Mr Money Bags Game in Zia Park Derby Score

While battling down the Zia Park stretch Nov. 27, Mr Money Bags dug in and held on by a neck over California invader Dueling to take the $245,000 Zia Park Derby.

The 1 1/16-mile feature for 3-year-olds highlighted seven stakes on the Land of Enchantment Day program and marked the finale under Wednesday's 10 races at the New Mexico track. The Land of Enchantment card lost some of its starters due to shipping restrictions on Remington Park-based horses from multiple Equine Herpesvirus cases there.

Mr Money Bags still put on a show despite the scratches of Steve Asmussen-trained stakes winners Bankit and Tone Broke, both stabled at Remington. Though most of his success has come in his home state of Texas, where he's won three stakes against state-bred or restricted company, Zia has also been welcoming to the Silver City gelding. The Mike Neatherlin trainee won his career debut as a 2-year-old at Zia and also won Zia's Oct. 28 Roadrunner Stakes.

Jockey Ernesto Valdez Jiminez, who was aboard Mr Money Bags in the Roadrunner, was back for the Zia Park Derby. He allowed his the 4-5 favorite to stalk the pace set by Dueling and jockey Drayden Van Dyke. Dueling took his time up front, running a quarter-mile in :24.35 and a half-mile in :50.19. 

Mr Money Bags poked his head in front at the six-furlong point, but Dueling wasn't finished. The early leader fought back on the inside, but Mr Money Bags refused to let him back in front. The winner hit the wire in 1:44.04 on a fast track.

Walker Stalker, Final Jeopardy, and Sherriff Brown completed the order of finish.

"I've had some good horses, but this horse is unique," Neatherlin said. "Every time I think the situation might be a little tough for him, he just comes through. He amazes me a lot and he has a bigger future ahead."

"He's an amazing horse,"added Valdez-Jiminez. "He will do anything you want. He's a speed horse, but is pretty smart. I want to say thank you to Mike and Casey Lambert."

New Mexico trainer Lambert kept Mr Money Bags in his Zia stable following the Roadrunner so the Texas-based gelding would not have to ship out and back in.

The Zia Park Derby victory leaves Mr Money Bags with seven wins and a third from 10 starts. He's collected $345,270 in earnings.

Roy Cobb, who owns Mr Money Bags, bred the gray/roan out of the multiple stakes winner Miss Photogenic, by You and I. Miss Photogenic has produced three winners from as many starters and has a yearling filly by Crossbow. She was reportedly last bred to Too Much Bling .

Earlier on the card:

Dale F. Taylor Racing's She's My Gem made easy work of a four-horse field to win the $95,000 Zia Park Distaff Stakes. The 3-year-old Into Mischief  filly stalked the pace set Best of Me and edged clear by a length under Ry Eikleberry. She completed six furlongs in 1:09.76 and paid $3.60 as the 4-5 favorite.

The Todd Fincher trainee was bred in Kentucky by Don and Pam Mattox and is the second foal out of the Unbridled's Song mare Our Unbridled Gem. Dale Taylor purchased She's My Gem for $160,000 from Taylor Made Sales Agency's consignment to the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. From two wins in three starts, the filly has earned $81,100.

Chief Cicatriz, a homebred for Roy Gene Evans, scored his sixth black-type victory Wednesday in the $100,000 Zia Park Sprint Stakes. The 6-year-old Munnings  gelding ridden by Tyler Baze came from off the pace, passed pacesetter Secular Nation in the stretch, and pulled away by two lengths to complete six furlongs in 1:08.84. The Shawn Davis trainee paid $4.20 as the even-money favorite.

Winner of the 2018 Aristides Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs, Kentucky-bred Chief Cicatriz is the first foal out of the Grand Slam mare Super Buggy. He's earned $423,845 and 12 wins from 19 starts.

After being edged by three-quarters of a length last out in the ATBA Fall Sales Futurity at Turf Paradise, Eli Diamant's Maius picked up his first black-type stakes win in the $75,000 Zia Park Juvenile. Jockey Francisco Arrieta settled his mount off the pace of leader Party Town and favorite Competitive Idea. Despite drifting, Maius managed to stick his head in front in the stretch before crossing the wire 1 3/4 lengths in front. He ran six furlongs in 1:10.29 and paid $7.80.

Trained by O. A. Martinez Jr., Maius won his first three starts at Arapahoe Park before his lone defeat. The Rocky Bar gelding was bred in Colorado by Tom Dougherty. Diamant picked him up for $5,000 from Few Acre Farm's consignment to the 2018 Arizona Thoroughbred Breeders' Association Fall Mixed Sale. Maius has earned $100,599.

Midnight Emma, trained and owned by Jose Luna Silva, scored her second straight stakes victory with a 1 1/2-length score in the $75,000 Zia Park Princess Stakes. The 2-year-old daughter of Midnight Lute  entered off a wire-to-wire effort in the ATBA Fall Sales Futurity fillies division at Turf Paradise. Wednesday she settled in fifth under Arrieta before rallying past pacesetter Smart N Wicked, who held for second over favorite Wasabi Girl. Midnight Emma wrapped up six furlongs in 1:10.47 and paid $24.80.

Jason Allen Tackitt bred the filly in California out of the stakes-placed Eskendereya mare Little Emma. Luna purchased the filly her second time through the sales ring, going to $10,000 to secure her from Ride Hard Farm at the 2018 ATBA Fall Mixed Sale. She's won three of four starts and $87,343 in earnings.

Motion Emotion, bet down to a heavy 1-5 favorite in a four-horse field, opened up in early stretch then held off Calf Moon Bay to win the $237,500 Zia Park Oaks. It was the first stakes win for the 3-year-old Take Charge Indy  filly, who was twice grade 3-placed earlier this year. With Mario Gutierrez in the irons, Motion Emotion stalked the pace and looked clear until Calf Moon Bay kicked into gear. The winner held on by half a length and ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.40. She paid $2.40.

Richard Baltas trains Motion Emotion for Abbondanza Racing, Marc DeDomenico, and Medallion Racing. The Zia Park Oaks was the filly's third start for her new connections. Bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm out of the Smart Strike mare Golden Motion, Motion Emotion has earned $418,845 from three wins in 10 starts.

Multiple grade 3 winner and Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) third Lady Apple, another Asmussen trainee stabled at Remington, was scratched from the Zia Park Oaks.

Restrainedvengence, eased in the 2018 Zia Park Derby and walked off the track a year ago, left eight rivals in the dust to take the $150,000 Zia Park Championship Stakes. The 4-year-old Hold Me Back gelding wired the field under jockey Baze and completed 1 1/8 miles 1:48.69, just over a fifth of a second off the track record. He finished best by 4 1/2 lengths and paid $6.00.

Val Brinkerhoff trains for Kelly Brinkerhoff and Bob Grayson Jr. Restrainedvengence was purchased for $67,000 from breeder Bettorsworth Westwind Farms at the 2016 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where the late Bob Grayson Sr. signed the ticket.

"This is a bittersweet win for us as our partner died a couple weeks ago," the trainer said. "He picked him up at the sale and we sure miss him."

With five wins in 19 starts, including three stakes victories and two graded placings, the dark bay has earned $360,222. He was foaled in Kentucky out of the multiple stakes winner and multiple stakes producer Cupid's Revenge, by Red Ransom.