Eight set for Sunland Derby

With its lucrative $800,000 purse, the Grade 3

Sunland

Derby is an attractive prep race for Kentucky Derby hopefuls lacking graded

earnings and three-year-olds from the barns of notable trainers Bob Baffert,

Todd Pletcher and Steve Asmussen have shipped into the New Mexico track this

year in search of a guaranteed berth to the Run for Roses. The 1 1/8-mile race

gained notoriety in 2009 when producing Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird.

Grade 3 winners Castaway and Daddy Nose Best are the top draws in Sunday's

eight-horse field.

One of two from Hall of Famer Baffert, Castaway opened his three-year-old

season with a sharp 2 1/4-length score over maiden special weight rivals at

Santa Anita. He successfully jumped straight to stakes company in the first

division of the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park February 20, romping by

3 3/4 lengths, and will look to make it three straight wins with a returning

Rafael Bejarano.

Castaway will be joined in the starting gate by stablemate Stirred Up, who

exits a good-looking maiden special weight score at Santa Anita on March 3.

Daddy Nose Best recorded maiden and entry-level allowance wins last year, but

was never a serious factor in three stakes attempts on turf. The Asmussen pupil

finally broke through when switching to Golden Gate Fields' Tapeta in the Grade

3 El Camino Real Derby, posting a gutsy nose decision over a well-regarded Lucky

Chappy, and the bay colt will look to keep his momentum rolling on dirt Sunday.

Regular Julien Leparoux will be in for the assignment.

Ender Knievel will be in from South Florida for Pletcher following a 7

3/4-length maiden romp on February 5. The chestnut gelding has never been two

turns, but he is a son of Distorted Humor out of an A.P. Indy mare. John

Velazquez will travel west to guide him. Isn't He Clever exits a comfortable

tally in the local prep, the February 25 Borderland Derby, and the Smarty Jones

gelding is unbeaten in two starts at Sunland.

The remaining contestants -- No Spin, Tequila Factor and Justanoldsong -- are

considered outsiders.

One race prior to the Derby, Princess Arabella heads a field of seven

sophomore fillies in the $200,000

Sunland

Park Oaks. Trained by Baffert, who saddled subsequent Kentucky Oaks victress

Plum Pretty to a 25-length romp last year, Princess Arabella has posted

impressive victories in both career starts and will be making her stakes debut

in the 1 1/16-mile test with regular rider Martin Garcia. Grade 2-placed stakes

winner Glinda the Good is the top challenger.

Six other stakes will be offered on the top Thoroughbred program of the

Sunland meet.

The Harry

Henson and

Bill

Thomas Memorial are both open events, and the

La Coneja,

New

Mexico Breeders' Derby and

New

Mexico Breeders' Oaks are restricted to state-bred rivals.