Barkley on track to defend Longacres Mile crown

The manner in which Barkley won his first start of the year left little doubt that he is up to defending his title in the Grade 3, $200,000 Longacres Mile on Aug. 11 at Emerald Downs.

Trained by Howard Belvoir, Barkley was making his first start since he won the Mile last Aug. 12.

With his usual rider Javier Matias aboard, he broke in the air and trailed the field early Sunday. Despite the slow beginning, he rallied to win the 5 1/2-furlong allowance race with a $50,000 claiming option by 2 1/4 lengths over last year’s local 3-year-old champ Sippin Fire.

Barkley is a fun horse to watch. When he smells the finish line, he looks like a running back with his head down shooting through a hole in the offensive line.

“When Javier asks him, he puts his whole body down and runs hard,” Belvoir said. “He’s just a real nice horse that always gives his best.”

The classy 6-year-old has a 10-4-1 record from 18 starts. The three times he finished worse than third he had troubled trips.

“He just wants to win,” Belvoir said. “He came out of the race in great shape. He was so wild the next day we had a hard time walking him.”

Belvoir said Barkley is being pointed to the $50,000 Governor’s Stakes on June 2.

Equally impressive Sunday was Mucho Amor, who won the $50,000 Seattle Stakes for 3-year-old fillies. Despite going four wide on the turn, she won the six-furlong dash by six lengths.

The Blaine Wright-trained daughter of Mucho Macho Man was making her first start at Emerald following a romp on Tapeta at Golden Gate in a first-level allowance race with a $40,000 claiming option April 14. She was ridden by Juan Gutierrez in both races.

Wright said Mucho Amor could be taking her show on the road.

“We’re just going to let her come out of the race before we decide what we want to do with her,” he said. “There is a lot of money to be made running at Emerald and Hastings, but we don’t know what we want to tackle with her.”

Wright, who is at Pimlico with Anothertwistafate entered in the Preakness, said when he returns to Emerald he would confer with owner David Mowat.

“He traveled well and so far everything is going fine,” Wright said of Anothertwistafate.

◗ Ride Hard Kowboy is among the contenders in a $10,000 waiver-claiming race that will serve as the Friday’s feature.

He is coming off a win on turf in a $10,000 claiming race April 6 at Turf Paradise and will make his first start for trainer Joe Toye, who the past five years has a 20 percent strike rate with claimed horses running back the first time.

The one-mile race drew eight horses and goes as race 6 on a seven-race card that begins at 6:30 p.m. Pacific.