Bridleuptothebar in good form

Emerald Downs racegoers will get their first look at a proven prospect in the form of Bridleuptothebar, whose Emerald roots run as deep as can be, when he faces a half-dozen in Sunday’s allowance feature over 5 1/2 furlongs. Bridleuptothebar, trained by Niccolo Troiani, will begin from post 2 with Javier Matias named to ride.

Bridleuptothebar is from a speedy female family, the last three dams of which were all front-end sprint winners at Emerald Downs. Those around at the time will remember Bridleuptothebar’s third dam, Cocktails Anyone, who was a winner on the first-ever day of racing at Emerald Downs, June 20, 1996.

Cocktails Anyone was an ultra-fast speed merchant who somehow managed to be 0 for 8 in Emerald Downs stakes events despite having won two stakes in California and banking $242,545 during her 28-race career.

Bridleuptothebar won his last start, going six furlongs in 1:07.57 at Turf Paradise after leading through a halfmile split of 43.08. Last year, Bridleuptothebar trained for the last couple of months of the season but didn’t race at Emerald Downs.

Troiani said that owners Holly and Mark Rydman “don’t like to start their horses until age 3” and that Bridleuptothebar “was ready the last month of the [2022 Emerald] season, but unfortunately couldn’t get a race to fill.”

Now a 4-year-old, Bridleuptothebar is 4 for 5 when sprinting on dirt, with his only loss, a fourth-place finish on Jan. 28, having come in tough company. In that race, Tiger Dad, the runner-up, came back to run second in the $100,000 Phoenix Gold Cup next out, while the third-place finisher Ramblin’ Man was 2 for 2 in Arizona-bred stakes company to finish off the Turf Paradise season.

Also in Sunday’s field is 2022 Emerald Downs stakes winner Executive Chef, who took the Auburn Stakes last June. Executive Chef has been facing solid company down at Golden Gate Fields and he has a right to be better now as a 4-year-old than he was when at 3.

Returning to Emerald Downs is Cobra Jet, a dual juvenile stakes winner in 2021, who campaigned in California and Arizona over the final five months of last year. Cobra Jet seemed something special winning the King County Express Stakes by 13 lengths in his second career start at odds of 1-10.

The streaking Polacco, trained by Jill Soranno, will begin from the rail and bring a four-race win streak to Sunday’s contest. The son of Bluegrass Cat is stepping up ambitiously after leading all the way and just lasting by a nose in 1:14.69 over 6 1/2 furlongs in a $10,000 starter allowance on opening day three weeks ago. He should appreciate the distance reduction back to 5 1/2 furlongs.

The local weather forecast is for cloudy skies with high temperatures in the 60s and first post time is 2:00 p.m. Pacific.