Stronghold Heads to New Mexico for Sunland Park Derby

Twice second in graded stakes behind a pair of Bob Baffert trainees in Southern California, Stronghold  pursues opportunity in New Mexico Feb. 18 against seven 3-year-old rivals in the $400,000 Sunland Derby (G3).

Other favorites in the 1 1/16-mile race at Sunland Park include Informed Patriot , third in both the Oct. 29 Street Sense Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs and the Jan. 1 Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park, plus Lucky Jeremy  and Alotaluck , the 1-2 finishers from the Riley Allison Derby at Sunland.

The Sunland Derby, which offers qualifying points toward the May 4 Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill on a 20-10-6-4-2 scale to its top five finishers, has produced one Derby winner through the years: Mine That Bird  in 2009, before the points era began. He ran fourth in that year's Sunland Derby before his 50-1 upset in the Run for the Roses.

Stronghold, trained by Phil D'Amato for owners/breeders Eric and Sharon Waller, is already a winner at Churchill Downs, having scored a maiden win going a one-turn mile there Oct. 1 when part of D'Amato's smaller Kentucky division. That followed a debut second at Ellis Park Aug. 27.

Sent west to join D'Amato's principal base in Southern California, he was a well-beaten second to Baffert trainee Nysos  in the seven-furlong Bob Hope Stakes (G3) Nov. 19 at Del Mar before a runner-up finish, beaten a half-length, to Baffert's Wynstock  in the Dec. 16 Los Alamitos Futurity (G2).

Keen behind horses when stalking early the latter race, he threatened inside to take a narrow lead from Wynstock but was outgamed by that resilient front-running foe after the two exchanged bumps down the lane. Stronghold earned five Kentucky Derby points for his runner-up finish.

They took Solomini down from his win in the Los Alamitos Futurity but the #NYsire's son keeps his following an inquiry! Wynstock caps a HUGE day for @McMahonSaratoga's young sire. Empire Equines bred the newest #NYbred graded stakes winner. @FreytheF for Allred, Liebau, Baffert. pic.twitter.com/wWdqDkrxbb

— NYTB (@nytbreeders) December 17, 2023

After missing training early last week due to wet weather in Southern California, as did other horses based at Santa Anita, Stronghold tuned up for the Sunland Park Derby with a five-furlong workout there in 1:00 3/5 Feb. 12.

Antonio Fresu rides the 3-year-old son of Ghostzapper  , the 5-2 morning-line favorite.

Joel Rosario is another out-of-town rider with a mount in the race, taking the mount on Informed Patriot, who makes his first start since the Smarty Jones.

A son of Hard Spun   with a 1-0-3 record in five starts, he races for Kirk and Judy Robison, residents of nearby El Paso, Texas. Informed Patriot, with six existing Kentucky Derby points, is 3-1 on the morning line.

Lucky Jeremy, who rallied from a stalking position to defeat a dueling Alotaluck by two lengths in the Riley Allison, is 4-1, while Alotaluck is 6-1.

REcharge, Simply Enchanting Top Sunland Oaks

A couple of races before the Sunland Park Derby, Asmussen and Rosario have the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the $250,000 Sunland Park Oaks with Winchell Thoroughbreds Recharge , a daughter of Gun Runner   unbeaten in two starts at Remington Park and Sam Houston in allowance and maiden competition.

Fresu is aboard the 7-2 second choice in the D'Amato-trained Simply Enchanting , a Nyquist   filly who scored on debut Jan. 21 at Santa Anita for owners MyRacehorse and Joey Platts.

Four other 3-year-old fillies are entered in the one-mile Sunland Park Oaks, which provides qualifying points toward the May 3 Kentucky Oaks (G1) on the same scale as the Sunland Park Derby does toward the Kentucky Derby.

Four other $100,000 stakes races bolster the Sunday program.