Reddam Homebred Pavlovian Wins Sunland Park Derby by Nose, Enters Derby Top-10

Pavlovian, a gray/roan Reddam Racing homebred by Pavel, edged Express Kid by a nose in the $500,000 Sunland Park Derby at Sunland Park, covering 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.22 under jockey Edwin A. Maldonado. The photo finish produced a winner’s share of $297,000 for Pavlovian, returned $12.20 to bettors, and raised his lifetime record to 9-2-3-1 with career earnings of $413,450.

Express Kid, the even-money favorite bred by Richard Barton Enterprises and owned by Paradise Equine Farm, shook free briefly entering the stretch before Pavlovian rallied to match strides down the lane; Express Kid carried 123 pounds and collected 10 points and $108,900 for second. Bricklin, by Nyquist, held third for 6 points, Daneyko was fourth for 4 points, and Forty Twenty earned 2 points; Buntus Foclora was eased while Sharons Beach and Way Beyond were scratched.

Trainer Doug F. O’Neill saddled Pavlovian and received kudos from connections after the narrow victory. O’Neill credited the team and owners in the winner’s circle and said, “We might have another Derby horse, you never know.” The win marked a milestone for the Reddam-O’Neill partnership: Pavlovian provided Reddam Racing owner and breeder J. Paul Reddam his 22nd homebred black-type stakes winner since 2014 and gave O’Neill his fourth Sunland Park Derby victory, tying him with Bob Baffert for the most all-time in the race.

Pedigree and breeding details underscore the commercial stakes of the result. Pavlovian is by Grade 1-winning millionaire Pavel, who raced for Reddam and stands at Ocean Breeze Ranch near Bonsall, California, for an advertised fee of $4,000. Mandy’s Grace, by Bellamy Road and a daughter of MGSW Magicalmysterycat, is the dam; she produced a full brother to Pavlovian in 2024 and recently foaled a filly by Shaaz. Bloodstock voice Bennett noted Pavel’s durability and stride when assessing the sire’s impact: “What I really loved about Pavel as a racehorse is that he raced and raced and never got hurt. He is a tough, gritty horse, and he is passing that on. And John Brocklebank just keeps commenting on how big the strides are in Pavel's runners, so we're hopeful. A homebred in the Derby is what we are all hoping for, and we almost got there with Slow Down Andy.”

Pavlovian’s formline entering Sunland included a Best Pal (G3) appearance at Del Mar where he finished second to Desert Gate and a Jan. 17 Cal Cup Derby start at Santa Anita. Nakatani reflected on the colt’s progression in stretching out: “Once we had the first opportunity to stretch him out, we were really looking forward to it. So in his last two races, he's been the horse that we have been hoping for all along.”

On the Road to the Kentucky Derby, Pavlovian’s 20 points pushed him into the top 10 with 20 points; Express Kid’s runner-up finish doubled his total to 20 points as well. The Sunland Park Derby awards points on a 20-10-6-4-2 scale, and Pavlovian’s breakthrough first black-type victory now places Reddam’s homebred firmly in Derby calculations as the connections weigh next steps toward Churchill Downs.