The Borderland Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race

Thoroughbred horse race

Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...

 held annually early in the year at Sunland Park Racetrack in Sunland Park, New Mexico

Sunland Park, New Mexico

Sunland Park is a city in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 14,106 at the 2010 census. Though it lies directly across from El Paso, Texas, being in Doña Ana County makes it instead a part of the Las Cruces Metropolitan Statistical Area, some 30 miles to the north.The...

. The final local prep for April's WinStar Derby

WinStar Derby

The Sunland Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Sunland Park Racetrack in Sunland Park, New Mexico. Inaugurated in 2003, the race is open to three-year-olds willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the dirt and is sponsored by WinStar Farm of Versailles, Kentucky...

, and an official prep race for the Kentucky Derby

Kentucky Derby

The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...

, the Borderland Derby is open to three-year-olds willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt. The ungraded stakes

Graded stakes race

A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...

 currently offers a purse of $100,000.

Run at a distance of one mile in 2003 and 2004, the race is named for its location. Sunland Park is situated close to the border between the states of New Mexico

New Mexico

New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...

 and Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

.

Since 2001, trainer Steve Asmussen

Steve Asmussen

Steven Mark Asmussen is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. Born into a horse racing family, his parents, Keith and Marilyn "Sis" Asmussen, are both trainers who operate El Primero Training Center off the Mines Road in Laredo, the seat of Webb County in south Texas...

 has won five editions of the Borderland Derby.

Winners of the Borderland Derby since 2001

Year	Winner	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Time
2011	Fusa Code	Justin Shepherd	Steve Asmussen Steve Asmussen Steven Mark Asmussen is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. Born into a horse racing family, his parents, Keith and Marilyn "Sis" Asmussen, are both trainers who operate El Primero Training Center off the Mines Road in Laredo, the seat of Webb County in south Texas...	Bob & Cathy Zollars	1:45.06
2010	Storming Saint	Luis Contreras	Henry Dominguez	Lathrop Hoffman	1:45.27
2009	Scorewithcater	Michael Baze	Doug O'Neill	Doug O'Neill/Robert Master	1:43.96
2008	Poni Colada	Alfredo Juarez, Jr.	Steve Asmussen Steve Asmussen Steven Mark Asmussen is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. Born into a horse racing family, his parents, Keith and Marilyn "Sis" Asmussen, are both trainers who operate El Primero Training Center off the Mines Road in Laredo, the seat of Webb County in south Texas...	R. Zollars/M. Wagner	1:47.19
2007	Takedown	Glen Murphy	Steve Asmussen Steve Asmussen Steven Mark Asmussen is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. Born into a horse racing family, his parents, Keith and Marilyn "Sis" Asmussen, are both trainers who operate El Primero Training Center off the Mines Road in Laredo, the seat of Webb County in south Texas...	Ackerley Bros. Farm	1:44.64
2006	Indy Wildcat	Michael Baze	Paula Capestro	Bearing Point Ventures	1:44.82
2005	Southern Africa	Garrett Gomez	Michael Puhich	A & S. Kirkwood	1:43.18
2004	Go Kitty Go	Miguel Fuentes	Mack Millar	V. & S. Hauschild	1:37.87
2003	Mr. Decatur	Sal Gonzalez, Jr.	Steve Asmussen Steve Asmussen Steven Mark Asmussen is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. Born into a horse racing family, his parents, Keith and Marilyn "Sis" Asmussen, are both trainers who operate El Primero Training Center off the Mines Road in Laredo, the seat of Webb County in south Texas...	Heiligbrodt Racing	1:36.23
2002	Premeditation	Michael Clark	William Leach	Bill Clifton	1:36.16
2001	Parting Guest	Ryker Hatch	Steve Asmussen Steve Asmussen Steven Mark Asmussen is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. Born into a horse racing family, his parents, Keith and Marilyn "Sis" Asmussen, are both trainers who operate El Primero Training Center off the Mines Road in Laredo, the seat of Webb County in south Texas...	Author's Stables LLC	Nf