Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino
Sunday, January 21, 2024
Brookes Legacy scores convincing win in $100,000 Lou Wooten and Sydney Valentini Handicap
Oscar Diaz’s Brookes Legacy broke cleanly from her outside post and scored an impressive half-length win Sunday afternoon under Jacob Enriquez in the 23rd running of the $100,000 Lou Wooten and Sydney Valentini Handicap.
Enriquez got Brookes Legacy out of the gate perfectly from her outside post in the nine-horse field and was always prominent down the center of the course. The 5-year-old New Mexico-bred mare by Big Daddy Cartel sped to the lead and proved best in the final 100 yards to cross the finish line ahead of Ebw Dancnthemoonlite and jockey Luis Martinez. Brookes Legacy stopped the clock in a time of 19.37 seconds over a fast track for 400 yards which earned a 98 speed index from Equibase.
The win for Brookes Legacy is her second in the Wooten and Valentini Handicap. She won this race last year, and Sunday’s win snapped a four-race losing streak for her. She earned $60,000 and has now won five times from 15 lifetime starts with earnings of more than $252,000.
Brookes Legacy, sent off as the mild 2.30-to-1 post time favorite in the contest, returned $6.60 to her winning backers. The $2 exacta with Ebw Dancnthemoonlite paid back $22.40. Fine Am Eye finished third while Hs Golden Eagle rounded out the top four finishers. My Heart Jess Runs was scratched at the gate.
Live racing resumes on Thursday at Sunland Park with a nine-race program which has a first post time of 12:25 p.m.
