By Alan Carasso
Following a one-year hiatus owing to an untimely outbreak of Equine herpesvirus, the GIII Sunland Derby is back with a full field of 12 competing for one of the larger pots along the Triple Crown trail.
West Coast-based horses have won the last five runnings of the Derby (Daddy Nose Best {Scat Daddy, 2012} started twice in California prior to shipping in), including Govenor Charlie (Midnight Lute) and Chitu (Henny Hughes) in 2013 and 2014, respectively, for trainer Bob Baffert. While Baffert is likely to be jetting back to the states after saddling Juddmonte Farms' Arrogate (Unbridled's Song) in Saturday's G1 Dubai World Cup, that operation's Bronze Age (Mineshaft) looks a strong chance in Sunday's race. Though he was beaten a combined 23 1/4 lengths in a pair of tries around one turn to begin his career, the $75,000 KEESEP yearling turned $600,000 FTFMAR 2-year-old made the most of his first try around two turns to take a one-mile test by 1 1/2 lengths Feb. 18. The form of that heat looks strong, as both the second and third home returned to win their next starts.
Cinderella story Conquest Mo Money (Uncle Mo) looks to run his winning streak to four, though he was done no favors by drawing widest of them all. Winner on debut over a mile in January, he toyed with his rivals in adding the Riley Allison S. by 11 lengths in early February and exits a pillar-to-post success over California raider Irap (Tiznow) in the Mine That Bird Derby Feb. 26. The latter, also runner-up in the GIII Robert B. Lewis S., adds blinkers for trainer Doug O'Neill.
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