EL PASO, Texas ( KTSM ) — The most exciting two minutes in sports will have a Borderland flare to it come Saturday, as this year’s winner of the Sunland Derby , Stronghold, is set to Run for the Roses.
Stronghold drew post number 17 in what will be the 150th Running of the Kentucky Derby, holding 20-1 odds to win the milestone race. Some racing experts are predicting a top-5 finish for Stronghold, whose team includes jockey Antonio Fresu, trainer Philip D’Amato, and owners Eric and Sharon Waller.
The three-year-old thoroughbred was a 3-2 betting favorite in February’s running of the Sunland Derby, a race Stronghold won with a recorded time of 1:42.64. The win gave Stronghold 25 points on the road to the Kentucky Derby along with a $400,000 prize.
Saturday’s Kentucky Derby will air exclusively on KTSM with coverage beginning at 12:30 p.m. MT on NBC. Post time for the main event at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, is set for 4:57 p.m. MT.