Even-money choice Stachys used his strong late kick to hold off Skip a Smile in the lane for a half-length victory in the $150,000 Zia Park Derby at the New Mexico track Dec. 4.
Late-closing third-place finisher in the Oct. 10 Oklahoma Derby, Stachys added the Zia Park Derby to his wins in the Manitoba Derby at Assiniboia Downs and Canterbury Park's Dean Kutz Stakes earlier this year.
Mike Biehler trains the winning 3-year-old son of Candy Ride —Wekiva Mist, by Wekiva Springs, for owners Al and Bill Ulwelling. Nelson Bunker Hunt bred Stachys in Kentucky.
Stachys won the 1 1/16-mile event in 1:44.42.
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