The talented Smash It and the unbeaten Take Charge Tom will both be looking for their first wins around two turns Friday, when they meet in the $100,000 Riley Allison Derby at Sunland Park.
The one-mile race is the local prep for the $400,000 Sunland Park Derby on Feb. 16. The Riley Allison is being showcased on a card with three other stakes and the races are designed to produce starters for the Sunland Derby Day card that also includes the $250,000 Sunland Park Oaks.
The card Friday also drew Corrina Corrina, who earlier this month became the all-time richest New Mexico-bred Thoroughbred when she won a stakes at Sunland. She goes in the $65,000 Bold Ego.
Smash It won a maiden special weight sprint at Del Mar in September with a Beyer Speed Figure of 91 to stamp himself as a runner of significance. The Louisiana-bred by Star Guitar is a half-brother to Slammed, a Grade 2 winner of more than $550,000. Smash It enters off a three-length win in the Zia Park Juvenile, a six-furlong race Nov. 26.
“I think he’ll go two turns,” trainer Todd Fincher said. “He’s been working like the mile isn’t going to bother him.”
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Smash It has made one start at two turns, finishing ninth in a turf stakes at Del Mar. But he found himself racing off the pace that afternoon, and is better suited being up in the race, said Fincher.
“We’ll send him to the front, that’s what he wants to do,” Fincher said. “Hopefully, he’ll bounce out of there and we’ll see if he can do the mile.”
Alfredo Juarez Jr. has the mount from post 2.
Take Charge Tom has won both of his starts to date, both at Turf Paradise. He began his career with a maiden special weight sprint win by 9 1/4 lengths Dec. 4, then captured the Lost in the Fog Juvenile over 6 1/2 furlongs Dec. 27.
Trainer Robertino Diodoro said there were a couple of reasons to target the Riley Allison Derby.
“Right from Day One, he’s a horse we knew wanted to go two turns,” Diodoro said of the son of Tom’s d’Etat. “And the timing of this race just works out well right now.”
Take Charge Tom is a homebred for Randy Howg, out of the multiple stakes-winning mare Gorgeous Ginny.
“I ran the mare for him,” Diodoro said. “She was a really nice mare.”
Take Charge Tom will break from post 3 under Orlando Mojica.
“I know last time he was closer to the lead, but we’re going to try to sit off of it just a little bit,” Diodoro said. “He kind of does whatever you want. We definitely want to sit off the pace with him.”
Diodoro will also saddle Wood Ceiling, a Gun Runner colt out of a multiple stakes-winning mare. He will be making his two-turn debut after a maiden special weight sprint win at Remington Park and a third-place finish in the Zia Park Juvenile.
“I think he’s another horse that going two turns is definitely going to help him,” Diodoro said. “He stumbled real bad at Zia and it was tough to make up ground that day, but he did make up quite a bit of ground after a bad stumble out of the gate.”
The field of 10 also includes another Gun Runner colt in Extradition. He was a maiden special weight winner at Churchill Downs for Three Chimneys Farm and Winchell Thoroughbreds and trainer Steve Asmussen.
Borderplex Stakes
The $65,000 Borderplex is for 3-year-old fillies at 6 1/2 furlongs and could produce starters for the Sunland Park Oaks.
It drew a field of 10, including recent Zia maiden special weight sprint winner In Spite of It. With the permission of the stewards, she will add a set of blinkers off a neck win at six furlongs Dec. 17.
“This last race, she acted a little green, ducked and dived a little bit, so we’ll put the blinkers on,” trainer Joel Marr said. “She just kind of acted like she lost focus.”
Pink Pacific is also coming off a maiden win at Zia. She is out of the mare Pacific Pink, a multiple stakes winner of more than $700,000.
Fort Bliss Stakes
Millionaire Jaxon Traveler is back in New Mexico for the $75,000 Fort Bliss over six furlongs. He’s the one to beat and a measuring stick of sorts for Redline, who like Jaxon Traveler, is seeking to win his fourth straight race Friday.
“Redline is a horse that just got good right now,” Diodoro said. “He’s a big, healthy looking horse and his coat is just very good right now. There’s a tough horse in there to try and outrun. I love the draw, on the outside of [Jaxon Traveler]. We’ll see what Redline’s made of on Friday.”
◗ Dashingly will take on Corrina Corrina in the Bold Ego over 5 1/2 furlongs Friday.
“She’s a nice filly,” Fincher said of Dashingly. “She didn’t draw the best, but if she can get out of there and get rolling, she’s pretty fast.”
Dashingly will break from post 2 as she seeks to win her third straight race Friday.
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