Barkley, Prime Engine face off again in Budweiser

Barkley likely will be favored in the $50,000 Budweiser at Emerald Downs on Sunday. After all, he has won seven of his nine starts and is coming off another narrow victory over Mach One Rules in the $50,000 Governor’s on May 22.

However, there are arrows pointing toward Prime Engine as the one to beat in the 6 1/2-furlong sprint that drew eight horses.

Trained by Mike Puhich, Prime Engine ran away and hid from Barkley in a $50,000 optional-claiming race April 22. Breaking alertly with Eswan Flores aboard, Prime Engine set wicked fractions and kept rolling in the 5 1/2-furlong dash.

It was a different story in the Governor’s though. Prime Engine broke on top again but was soon under pressure from Grade 3 winner Distinctiv Passion, who was favored in the six-furlong race. The early pressure took a toll, and Prime Engine, who held a clear lead at the eighth pole, wilted late to finish fourth.

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It is possible that he also bounced after earning a career-best 95 Beyer Speed Figure while coming off a lengthy layoff. Prime Engine could be gone if he breaks alertly from his inside post with Scott Stevens riding.

Stryker Phd returns to Emerald, where he won the Longacres Mile in 2014-15. He also won the Budweiser in those same years when it was a one-mile race.

Trained by Larry Ross, Stryker Phd is coming off a fifth-place finish in the Grade 3 San Francisco Mile on turf at Golden Gate Fields on April 28. The last time Stryker Phd ran in a sprint was in 2013, when he was the runner-up in the Governor’s.

“He’s training well, and there’s nothing else to run him in, so we’ll give him a try,” said Ross’s wife and assistant trainer, Sharon Ross.

KEY CONTENDERS

Barkley, by Munnings
Last 3 Beyers: 92-85-86

◗ It is impossible not to like the Howard Belvoir-trained 4-year-old, who runs his guts out every time and knows where the wire is.

◗ He is picking up five pounds off his win in the Governor’s, but he carried 124 pounds successfully going 1 1/16 miles in the Seattle Slew Stakes last year.

Prime Engine, by Northern Afleet
Last 3 Beyers: 83-95-49

◗ He isn’t the most consistent horse around, but when he’s on top of his game, he can dominate his opponents, like he did in the 2015 Emerald Downs Derby and in his first start this year.

Mach One Rules, by Harbor the Gold
Last 3 Beyers: 91-85-87

◗ Another one who tries every time; the total margin of his four losses to Barkley is three-quarters of a length.

◗ After getting caught at the wire again by Barkley in the Governor’s, trainer Frank Lucarelli said that the next time they meet, he might let Mach One Rules track Barkley instead of the other way around.