SUNLAND PARK, N.M. — A field of 10 will head to the starting gate Sunday for a wide-open 65th running of the $250,000 Casa Ford Sunland Park Handicap, the featured event of closing day at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino.
The race headlines a 12-race program that includes three major stakes and a first post time of 12:25 p.m.
The handicap field features six stakes winners with combined earnings exceeding $4.4 million. Vodka Vodka, coming off a second-place finish in last month’s Santa Anita Handicap, is the 7-2 morning line favorite. Trained by Aggie Ordonez, the California-bred son of Stay Thirsty has won four of 12 starts with career earnings topping $419,000. Kent Desormeaux will ride from post eight in the 1 1/8-mile race.
Malarchuk, the 4-1 second choice, is a New York invader trained by Michael McCarthy. The son of Nyquist returns from an eight-month layoff after winning at Saratoga last summer. Florent Geroux will be aboard, breaking from post four.
Seeking a repeat victory is Heroic Move, the 9-2 third choice trained by Robertino Diodoro. The Kentucky-bred son of Quality Road has won eight of 28 starts and earned more than $1 million. He enters off a win in the Zia Park Championship and will be ridden by Ramon Vazquez from post five.
In the 25th running of the $175,000 Mine That Bird Derby, trainer Justin Evans sends out 5-2 favorite Misinformation in a field of eight 3-year-olds.
The Kentucky-bred son of Essential Quality seeks to snap a four-race losing streak following three consecutive runner-up finishes at Oaklawn Park. Ridden by Ramon Vazquez, Misinformation breaks from post seven in the 1 1/8-mile contest, scheduled as the 10th race on the card.
Other top contenders include:
Smoovin Saturday (4-1): A California-bred son of I’ll Have Another, breaking from the rail under Florent Geroux.
Daneyko (9-2): Winner of the Riley Allison Derby earlier this season, trained by Ed Kereluk and ridden by Luis Valenzuela.
The sixth race features a showdown between two local heavyweights in the 23rd running of the $100,000 New Mexico State University Stakes.
Corrina Corrina, New Mexico’s all-time leading thoroughbred money earner, is the 7-5 favorite. The 7-year-old mare has won 22 of 44 starts and earned $1,549,000. She will break from post five under Tracy Hebert.
She faces Marking Canyon, the 9-5 second choice coming off a victory in the Albert and Henry Dominguez Memorial Stakes. Trained by Leroy Fincher, Marking Canyon will break from the rail with Aldo Arboleda.
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