Sunland Derby features a surplus of speed

Midnight Hawk seeks to snap a two-race losing streak in the Sunland Derby (Benoit Photo)

The powerhouse stables of Bob Baffert and Todd Pletcher will be represented
by four of the nine entries in Sunday’s Grade 3, $800,000
Sunland
Derby, a 1 1/8-mile Kentucky Derby prep which awards points of 50-20-10-5 to
the first four finishers toward eligibility for the May 3 classic at Churchill
Downs.

Baffert, who has won the Sunland Derby twice including last year with Govenor
Charlie, sends out the speedy pair of Chitu and Midnight Hawk. A son of one-turn
specialist Henny Hughes, Chitu beat maiden and allowance company in his first
starts last fall, and was most recently second, beaten a half-length, in the
Robert B. Lewis at Santa Anita over 1 1/16 miles.

Finishing third in the Lewis was Midnight Hawk, who previously captured the
one-mile Sham at Santa Anita on January 11. A son of sprint champion Midnight
Lute, Midnight Hawk followed up his Lewis effort with a distant second-place
finish behind California Chrome in the 1 1/16-mile San Felipe, also at Santa
Anita.

Commissioner (right) should benefit from an abundance of early speed (Adam Coglianese Photography)

Also expected to show early foot is Tanzanite Cat, a game winner of the
Smarty Jones at Oaklawn two back. The Cody Autrey charge could not replicate
that effort last time in the Southwest, steadily dropping back throughout en
route to a fifth-place finish. Yet another who has shown speed is Garen, a
wire-to-wire maiden winner at Santa Anita last time for Peter Miller.

Bourbonize, an off-the-pace winner of his first two starts at Churchill and
Oaklawn, broke slow from an outside post in the Southwest and could only rally
for sixth in the 1 1/16-mile feature. He might fare better here with a solid
pace likely.

The field is completed by local hope Rebranded, winner of the Riley Allison
Futurity and runner-up in the Mine That Bird Derby, and the overmatched Turf
Paradise shipper Lawly’s Goal.

Awesome Baby could give Bob Baffert his sixth Sunland Park Oaks win in the last eight years and fourth in succession (Benoit Photos)

Lucky for You, a five-length maiden winner at Gulfstream on February 15 in
her third start for Pletcher, is the main threat to Awesome Baby in the field of
six. Also in the mix is Empress of Midway, who enjoyed a dream trip chasing a
scorching pace in her 6 1/2-furlong maiden win at Santa Anita last time.

The Baffert-trained Patriot’s Voyage could give the Hall of Fame conditioner
another stakes win on the program in the $75,000
Bill Thomas
Memorial, a 6 1/2-furlong dash for older horses. Patriot’s Voyage has won
three of his last four, but has not started since taking an allowance at
Hollywood last May.

The Henry Dominguez-trained pair of Wine Police, who won the Remington Park
Sprint Cup two back, and Isn’t He Clever, the 2013 Thomas Memorial winner, both
look solid in this spot, as does the multiple stakes winner L. A. Weekend.