Coady Photography / Special report by PETE HERRERA

TWICE THE APPEAL: STUNNING SUNLAND DERBY WINNER

SUNLAND PARK, N.M. - March 27, 2011 - Two years ago Mine That Bird arrived at Churchill Downs from New Mexico in obscurity and then stunned the horse racing world the first Saturday in May.

Twice the Appeal will be making the same journey and after watching the 25-to-1 shot romp to a solid win in Sunday’s Grade III $800,000 Sunland Derby, it was tough not to notice the similarities in the two.

``They are both late blooming horses that got right at the right time,’’ said Jeff Bonde, the trainer of Twice the Appeal. ``A lot of horses have impressive 2-year-old seasons and then for some reason hit their summit or get tired.’’

Twice the Appeal’s win in the 1 1/8-mile Sunland Derby was worth $400,000, which should be enough to ensure a spot in the Kentucky Derby field.

``Horses are day to day,’’ said Bonde, ``but he’s been a nice, sound colt. If he comes out of this race good, our intention is to go.’’

Mine That Bird arrived in Kentucky two years ago well under the radar. He had finished fourth in the Sunland Derby and went off in the Kentucky Derby at odds of 50-to-1. But like Twice the Appeal, he hit that elusive ``peak’’ at just the right time.

Ridden by Christian Santiago Reyes, Twice the Appeal broke from the No. 9 post and settled in behind the front-running trio of Sinai, Nacho Saint and Astrology.

As the speed battled for the lead, Twice the Appeal waited until the 11-horse field rolled into the final turn, then launched his bid.

``I put him in a good position and let him relax,’’ Reyes said of the first half of the race. ``I was running fourth or fifth behind the speed and at the turn for home, I knew I had a lot of horse left. I told myself, 'it’s time to go.'"

Go he did, but Astrology, making his first start as a 3-year-old, still had plenty left and hooked up with Twice the Appeal down the lane. But Twice the Appeal had too much of a closing kick and hit the finish line 1 ½ lengths in front in a time of 1:50.91.

Astrology was second, a head in front of Ruler On Ice, who was seventh after three-quarters of a mile and then finished with a rush.

Astrology, trained by Steve Asmussen, earned $176,000 and has a good chance of making the Kentucky Derby field as well with his Graded Stakes earnings. Last year, Astrology won the Grade III, Iroquois at Churchill Downs and ran second in the Kentucky Juvenile Cup behind Santiva.

``You have to give Steve Asmussen a lot of credit. That horse had not had a start and he ran a very impressive race,’’ said Bonde. ``But when they were deadlocked, I felt my horse had had conditioning and he always finishes. I knew I was going to be a big part of it whether he made a run at us or not.’’

Bonde said Santiago rode the race just like they had scripted it.

``We told him not to rush him and let him get into his rhythm and make one run. That’s exactly what he did.’’

Twice the Appeal returned $53.20, $14.80 and $10.00. Astrology paid $4.00 and $3.00 and Ruler On Ice paid $4.60 to show.

The Sunland Derby, New Mexico’s only graded Thoroughbred race, has been growing in popularity, especially after Mine That Bird’s win in the Kentucky Derby. This year’s 9th running drew a crowd of 18,571, who wagered a state and track record $2,963,240.

Twice the Appeal is owned by California-based partners Rusty Brown, Victor Flores and Henry Hernandez. Bonde purchased the horse last year for $35,000 and offered him to Brown. Brown assumed controlling interest, with Flores and Hernandez joining in.

Twice the Appeal, a late (May) foal, started out slowly, but showed his potential with back-to-back wins at Santa Anita. He broke his maiden in December in a 7-furlong race, winning by nearly five lengths, then came back with another romping win in an allowance win over a mile in January. He had a troubled trip in the Turf Paradise Derby in February, but still finished second behind Beer Meister.

``In his early races, he was really immature and didn’t want to be rushed,’’ said Bonde.

``He was not a sprint-type horse. When he started routing, he became a much more professional horse. He blossomed early in the meet at Santa Anita and gave us the inspiration to take a chance. At Turf Paradise he had a troubled trip, but he still showed us what we were looking for in terms of finishing.’’

For the owners, it was a day and a victory that brought reality to childhood dreams and lifetime ambitions.

``This is unreal,’’ said Flores. ``We knew we had a good horse, but we didn’t know how good. If he’s sound, we’re going to the derby.’’
Flores and Hernandez grew up in La Puente, Calif., about 11 miles from Santa Anita.

``I started going to the races when I was 11,’’ said Flores. ``You always say someday and when I was able to put myself in a situation to own a horse, I went after it. You spend money and you put a lot of effort and patience into it and here we are.’’

Brown, who grew up in Saratoga, N.Y., now lives in Shady Canyon, Calif. He too went from fan to horse owner once he was financially able to afford the horses. He now owns several horses, most of them in partnership with Bonde.

Brown said he likes to bet the races, but didn’t put down a single penny on Twice the Appeal.

``Why would I?’’ he said. ``If he wins, we win $400,000.’’

And like the rest of his connections, he was having trouble wrapping his mind around what Twice the Appeal had just accomplished.

``It’s a total shock,’’ Brown said. ``I’m going to be in shock from now until the first Saturday in May.’’

The rest of the field in the order of finish was It’s My Party, Beer Meister, Nacho Saint, Fusa Code, R Skydiver, Supreme Ruler, Behold de Buy and Sinai.