AUBURN, Wash. – Koala Beach, a stakes winner less than 10 weeks ago, is scheduled to start in a $15,000 claiming race Friday as Emerald Downs heads into the final four weeks of its 90-day meeting.
Koala Beach would seem to be a bargain for $15,000 – he has earned an average of $12,169 per start during his fledgling career for owner Jeff Harwood. But the 3-year-old gelding finished a distant last in the Emerald Derby in his most recent outing Aug. 15, his second consecutive subpar performance following a victory in the $50,000 Pepsi Cola Handicap in late June.