Winchell Thoroughbreds' homebred Reride denied 2-5 favorite Runaway Ghost and dug in to win by 2 1/2 lengths in the $100,000 Mine That Bird Derby Feb. 25 at Sunland Park.
The win was the colt's fourth from five starts and his second consecutive stakes score. The Steve Asmussen trainee entered off a nose victory in the seven-furlong Big Drama Stakes Jan. 13 at Delta Downs.
In Sunday's 1 1/16-mile test for 3-year-olds, Runaway Ghost took the early lead and was pressured by Trigger Warning and Reride. The three were stride for stride up the backstretch before Reride and Runaway Ghost started to separate themselves from the rest of the field of nine.
Reride narrowly held the lead around the far turn, but Runaway Ghost took over again in the stretch, as the pair were 8 1/2 lengths ahead of their competition. Under jockey Alfredo Juarez Jr., Reride dug in gamely and edged clear of Runaway Ghost to hit the wire first. The final time was 1:44.06 over the track labeled fast.
Trooper finished third, 15 1/4 lengths back. Sphene, Modern Man, Trigger Warning, Beautiful Game, Ministersdontparty, and Pinpoint completed the order of finish.
Off as the second choice, the winner returned $8.80, $3.20, and $2.60.
Reride broke his maiden on debut in June at Churchill Downs, where he won a 4 1/2-furlong race on the main track by 6 1/2 lengths. He returned four months later to take a one-mile turf allowance at Keeneland by three-quarters of a length, before he finished sixth in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) at Churchill in November. Now he's undefeated in two starts to begin his 3-year-old season.
Bred in Kentucky, the colt is out of the multiple-stakes-winning Tapit mare Remit. From five starts he's earned $166,220.
Earlier, in the $75,000 Island Fashion Stakes, Blamed drew away under a hand ride by jockey Ken Tohill to win by 6 1/2 lengths. The 3-year-old Blame filly, who is trained by Joel Marr, finished the one-mile distance in 1:38.70. It was the fourth consecutive win for Cleber Massey's filly.
Also on the Sunday card at Sunland, Richard Lueck's homebred Sky Defence held off a late effort from Deputy's Echo to win the $75,000 Curribot Handicap. The Susan Arnett-trained First Defence gelding completed the 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.48. Jockey Ken Tohill was aboard the 5-year-old.
