The sparkling jewel of the lucrative season at Sunland Park is the $400,000 Sunland Derby (G3) to be run on Sunday, February 18, 2024. The Kentucky Derby prep race offers 20 qualifying points to the winner for entry to the 2024 Run for the Roses. The remaining points will be given to the other four finishers on a scale of 10-6-4-2.
The 19th edition of the one and one-sixteenth mile classic anchors a huge day worth over $1 million in purse money. The Sunland Derby is best known for producing Mine That Bird, who finished fourth in the 2009 Sunland Derby before going on to upset the Kentucky Derby at 50-1 odds.
The $250,000 Sunland Park Oaks, as well as the $100,000 Bill Thomas Memorial Stakes, the $100,000 Harry W. Henson Handicap, the $100,000 Enchantress Stakes and the $100,000 Red Hedeman Mile are also part of Sunland Park's biggest day.
Both the Sunland Derby (Gr. III) and Sunland Park Oaks will be Lasix-free events. Additionally, all Thoroughbred stakes races will be Lasix-free.
Race 9 at Sunland Park on Sunday, February 18 - Post 6:17 PM
Entry | Horse | ML Odds | Jockey | Trainer |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | No Trouble | 10-1 | Ken Tohill 122 Lbs |
Joel Marr |
2 | Surroundedbyangels | 12-1 | Alejandro Medellin 122 Lbs |
Bart Hone |
3 | Curlin's Kaos | 5-1 | Diego Herrera 122 Lbs |
Antonio Garcia |
4 | Lucky Jeremy | 4-1 | Christian Ramos 122 Lbs |
William Morey |
5 | Stronghold | 5-2 | Antonio Fresu 122 Lbs |
Philip D'Amato |
6 | Alotaluck | 6-1 | Oscar Ceballos 122 Lbs |
Ty Garrett |
7 | Da Ringo | 20-1 | Alfredo Juarez, Jr. 122 Lbs |
Jose Gonzalez, Jr. |
8 | Informed Patriot | 3-1 | Joel Rosario 122 Lbs |
Steven Asmussen |
Sep 2023 - Churchill Downs Racetrack officials have made slight modifications to the upcoming Road to the Kentucky Derby, the series of select races that will determine the preference list for the 150th Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (Grade 1) on Saturday, May 4, 2024.
The Road to the Kentucky Derby, which debuted in 2013, annually awards a sliding scale of points to the top five finishing positions in select qualifying races. At the conclusion of the series, the leaderboard will determine the preference list for entries into the 20-horse Kentucky Derby - the 1 ΒΌ-mile classic for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds annually held on the first Saturday in May at historic Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.
OffTrackBetting.com - US Legal Sunland Park horse betting is a great way to bet on the Sunland Derby. Available to customers across the United States, OTB features both Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing from major racing venues in the US as well as top international racing from Europe, Japan, Australia and Hong Kong.
Second-place points in all qualifying races have been increased to create added separation from second- and third-place finishers. Additionally, third- and fourth-place points in races that award 100 points to winner have been decreased.
The Sunland Derby at Sunland Park has been decreased in value from 50-20-15-10-5 in 2023 to 20-10-6-4-2 in 2024.
The Sunland Park Oaks at Sunland Park has been decreased in value from 50-20-15-10-5 in 2023 to 20-10-6-4-2 in 2024.
This is the 12th straight year that Churchill Downs has used a point system to determine entrants for its famed Kentucky Derby. At least 20 horses have entered the "Run for the Roses" in 22 of the last 25 years.