Bellafina vs. the boys? Sunland Derby field shapes up

Ahead of the first weekend in May, and amid uncertainty at her Santa Anita Park base, Bellafina’s expected to take her show on the road next weekend.

Sunland Park’s racing secretary, Gerald Richards, on Saturday listed the West Coast's top 3-year-old filly as probable to run March 24 in the Sunland Oaks, a $200,000 prep for the Kentucky Oaks run at 1 1/16 miles.

Bellafina also, however, remains possible per Richards to face males in the Sunland Derby (G3), an $800,000 Kentucky Derby 2019 points prep run at nine furlongs. A daughter of Quality Road, Bellafina is Triple Crown-nominated.

Trainer Simon Callaghan couldn’t immediately be reached for comment Saturday. Sunland draws for its Derby and Oaks Sunday, with both races paying out qualifying points to their respective Churchill Downs features on a 50-20-10-5 basis to the Top 4 finishers.

Kaleem Shah’s Bellafina sits sixth on the Kentucky Oaks points leader board with 32 total exiting her Feb. 9 Las Virgenes Stakes (G2) victory at Santa Anita Park. The $800,000 yearling purchase has won five of seven career starts and would vie for Sunland Derby favoritism.

The headliners are clear beyond the filly with Bob Baffert-trained multiple Grade 3 winner Mucho Gusto probable to also ship from Santa Anita. Last time out, he won the Robert B. Lewis (G3) on the front end and avoids a matchup here with more heralded stablemates.

Anothertwistafate, the Blaine Wright-trained winner of the El Camino Derby (G3), will switch from synthetic to dirt in his first start since a commanding seven-length win on Feb. 16 at his Golden Gate Fields base.

Trainer Todd Pletcher, who’s still looking for his first Derby trail victory of the season, is projected to start three Sunland Derby runners. Cutting Humor missed last time as the Southwest Stakes (G3) favorite; Current has run recently on both turf and dirt; and Federal Case was purchased as a 2-year-old by Robert and Lawana Low, who made the 2018 Kentucky Derby with Magnum Moon.

Trainer Steve Asmussen is expected to be represented by Wicked Indeed, second in Sunland Park’s local prep, the Mine That Bird Derby. The winner of that race, Hustle Up, is a New Mexico-bred trained by Todd Fincher, who won the Sunland Derby last year with Runaway Ghost. Mine That Bird runner-up Walker Stalker, another state-bred, will look for a rematch as well.

Rounding out probables, More Ice exits a third in the El Camino Real Derby; Mr Money Bags won the Jim’s Orbit Stakes at Sam Houston; and American Camp is a Bob Hess Jr.-trained maiden.