COVER 1 - NMHBA SUMMER 2017 low res

By Michael Cusortelli
SUNBURST STAKES (RG3)
Running DRAGo n
Zulu Dragon
Banking Lane
First Down Dash
Hidden Dragon
Devon Lane (TB)
Banking Disco
Running Dragon kept her winning
streak alive with a wire-to-wire, half-length
victory in the April 1, $85,000 Sunburst
Stakes (RG3) for New Mexico-bred
sophomore fillies at Sunland Park.
Ridden by Adrian Ramos, Running
Dragon went 350 yards in :17.387 while
posting a 93 speed index and her fourth
consecutive win. Juan M. Gonzalez
prepped the homebred Zulu Dragon filly
for owner By By JJ LLC of El Paso, Texas.
Running Dragon is the leading earner
sired by second-year sire Zulu Dragon,
a 10-year-old son of all-time leading sire
and 1987 world champion First Down
Dash and the graded stakes winning Dean
Miracle mare Hidden Dragon. A half
brother to 2013 Mountain Top Futurity
(RG1) winner Heza Wild Dragon, Zulu
Dragon raced from 2009-13, and he
earned $180,054 from 29 outs, and his six
wins included the ‘12 James Isaac Hobbs
Stakes (G2) at Zia Park.
Zulu Dragon has sired the earners of
more than $951,000 from two crops,
including 2016 New Mexico Cup Futurity
(RG2) winner Magnifico Dragon. The
stallion is owned by 21 Partnership and
stands for a $6,000 fee at Bar Y Equine in
Berino, New Mexico.
Running Dragon is also the first starter
foaled by the homebred 11-year-old Storm
Cat (TB) mare Banking Lane.
Raced exclusively in New Mexico,
Running Dragon has won 10 of her 12 starts,
and the $51,000 winner’s share bumped
her bankroll to $572,641. The filly’s current
streak includes victories in the February 19,
New Mexico Horse Breeders’ Association
Stakes (RG2), and the January 15, Shue Fly
Stakes (RG2), both at Sunland Park.
Running Dragon was sent to post as the
1-5 favorite and returned a $2.40 win mutuel
in the Sunburst. Princess Jessie Jane, the 7-2
second choice in the full field of 10, ran second
to complete a $2 exacta dividend of $6.
Frost Dalena finished third and was
followed by Eyes Gona Flash You, First
Vegas Moon, First Lluvia Runaway, La
Montesa, La Riena Del Sur, Miss Call Me
First, and Jess A Glance.
Princess Jessie Jane is a daughter of Jesse
James Jr owned by Daniel Nunez. The filly
has won two of six outs, and the $18,700
runner-up share of the Sunburst Stakes
pushed her earnings to $52,460.
A $9,700 purchase at the 2015 Heritage
Place Yearling Sale in Oklahoma City, Frost
Dalena races for Jeff Caron. The Chicks
Regard filly has won two of eight races and has
banked $54,048, and she was the runner-up to
A Super Sonic Boom in last year’s New Mexico
Breeders’ Futurity (RG3) at SunRay Park.
Coady Photography
SUNLAND PARK MEET RECAP
Sunland Park registered increases in
average daily handle and average field size
during its 72-day Thoroughbred and Quarter
Horse meet, which ended on April 18.
According to figures provided by the
track, Sunland Park’s per-race handle reached
a track-record $74,685. Total on-track
handle on Sunland’s live races was up 22
percent and off-track handle on its live races
increased 36 percent over the track’s 2015-
16 season, which was shortened to 61 days
due to an EHV-1 outbreak on track and at
nearby training centers.
“Comparing this year’s stats to last
year’s is like comparing apples to oranges
because we ran fewer days last year,” said
Sunland Park director of racing Dustin
Dix. “But looking at an average-per-race
handle, we were up more than 11 percent.
I think moving all of our Quarter Horse
races to Fridays and offering primarily
Thoroughbred races the other three days
helped contribute to the increase, especially
in our off-track handle.
“Also, we moved the majority of our
stakes races to Sundays because there is
less competition for those types of races on
Sundays,” he added. “Of course, running
the Sunland Derby this year after one year
off contributed several million dollars to
our overall handle.”
Average field size on Sunland Park’s
races reached 8.72 horses per race, up 3
percent from 8.46 during the track’s 2015-
16 season. Sunland’s average field size for
its Thoroughbred races was up 2.5 percent,
from 8.19 in 2015-16 to 8.39 this year.
“Even with us running 11 more
days this year, we saw a decrease in
our catastrophic injuries,” Dix said.
“Considering that, along with our average
field size being up and our handle being
up, we were very pleased with the meet.
“We just want to keep growing and
making our track a better place for
horsemen and fans alike,” he added.
On the track, Ry Eikleberry was Sunland
Park’s leading Thoroughbred jockey with
65 wins from 305 mounts, 11 more than
runner-up Alfredo Juarez Jr., who rode
the winners of 54 races from 281 mounts.
Juarez was the meet’s leading jockey in
mount earnings at $1,536,063.
Sunland Park’s leading Thoroughbred
trainer, Justin Evans, won 57 races from
207 starters, 25 more than runner-up
Henry Dominguez, who prepped the
winners of 32 races from 213 starters.
Evans also led all Thoroughbred trainers in
purse earnings at $1,061,808.
Tom and Sandra McKenna’s Judge
Lanier Racing topped all Sunland Park
Thoroughbred owners with 24 wins from
174 starters, 14 more than runner-up
Solitaire Stables, which won 10 races from
40 starters. Judge Lanier Racing also was
the meet’s leading Thoroughbred owner
with purse earnings at $811,116.
Esgar Ramirez, last year’s AQHA
champion jockey, topped all Quarter Horse
riders at Sunland Park with 26 wins from
126 mounts, two more than runner-up
64 New Mexico Horse Breeder