America's Best Racing. The Jockey Club.

Dry Summer, above winning at Del Mar, has won both of his starts at Sunland Park and is a top contender in the Sunland Derby. (Photo courtesy of Benoit & Associates) 

Homecourt is a powerful edge in any sport, including horse racing.

In Sunday’s Sunland Derby a trio of local standouts – Dry Summer, Stormdriver and Show Some Magic – will face a collection of out-of-town challengers who were enticed to travel to New Mexico by the lure of an $800,000 purse and enough qualifying points to be assured of a place in the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby.

Whether they are up to that challenge is the key question in handcapping the Sunland Derby.

Dry Summer, Stormdriver and Show Some Magic raced against each other in their last two starts, with Dry Summer winning each time. The son of Any Given Saturday scored a 1 ½-length victory in their last meeting – the Mine That Bird Derby – and is the stickout among the local contingent.

While four of the shippers are coming off maiden wins, the one to fear shapes up as Shakin It Up.

Trained by Bob Baffert, Shakin It Up comes off a win in seven-furlong San Vicente Stakes at Sana Anita. He hasn’t raced beyond that distance and that’s his main drawback in a race where his superior speed figures to make him the one to beat.

He’ll be asked on Sunday to handle 1 1/8 miles, which might level the playing field with his eight challengers.

Otherwise, Mudflats, who was beaten by 2 ½ lengths in the San Vicente, and impressive Santa Anita maiden winner Govenor Charlie – who also is trained by Baffert – seem the most promising of the visitors.

Yet in the final analysis, what figures to matter most is experience on the racetrack.

Dry Summer has that, plus a perfect 2-for-2 record at Sunland, which could make for a joyful spring day for his backers.

Ehalt’s selections

1. Dry Summer

2. Shakin It Up

3. Govenor Charlie

4. Stormdriver

$800,000 Sunland Derby

Sunday, Sunland Park, Race 11, 7:40 p.m. ET

3-year-olds, 1 1/8 miles