Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Layoff casts doubt on Alert Bay
Alert Bay is the best horse in the 83rd running of the Grade 3, $200,000 Longacres Mile at Emerald Downs on Sunday. After all, he is the only graded stakes winner in the field, and his lifetime earnings of $1.25 million eclipses the total earnings of his five rivals.
The versatile 7-year-old son of City Zip has won on turf, Tapeta, and dirt. His first two graded victories – the 2014 British Columbia Derby and Premiers Stakes at Hastings – came around three and four turns, respectively. However, he hasn’t raced since he finished third on turf in the Grade 3, $100,000 American Stakes at Santa Anita last July, and because of his long absence the Mile is a wide-open affair.
The Mile anchors an allstakes pick four that includes the $50,000 WTBOA Lads for 2-year-old colts and geldings, the $50,000 Barbara Shinpoch for 2-year-old fillies, and the $50,000 Emerald Distaff Handicap for fillies and mares.
Post time for the Mile, the most prestigious race at Emerald, is 5:39 p.m. Pacific.
Alert Bay is trained by Blaine Wright. The leading trainer at Emerald for the past two years, Wright sits second in the meet standings behind Jeff Metz. According to DRF Formulator, the past five years Wright has a 25 percent strike rate and $2.22 return on investment with horses coming back from a layoff of 365 days or more. Wright is confident he has Alert Bay ready to run a big race.
“He has a pretty solid foundation,” said Wright. “He’s a route horse, and we mostly just let him train himself. Sometimes he’ll gallop two and onehalf miles, and when he works he always wants to do more. He had an injury, and it just took us longer to get him back than we thought it would. He’s ready to run.”
Alert Bay is a stalker, and he should be sitting not too far off expected pacesetters Kaabraaj and Conquest Windycity during the early stages of the race. He will leave from post 2 with Juan Hernandez riding.
Barkley heads the local contingent. Trained by Howard Belvoir, the 5-yearold Kentucky-bred son of Munnings is coming off a runner-up finish behind Riser in the $50,000 Mt. Rainier on July 15. He had a rough trip when he finished fourth in last year’s Mile. He will break from post 3 with Javier Matias aboard.
“He’s doing really well, and hopefully he’ll have a better trip than he had last year,” said Belvoir. “I will be instructing Matias to not leave him with too much to do.”
The wild card is Conquest Windycity, who has not fired since he upset Mind Your Biscuits, one of the best sprinters in the world, in an allowance race at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 9. He led all the way in the seven-furlong dash, and it is expected he will be in the mix early after breaking from post 5 with Erick Lopez riding.
A Michael Maker-trained son of Tiznow, Conquest Windycity is coming off a sixth-place finish on turf in the $100,000 Mystic Lake Mile at Canterbury Park on June 23.
Kaabraaj, trained by Metz, owns the track record for six furlongs at Emerald and will be the one they have to run down.
Trainer Frank Lucarelli said he is hoping Mach One Rules will settle early and finish strong like he did when he was the runner-up in the Mile last year.
Oh Marvelous Me, trained by Wright, completes the field.
Distaff: Wright sends trio
Wright has three of the eight horses entered in the Distaff including Top Quality, who will be a short price to win the 1 1/8-mile race.
A 4-year-old filly by Quality Road, Top Quality is coming off wins in the $50,000 Strawberry Morn Handicap at Hastings and the $50,000 Boeing at Emerald July 15.
Wright is hoping that Daz Lin Dawn, running with blinkers for the first time, will regain the form that saw her win all the 3-year-old filly stakes at Hastings for trainer Nancy Betts last year. She is winless in two starts for Wright this year.
Wright also sends out Reginella in the Distaff. He is expecting Daz Lin Dawn to sit just off Reginella, who set the pace in the Boeing before being overwhelmed by Top Quality.
Little Dancer won the Washington Oaks and finished second in the Distaff last year. After three dull efforts at the current meet, she was an impressive front-running winner of a onemile optional $40,000 claiming race for trainer Doris Harwood on July 28. Eswan Flores rode the Kentucky-bred daughter of Successful Appeal for the first time in her sharp win.
“I am very pleased with how she came out of the race,” said Harwood. “It helped getting the right rider. Eswan rode her perfectly.”
◗ The Wright-trained Helaman could end up being favored in the 12-horse WTBOA Lads. In his only start, the son of Majestic Warrior finished second to heavily favored Baja Sur in a maiden special weight race on June 17. Baja Sur, also trained by Wright, came back to win the $45,000 King County Executive by 10 1/2 lengths over Verynsky July 15. Verynsky, trained by Roddina Barrett, is also entered in the Lads.
◗ Northwest Factor and Money Inthe Starrs look like the main players in the Barbara Shinpoch. Northwest Factor is coming off a win for trainer Steve Bullock in the $54,000 Angie C on July 15.
The 54 Beyer Speed Figure that Money Inthe Starrs earned for her win over Northwest Factor in a maiden special weight race on June 30 is the best in the 12-horse field.