Sunland Derby 2015 Results: Winner, Payouts and Order of Finish

As expected, Firing Line blew away the field Sunday at the 13th running of the Sunland Derby at Sunland Park in New Mexico, a Grade 3 prep race for the Kentucky Derby.

With the triumph in one of the newest Kentucky Derby prep races (established in 2003), Firing Line receives 50 points and a spot in the first leg of the Triple Crown.

Jay Privman of Daily Racing Form captured the winner's celebration:

Close behind was Where's the Moon and Pain and Misery, finishing second and third, respectively, critical placements as the Road to the Kentucky Derby continues.

2015 Sunland Derby Results 

Place	Horse	Win	Place	Show
1	Firing Line	$2.40	$2.10	$2.10
2	Where's the Moon		$4.40	$3.00
3	Pain and Misery			$4.80
4	Tiznow R J
5	Dirt Monster
6	Why Two
7	Malibu Mogul

The thought going into Sunday's event was a major absence would help other horses in the field.

Legendary trainer Bob Baffert elected to pull contender Lord Nelson from the Grade 3 race and find something more fitting, per Steve Andersen of Daily Racing Form.

This made the life of Firing Line easier, at least, and boosts the stock of Dortmund, who bested Firing Line in his last two races. Privman puts it best:

Firing Line, who entered the day an 8-5 favorite, according to the Albuquerque Journal, seemed to draw a favorable post position. Even if Firing Line hadn't, the hype surrounding the three-year-old wouldn't have ceased. Some, such as Felix Chavez of the El Paso Times, wrote Firing Line is "arguably the best-ever thoroughbred to participate in this particular race."

Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens didn't seem to disagree before Sunday's event.

"Firing Line is a tremendous horse and I'm grateful for the opportunity to ride him," Steven said, per Chavez. "He has worked well leading up to the race and he's getting better all the time. This is a good spot for him, and I'm eager to see how much he improves."

Sunday, Firing Line and Why Two exploded out of the gates in a head-to-head matchup with Malibu Mogul close behind. Steven's horse pulled away down the stretch, with only Tiznow R J putting on a late push before Firing Line distanced himself from the pack.

"Distancing" may be modest, as Churchill Downs PR notes the staggering distance between Firing Line and the rest of the participants, thanks to his 1:47.39 finish:

It also provided a tally of the current point standings:

Privman caught up with Firing line's trainer Simon Callaghan after the victory:

Where's the Moon, 6-1 odds in his first graded-stakes try while ridden by jockey Luis Contreras, wound up stealing second place.

The unexpected strong performance begs to question whether Contreras' horse could make a push for Churchill Downs, as KY Derby Contenders points out:

Why Two, entering with 8-1 odds after a victory at the Turf Paradise Derby and ridden by Victor Espinoza, started fourth and fell off late to finish sixth.

For Firing Line and Stevens, the Kentucky Derby is now a reality after the duo took care of business in dominant fashion.

Moving forward, the rest of the Road to the Kentucky Derby will continue onward as horses and jockeys fight for positioning in the points standings—the ultimate goal, of course, a spot at the gates on May 2 at Churchill Downs.

Info courtesy of DRF.com unless otherwise specified.