Park Derby into an historic win in the Kentucky Derby.

Largely as a result of Mine That Bird's success, the Sunland Park Derby finally earned graded status in 2011. That makes it a true Kentucky Derby prep because if there are more than the maximum 20 entries for the Derby, earnings in graded stakes races are used to determine the starters.

The 2012 Sunland Park Derby, schedule for March 25, is expected to draw one of the finer fields in the race's history. Castaway, winner of a division of the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes in his last start, will ship in from Southern California; as will Daddy Nose Best, winner of the Grade 3 El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields, for trainer Steve Asmussen. Just a few years ago it would have been highly unlikely a pair of colts already with graded stakes wins on their resumes would ship into New Mexico.

The Sunland Park Derby is also expected to feature Isn't He Clever and Zackn'mat, the one-two finishers in the Borderland Derby earlier in the meet at Sunland Park. There are also a few Eastern-based horses, which are currently considered marginal Kentucky Derby contenders, that are looking to raid Sunland Park for much-needed graded stakes earnings.

The 2011 Sunland Park Derby was won by longshot Twice the Appeal, a former Maiden Claimer that sprung a 25-to-1 upset. The son of Successful Appeal would go on to split the field in the Kentucky Derby, finishing a respectable 10th for trainer Jeff Bonde.

Endorsement, the 2010 Sunland Park Derby winner, holds the stakes record based off his win in a sharp 1:48.46. Unfortunately, Endorsement was injured shortly after the Sunland Park Derby and was sidelined for the next 8 1/2-months. He is currently on the comeback trail at Gulfstream Park, where this winter he had a win and two seconds in three starts.

Southern California-based trainer Doug O'Neill is the only conditioner to win the Sunland Park Derby multiple times. He won the inaugural running in 2003 with Excessivepleasure and again in 2005 with Thor's Echo.