Buckley Bay might be long gone in sprint
Buckley Bay looks like the one to catch and beat when he returns to sprinting in the feature race at Emerald Downs on Thursday. The $3,500 starter race with a $7,500 claiming option drew seven 3-year-olds and up going 6 1/2 furlongs. The feature goes as the sixth race, with post time for the first of seven races at 6 p.m. Pacific.
Trained by Joe Toye, Buckley Bay is coming off a disappointing effort at the same level on July 17. Sent off at 30 cents to the dollar in the one-mile race, Buckley Bay bobbled at the start, but recovered quickly and set an honest pace. He was under pressure the whole way and had nothing left when Remembertobreathe rallied from along to rail to win. Buckley Bay tired noticeably while finishing fifth.
A 7-year-old Washington-bred son of Harbor the Gold, Buckley Bay went into the race off back-to-back wins sprinting, with his latest victory coming on June 23 at the same level and distance as Thursday’s race.
In both races, he set quick fractions before drawing away to win by many. The margin of victory was 9 1/2 lengths on June 10 and six lengths 13 days later.
Buckley Bay is a 10-time winner from 22 starts at Emerald. He breaks from post 3 with leading rider Alex Cruz retaining the mount.
Buckley Bay is a possible single in the pick six, which has a $16,766 carryover. A jackpot wager, the pick six begins on the second race.
Diction could be dangerous making his second start for trainer Candy Cryderman on Thursday. Cryderman was acting on behalf of John Parker when she claimed Diction for $6,250 at Golden Gate Fields on May 28. A 5-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Goldencents, Diction finished second in the one-mile race on turf. In his first start for his new connections, he was the runner-up behind the Parker-owned and Cryderman-trained Float On in a $10,000 starter race with a $15,000 claiming option at Emerald on July 24.
Diction chased his stablemate the whole way in the six-furlong dash. Unless other speed show up to put pressure on Buckley Bay, he could get the same kind of trip.
Diction will break from post 4 with Juan Gutierrez riding.
Crack a Cold One, trained by Frank Lucarelli, rallied to finish third, a neck behind runner-up Baltimore Beecho going six furlongs in a race at this level on July 17.
Both are entered on Thursday, and Crack a Cold One could have the edge this time as he was making his first start on dirt July 17 after being claimed by Lucarelli for $8,000 at Golden Gate on May 9. A California-bred 4-year-old by Ministers Wild Cat, Crack a Cold One could move forward while making his second start following a layoff. He will also be more familiar with the local surface.