By Christina Bossinakis
The lion's share of the wagering money fell squarely on Express Kid (Bodexpress), the last-out Springboard Mile winner at Remington and subsequent $800,000 Fasig-Tipton Digital January purchase. However, it was the Reddam Racing homebred Pavlovian (Pavel) who put his head down at precisely the right moment to give trainer Doug O'Neill his third victory in the 8 1/2-furlong Kentucky Derby points earning race.
With the victory, the California-bred colt earned 20 points toward the first Saturday in May, while Express Kid garnered10 points for his second-place effort.
Sent screaming to the front right by Justin Evans, even-money choice Express Kid set the tempo, leading 5-1 chance Pavlovian, who was getting blinkers on for the first time, and Bricklin (Nyquist) through opening fractions of :22.07 and :46.40.
With the positions of the front-running trio remaining unchanged up to the home turn, the favorite continued to fight and inched clear momentarily. However, Pavlovian wasn't about to give up and battled late, getting up just in time to get a nostril down on the wire.
The top two finishers currently have a total of 20 points in the run-up to the Kentucky Derby.
Pavlovian graduated at second asking in a 5-furlong state-bred test at Santa Anita last June before finishing runner-up behind Desert Gate in the GIII Best Pal Sakes at Del Mar. Off-the-board in the I'm Smokin Stakes against Cal-breds in September, the grey was an improved second when returning to optional claiming company at Santa Anita in October.
After losing his rider in Del Mar's Gold State Juvenile on Halloween, the colt came home fourth while stretching to a mile for the King Glorious Stakes at Los Alamitos on Dec. 14. In his latest trip to post, the colt closed to be third in the 8 1/2-furlong Cal Cup Derby at Santa Anita on Jan. 17.
Pavlovian is a son of Pavel, raced by Paul Reddam and also trained by O'Neill, out of Mandy's Grace, a daughter of MGSW Magicalmysterycat (Storm Cat) who was also campaigned by the winning combo.
Mandy's Grace produced a full brother to the Sunland Derby winner in 2024 and most recently foaled a filly by Shaaz.
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UNLAND PARK DERBY, $500,000, Sunland, 2-15, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:42.22, ft.
1–PAVLOVIAN, 123, c, 3, by Pavel
1st Dam: Mandy's Grace, by Bellamy Road
2nd Dam: Magicalmysterycat, by Storm Cat
3rd Dam: Nannerl, by Valid Appeal
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O/B-Reddam Racing, LLC (CA);
T-Doug F. O'Neill; J-Edwin A. Maldonado. $297,000.
Lifetime Record: 9-2-3-1, $413,450.
2–Express Kid, 123, c, 3, Bodexpress–Sensationalize, by Street
Sense. ($12,000 RNA Ylg '24 FTCAYR; $2,000 Ylg '24 ARZOCT;
$800,000 3yo '26 FTDFJA). O-Paradise Equine Farm, LLC,
Kleven, Bradley and Kleven, Sharon; B-Richard Barton
Enterprises (CA); T-Justin R. Evans. $108,900.
3–Bricklin, 123, c, 3, Nyquist–Majestic Vixen, by
Majesticperfection. ($55,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP; $450,000 2yo '25
EASMAY). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Imagine Racing; B-Haymarket Farm LLC (KY); T-Rodolphe Brisset. $49,500.
Margins: NO, 5 1/4, 3HF. Odds: 5.10, 1.10, 2.30.
Also Ran: Daneyko, Forty Twenty, Buntus Foclora. Scratched: Sharons Beach, Way Beyond.
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