Getaway Car just got his nose in front to nip Caldera on the line in a dramatic finish to the Sunland Park Derby. Already a graded stakes winner and Grade I stakes-placed, Getaway Car was sent off the 6-5 favorite in his sophomore debut Sunday. He went right to the lead and was unchallenged while setting fractions of :23.31 and :46.93. Caldera, who had raced in midpack down the backstretch, rushed up four wide as the favorite attempted to skip away on the far turn. The gray stuck his head in front at the top of the lane, but Getaway Car refused to yield, battling back bravely along the rail to eke out the narrow victory. The effort earned the winner an additional 20 qualifying points towards the GI Kentucky Derby, putting him third on the list with a total of 36 points.
Getaway Car was tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' following his debut victory at Del Mar last July and romped home by 5 1/2 lengths in the Aug. 11 GIII Best Pal Stakes in his second outing. He faded to fourth after setting the pace in the Sept. 8 GI Del Mar Futurity and was second behind subsequent juvenile champion Citizen Bull (Into Mischief) in the Oct. 5 GI American Pharoah Stakes. He was fourth behind that stablemate in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile before concluding 2024 with a runner-up effort in the Dec. 14 GII Los Alamitos Futurity.
Surrender Now has a 2-year-old colt by Charlatan. With no foal reported last year, she was bred back to Nyquist. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
SUNLAND PARK DERBY, $400,000, Sunland, 2-16, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:42.64, ft.
1–GETAWAY CAR, 123, c, 3, by Curlin
1st Dam: Surrender Now (SW, $281,585), by Morning Line
2nd Dam: Surrender, by Stormy Atlantic
3rd Dam: Beaucette, by Mr. Prospector
'TDN Rising Star' ($300,000 Wlg '22 KEENOV; $700,000 Ylg '23
KEESEP). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables
LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Bashor, Dianne, Determined
Stables, Masterson, Robert E., Ryan, Tom J., Waves Edge
Capital LLC and Donovan, Catherine; B-Blue Heaven Farm &
Curlin Syndicate (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Juan J. Hernandez.
$232,800. Lifetime Record: 7-3-2-0, $585,800.
2–Caldera, 123, c, 3, Liam's Map–Send Me On My Way, by
Tiznow. ($75,000 Ylg '23 FTKJUL; $500,000 2yo '24 OBSMAR).
1ST BLACK TYPE. O-MyRacehorse; B-Don Alberto Corporation
(KY); T-D. Wayne Lukas. $85,360.
3–Touchy, 123, c, 3, Nyquist–Touch the Moon, by Malibu
Moon. O/B-Three Chimneys Farm LLC (Goncalo B. Torrealba)
(KY); T-Wesley A. Ward. $38,800.
Margins: NO, 9, 3. Odds: 1.20, 4.20, 2.30.
Also Ran: Take Charge Tom, Itsmybirthday, Spenard, Remember Big Jim, Smash It. Scratched: McKinzie Street.
WOW(!), how great was this? It was an epic battle with Kentucky Derby points on the line as the @BobBaffert trained #4 GETAWAY CAR ($4.40) under @JJHernandezS19 just noses out the D. Wayne Lukas trained #9 Caldera in the $400,000 Sunland Park Derby at Sunland Park. pic.twitter.com/fjOws8GohB
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) February 16, 2025
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