Heroic Move has run some notable races in New Mexico and is returning to the state Sunday to be part of the field for the $200,000 Sunland Park Stakes. The 1 1/8-mile race that was previously run as a handicap is one of three stakes that help close the meet. It will share a card with the $125,000 Mine That Bird Derby and the $90,000 New Mexico State University that drew Corrina Corrina, the all-time richest New Mexico-bred Thoroughbred. Sunland is showcasing the stakes on a 12-race card that begins at 12:25 p.m. Mountain. Heroic Move won the $125,000 Zia Park Championship in November, which was the last time he raced in New Mexico. Earlier in his career, he was second in the Zia Park Derby. Heroic Move spent this winter racing at Fair Grounds before his connections turned their attention to the Sunland Park Stakes. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. “It’s a race that we’ve been targeting for a little while,” trainer Robertino Diodoro said. “He’s been training at Turf Paradise the last month or so, so it’s an easy ship. It sets up quite well for him.” Heroic Move ran twice at Fair Grounds, finishing fifth in both the Grade 3 Louisiana on Jan. 18 and the Grade 3 Mineshaft in his most recent out Feb. 15. “He hooked into some tough horses in those races and also ran into a very speed-biased track,” Diodoro said. Heroic Move on Sunday will start from post 3 under Harry Hernandez. “He doesn’t want to be rushed early, but at the same time, he has a long move,” Diodoro said. “He doesn’t have that quarter-mile kick. You’ve got to get him rolling at the half-mile pole and get him into gear.” Diodoro said the distance of the Sunland Park Stakes is a perfect fit for Heroic Move. His rivals in the nine-horse field include Mine That Star, a past winner of the Sunland Park Handicap who, in his last start, was second to Heroic Move in the Zia Championship. Mine That Star is a half-brother to Mine That Bird, the Kentucky Derby winner with New Mexico ties who is being honored with the Mine That Bird Derby, run over 1 1/8 miles, which suits entrant Take Charge Tom, who Diodoro also trains. “I don’t think the distance will be a problem at all,” he said. Take Charge Tom enters off a fourth-place finish in the Sunland Park Derby. Diodoro looks for him to be close to the lead when he breaks from post 4 under Orlando Mojica. “His last couple of works have been very, very good,” Diodoro said of sharp drills at Turf Paradise. The Mine That Bird drew six horses, including Itsmybirthday, a winner of 2 of 3 starts. He is cross-entered in the Lafayette at Keeneland and will run in Kentucky, Diodoro said. Corrina Corrina will be looking for her fourth stakes win at the meet in the New Mexico University at a mile and 70 yards. She will be facing male rivals, one start after defeating open-company fillies and mares by four lengths in the Harry Henson. Tracy Hebert has the mount on the $1.2 million earner from the rail Sunday. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.