Over 14,000 Witnesses: Sunland Derby Winner Pavlovian Moves Onto National Stage

For a few minutes Sunday afternoon, the center of the Kentucky Derby conversation ran straight through Sunland Park.

In a stretch duel that came down to the final stride, Pavlovian surged past Express Kid at the wire to win the 21st running of the $500,000 Sunland Derby before a crowd of 14,250. The nose victory not only delivered one of the most dramatic finishes in race history, it awarded Pavlovian 20 qualifying points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby — enough to move him into a tie among the current top point earners nationally.

Photos: Courtesy Coady Media

The Kentucky Derby field is limited to 20 starters. Horses do not enter simply by reputation or earnings; they qualify by accumulating points in designated prep races from September through April. The top 18 point earners on the American circuit earn starting gate positions, with two additional invitations reserved for international series winners.

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With his Sunland Derby victory, Pavlovian now holds 20 points — placing him alongside several nationally ranked contenders and squarely in the early conversation for the 152nd Kentucky Derby on May 2 at Churchill Downs.

Sunday’s race unfolded as a test of patience and timing. Trained by Doug O’Neill for Reddam Racing LLC, Pavlovian tracked the early pace while Express Kid appeared poised to take control turning for home. But inside the final furlong, Pavlovian found another gear, edging ahead in a stakes-record time of 1:42.22 for 1 1/16 miles.

The win snapped a six-race losing streak and pushed the California-bred colt’s career earnings beyond $416,000. For O’Neill, it marked his fourth Sunland Derby victory — reinforcing the race’s reputation as a legitimate stepping stone toward the sport’s biggest stage.

Express Kid, who entered off a strong win in the Springboard Mile, earned 10 Derby points for finishing second and now also sits at 20 total points — giving both Sunland Derby rivals a realistic path toward Churchill Downs as the higher-value “Championship Series” prep races approach in March and April.

In practical terms, 20 points in mid-February places a horse on solid footing but not yet secure. The most lucrative prep races later this spring award between 50 and 100 points to the winner, meaning the leaderboard can shift quickly. Still, Sunday’s result ensured that two horses exiting Sunland Park are now firmly embedded in the national Derby picture.

Oaks Winner Earns Her Own Churchill Ticket

Earlier on the card, Bottle Of Rouge delivered an equally authoritative performance in the $250,000 Sunland Park Oaks, drawing clear in the stretch to win by 1 1/2 lengths.

Trained by Bob Baffert, Bottle Of Rouge earned 20 qualifying points toward the Kentucky Oaks, the Grade 1 race for 3-year-old fillies held the day before the Kentucky Derby. The victory was Baffert’s ninth in the Sunland Park Oaks and continued the filly’s steady rise after last summer’s Grade 2 Del Mar Debutante win.

She now owns three wins from five starts and has positioned herself squarely on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard.

Stakes Program Rounds Out Major Racing Day

The Sunland Derby and Oaks anchored a six-stakes program worth more than $1.1 million.

Clovisconnection (William L Hedrick, Owner; Justin R. Evans, Trainer; Luis Negron, Jockey) Photos Courtesy Coady Media.

Clovisconnection captured the $100,000 Bill Thomas Memorial Stakes, while Marka delivered a breakthrough performance in the $100,000 Peppers Pride Stakes. Buy Local prevailed in the $100,000 Red Hedeman Mile, and Aye Candy closed out the afternoon with a victory in the $100,000 Harry Henson Stakes — giving trainer Todd Fincher three stakes wins on the card.

Marka Photo Courtesy Coady Media

But the lasting image of the day remains that final stride in the Sunland Derby — a reminder that qualifying for the most famous race in American sports can hinge on inches, and that for at least one afternoon, the road to Churchill Downs ran directly through southern New Mexico.

Aye Candy (Peacock Family Racing Stables, LLC, Owner; Todd W. Fincher, Trainer; Christian Ramos, Jockey) Photos Courtesy Coady Media