$50,000 EMERALD EXPRESS
2-YEAR-OLD COLTS & GELDINGS, 5 ½ FURLONGS
21st RUNNING, SUNDAY, JULY 17, 2016
Track Record: 1:00.87-Hollywood Harbor, April 22, 2012
Stakes Record: Previously run at 6 Furlongs, 1996 & 1998-2015;6 ½ Furlongs, 1997
Most Wins
Trainer: 5, Howard Belvoir (Sundance Circle, 2003; Seattles Best Joe, 2004; Tusko T, 2005; Immigration, 2006; Barkley, 2015)
Jockey: tie-2,
Javier Matias (Mike Man’s Gold, 2012; Barkley, 2015)
Ricky Frazier (Knightsbridge Road, 2002; Margo’s Gift, 2007)
Jennifer Whitaker (Sundance Circle, 2003; Immigration, 2006)
Kevin Krigger (Seattles Best Joe, 2004; Winter Warlock, 2010)
Leslie Mawing (Gallant Son,2008; Trackattacker, 2014)
Owner: 2, Howard Belvoir, Dan Corby & Harley Hoppe
(Seattles Best Joe, 2004; Immigration, 2006)
Winner Bred: Washington 16, Kentucky 4
Track: Fast all 20 years
Largest Win Margin: 11 lengths, Trackattacker, 2014
Smallest Win Margin: head, Knightsbridge Road, 2002; Gallon (DQ), 2007
Largest $2 Win: $51.60, Wa Dancer, 2000
Smallest $2 Win: $2.10, Trackattacker, 2014
Betting Favorite: 6-for-20 Odds-On: 4-for-8
Owners Hometowns
1: SUM Candy (20) SUM Racing (Brent Stapley, Beaver, UT)
2: Mitch and John E SCRATCHED
3: Mixo (8) Oak Crest Farm LLC (Jack Hodge, Enumclaw, WA)
4: So Lucky (4) Pegasus Too (Ray Loftis, Bellevue, WA), Rising Star Stable (Vicki Potter, Auburn, WA)
5: The Chilli Man (2-5) Nelson Family Racing (Heidi Nelson, Bothell, WA)
6: Don’tbeshywillie (8) Clemans View Farm (Jean Harris & Jeff Harris, Naches, WA)
EmD 2YO COLTS & GELDINGS SERIES
July 17: $50,000 Emerald Express, 5 ½ F
Aug. 7: $50,000 WTBOA Lads Stakes, 6F
Aug. 28: $50,000 Washington Cup 2YO C&G Stakes (WA-Bred), 6F
Sept. 11: $65,000 Gottstein Futurity, 1 1/16 Mile
FAB 5 HANDICAPPERS
Joe Withee (EmD1): The Chilli Man, So Lucky, Mixo (3-10, $91.90)
Matt Dinerman (EmD2): The Chilli Man, Mixo, So Lucky (3-10, $112.90)
Professor Pollowitz (EmD3): The Chilli Man, So Lucky, Mixo (2-10, $101.10)
Vic Cozzetti (Predictorsays.com): The Chilli Man, So Lucky, Mixo (3-10, $112.50)
Nick Rousso (Daily Racing Form): The Chilli Man, So Lucky, Mixo (3-10, $124.50)
Consensus: The Chilli Man (25), So Lucky (9), Mixo (6) (3-10, $102.70)
NOTES: Both the Emerald Express and Angie C Stakes have been shortened from 6 to 5 ½ furlongs in 2016. . .The Chilli Man—coming off a brilliant debut in which he ran 4 ½ furlongs in a near track record :50.22 and earned a huge 81 Beyer—is a prohibitive 2-5 morning line favorite. According to owner Heidi Nelson, representatives from an East Coast outfit are attending today’s race and a deal could be imminent but will not be official prior to the race. . .Barkley (pictured) defeated Gold Rush Dancer by a half-length in last year’s Emerald Express, running six furlongs in 1:11.04 under Javier Matias for trainer Howard Belvoir. . Both colts have gone to bigger and better things as 3-year-olds—Barkley is 6-for-6 with four stakes wins including three sensational victories over Mach One Rules at the current meet. . .Gold Rush Dancer is 4-3-2 in 11 career starts with earnings of $294,423, including recent wins on turf in the $200,000 Snow Chief at Santa Anita and $100,000 Silky Sullivan at Golden Gate. . .Mixo would become the first debut winner of the Emerald Express; Illumination Road finished 2nd in 2013 and Horatio debuted with a 3rd in the 2001 Emerald Express. . .In addition to winning the race with Barkley in 2015, Belvoir won this race four straight years from 2003-06 with Sundance Circle, Seattles Best Joe, Tusko T and Immigration. Belvoir goes for No. 6 this year with So Lucky, who debuted with a 4 ½-length win vs. straight maidens July 2. Belvoir and Matias already have teamed for three stakes wins this year with Barkley, and are 7-for-21 with a $4.78 ROI in stakes the last three years at EmD.
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