Wednesday, December 26, 2012
A field of 12, including two on the also-eligible list, has been entered in Saturday's $85,000-guaranteed Red Hedeman Mile Stakes (R) for New Mexico-bred 2-year-olds at Sunland Park.
Attila's Hurricane, a homebred son of Attila's Storm owned by Gary L. Thompson, is the 5-2 morning-line favorite for the 1-mile stakes. The chestnut gelding is undefeated in two starts, and he is coming off of a wire-to-wire, 7 3/4-length victory in a 5 1/2-furlong entry level allowance sprint for state-bred 2-year-olds at Zia Park on November 27.
R.D. Hubbard's Thermal, the lone two-time stakes winner in the field, has earned $172,997 from seven races. A homebred gelding by Attila's Storm, Thermal has won four races, including the 6-furlong, $140,000 New Mexico Cup Juvenile Colts & Geldings Stakes (R) at Zia Park on October 28, and the 5-furlong, $135,000 Mountain Top Futurity (R) at Ruidoso Downs in June.
Another Red Hedeman Mile contender, Indication N M, scored a three-quarter length victory against open company in the October 14, 6-furlong Governor's Cup Stakes at Zia Park. A $16,000 purchase at last year's New Mexico-Bred Yearling Sale at Ruidoso Downs, the chestnut gelding by Attila's Storm has won four of eight races and has banked $131,445 for his owners, Robert F. Haynsworth and J & SM Inc.
The Red Hedeman Mile will be the 10th race on Sunland Park's 11-race program, which gets underway at 12:25 p.m. (MST). Post time for the stakes is scheduled for 4:05 p.m.
The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey assignments, morning-line odds and also-eligible entries – Storms Surprise (Isaias Cardenas), 10-1; Jenson's Miracle (Enrique Gomez), 7-2; Attila's Hurricane (Isaias Enriquez), 5-2; Rio El Diablo (Casey Lambert), 10-1; Devon's Iron Giant (Alejandro Medellin), 12-1; Thermal (Duane Sterling), 5-1; Rojocango (Derek Bell), 15-1; Key To The Venture (Miguel Hernandez), 15-1; Indication N M (Dusty Shepherd), 9-2; Vince Carter (Ken Tohill), 15-1; AE-Carmen's Rocket (Ry Eikleberry), 15-1; and Keagan's Way (Carlos Madeira), 5-1.