Racing


Regal First Moon Kicks Clear to Win Sunburst Stakes at Sunland Park
Regal First Moon, under jockey Jesse Levario, wins the RG3 Sunburst Stakes at Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino on Sunday.

© Coady Photography
Regal First Moon Kicks Clear to Win Sunburst Stakes at Sunland Park

SUNLAND PARK, NM—MARCH 29, 2015—The lightly raced Regal First Moon kicked clear to defeat Fire The Queen by 1¼ lengths and win the $85,360 Sunburst Stakes(RG3) for accredited New Mexico-bred 3-Year-Old Fillies at Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino Sunday afternoon. Bankie Bay finished half-a-length back in the show position.

Ridden by jockey Jesse Levario, Regal First Moon covered the 350 yards in :17.046 seconds, a 96 speed index. The $51,000 payday boosted her career earnings total to $79,411. Ramon Rivera conditions the daughter of leading sire First Moonflash for Regal Racing Stables, LLC.

Bred by S/M Cattle Export Co., from the Strawfly Special mare Regal Fly, Regal First Moon's record stands at (6) 3-1-0. She entered the race off an impressive Allowance win at Sunland February 6th and her 3-year-old record is a perfect 2-for-2.

The winning connections of Regal First Moon accept the Sunburst Stakes trophy Sunday afternoon at Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino. © Coady Photography
Fire The Queen, a Fighter On Fire filly who was second in the $340,699 Mountain Top Futurity at Ruidoso Downs last summer, put in a late effort to pickup $18,700 for her second place effort. Mario Sanchez trains the bay filly for owner Evel Zubiate. Bred in New Mexico by MJ Farms, Fire The Queen has earned nearly $117,000. She is out of the Invisible Injun mare Quintessential Queen. Manuel Gutierrez had the riding assignment.

Bankie Bay put in an early bid but weakened and had to settle for third place. The Brookstone Bay filly earned $8,500 for owner Felipe Flores, Sr. and trainer Felipe Flores, Jr. Barbara and Kim Saunders bred the sorrel miss from the Mr Jess Perry mare Jess Brenda. Ridden by Adrian Ramos, Bankie Bay has earnings nearly $60,000 from nine career starts.

Winning Merlot, Dmzizzagonaroll, Bet The Sixes, Mj Moon Chick, Sham Wow, Lady Version and Naked Grape completed the field.