$50,000 Mt. Rainier Stakes-Press Kit

_I6G9320

$50,000 MT. RAINIER STAKES

SUNDAY, JULY 17, 2016

21st RUNNING, 3-YEAR-OLDS & UP, 1 1/16 MILE

Track Record: 1:39 3/5, Kid Katabatic (5) 123 lbs, July 26, 1998

Stakes Record: 1:40.20, Stryker Phd (5) 121, July 20, 2014

Distance: 1 1/16 mile: 2000, 2001, 2011-2014, 1 Mile: 1996-1999, 1 1/8 mile: 2002-2010

Most Wins

Horse: 2-tie Poker Brad 2003-04; Flamethrowintexan 2005-06; Noosa Beach 2010-11; Stryker Phd 2014-15

Owner: 2-tie Quadrun Farms (Poker Brad, 2003-04), Grasshopper Stable (Flamethrowintexan, 2005-06), Jeff Harwood (Noosa Beach, 2010-11), Jim & Mona Hour (Stryker Phd, 2014-15)

Trainer: 3, Larry Ross (Ever Lasting, 1996; Stryker Phd, 2014-15)

Jockey: 4, Ricky Frazier (Moonlight Meeting, 2002; Poker Brad, 2004; Flamethrowintexan, 2006; Noosa Beach, 2010)

Favorites: 13-for-20 Odds-on: 5-for-6

Track: Fast all 20 runnings

Largest $2 Win: $75, Timely Stitch, June 15, 1997

Smallest $2 Win: $2.60, Noosa Beach, July 24, 2011

Gate-to-wire: Kid Katabatic, 1999; Flamethrowintexan, 2005-06; The Great Face, 2007; Herbie D, 2013

Largest Win Margin: 6 lengths, Stryker Phd, 2015

Smallest Win Margin: Head-tie (Timely Stitch, 1997; Bold Words, 2000; Chhaya Dance, 2008, Hudson Landing, 2012)

Winner Bred: Kentucky 8, Washington 6, British Columbia 3, Florida 2, Ontario 1

 OWNERS HOMETOWNS

1: O B Harbor (8-5) One Horse Will Do Corp. (Jody Peetz, Issaquah, WA)

2: Stryker Phd (EVEN) Jim & Mona Hour, Bellevue, WA

3: Betrbegone (5) H.E. “Jerry” Maggard, Yakima, WA

4: Its Allabout Jerry (20) Rancho Viejo (Rigoberto Velasquez, Auburn, WA);  Lisa Baze, Auburn, WA

5: Dedicated to You (15) Coal Creek Farm (Barbara Ratcliff, Bellevue, WA)

6: The Sandman (15) Jacob Pollowitz, Shoreline, WA; Michael Pollowitz, Shoreline, WA; Jeff Wilson, Seattle, WA

7: Coach Royal (15) Star Harbor Stables (Tom Ruttinger, Kent, WA); Howie Gibson (Enumclaw, WA)

LONGACRES MILE SERIES

May 22: $50,000 Governor’s Stakes, 6 ½ Furlongs—O B Harbor ($8.40) 1:13.59

June 19: $50,000 Budweiser Stakes, 1 Mile—O B Harbor ($6.20) 1:34.73

July 17: $50,000 Mt. Rainier Stakes, 1-1/16 Mile

Aug. 14: $200,000 Longacres Mile (G3), 1 Mile

FAB 5 HANDICAPPERS

Joe Withee (EmD1): Stryker Phd, O B Harbor, The Sandman (3-10, $91.90)

Matt Dinerman (EmD2): Stryker Phd, Betrbegone, O B Harbor (3-10, $112.90)

Professor Pollowitz (EmD3): Stryker Phd, Betrbegone, O B Harbor (2-10, $101.10)

Vic Cozzetti   (Predictorsays.com): Stryker Phd, O B Harbor, Betrbegone (3-10, $112.50)

Nick Rousso (Daily Racing Form): Stryker Phd, Betrbegone, O B Harbor (3-10, $124.50)

Consensus: Stryker Phd (25), Betrbegone (7) & O B Harbor (7) (3-10, $102.70)

NOTES: Eight of the last 10 Longacres Mile winners had their final tune-up in the Mt. Rainier Handicap: Stryker Phd (2014 & 2015), Herbie D (2013), Noosa Beach (2010), Assessment (2009), The Great Face (2007) and Flamethowintexan (2006) all swept the Mt. Rainier and the Longacres Mile; In 2008, Wasserman finished second in the Mt. Rainier and first in The Mile. . .Favorites have won 10 of the last 11 Mt. Rainier’s—Noosa Beach at 8-to-5 in 2010 was the only non-favorite to win during the streak, with Assessment finishing sixth at even money. . .Favorites have won this race five straight years and 10 of the last 11. . .With a victory, 7-year-old Stryker Phd would become the first horse to win the Mt. Rainer three times and also tie Moonlight Meeting (2002) for oldest winner of the race. With $476,976 in track earnings, Stryker Phd ranks No. 2 behind Wasserman ($575,024) on the all-time EmD list. Stryker also ranks No. 7 in all-time WA-Bred earnings with $525,581. With a victory, Stryker would tie Ropersandwrangelers and Fleet Pacific for No. 3 in all-time EmD stakes wins with nine. Noosa Beach with 11 and Handy N Bold with 10 ranks No. 1 and 2. . .O B Harbor (pictured) bids to become the first Oregon-bred to win the Mt. Rainier. The 4-year-old Harbor the Gold gelding ended Stryker Phd’s eight-race EmD winning streak with a half-length victory over Betrbegone in the Budweiser Stakes last month. In all three starts at the meet O B Harbor has turned in a meet-fastest time: winning a 5 ½ furlong allowance race in 1:00.97, the 6 ½ furlong Governor’s in a stakes record 1:13.59 and the one-mile Budweiser in 1:34.73.

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