Solitaire Stables Forest Mouse is expected to be a short price when he arrives at the starting gate to face six rivals in Monday's $50,000 San Juan County Commissioners Handicap, the traditional closing day feature at SunRay Park and Casino.
Trained by Henry Dominguez and slated to be ridden by Alfredo Juarez, Jr., Forest Mouse will be looking to inch closer to millionaire status with a win in the 1 1/8 mile event, which will go as the 8th race of a 9-race program that has a first post time of 3 p.m.
Installed as the 5-to-2 morning line favorite, Forest Mouse has won four of his last five starts and has held a longstanding reputation as one of the southwest's most reliable thoroughbreds since his debut at Arapahoe Park in June, 2010. In his career, Forest Mouse has won races in Colorado, Arizona and at all but one track in the state of New Mexico.
Forest Mouse has won 25 times from 58 trips to the starting gate and has amassed earnings topping $933,000. The 9-year-old, Kentucky-bred son of Teton Forest is a 5-time winner from seven starts over the local course, including his most recent start here in the $30,000 SunRay Park and Casino Handicap on May 22.
In that race, Forest Mouse defeated two of his main rivals in today's Commissioners Handicap, which has a scheduled post time of 5:48 p.m.
Overland Park, the second choice on the morning line, has finished behind Forest Mouse each of the last four times they've met. Last time out, the Nancy Summers-trained son of Snow Ridge dueled with Forest Mouse for much of the one-mile journey in the SunRay Park and Casino Handicap, but was simply outclassed nearing the wire, missing by just a half-length.
Finishing third in that contest was Pain and Misery, who was beaten 14 lengths by Forest Mouse in just his second start over the local course.
Trained by Todd Fincher for Black Gold Racing, Pain and Misery has earned more than $417,000 while winning four times from 21 starts. The Kentucky-bred son of Bob and John is looking to end a 10-race losing streak that dates back to October of 2015.
Pain and Misery, the third choice on the morning line in the Commissioners Handicap, is winless in five starts at today's distance.
Perhaps the most intriguing new face to challenge Forest Mouse in the Commissioners Handicap is Better Than Magic. The 5-time winner comes off an impressive win here inn his local debut on May 27, in which he defeated optional claimers by nearly 3 lengths.
The Greg Green-trained son of My Golden Song was bred in Texas and is owned by Delinda Green. He has never been tested at today's distance and this will mark his first ever encounter with Forest Mouse, but he does figure to be forwardly placed under jockey Alfredo Sigala and has finished no worse than fifth in each of his last eight starts.
Better Than Magic is the fourth choice on the morning line at odds of 9-to-2.
The field for the $50,000 San Juan County Commissioners Handicap, with jockeys and morning line odds:
(1) BALONEY MIKE, David Lopez, 6-1
(2) FOREST MOUSE, Alfredo Juarez, Jr., 5-2
(3) BETTER THAN MAGIC, Alfredo Sigala, 9-2
(4) OVERLAND PARK, Duane Sterling, 3-1
(5) PAIN AND MISERY, Tracy Hebert, 7-2
(6) COACH Q, Enrique Garcia, 15-1
(7) THUNDER, Nathan Haar, 8-1