Bowen has choice to make with Dedicated to You in Mt. Rainier

Leading jockey Rocco Bowen holds the key to how the $50,000 Mt. Rainier will unfold at Emerald Downs on Sunday. The Mt. Rainier headlines four stakes featured on Mile Preview Day and kicks off an all-stakes pick four that includes the Angie C. for 2-year-old fillies, the King County Express for 2-year-old colts and geldings, and the Boeing for fillies and mares.

If Bowen doesn’t send Dedicated to You after Riser early in the Mt. Rainier, the result of the 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds and up likely will be decided before they hit the first turn.

The Mt. Rainier is the final prep for the Grade 3, $200,000 Longacres Miles on Aug. 12, and Riser could be gone in the Mt. Rainier if Bowen elects to ride Dedicated to You the way he did in the $50,000 Budweiser, where he eased the speedy 6-year-old off the pace. It turned out to be a brilliant move. Dedicated to You didn’t beat Riser but rallied to finish second in the 6 1/2-furlong sprint and was awarded the win when Riser was disqualified for interfering with Barkley while leaving the starting gate.

Dedicated to You, trained by David Martinez, set the pace when he finished third in last year’s Longacres Mile and has enough speed to pressure Riser if he breaks alertly from the inside post. Bowen’s remarks following the Budweiser suggest that he won’t change tactics.

“They thought I was crazy to try and rate him,” he said. “But I didn’t want to knock him out in a duel with Riser, and it worked out pretty well.”

Riser, trained by Blaine Wright, has crossed the finish line first in five of his six starts at Emerald, and the only time he has been behind a horse at the Auburn, Wash., oval is when he finished second by a head to his stablemate Aqua Frio in the $50,000 Seattle Slew Stakes as a 3-year-old last year.

Riser easily won the $50,000 Governor’s in his first start at Emerald this year and was never really threatened in the Budweiser. He will break from the outside post in the five-horse field, with Juan Hernandez riding.

Mach One Rules, trained by Frank Lucarelli, romped in the Mt. Rainer last year and went on to finish second in the Longacres Mile.

“He’s doing well, but I like his chances a lot better in the Mile than in the Rainier,” said Lucarelli. “There should be horses with speed coming from California for the Mile.”

Mach One Rules, third in the Budweiser, could improve with Isaias Enriquez riding. Enriquez was his regular rider in 2017 and will be aboard for the first time this year.

Wright has three in Boeing

With three of the eight horses entered in the Boeing, Wright has an excellent chance of winning the 1 1/16-mile race. A win by Top Quality, Reginella, or Sheeza Sassy Girl would give Wright a sweep of the first three stakes for fillies and mares at the meet.

Top Quality returns to Emerald after winning the $50,000 Strawberry Morn at Hastings on June 16. In three starts at Emerald last year, she won the Irish Day, finished third in the $65,000 Emerald Distaff Handicap, and was fifth in the Washington Oaks.

Sheeza Sassy Girl is coming off a sharp win going 1 1/16 miles on turf in a first-level allowance race at Golden Gate Fields on June 3.

Reginella, third in the Oaks last year and second to Sheeza Sassy Girl on June 3, is coming off a third-place finish in a first-level allowance race at Pleasanton on July 1. She could be the one they have to run down if she breaks alertly from post 2 under Hernandez.

No Talking Back and Jerre to Carrie look like the main threats to the Wright trio.