Express Kid draws rail for Sunland Park Derby

Feb 11, 2026 Vance Hanson/Brisnet.com

Express Kid upsets the Springboard Mile (Photo by Dustin Orona Photography/Remington Park)

The $500,000 Sunland Park Derby, the lesser of two domestic Kentucky Derby (G1) preps this weekend, will be held Sunday at Sunland Park in New Mexico. The scheduled post time is 6:17 p.m. ET, after the 6 p.m. closure of the fourth Kentucky Derby Future Wager pool.

A field of eight will line up in the 1 1/16-mile feature. The 3-1 morning line favorite is Express Kid, who overcame post 11 in the Dec. 20 Remington Springboard Mile to register a wire-to-wire, 34-1 upset by 6 1/4 lengths. Express Kid was subsequently sold for $800,000 and debuts Sunday for new trainer Justin Evans.

Also expected to garner some support are Bricklin, a 3 1/4-length allowance winner at Oaklawn in his latest start, and the pair of Daneyko and Way Beyond, who were separated by a nose in last month's Riley Allison Derby at Sunland. However, neither Daneyko nor Way Beyond is a current Triple Crown nominee, and thus will not immediately accrue Kentucky Derby qualifying points should they earn them.

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Points of 20-10-6-4-2 will go to the respective top five finishers of the Sunland Park Derby.

Earlier in the card, Del Mar Debutante (G1) winner Bottle of Rouge will be strongly favored in the $250,000 Sunland Park Oaks over one mile. The race offers Kentucky Oaks (G1) qualifying points of 20-10-6-4-2 to the respective top five finishers.

Bottle of Rouge was a 9-1 upset winner of the Del Mar Debutante over Bob Baffert stablemate Explora but was only sixth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) in her only interim start. Also invading from California is Cashed, runner-up in the Starlet (G2) and two California-bred stakes in her past three starts.

Both the Sunland Park Derby and Sunland Park Oaks, which has a post time of 5:15 pm., can be watched and wagered on at TwinSpires.com.