Jockey Lindy Wade certainly has a lot to celebrate these days.
The 26-year-old journeyman achieved a career milestone last month winning his 1000th North American race at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas.
Wade finished as the fourth-leading rider at the recently completed season of racing at that facility and now has the chance to pick up one of the biggest wins of his career Saturday when he rides the 5-to-2 morning line favorite Texas Chrome in the $200,000 Downs at Albuquerque Handicap.
Trained by Allen Milligan for Keene Thoroughbreds LLC, Texas Chrome passed $1 million in career earnings when winning the Assault Handicap last time out at Lone Star Park. The 4-year-old of son of Grasshopper has nine wins from 20 lifetime starts, including a pair of Grade 3 stakes wins last year.
As a 3-year-old, Texas Chrome scored back-to-back victories last summer in the Super Derby at Louisiana Downs and in the Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park. His most recent win at Lone Star snapped a six-race losing streak which included showdowns with some of the nation's top older thoroughbreds, including stakes winners Danzing Candy, Mor Spirit and Gun Runner.
Texas Chrome will break from the inside post in the 10-horse event, which will go as the sixth race of a 10-race card that has a first post of 6:05 p.m. local time.
Texas Chrome will not be the only horse to make his debut over the Downs at Albuquerque oval in the track's marquee thoroughbred event.
Trainer Justin Evans, currently atop the standings this season, will send out a pair of runners in the 1 1/8- mile feature, including Hereditary, who ships in from Belmont Park in New York City looking to end a four-race losing streak.
Hereditary, a 6-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Medaglia d'Oro, shows only three wins from 16 career starts, and is listed at 10-to-1 on the morning line, breaking from post 3 under Martin Bourdieu.
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The Evans barn will also be represented by Real Heat, who will break just outside his stablemate. The California-bred son of Unusual Heat has a solid record over the local course and could add some speed to the lineup.
Another horse making his local debut in the Handicap will be American Dubai, looking to regain some of his top form which made him a multiple winner earlier this year at Sunland Park.
Trained by Rodney Richards for owner Richard Keith, American Dubai is the track-record holder at Sunland Park at one mile, a mark he achieved in the midst of a four-race win streak at the El Paso oval which culminated with a romping score last April in the Sunland Park Handicap.
The Virginia-bred son of E Dubai has lost three straight races, including a pair of defeats where he finished behind Texas Chrome, both at Lone Star Park and Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa.
The 7-to-2 second choice on the morning line, American Dubai will break from post 6 in the Handicap and will be ridden by Ken Tohill.
The $200,000 Downs at Albuquerque Handicap has a scheduled post time of 8:10 p.m.
The field, in post position order, with jockey assignments and morning line odds, looks like this:
1. TEXAS CHROME (Wade, 5-2)
2. OL WINEDRINKER WHO (Enrique Gomez, 20-1)
3. HEREDITARY (Bourdieu, 10-1)
4. REAL HEAT (David Lopez, 12-1)
5. FOREST MOUSE (Ry Eikleberry, 4-1)
6. AMERICAN DUBAI (Tohill, 7-2)
7. CONCORD FAST (Elvin Gonzalez, 20-1)
8. NECK ’N NECK (Alfredo Juarez Jr., 8-1)
9. OVERLAND PARK (Duane Sterling, 12-1)
10. CODE WEST (Alex Birzer, 8-1)