A very competitive field of eight older horses will go postward in Saturday's Winsham Lad Handicap, the featured event of an attractive program of live racing at Sunland Park.
Forest Mouse, the 5-to-2 morning line favorite in the one-mile event, is coming off a winning effort against softer company last time out for trainer Greg Green. The 9-year-old son of Teton Forest has racked up career earnings well over $800,000 and has recorded six wins from 11 starts over this course including a victory in last year's Winsham Lad.
Prior to his most recent win, Forest Mouse was a well-beaten fifth in the Zia Park Championship last November and third in the Veterans Stake at Zia Park on Oct. 31.
Forest Mouse, owned by the Solitaire Stable and scheduled to be ridden once again by Ry Eikleberry, will break from post 5 in the Winsham Lad on Saturday.
J Serino, the second choice on the morning line, has done well for Frontier Racing and trainer Jaime Fuentes since shipping to New Mexico last summer from his former stomping grounds in Southern California. The 6-year-old son of Malibu Moon won his first start in New Mexico last September at Zia Park, then pulled off an upset win over Forest Mouse and Winsham Lad rival Ol Winedrinker Who in the Veterans Stake.
A four-time career winner and earner of more than $186,000, J Serino tired in the late going and finished off the board in his most recent start in the Zia Championship after breaking from the outside post in a field of 12 and being forced to duel on the lead. He'll be making his first start over the Sunland Park oval and will also have a new pilot aboard. Miguel Perez will guide J Serino from the 7 post in the $65,000 Winsham Lad, which will go as the ninth and final race on the card and has a scheduled post time of 6:10 pm ET.
The field, from the rail out, with jockeys and morning line prices for the Winsham Lad, line up as follows: Get A Notion (Alfredo Juarez, Jr., 6-1); Classy Cam (Ameth Gonzalez, 20-1); Ol Winedrinker Who (Tracy Hebert, 5-1); Looks To Spare (Elvin Gonzalez, 8-1); Forest Mouse (Eikleberry, 5-2); Plot Twist (Alfredo Sigala, 5-1); J Serino (Miguel Perez, 3-1); Smack Ridge (Enrique Gomez, 6-1).
For more information on the Winsham Lad Handicap, as well as selections and analysis from Sunland Park, Gulfstream Park, the Fair Grounds, Santa Anita and more, make sure to tune in to "The Fast Track", presented by SunRay Park and Casino. The Fast Track airs weekends at 10am ET on FOX AM1340/93.9FM and can also be heard live streaming on our I Heart Radio app on this website.