SUNLAND PARK – Buy Local earned his second stakes win of the season with an impressive score Sunday in the 21st running of the $175,000 New Mexico Breeders’ Derby.
Trained by Todd Fincher, Buy Local sat midpack early in the 1 1/16-mile affair under jockey Guillermo Rodriguez before advancing to contest the pace rounding the far turn. Rodriguez pulled alongside pacesetter American Century at the head of the lane and kicked clear in the final furlong to win by 1 3/4 lengths. The son of Sporting Chance stopped the clock in 1:44.27.
Owned by J. Kirk and Judy Robison and bred by the Robison family and Downstream Racing LLC, Buy Local entered the derby off a convincing win in the Red Hedeman Mile over this course last month. Now a three-time winner from nine career starts, Buy Local has earned more than $246,000.
Fincher also trained runner-up Ghosted Again and third-place finisher Cash Waterfall. Fincher enters the final days of the season in a tight race for the thoroughbred trainer standings. Justin Evans and Dick Cappellucci entered the day tied for the lead with 24 winners apiece; Fincher trails by two with 22. The racing season comes to an end on Sunday.
Sent off as the 4-5 favorite, Buy Local paid $3.80 to win. The $2 exacta with Ghosted Again returned $10.20.
Holy Miss earned her first career stakes victory Sunday, rallying from off the pace to win the 16th edition of the $175,000 New Mexico Breeders’ Oaks while breaking her maiden in the process.
Trained by Bart Hone for Masino Racing Stable, Holy Miss sat several lengths behind a moderate pace down the backstretch of the 1 1/16-mile event. Jockey Francisco Amparan moved the 3-year-old daughter of Holy Lute into a contesting position approaching the furlong pole before wearing down favorite Marka at the wire.
Holy Miss won by a half-length with a finishing time of 1:44.13.
The filly had been no better than third in her four previous starts, though she did show flashes of talent finishing third in the Peppers Pride Stakes last month. Bred in New Mexico by Joe Masino, Holy Miss now has one win from five starts with earnings of more than $116,000.
Sent off at odds of 6.6-1, Holy Miss returned $15.20 to win. Marka, with Luis Valenzuela aboard, finished a clear second, resulting in a $47 exacta for each winning $2 wager. Unwound finished third, while Awesome Glory rounded out the top four.
RC Corona King needed nearly every bit of the 400 yard distance to prove best in Saturday’s 37th edition of the $98,598 Grade 3 West Texas Maturity, but at the end, jockey Sergio Dominguez muscled him to the finish line to prove narrowly best.
A New Mexico-bred gelded son of Eye Am King, RC Corona King rallied in the final 100 yards to get to the finish line a neck in front of Bigg Picture and jockey Noe Garcia, Jr. The winner reached the finish line in a quick time of 19.29 seconds.
Owned by Jose R. Riojas and trained by Gerardo Quinonez, RC Corona King earned his 10th win from 30 career starts. His most recent stakes victory took place in the Grade 1 Albuquerque Fall Championship last October at Albuquerque Downs.
This is the second win in the West Texas Maturity for RC Corona King, who won the race in 2024. He ran fourth in last year’s edition. Sunday’s win pads his lifetime earnings to more than $757,000.
Sent off as the prohibitive 3-to-5 post time favorite, RC Corona King paid back $3.40. The $2 exacta with Bigg Picture returned $7.20. Paradise Pete finished third with KJ Born To Be Wild rounding out the top four finishers.
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