Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Explosive Mine wins $205,107 Copper Top Futurity in impressive fashion; Mine That Bird headed to Kentucky Derby
Explosive Mine was very sharp in his debut back on March 31, winning by 11 ½ lengths. On Saturday afternoon, the 2-year-old colt was very good once again in winning the 4 ½ furlong Copper Top Futurity for New Mexico breds at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino.
This race wasn’t as easy as the first outing, but Explosive Mine showed plenty of class down the stretch in winning the $205,107 race. Hollywood Showbiz and Marquee Avenue battled for the lead early and led going into the final stretch, but Explosive Mine showed a stronger kick and won by 1 and 1/2 lengths to improve to 2-for-2 lifetime.
The 3-2 favorite returned $5 to win, $3 to place and $2.20 to show for his loyal backers. Alejandro Medellin was the winning jockey and Michael Welch was the winning trainer. Medellin was on Explosive Mine for the first time in a race-type situation.
Explosive Mine is owned by Rolling K Farm, R.E. Keith and Phillip Godwin of Brownwood, Texas. Explosive Mine earned $102,554 for its owners and has now collected more than $108,000 from two wins.
Explosive Mine’s winning time of 51.55 seconds was very comparable to recent winning times in the Copper Top Futurity.
Marquee Avenue finished second and returned $4.40 to place and $2.80 to show and Hollywood Showbiz ran third and returned $2.40 to show.
Welch said he was very happy after the win and while the trainer or owners wouldn’t commit to where the son of Ghostly Moves is headed, the horse could be featured in top races this summer and later this year at the start of the 2009-10 Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino meet.
In the 300-yard West Texas Juvenile, it was Poison Sumac earning top honors. The 2-year-old Texas-bred daughter of First N Kool made a strong run down the middle of the track to earn her first career win in three starts. Poison Sumac has now hit the board in two of her three starts for trainer Trey Wood. The winning jockey was Freddie Martinez and the winning owner was BLM Racing Stable Inc. of El Paso, Texas.
Poison Sumac returned $15.60 to win, $6 to place and $3.20 to show.
“She broke super and went on with it,” Martinez said.
Be See N Ya was second and Chattaway was third.
In the first running of the Sunburst Handicap for registered New Mexico fillies, Bridgelei won the 350-yard race in 17.23 for trainer Ramon Ronquillo. Bridgelei now owns two wins in six starts and returned $29.60 to win, $12.60 to place and $8.20 to show.
My Box of Chocolate was second, followed by Dash Ta Strawfly.
Also on Saturday Sunland Derby participant Advice won the $300,000, Grade 2 Coolmore Lexington Stakes at Keeneland in Kentucky. Advice, ridden by former Sunland Park jockey Garrett Gomez, came from dead last to win the race over Conservative and Square Eddie.
Advice was let go at 15-1 odds for trainer Todd Pletcher. Advice finished fifth in the $900,000 Sunland Derby on March 29.
In other racing news involving Sunland Park horse racing, Mine That Bird is headed to next month’s Kentucky Derby. The Chip Woolley-trained horse and son of Belmont Stakes winner Birdstone, ran second in the Borderland Derby on Feb. 28 and fourth in the Sunland Derby on March 29. Mine That Bird has four career wins and entering this weekend’s races was 17th on the Graded Stakes Earnings List for the Derby. The race is limited to 20 horses based on their grades stakes earnings.
Racing continues Sunday with the Grade 1, 300-yard West Texas Futurity worth $252,625 and the 1 and 1/8 mile Sunland Park Handicap with a $100,000 purse. First post is 12:55 p.m.
-30-
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Explosive Mine wins $205,107 Copper Top Futurity in impressive fashion; Mine That Bird headed to Kentucky Derby
Explosive Mine was very sharp in his debut back on March 31, winning by 11 ½ lengths. On Saturday afternoon, the 2-year-old colt was very good once again in winning the 4 ½ furlong Copper Top Futurity for New Mexico breds at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino.
This race wasn’t as easy as the first outing, but Explosive Mine showed plenty of class down the stretch in winning the $205,107 race. Hollywood Showbiz and Marquee Avenue battled for the lead early and led going into the final stretch, but Explosive Mine showed a stronger kick and won by 1 and 1/2 lengths to improve to 2-for-2 lifetime.
The 3-2 favorite returned $5 to win, $3 to place and $2.20 to show for his loyal backers. Alejandro Medellin was the winning jockey and Michael Welch was the winning trainer. Medellin was on Explosive Mine for the first time in a race-type situation.
Explosive Mine is owned by Rolling K Farm, R.E. Keith and Phillip Godwin of Brownwood, Texas. Explosive Mine earned $102,554 for its owners and has now collected more than $108,000 from two wins.
Explosive Mine’s winning time of 51.55 seconds was very comparable to recent winning times in the Copper Top Futurity.
Marquee Avenue finished second and returned $4.40 to place and $2.80 to show and Hollywood Showbiz ran third and returned $2.40 to show.
Welch said he was very happy after the win and while the trainer or owners wouldn’t commit to where the son of Ghostly Moves is headed, the horse could be featured in top races this summer and later this year at the start of the 2009-10 Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino meet.
In the 300-yard West Texas Juvenile, it was Poison Sumac earning top honors. The 2-year-old Texas-bred daughter of First N Kool made a strong run down the middle of the track to earn her first career win in three starts. Poison Sumac has now hit the board in two of her three starts for trainer Trey Wood. The winning jockey was Freddie Martinez and the winning owner was BLM Racing Stable Inc. of El Paso, Texas.
Poison Sumac returned $15.60 to win, $6 to place and $3.20 to show.
“She broke super and went on with it,” Martinez said.
Be See N Ya was second and Chattaway was third.
In the first running of the Sunburst Handicap for registered New Mexico fillies, Bridgelei won the 350-yard race in 17.23 for trainer Ramon Ronquillo. Bridgelei now owns two wins in six starts and returned $29.60 to win, $12.60 to place and $8.20 to show.
My Box of Chocolate was second, followed by Dash Ta Strawfly.
Also on Saturday Sunland Derby participant Advice won the $300,000, Grade 2 Coolmore Lexington Stakes at Keeneland in Kentucky. Advice, ridden by former Sunland Park jockey Garrett Gomez, came from dead last to win the race over Conservative and Square Eddie.
Advice was let go at 15-1 odds for trainer Todd Pletcher. Advice finished fifth in the $900,000 Sunland Derby on March 29.
In other racing news involving Sunland Park horse racing, Mine That Bird is headed to next month’s Kentucky Derby. The Chip Woolley-trained horse and son of Belmont Stakes winner Birdstone, ran second in the Borderland Derby on Feb. 28 and fourth in the Sunland Derby on March 29. Mine That Bird has four career wins and entering this weekend’s races was 17th on the Graded Stakes Earnings List for the Derby. The race is limited to 20 horses based on their grades stakes earnings.
Racing continues Sunday with the Grade 1, 300-yard West Texas Futurity worth $252,625 and the 1 and 1/8 mile Sunland Park Handicap with a $100,000 purse. First post is 12:55 p.m.
-30-