Although he was finally out of the shadows of his stablemates, Getaway Car ‘s extraction of the Sunland Park Derby’s $400,000 purse proved no easy feat Feb. 16 as he held off a hard-trying Caldera in a thrilling photo finish.
Winner of the Best Pal Stakes (G3) at Del Mar in August, the son of Curlin had not found the winner’s circle in four starts since after battling with Citizen Bull and Gaming from his own Bob Baffert barn multiple times. He finally bested Gaming in their last meeting but was run down by Michael McCarthy-trained Journalism in the Dec. 14 Los Alamitos Futurity (G2).
The Sunland Park Derby was meant to be a different story as the colt entered as the even-money favorite, and it set up that way for him as he took a clear lead beneath Juan Hernandez into the backstretch while setting fractions of :23.31, :46.93, and 1:10.99.
Caldera and jockey Rafael Bejarano took up hot pursuit around the far turn and drew even with the favorite at the quarter pole. The D. Wayne Lukas trainee then took command entering the stretch, but Getaway Car responded and the two performed a classic Baffert-Lukas stretch duel.
Getaway Car reestablished himself the leader with a sixteenth to go, but a final lunge by Caldera left the finish to be determined by the stewards once the clock stopped at 1:42.64 for 1 1/16 miles. The slow-starting Touchy was nine lengths back in third and three lengths ahead of his next foe.
After a review that must have been agonizingly long for the connections, Getaway Car was posted the nose victor and paid $4.40 for his win.
Despite the margin of victory, Baffert’s longtime assistant Jimmy Barnes seemed happy in the Sunland Park winner’s circle with the performance.
“That was the race we expected him to run,” Barnes said. “Our horses like to set the pace. Juan did an excellent job of warming him up and getting him on the lead and finding more when he needed it.”
Getaway Car (inside), duels Caldera in the Sunland Park Derby at Sunland Park
The victory was crucial in putting Getaway Car back on track toward the May 3 Kentucky Derby (G1). The race offered 20-10-6-4-2 qualifying points to the top five finishers, elevating the bay colt to third place on the leaderboard with 36 points.
Bred in Kentucky by Blue Heaven Farm and Curlin Syndicate, Getaway Car was a $700,000 purchase out of the Gainesway consignment at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. He has earned $585,800 through seven starts for the partnership of SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert Masterson, Tom Ryan, Waves Edge Capital and Catherine Donovan.
Video: Sunland Park Derby (BT)
Asmussen Completes Sunland Oaks Exacta with Gun Runner Fillies
Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen didn’t have a runner in the Derby, but he made up for it by sending out the exacta two races earlier in the $250,000 Sunland Park Oaks.
The victor was Douglas Scharbauer’s Runnin N Gunnin , a daughter of Gun Runner bred in Kentucky by Dixiana Farms. A last-out winner of a Sam Houston Race Park allowance, her first stakes victory was her third triumph in her last four starts.
Runnin N Gunnun wins the Sunland Park Oaks at Sunland Park
The one-mile contest set up perfectly for Runnin N Gunnin, especially once 1-5 favorite and Baffert-shipper Maysam broke tardy and got shuffled back behind horses after acting up at the gate. Runnin N Gunnin was two stalls to her inside while Asmussen’s other runner, another Gun Runner filly Enchanting , was directly to the outside.
Trainer Casey Lambert, a childhood friend of Asmussen’s who takes care of his horses when he ships to Sunland, said all the chaos at the start was concerning, but ultimately both fillies got into a good rhythm once the gates opened.
“I was really comfortable with our horses all the way around the track after (the start),” Lambert said. “They ran extremely well.”
Jockey Alfredo Juarez Jr. relaxed Runnin N Gunnin in last around the clubhouse turn and inched up down the backside behind fractions of :24.19, :47.78, and 1:12.82. He put pressure on Maysam, who was attempting to rally from third, entering the far turn.
When the favorite could not keep pace, Runnin N Gunnin coasted to the lead at the quarter pole and kicked away from her rivals to prevail by 4 3/4 lengths while completing the one mile in 1:40.09. Enchanting’s rally was launched too late to keep up with her stablemate but early enough to make herself the clear runner-up. Stubby completed the trifecta and Maysam wound up sixth of seven.
The Oaks offered points on the same 20-10-6-4-2 scale as the Derby on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. Runnin N Gunnin now finds herself ranked seventh on the leaderboard for the May 2 race.
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