Book Smart must avoid speed duel in sprint

With just three starts, Book Smart should have some upside and could be sitting on a big effort in a $25,000 claimer for non-winners of two that is featured Sunday at Emerald Downs.

The six-furlong dash for 3-year-olds and up drew seven horses and goes as race 9 on a 10-race card that begins at 2:15 p.m. Pacific. The meet is winding down, with just two racing days left – next Saturday and Sunday.

Book Smart has been right there in all three of his races for trainer Kay Cooper and is coming off a runner-up finish in an allowance race for non-winners of two or non-winners of three Washington-breds on Aug. 19. With Leslie Mawing aboard, he broke sharply and was soon in the middle of a three-horse duel in the 6 1/2-furlong sprint. He won the battle with March On Linch and Tig, but was passed in the stretch by Firewalker who was last early and rallied late along the rail to win going away.

A 3-year-old gelding by Stanford, Book Smart finished a close fourth when he debuted in a $25,000 maiden claimer June 25 and came back in a key race at the same level July 17, forcing the pace before winning the six-furlong dash by a length over Poverty Bay.

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With other speed in the field, it might be a good time to see if Book Smart can stalk. He will break from post 3 with Mawing up.

Crystal Bandit will appreciate the class relief after finishing seventh in the $50,000 Irish Day in his second start at the meet for trainer Shannon Simpson on July 17.

The 3-year-old California-bred colt by Curlin to Mischief is now owned and trained by Joe Ortega, a first-year trainer with a 6-1-3 record from 21 starters. Two of Ortega’s wins came at Emerald, with the other four at the Tillamook County Fair in Oregon.

Crystal Bandit won a $30,000 optional maiden claimer at Turf Paradise prior to finishing fifth in a first-level allowance race with a $30,000 claiming option on June 12 at Emerald.

He does his best running late, so the shape of the race should work for him. Adding to Crystal Bandit’s appeal is that leading rider Alex Cruz will be aboard for the first time when he breaks from the outside post.

It will be interesting to see how Ears to Us runs with the blinkers coming off for the first time. Trained by Michael Puhich, the British Columbia-bred son of Second in Command rallied to win his debut in a $25,000 maiden claiming race June 25 and could not keep up after hopping at the start in a first-level allowance race with a $30,000 claiming option on July 24.

In his latest start, Ears to Us showed surprising speed while setting a wicked pace before settling for second in a $15,000 claimer for non-winners of two.

The Frank Lucarelli-trained Executive Action rallied to finish third at this level and distance July 23 and should have speed coming back to him. He could pick up the pieces with the right kind of trip.