Track Phantom (Quality Road) will look to continue his domination among the local 3-year-olds as he looks to remain unbeaten around two turns in trying to add to his victories in the Dec. 23 Gun Runner S. and a front-running success in the GIII Lecomte S. Jan. 20. The $500,000 Keeneland September grad is one of two in the race for three-time Risen Star winner Steve Asmussen.

“It was great to see him win the race against a talented field, but especially with going as fast as they did early and showing enough quality to still respond,” the Hall of Famer commented. “I think the Lecomte was as easy on him as you could have wanted it to be, with him still getting something out of it.”

Joel Rosario will likely get after Track Phantom again from gate 11, but it was Asmussen's other winner on the Lecomte undercard who achieved the faster figure. Hall of Fame (Gun Runner) was trying a route of ground for the first time that afternoon and looked sensational doing it. His final time was 0.46 quicker than the Lecomte while his 94 Beyer was four points superior to Track Phantom en route to earning 'TDN Rising Star' honors.

“He was ridden much more aggressively (in his maiden win) because he's playing a little catch up on a horse like Track Phantom, but the ability is there,” Asmussen said of the $1.4-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga graduate.

Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) topped the Saratoga Sale on a bid of $2.3 million and came running late to graduate by 1 1/4 lengths at first asking at Aqueduct Nov. 4, also earning the 'Rising Star' designation. When last seen, the dark bay rallied from last to lead into the final furlong of the GII Remsen S. Dec. 2, only to be outbattled to the wire by Dornoch (Good Magic).

“He was the only horse that day that made up any ground and that's an important thing to note,” trainer Chad Brown told Bill Finley earlier this week. “He had every chance to win. I was pleased with the effort, though disappointed by the outcome.”

Brad Cox has won the Risen Star three times in the last four years, including Angel of Empire (Classic Empire) last winter. Albaugh Family Stables' Catching Freedom (Constitution) flies the flag for the barn after posting a 2 1/2-length victory in the Smarty Jones S. at Oaklawn Park Jan. 1.

“We're going to need to improve off the Smarty Jones,” Cox said. “Physically he looks great. He's had a good bit of time between races, he shipped back here and is moving well, so we'll see if he's up for it.”

Rachel Alexandra A Key Oaks Prep

The sophomore fillies' counterpart to the Risen Star is named in honor of the romping winner of the 2009 GI Kentucky Oaks and has been an exceptionally productive steppingstone to the first Friday in May. Dating back to 2014, no fewer than four winners of the Rachel Alexandra have gone on to success at Churchill Downs, including 'TDN Rising Star' Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief) last year.

Brad Cox saddled Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) to take the 2018 Rachel Alexandra and Kentucky Oaks, and the stable relies upon Alpine Princess (Classic Empire) in this spot. Beaten a long way from home when seventh in the GI Darley Alcibiades S. last October, the bay has since won two straight, both around two turns, including a two-length score over West Omaha (Omaha Beach) in the local Untapable S. Dec. 30. The latter flattered the form with a five-length romp over Perfect Shot (Gun Runner) in the Jan. 20 Silverbulletday S.

“She's always been a pretty good workhorse,” Cox said. “That's how she came to us back in the spring. She likes the track here. It's a step up. We'll give her another opportunity at the graded stakes level and hopefully she can get it done.”

'TDN Rising Star' V V's Dream (Mitole) lived up to that honor with a dominating victory in the GIII Pocahontas S. last September and a runner-up effort in the Alcibiades, but connections elected to pass the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. She was never truly a factor when beaten 9 1/2 lengths into third as the heavy favorite in the Oct. 29 Rags To Riches S., but her trainer has not lost faith in her.

“We're really excited,” Ken McPeek said. “She's been working super. She's as strong as ever right now. [Assistant trainer] Greg Geier has got her here in good order. She's really a high-level filly, and I'd love to think this is just one stepping stone to getting her to the [Kentucky] Oaks.”

With Florent Geroux committed to Alpine Princess, fellow Frenchman Flavien Prat takes over for Cox on the rail-drawn 'Rising Star' Tarifa (Bernardini). A disappointing second in Churchill allowance company behind next-out SW Denim and Pearls (Into Mischief), the Godophin homebred set the record straight with a solid victory in her two-turn debut on the Lecomte undercard.

Stronghold Rates The Marquee In Sunland Derby

A little more than two weeks after opting out of what turned out to be a one-horse race in the GIII Robert B. Lewis S. at Santa Anita, Stronghold (Ghostzapper) ships into New Mexico to tackle Sunday's $800,000 GIII Sunland Derby for trainer Phil D'Amato. A second-out maiden winner over Churchill's one-turn mile, the homebred got a good look at the hind end of 'TDN Rising Star' Nysos (Nyquist) when a distant second in the GIII Bob Hope S. at Del Mar last November and was forced to settle for second in the GII Los Alamitos Futurity in his juvenile finale Dec. 16. Antonio Fresu flies in from California for the ride.

Informed Patriot (Hard Spun) has only a maiden win to his credit from five starts, but has acquitted himself well in stakes company, finishing third in the GIII Street Sense S. Oct. 29 before filling the same spot in the Smarty Jones.

Lucky Jeremy (Lookin At Lucky) won his maiden in a restricted event going a mile on the Street Sense undercard and came away late to best Alotluck (Sir Prancealot {Ire}) by two lengths in the local Riley Allison Derby Jan. 19. It was a large expanse back to Surroundedbyangels (Smiling Tiger) that afternoon.

The Sunland Derby is also a Derby points race, with 20 points going to the winner.

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“Everything seemed to work perfectly this morning and you don't really see that a lot in horse racing,” trainer Joel Marr said. “We're taking every day in stride and enjoying being part of this year's Kentucky Derby.”

Should Wild On Ice make the Derby gate on May 6 it would mark both the first Churchill Downs appearance and first Derby starter for Marr and alsoTohill, who at age 60 would become the oldest jockey to ever ride in the Kentucky Derby and surpass Jon Court, who was 58 when he rode Long Range Toddy (Take Charge Indy) to a 16th-place finish in 2019.

“We know coming to Kentucky there are a lot more accomplished jockeys and trainers than us,” Tohill said. “It is the elite of the elite. But, we're coming to compete with them.”

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Graduating impressively by 4 3/4 lengths against fellow California-breds on debut Oct. 9 at Santa Anita, the homebred finished a hard-fought second in the state-bred Golden State Juvenile S. on the Breeders' Cup undercard Nov. 5 at Del Mar before stepping into open company for the first time and upsetting next-out 15-length GIII Robert B. Lewis S. winner Messier (Empire Maker) in the GII Los Alamitos Futurity Dec. 11. Drawn wide in the Feb. 19 Risen Star, the chestnut tracked the pace but had little in the stretch, fading to sixth, beaten 10 lengths. The Doug O'Neill trainee adds blinkers for this test and drilled a six-furlong bullet in 1:12 2/5 (1/5) from the gate Mar. 19 at Santa Anita.

Slow Down Andy will have to hold off the returning one-two-three finishers from the local Feb. 27 Mine That Bird Derby prep race. Jungle Racing's Straight Up G (Straight Fire) opened up a clear lead that day before holding on late for a 3/4-length victory, and the speedster is a neck away from being undefeated in his last four starts, also having captured the state-bred King Glorious S. Dec. 12 at Los Alamitos. B4 Farms' Bye Bye Bobby (Quality Road), and $870,000 Keeneland September purchase, captured the Zia Park Juvenile S. in his career bow Nov. 23 and, after running last in the Remington Springboard Mile S., finished a narrow second in both the Riley Allison Derby and Mine That Bird Derby over this track. Classic Moment (Classic Empire) rounded out the trifecta in the Mine That Bird Derby after suffering a wide trip, and the Steve Asmussen trainee is drawn better this time in the two-hole.

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Horse racing at Sunland Park remains on hold, however.

Last week, state regulators officially cancelled the remainder of the 2021 race meet, including the Sunland Derby. The track's signature race was not held in 2020, either.

Read more at ABC-7.

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“I kept hoping for a light at the end of the tunnel,” Baldwin said. “That's all we asked. Just give us a chance.”

On Thursday, Baldwin's situation went from bad to worse. She turned down stalls at Turf Paradise hoping that Sunland Park would eventually open. Instead, a ruling issued by the New Mexico Racing Commission allowed the track to cancel its entire 2021 meet, which was scheduled to run through Mar. 30. That also meant that the GIII Sunland Derby would not be run for the second consecutive year.

“This was a devastating decision for the horsemen,” said New Mexico Horsemen's Association Executive Director Richard Erhard. “We had no inkling that they would out and out cancel the meet. This is another nail in the coffin of New Mexico racing.”

As has been the case in many states, the New Mexico tracks went dark last March because of the coronavirus. But New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham eventually allowed them to reopen without spectators. After a two-month absence, racing returned to New Mexico on May 22 at Ruidoso Downs.

The problem for racing was that the governor has yet to give the green light for the casinos in the state to open up. With the casino monies no longer available to fund purses, Sunland management has argued that it cannot run.

Baldwin is among the trainers who opted to keep their horses in New Mexico. Others have scattered, some landing at Turf Paradise, others at Sam Houston. Dick Cappellucci is enjoying a solid meet at Turf Paradise with 14 winners, but he'd rather be in Mew Mexico.

“We're from New Mexico and that's the only place we've ever raced,” he said. “My grandfather started there and then my dad. raced there. I've been around the New Mexico tracks all my life and that's where I'd rather be. The problem is that we depend on the money from the slot machines for our purses. It accounts for about 85 to 90% of our revenues.”

After Sunland, in a normal year, New Mexico racing would move to SunRay Park, but it doesn't appear that they will be opening either. The commission has allowed them to delay issuing schedules for their overnight races and stakes and management at that track has given no indication that they are ready to open.

The best thing for racing in the state would be for Grisham to allow the casinos to reopen. New Mexico is the only state in the country that has yet to give permission for its commercial casinos to open. (Tribal casinos in the state are operating). But Grisham has given no indication that she is about to change her mind.

“It's pretty sad,” said trainer Todd Fincher, who has relocated to Sam Houston. “I'm not God and I can't make any of these decisions but these people don't understand the impact this is having. It's a really bad deal for New Mexico.”

According to Erhard, the New Mexico tracks have the option of opening, but they could only do so if they drastically reduced purses. Instead, they have stayed shut since the Zia Park meet ended late last year, and the racing commission has supported their decisions. Erhard said the consensus among his membership would be to run, no matter what the purse schedule looks like.

“If people want to run for $12 and a ham sandwich, let them,” Baldwin said. “It should be up to them, not the tracks.”

Cappellucci agrees.

“I don't know why they didn't open Sunland and give people a choice,” he said. “I would have still left, but even if they were running for $4,000 or $5,000 a race that would have given people an opportunity to run and I'm sure a lot of people would have done so.”

Fincher said that the racing commission has allowed the tracks to skirt New Mexico's statutes regarding gambling. The tracks are required to conduct racing in order to operate a casino. He believes that their failure to do so should be dealt with harshly by regulators.

“If we had a real commission, which we don't, every track that refuses to run would be lose their casino license,” he said.

After the news broke Thursday that Sunland would stay closed, Baldwin called the racing office at Turf Paradise and told them she wanted those stalls after all. Eventually, the casinos will open and New Mexico racing can return to a sense of normalcy. When that happens, Baldwin will come back. As for other trainers who have left the state, she's not sure what they will do.

“It seems like a zillion trainers have left the state and I don't know if they're coming back or not,” she said. “There's going to be a tremendous trickle down effect before this is all over.”

Erhard said that management at Ruidoso Downs is more racing friendly than the other tracks in the state and he remained optimistic that they will race when their meet is scheduled to begin on May 21. After Ruidoso, New Mexico racing is scheduled to move on to the Downs at Albuquerque before closing out the year at Zia Park.

Zia's meet is scheduled to begin Sept. 27. Perhaps by then, Grisham will have allowed the casinos to open, but no one can be sure. In the meantime, everyone is just waiting, hoping for some better news.

“This is just a lousy situation,” Erhard said. “Really lousy.”

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Runaway Ghost came back as a 4-year-old and won three stakes races at Sunland Park before shipping to Kentucky for the GII Commonwealth S. at Keeneland, where he suffered an ankle injury after twice clipping heels in the race. A third generation homebred for Joe Peacock of San Antonio, Texas, Runaway Ghost retires sound and will continue to be owned by the Peacock Family as he starts his second career.

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