Cooper has good shot to keep rolling in allowance
Trainer Kay Cooper should be feeling good about herself after winning both stakes races for 2-year-olds at Emerald Downs last Sunday.
Koron romped by 5 1/2 lengths in the $49,500 Barbara Shinpoch for fillies. A View From Above had to work a little harder for his 1 1/2-length victory over Cobra Jet in the $49,500 WTBOA Lads. Both races were contested at 6 1/2 furlongs.
Cooper said the two undefeated horses will be pointed to their respective races on Washington Cup Day, Sept. 12.
“Everything fell in place for them and we got lucky,” said Cooper. “Both ran hard and they were a bit knocked out when they came back. I am going to give them a few more days off and then start getting them ready for the Washington Cup.”
Cooper is hoping for more success on Saturday when she runs Forty Smooches and Time ’n Time Again in an allowance race for nonwinners-of-two or nonwinners-of-three Washington-breds. The six-furlong dash for 3-year-olds and up drew seven horses and goes as race 6 on a seven-race card that begins at 6:30 p.m. Pacific.
Forty Smooches will be making his first start since he finished 10th in the $75,000 Ascot Graduation at Hastings as a 2-year-old on Oct. 14, 2019. The Washington-bred son of Munnings went into the Ascot off a win in a second-level allowance race with a $40,000 claiming option at Emerald.
He has a strong set of works leading up to his return, highlighted by a bullet five-furlong move in 58.80 seconds on Aug. 22.
“He’s doing great and he really has filled out as an older horse,” said Cooper. “It’s been a long time, but I think he’ll run a good race.”
Forty Smooches will break from the rail with Leslie Mawing riding.
Time ’n Time Again seems a bit win shy, with just a single victory from 24 starts. The 5-year-old son of Nationhood is coming off a third-place finish going a mile at the same level Aug. 12.
“He wants to win, but he just keeps running into better horses,” said Cooper.
With six top-three finishes from seven starts going six furlongs, Time ’n Time Again should at the least be part of any exotics tickets.
The Tom Wenzel-trained American Buddha figures to be involved early, and he could be tough to reel in after forcing a rapid pace before settling for second going a mile in a first-level allowance race with a $30,000 claiming option Aug. 8.
The 3-year-old son of Shanghai Bobby went into the race off an easy 6 3/4-length romp gong six furlongs in a $25,000 maiden claimer July 22.