Photo: COADY Media
Pavlovian got his nose down on the wire under jockey Edwin Maldonado to win a thrilling 21st edition of the $500,000 Sunland Derby at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino in front of a crowd of 14,250 patrons.
Trained by Doug O’Neill for owner/breeder Reddam Racing LLC, Pavlovian stalked the early pace in the 1 1-16 mile Sunland Derby. As the field turned for home, post time favorite Express Kid appeared to edge clear under jockey Juan Hernandez. Pavlovian rallied inside the final furlong as the pair came to the wire together, with the son of Pavel prevailing by a nose in a stakes-record time of 1 minute, 42.22 seconds.
Bred in California, Pavlovian’s win in the $500,000 Sunland Derby earns him 20 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby. He has now won twice from nine career starts, snapping a six-race losing streak including his most recent start, a third-place finish in the California Cup Derby at Santa Anita Park last time out. The win in the Sunland Derby increases his lifetime earnings to more than $416,000.
For O’Neill, it’s his fourth win in the $500,000 Sunland Derby. The veteran trainer won the race in 2003 with Excessivepleasure and in 2005 with Thor’s Echo and again in 2022 with Slow Down Andy.
Express Kid, coming into the Sunland Derby off a win in the Springboard Mile at Remington Park and making his first start for trainer Justin Evans, earned 10 points for his second-place finish and also has 20 qualifying points towards the May 2 Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs.
Sent off at 5.10-to 1 odds, Pavlovian returned $12.20 to his winning backers. The $2 exacta with Express Kid paid $34.20. Bricklin settled for third with Daneyko rounding out the top four finishers.
Sharons Beach and Way Beyond were both scratched earlier in the day from the Sunland Derby, with a field of six racing in the event.
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