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GATEWAY TO GREATNESS: Sunland Park
Ready For 53rd Season - By Pete Herrera for SureBet
SUNLAND PARK, N.M. -- Maybe it’s the water, what little is still flowing when
the Rio Grande reaches this part of the southern New Mexico desert.
Possibly it’s the altitude — hardly imposing at 3,800-feet, but perhaps just
enough to give racehorses here an edge over those running in the lowlands of
Louisville, Maryland and New York.
More intriguing is the possibility that this geographically tricky corner of
America, where New Mexico, Texas and Mexico meet, has always been the land of
longshots — no matter the sport, no matter the odds.
It was from here that the late Don Haskins and his Texas Western Miners (now
University of Texas at El Paso) scored one for the little guys of college
basketball and forever changed the face of that sport.
Haskins started five black players against Adolph Rupp’s all-white Kentucky
team, and the Miners’ 71-65 win for the national title in 1966 ushered in a new
era in college basketball and recruiting.
Two years later, Lee Trevino, an obscure Mexican-American golf pro chiseling out
a modest living on a country club just east of El Paso, delivered on another
improbable dream by winning the U.S. Open. In a span of a couple of years,
Trevino became a household name on the PGA Tour and the ex-Marine was on his way
to the Hall-of-Fame.
The yes-we-can phenomena resurfaced again two years ago, this time with Sunland
Park and a 3-year-old Thoroughbred named Mine That Bird. No better than fourth
in the Sunland Derby six weeks earlier, Mine That Bird scored one of the biggest
upsets in Kentucky Derby history as the mud-loving gelding romped to victory at
odds of 50-1.
But if the bluebloods of horseracing thought Mine That Bird’s Derby win would be
the last time Sunland Park would show up on their radar, they were wrong.
Ruler On Ice, the third-place finisher in the 2011 Sunland Derby, rolled home a
winner last June in the Belmont at odds of 24-1. A couple of weeks earlier,
Astrology, the runner-up to Twice The Appeal at Sunland, finished third in The
Preakness behind Shackleford and Animal Kingdom.
Sunland’s reputation spiked even more on the eve of the Kentucky Derby, when Bob
Baffert’s filly, Plum Pretty, followed up her win in the $200,000 Sunland Oaks
by capturing the Kentucky Oaks.
In fact, had it not been for a missed deadline, Sunland Park could have had
another winner in the Triple Crown series. Shackleford’s trainer, Dale Romans,
wanted to run him in the Sunland Derby, but missed the late-entry deadline.
“He wanted in late but missed the nomination (deadline),’’ says Sunland Park
General Manager Harold Payne.
Sunland Park will open its 53rd season on Dec. 6, and, given what’s happened
over the last two years, there is considerable reason to toast the upcoming
77-day meet as one of optimism and opportunity.
The Sunland Park Derby, with a purse of $800,000 is now in its third year as a
Grade 3 race. The winner is virtually assured of a spot in next year’s Kentucky
Derby, a fact that will certainly entice nationally noted trainers like Baffert,
Steve Asmussen and Doug O’Neill to ship in some of their Derby hopefuls.
But it also gives local trainers like Henry Dominguez and Chris Hartman a chance
to realize every Thoroughbred trainer’s dream, to be in Louisville the first
Saturday in May with a Derby entrant.
Dominguez is one of New Mexico’s best Thoroughbred trainers. He won the Sunland
Derby in 2007 with Song of Navarone. Back then, the race was called the WinStar
Derby and because it wasn’t a graded stakes, didn’t do much for a horse’s
chances of getting into the Kentucky Derby.
Dominguez has been training horses at Sunland for more than 10 years, but his
relationship with the track dates back decades. Born and raised in El Paso, he
started out as a jockey and rode his first Thoroughbred at the track in October
1974.
Thirty-seven years later, Dominguez sees Sunland as his window of opportunity
for a trip to Churchill Downs.
“There’s more than one way to get to the Kentucky Derby, and Sunland is one of
those ways,’’ says Dominguez.
To that end, Dominguez said, local trainers and their owners are now going to
sales and spending a lot more money in search of the next Mine That Bird,
another Ruler on Ice.
“Whenever we go to sales, some of my clients have it in the back of their
minds,’’ says Dominguez. “I don’t train for sheiks or people with bottomless
pockets, but we try to find horses that will be able to stretch out (to the
Kentucky Derby distance).’’
And there’s a definite contender who fits that profile in Dominguez’s barn at
Sunland going into the new season.
Isn’t He Clever, a 2-year-old out of Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Smarty
Jones, won his first two races, then ran second last month in the $100,000
Clever Trevor Stakes at Remington.
Isn’t He Clever is owned by Kirk and Judy Robison of El Paso and likely will
spend much of the winter at Sunland getting acclimated to the track in hopes
he’ll remain sound and eligible to run in the Sunland Derby.
Understandably, Payne admits to being a bit of a homer in his preference for who
wins the next Sunland Derby.
“The best possible scenario for us is if a local guy wins it, like Mine That
Bird,’’ said Payne. “Local people now have a place where they can qualify for
the Kentucky Derby. Otherwise, they would have to go to Hot Springs or
California or somewhere else out of state.’’
Mine That Bird was bred in Kentucky, but was owned by New Mexico horsemen Dr.
Leonard Blach and Mark Allen when he won the Kentucky Derby.
Getting a graded race is a tough road for a track like Sunland and moving up can
be even more problematic, but there’s a chance the Sunland Derby could be
elevated to a Grade 2.
“We think we’re in great shape because of the results this year,’’ Payne said.
“I don’t know if we’ll get enough points to move up (to a Grade 2). I think we
have a chance.’’
“We’ve done a lot of the right things, like getting accredited with the NTRA
(National Thoroughbred Racing Association),’’ says Dustin Dix, Sunland’s
director of racing operations. “We’ve been progressive with a lot of things that
shows them we’re trying to move forward.’’
This, at a time when being in the horseracing business is a risky proposition.
With numerous tracks across the country losing money and bettors, Sunland Park
remains a beacon of stability and strength.
There are plenty of horses on the backside and that should ensure full fields
for most Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse races. All of Sunland’s 1,700 stalls
have been allocated, and there’s a waiting list.
This year’s purses will run close to $18 million. There will be seven stakes
races on Sunland Derby day (March 25), including the $200,000 Sunland Oaks and
the Harry Henson Handicap, Bill Thomas Memorial, La Coneja Stakes, New Mexico
Breeders’ Oaks and New Mexico Breeders Derby, all worth $100,000 or more.
The Borderland Derby, a prep for the 1-1/8 Sunland Derby, will be run on Feb. 25
with an increased purse of $150,000.
Sunland is also home to one of Quarter Horse racing’s bigger events, the Grade 1
Championship, which will run on Dec. 31 and carry a guaranteed purse of $350,000
for the 3-year-olds-and-up field.
That’s not to say Sunland has dodged the economic downturn. Off-season
simulcasting revenues are down about 13 percent and overall, says Payne. “Money
is tight.”
“The industry is in such decline that if we can break even handle-wise, it’s a
success,’’ said Dix. “We look at the results of other tracks’ handle and
everywhere it’s down 10 to 15 percent.’’
Payne feels Sunland also has taken a hit from the ongoing violence just across
the border from El Paso in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. While El Paso is considered
one of the safest cities in the U.S., the battle among drug cartels in Juarez
has virtually wiped out that city’s tourism and created a backlash affect along
the border.
“People are afraid to come here,’’ Payne said in a recent interview with
SureBet. “They ask if it’s safe to come here. We’re pretty much a locals economy
right now.’’
But there’s still plenty to like about Sunland, given the abundance of horses on
the grounds. With tracks across the country turning off bettors with five- and
six-horse fields, Sunland has consistently averaged better than eight horses per
race. Short fields make for short payoffs.
“That’s how we’ve built a lot of our success is off those field sizes,’’ Dix
said.
Sunland’s races are simulcast to more than 800 locations worldwide, including
sites in the Caribbean and Europe. Sunland’s decision to run on Tuesdays has
proven to be a huge economic plus for the track. With few other tracks running
on that day, Sunland’s races viewed via simulcasting have generated an average
handle of $1 million or more each Tuesday in recent years.
“That’s been part of the lure of Sunland,’’ says Dix. “You’ve got a fast track
99 percent of the time, full fields and big payoffs. I get a lot of feedback
from gamblers around the country that really like our signal. On Tuesday, just
about anywhere where there is wagering, they’re taking us.’’
The total handle for last year’s Sunland Derby day, live and through
simulcasting, totaled a state and track record $3 million.
And to think the Sunland Derby almost went out of existence four years ago.
Frustrated at not being able to get the race graded, Sunland owner Stan Fulton
was close to pulling the plug.
“If it hadn’t been graded, we probably would have lost it,’’ Dix said. “Stan
asked Harold and I what our backup plan was if we got rid of it. We said we had
one, but we really didn’t want to talk about it because we’d put so much heart
and soul into this race, we didn’t want to see it die. He gave us one more year,
and that’s when we got graded.’’
That following year (2009), Kelly Leak won the Sunland Derby but it was
fourth-place finisher that changed it all. Combined with his earnings in Canada
as a 2-year-old, Mine That Bird had enough graded money to make the Kentucky
Derby field. He followed his win at Churchill Downs with a runner-up finish in
the Preakness and third place at the Belmont.
“That was a key race all summer,’’ Dix said of the 2009 Sunland Derby. “They
(national media) kept mentioning the Sunland Derby because there were like four
or five next out winners from that race.’’
Four of the horses that ran in the 2009 Sunland Derby went on to score wins in
graded races.
“It put the race on the map for some trainers that weren’t really looking at it
before,’’ said Payne. “We get more depth now. (Before), Baffert would bring a
horse and some other California guys would bring a horse, but other than that,
we weren’t getting anybody from back east.’’
Says Dix: “Now when we call trainers to nominate for the race, they don’t ask,
is it graded, what it is and when is it. They know about it now.’’
So do some of the NFL’s biggest superstars. Every year, the Sunland Derby
weekend includes a gala dinner whose featured speakers over the years have
included Terry Bradshaw, Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice. This year’s celebrity draw
will be former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana.
Who better than the four-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback to bring a little
more limelight to the track that this season -- and possibly for years to come
-- has inherited the tag “Gateway to Greatness.’’
Stakes
races for the upcoming season:
Saturday, Dec. 10 - Jess Burner Memorial Handicap. Purse
$110,000 Guaranteed. Three year olds
and up. New Mexico-breds. 400 yards.
Saturday, Dec. 10 - KLAQ Handicap. Purse $50,000 Guaranteed.
Three year olds and up.
5 and 1/2 furlongs.
Sunday, Dec. 11 - Johnie L. Jamison Stakes. Purse $110,000
Guaranteed. Three year olds and up.
New Mexico-breds. 6 and 1/2 furlongs.
Sunday, Dec. 11 – New Mexico State Racing Commission
Handicap. Purse $110,000 Guaranteed.
Three year olds and up. Fillies and mares. New Mexico-breds. 6
furlongs.
Saturday, Dec. 17 - Challenger Six Handicap. Purse $110,000
Guaranteed. Three year olds
and up. New Mexico-breds. 870 yards.
Sunday, Dec. 18 - Lou Wooten Handicap. Purse $110,000
Guaranteed. RG I. Three year olds and up.
Fillies and mares. New Mexico-breds. 400 yards.
Sunday, Dec. 18 – The Enchantress Stakes. Purse $110,000
Guaranteed. Two year olds.
New Mexico-breds. One Mile.
Friday, Dec. 23 - Bold Ego Handicap. Purse $50,000
Guaranteed. Three year olds and up.
Fillies and mares. 5 and 1/2 furlongs.
Friday, Dec. 30 - Riley Allison Futurity. Purse
$100,000-added. Two year olds.
6 and 1/2 furlongs.
Friday, Dec. 30 –Sunland Park Winter Quarter Horse Futurity.
Grade II. Purse $150,000 estimated, $50,000-added.
Two year olds. 400 yards.
Friday, Dec. 30 -Sunland Park Winter Quarter Horse Derby.
Grade II. Purse $50,000-added. Three year olds.
400 yards.
Saturday, Dec. 31 - The Championship at Sunland Park. Grade
I. Purse $350,000 Guaranteed.
Three year olds and up. 400 yards.
Saturday, Dec. 31 - Red Hedeman Mile. Purse $110,000
Guaranteed. Two year olds.
New Mexico-breds. One Mile.
Sunday, Jan. 1 - Albert Dominguez Memorial Handicap. Purse
$110,000 Guaranteed.
Three year olds and up. New Mexico-breds. 1 and 1/16 miles.
Saturday, Jan. 7 - The Shue Fly. Purse $300,000 estimated.
Foals of 2009. New Mexico-breds.
400 yards.
Sunday, Jan. 8 - Winsham Lad Handicap. Purse $50,000
Guaranteed. Three year olds and up.
One Mile and 70 yards.
Saturday, Jan. 14 - La Senora Stakes. Purse $110,000
Guaranteed. Three year olds.
Fillies. New Mexico-breds. 6 furlongs.
Saturday, Jan. 21 - Pepsi Cola Stakes. Purse $110,000
Guaranteed. Three year olds.
New Mexico-breds. 6 furlongs.
Sunday, Jan. 22 -El Paso Times Handicap. Purse $50,000
Guaranteed. Three year olds.
Fillies. 6 and 1/2 furlongs.
Saturday, Jan. 28 - KOFX – Radio Handicap. Grade II. Purse
$50,000 Guaranteed. Three year olds and up.
350 yards.
Sunday, Jan. 29 – SPRC Claiming Series. Purse $20,000-added.
Three year olds and up. Claiming $5,000.
5 furlongs.
Saturday, Feb. 4 - Budweiser Handicap. Purse $50,000
Guaranteed. Three year olds and up.
5 furlongs.
Saturday, Feb. 11 – El Diario Handicap. Purse $50,000
Guaranteed. Three year olds and up.
Fillies and mares. 6 and one-half furlongs.
Sunday, Feb. 12 - Curribot Handicap. Purse $50,000
Guaranteed. Three year olds and up.
1 and 1/16 miles.
Saturday, Feb. 18 - The Sydney Valentini Handicap. Purse
$110,000 Guaranteed.
Four year olds and up. Fillies and mares. New Mexico-breds. One
Mile.
Sunday, Feb. 19 - NMHBA Quarter Horse Stakes. Purse $110,000
Guaranteed. RG II. Three year olds.
New Mexico-breds. 400 yards.
Saturday, Feb. 25 - Borderland Derby sponsored by Casa Ford.
Purse $150,000 Guaranteed. Three year olds.
1 and 1/16 miles.
Sunday, Feb. 26 - TheIsland Fashion Stakes. Purse $50,000
Guaranteed. Three year olds.
Fillies. One Mile.
Saturday, March 3 -West Texas Maturity. Grade II. Purse
$65,000-added.
Three year olds and up. 400 yards.
Sunday, March 4 – SPRC Claiming Series. Purse $25,000-addded.
Three year olds and up. Claiming $6,250. 6 furlongs.
Saturday, March 10 - Mt. Cristo Rey Handicap. Purse $110,000
Guaranteed.
Three year olds and up. New Mexico-breds. 4 and 1/2 furlongs.
Sunday, March 11 - Mesilla Valley Speed Handicap. Purse
$110,000 Guaranteed.
Three year olds and up. New Mexico-breds. 350 yards.
Sunday, March 18 – New Mexico State University Stakes. Purse
$110,000 Guaranteed.
Four year olds and up. New Mexico-breds. One Mile and 70 yards. .
Sunday, March 25 - Bill Thomas Memorial Handicap. Purse
$100,000 Guaranteed.
Three year olds and up. 6 and 1/2 furlongs.
Sunday, March 25 - La Coneja Stakes. Purse $110,000
Guaranteed. Four year olds and up.
Fillies and mares. New Mexico-breds. 5 and 1/2 furlongs.
Sunday, March 25 - Harry W. Henson Handicap. Purse
$100,000-added
Three year olds and up. Fillies and mares. One Mile.
Sunday, March 25 – New Mexico Breeders’ Oaks. Purse $110,000
Guaranteed.
Three year olds. Fillies. New Mexico-breds. 1 and 1/16 miles.
Sunday, March 25 - New Mexico Breeders' Derby. Purse $110,000
Guaranteed.
Three year olds. New Mexico-breds. 1 and 1/16 miles.
Sunday, March 25 - Sunland Park Oaks. Purse $200,000
Guaranteed.
Three year olds. Fillies. 1 and 1/16 miles.
Sunday, March 25 - Sunland Derby
(Gr. III). Purse $800,000 Guaranteed. Three year olds. 1 and 1/8
miles.
Saturday, March 31 – West Texas Derby. Grade III. Purse
$175,000 estimated, $65,000-added.
Three year olds. 400 yards.
Sunday, April 1 - Red Cell New Mexico Challenge. Grade III.
Purse $55,000-added.
Three year olds and up. 870 yards.
Sunday, April 1 – SPRC Claiming Series. Purse $30,000-added.
Three year olds and up. Claiming $8,000. One Mile.
Saturday, April 7 - Czaria Handicap. Purse $50,000
Guaranteed. Three year olds and up.
Fillies and mares. 6 furlongs.
Saturday, April 7 - New Mexican Spring Fling. Purse
$50,000-added.
Two year olds. New Mexico-breds. 300 yards.
Sunday, April 8 – Bank of America New Mexico Challenge
Championship. Grade I.
Purse $110,000-added. Three year olds and up. 440 yards.
Sunday, April 8 - New Mexican Spring Futurity. RGI. Purse
$300,000 estimated, $110,000-added.
Two year olds. New Mexico-breds. 300 yards.
Saturday, April 14 -West Texas Juvenile Stakes. Purse $50,000
Guaranteed.
Two year olds. 300 yards.
Saturday, April 14 – Sunburst Stakes. Purse $110,000
Guaranteed. Three year olds.
Fillies. New Mexico-breds. 350 yards.
Saturday, April 14 - Copper Top Futurity. Purse $75,000-added
for Two-year-old Colts and Geldings Division.
Purse $75,000-added for Two-year-old Fillies Division. New Mexico-breds.
4 and 1/2 furlongs.
Sunday, April 15 - West Texas Futurity. Grade I. Purse
$250,000 estimated, $100,000-added.
Two year olds. 300 yards.
Sunday, April 15 - Sunland Park Handicap. Purse $100,000
Guaranteed.
Three year olds and up. 1 and 1/8 miles.
Tuesday, April 17 - The Getaway Stakes. Purse $50,000
Guaranteed.
Three year olds. 870 yards.
Tuesday, April 17 – KHEY/Y-96 Sprint. Purse $50,000
Guaranteed.
Three year olds. 6 furlongs.
Tuesday, April 17 - Adios Amigos Claiming Handicap. Purse
$40,000-added.
Three year olds and up. Claiming $12,500. 1 and 1/4 miles.
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