New Mexico’s most important Thoroughbred race, the $600,000 Sunland Park Derby, will be renewed for the 18th time on Sunday. It offers Kentucky Derby qualifying points on the 50-20-15-10-5 scale. The 1-1/8 miles test will be Race 10 on a program that features 7 stakes races.

Let’s Meet the Contenders for the 2023 Sunland Park Derby:

#1 How Did He Do That (Alfredo Jaurez Jr. // Steve Asmussen)
The field’s most experienced runner will be making his 9th start. The Zia Park Juvenile winner exits a runner-up in the local Riley Allison Derby behind return rival One in Vermillion. Asmussen is a 2-time Sunland Derby winner in 2012 and 2017, the latter with Alfredo Juarez Jr. aboard Hence. Expect him to race toward the back of the pack early.

#2 Low Expectations (Mario Gutierrez // Antonio Garcia)
Santa Anita-based shipper will appear in stakes company for the first time after hard-fought victories in the maiden and optional claiming ranks. Jockey Gutierrez won last year’s Sunland Park Derby aboard Slow Down Andy, and coincidentally was the pilot for this horse’s sire, 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist. Expect him to contest the early lead.

#3 Fort Bragg (Juan Hernandez // Tim Yakteen)
$700,000 son of Tapit exited Bob Baffert’s barn in late February in order to be eligible to accrue Kentucky Derby qualifying points. Problem for this Tim Takteen transfer pick-up is the fact that Yakteen’s barn already had Practical Move. Fort Bragg has lost 2 straight to that rival by 13 combined lengths and looks for easier sailing at Sunland. Expect a mid-pack trip and we’ll see if he can overcome his past issues of flattening out late in races.

#4 Henry Q (Edwin Maldonado // Todd Fincher)
Arrived in New Mexico in late February for the Mine That Bird Derby and just smashed that overmatched bunch by 14-3/4 lengths as the 4-5 favorite. The former Doug O’Neill trainee at Santa Anita has remained with leading local trainer Todd Fincher since and adjusted to the local surroundings. Fincher won the 2018 Sunland Derby with Runaway Ghost, who was a SoCal transplant in similar fashion. He went wire-to-wire in the Mine That Bird Derby because he was clearly best; his past races show he doesn’t need the lead and may try to sit just off the front Saturday.

#5 One in Vermillion (Harry Hernandez // Esteban Martinez)
Speedster has won 3 straight stakes, including a pair at his Turf Paradise base in Arizona. But he returns to Sunland after winning the Riley Allison Derby there on Jan. 29 over re-matched rival How Did He Do That. This $26K buy has already banked nearly $150K from 4-1/2 furlongs to a mile. The 9 furlongs would stretch his pedigree by sharp speed sire Army Mule.

#6 Hard to Figure (Flavien Prat // Bob Baffert) * pictured above, inside in red *
Likely favorite was a determined runner-up in Santa Anita’s Grade 3 Robert Lewis Memorial and has a couple of bullet workouts since then for this date. Baffert has 3 Sunland Derby titles to his credit in 2006, 2013 and 2014. It’s notable that this horse stays in Baffert’s care, thus forfeiting and potential Kentucky Derby points; he could be a Preakness player if he continues to progress. His pedigree top and bottom leans toward a mile, though his last try vs. better at Santa Anita at 1-1/16 miles indicates he could prove best against these at 1-1/8 miles.

#7 Wild On Ice (Ken Tohill // Joel Marr)
The field’s lone, tried-and-true locally based horse has a lot of ground to make up. He was defeated nearly 25 lengths in the Riley Allison Derby to a pair of these, and beaten almost 21 lengths by Henry Q when third in the Mine That Bird Derby. Trainer Marr best known for conditioning Pepper’s Pride, who won all 19 starts and over $1 million in the mid-to-late 2000s.