Brotha Keny Heads West For $300K Zia Park Derby

It is a haul from Turfway Park in Northern Kentucky to Zia Park in Eastern New Mexico—about 1,170 miles as the crow flies and 1,300 miles for a horse van—though it is understandable why the connections of Turfway-based Brotha Keny  are sending him west for the Nov. 25 Zia Park Derby. The 1 1/16-mile dirt race is worth $300,000 and an opportunity to face only 3-year-olds.

Such was not the case last out when Brotha Keny ran a close fourth against older horses in a third-level allowance optional claimer Oct. 24 at Keeneland. That performance followed a victory against 3-year-old competition in the ungraded Bourbon Flight Stakes at Churchill Downs and third-place finishes in the West Virginia Derby (G3) at Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort and Indiana Derby (G3) at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

Billy Morey trains the Mo Town   gelding for owners Lance and Steve Kinross.

Brotha Keny is the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the nine-horse race, ahead of Bryan Hawk's homebred Mister Omaha  at 3-1 odds and Poindexter Thoroughbreds' homebred Amorosa  at 4-1. Mister Omaha and Amorosa have been standouts in Oklahoma-bred and Iowa-bred company, respectively.

The Zia Park Derby is the 10th and final race on Tuesday at Zia Park on a card with six other stakes races, including the 1 1/16-mile $300,000 Zia Park Oaks. The Oaks drew a lesser seven-horse field headed by Remington Park Oaks show finisher Seraphia , who is the 2-1 favorite.