James Isaac Hobbs Stakes winner Missourian will return in Sunday’s 400-yard Lovington Stakes (G2) at Zia Park.

© Coady Photography

HOBBS, NM—OCTOBER 27, 2014—Alonso Juarez’s Missourian, a 6-year-old Sweet First Down gelding trained by Martin Orona Jr., is one of 12 sprinters entered in Sunday’s 400-yard, $55,000 Lovington Stakes (G2) at Zia Park.

Missourian drew post 9, and the gelding will be making his first official start since September 13, when he outran his 8-1 odds to win the 350-yard, $55,000 James Isaac Hobbs Stakes (G3) at Zia Park. Jose Montoya will ride Missourian in the Lovington Stakes.

Missourian’s opponents include Heysol Howlet’s TF Featured Effort and Eye A Spit Curl Curl, a 4-year-old daughter of Spit Curl Jess owned by Martin Stacy.

Trained by Carlos Acosta, TF Featured Effort prepped for the Lovington Stakes with a second-place finish in a 400-yard, $39,000 open-condition allowance at Zia Park on October 12. The 5-year-old Feature Mr Jess stallion has won two of his six outs this season, both against graded stakes company during the Sunland Park meet.

Alonso Rivera has been named to ride TF Featured Effort from post 2.

Eye A Spit Curl Girl is the only distaffer entered in the main body of the race. Conditioned by Randy Hill, Eye A Spit Curl Girl ships in from Iowa, where she scored a wire-to-wire one-length victory in the October 4, 440-yard Two Rivers Stakes (G3) at Prairie Meadows.

Eye A Spit Curl Girl drew post 5 and will be ridden by Jorge Torres.

The Lovington Stakes is the last major local prep for the 440-yard, $150,000 Zia Park Quarter Horse Championship (G1) on November 26, a race which offers its winner a starting berth in the 440-yard, $600,000 Champion of Champions (G1) at Los Alamitos in December.

The complete lineup, including also-eligible entries, in post position order including jockey assignments--

1. Streak Hitter (Jaime Leos)
2. TF Featured Effort (Alonso Rivera)
3. Sudden Thoughts (Sergio Becerra Jr.)
4. Big Sluggo (Adrian Ramos)
5. Eye A Spit Curl Girl (Jorge Torres)
6. Feature Mr Lucky (Raul Gutierrez)
7. I V Gone (Jesse Levario)
8. Marcar (Joel Martinez Jr.)
9. Missourian (Jose Montoya)
10. Charvet (L. Salvador Martinez)
11. AE--Specialscountrychick (Ricky Ramirez)
12. AE--Mr Jess Runner (Jose Enrique-Ortiz).