By Matt Shifman and Bob Ehalt

The $400,000 Sunland Park Derby (G3), Sunland Park – Race 9 – The 1 1/16-mile Sunland Park Derby drew a field of a eight 3-year-olds that will take their chance on the Kentucky Derby trail with qualifying points of 20-10-6-4-2 available to the top five eligible finishers. There are two horses in the field that earned Derby qualifying points thus far. A fast pace is expected. (5) Stronghold seems to have a class edge on this field after a pair of second-place finishes behind Bob Baffert runners in California graded-stakes. He had a stalking trip in the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2), got the lead, and was passed by Wynstock and beat another Baffert runner in Coach Prime. In the Bob Hope (G3), Stronghold was second to Nysos, the top-ranked American 3-year-old. Stronghold earned 5 Derby points from those two races. (4) Lucky Jeremy began his career in Kentucky and broke his maiden in his second try in October. He shipped to New Mexico to make his 2024 debut a winning one in the Riley Allison Derby which is the local prep race for the Sunland Derby. (8) Informed Patriot earned 6 Derby points from a pair of third-place finishes in the Smarty Jones at Oaklawn Park and the Street Sense. Joel Rosario takes the mount for Steve Asmussen who won this race twice already. (1) No Trouble broke his maiden in his second try as an odds-on favorite at Sunland for local trainer Joel Marr who won the Sunland Derby with a 35-1 long shot last year.  Betting strategy:  Exacta key box: 5 with 1, 4, 8.  Trifecta, ticket one - 5 with 1, 4, 8 with ALL; ticket two - 5 with ALL with 1, 4, 8.