Slow Down Andy headlines Sunland Park Derby's return from hiatus

Mar 22, 2022 Vance Hanson/Brisnet.com

The $500,000 Sunland Park Derby (G3) will be staged for the first time since
2019 on Sunday, and Slow Down Andy figures to be a solid favorite in the
1 1/8-mile Road to the Kentucky Derby series prep.

The Sunland Park Derby was not held in either 2020 or 2021, owing to the
pandemic. Due to those extenuating circumstances, the race's Grade 3 status has
been preserved despite not being run for two consecutive years, and its spot on
the Kentucky Derby prep schedule has been restored. It will offer qualifying
points of 50-20-10-5 to the respective top four finishers.

Slow Down Andy is by far the most recognizable name in the field. Although he
disappointed in his season debut last month, finishing a distant sixth in the Risen Star (G2), the Nyquist colt still possesses the best form line. In his
juvenile finale, Slow Down Andy toppled the highly-rated Messier by one length in the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2).

Another Southern California shipper, Straight Up G, won the Feb. 27
Mine That Bird Derby in wire-to-wire fashion over the Sunland strip. The Richard
Baltas trainee defeated Bye Bye Bobby, Classic Moment, and several
other returnees.

Trainer Steve Asmussen has won the Sunland Park Derby twice and relies on
Costa Terra to turn things around. However, the stakes-placed son of Gun
Runner was ineffective in two prior graded attempts and was most recently fourth
in an allowance at Oaklawn Park.

Also returning from a pandemic-enforced hiatus is the $300,000 Sunland Park
Oaks for three-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles. It offers Kentucky Oaks (G1) qualifying points of 50-20-10-5 to the respective top four finishers.

Leading the field is Queen of Thorns, a distant second in the Las
Virgenes (G3) at Santa Anita last out. Miss Hard Knocks has won two local
preps, while the Asmussen-trained Optionality looks to rebound off a poor
try in the Honeybee (G3) at Oaklawn.

Post time for the Sunland Park Derby is 7:15 p.m. ET, while the Sunland Park
Oaks is scheduled for 6:12 p.m. ET. They can be watched and wagered on at
TwinSpires.com.