Notable Sunland Park Racing Events
- G3 $800,000 Sunland Derby
- $200,000 Sunland Park Oaks
- $100,000 Mine That Bird Derby
- $100,000 New Mexico Breeders’ Derby
- $100,000 New Mexico Breeders’ Oaks
- $100,000 Riley Allison Derby
Recent Sunland Park News
History of Horse Racing at Sunland Park
Sunland Park opened in 1959 in Sunland Park, New Mexico, just over the border from El Paso, Texas. In 1999, New Mexico legislation allowed racetracks to incorporate slot machines, the track opened a casino and is now Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino. A percentage of slot machine revenue directly funds purses which has increased the track’s racing product and quality of stakes, including the Grade 3 Sunland Derby, a Kentucky Derby prep race worth qualifying points. Sunland launched the careers of several notable names in the sport, including jockey Jerry Bailey, who began riding at Sunland in 1974, and 2009 Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird, who campaigned in the Sunland Derby and the Borderland Derby. The Borderland has since been renamed the Mine That Bird Derby.
