Time for Gold takes next step

A couple of $40,000 stakes races for 2-year-olds share top billing on an 11-race card Thursday night at Emerald Downs.

First up in race 7 is the WTBOA Lads for colts and geldings. The 6 1/2-furlong dash drew nine horses and appears to be wide open. It will go at approximately 7:52 p.m. Pacific.

The Barbara Shinpoch also drew nine fillies. Unlike the Lads, Time for Gold will be a short price to win the 6 1/2-furlong sprint.

In the first 2-year-old stakes of the meet, Eddie Martinez rode Top Executive to a narrow victory over Seattlesbestsecret in the $36,000 King County Executive. Trained by Blaine Wright, Top Executive broke from the outside post in the 10-horse King County. After stalking the pace, he made a strong five-wide move around the turn, opened a clear lead in midstretch, and was able to hold off Seattlesbestsecret by a nose.

Seattlesbestsecret may have won the race if he didn’t have to steady at the top of the stretch. Trained by Steve Bulloch, he went into the King County off a front-running victory in a maiden special race on July 30.

It is a coin flip between the two.

John’s On Point could end up favored, however. Trained by Tom Wenzel, he was impressive winning his debut, and must have made a strong impression on Martinez, who sticks with him over Top Executive. Plus, the 57 Beyer Speed Figure he received is the best in the field.

John’s On Point drew the rail and will need to break sharply or risk getting stuck behind other speed horses.

Juan Gutierrez picks up the mount on Top Executive.

The Wenzel-trained Captain Dashi is eligible to improve in his second start. A Kentuckybred son of Graydar, Captain Dashi broke poorly in the King County but closed strongly to finish a close fourth, just 2 3/4 lengths behind the top pair.

Time for Gold could not have been more impressive winning the Angie C. by nine lengths in her second start for trainer Frank Lucarelli.

She broke from the rail in the 5 1/2-furlong race and after dueling through wicked interior fractions Lucarelli figured she was done. He actually started to look toward the back of the pack for his Managingbrianna, who he hoped would pick up the pieces.

Managingbrianna did make a nice move to get up for second, but Time for Gold just kept rolling.

“I did like her going into the race,” Lucarelli said of Time for Gold. “But after they went so fast early, I was a bit shocked to see her draw off the way she did.”

Time for Gold will break from post 8 with Javier Matias retaining the mount.

Jake Samuels rides Managingbrianna, who drew the outside post.

Lucarelli seems to have a stranglehold on the Barbara Shinpoch. He also will saddle Patricia L, who won a $25,000 maiden claimer in her debut July 30. The 54 Beyer she received is second best in the field compared to the 67 Time for Gold was given for her dominant performance.