Crooked Finger Ray training well for comeback race

Crooked Finger Ray will make his his first start of 2023 in Friday’s co-feature at Emerald Downs. The Tom Wenzel trainee won four of six starts during the 2022 Emerald season and will make his first start since August in an $8,000 claiming race.

Crooked Finger Ray will use a waiver claiming option and won’t race for the $8,000 claiming tag because he has not raced for 120 days and is running at the same claiming level as his last start.

Wenzel said that Crooked Finger Ray “has been just fine for me working out this year” and added that he thinks his charge “will give good account of himself in the race.”

Claims have been entered for Crooked Finger Ray in each of his last five claiming starts with the latest one having been voided. He took an immediate liking to Emerald Downs last year and is versatile enough to win from on or just behind the early pace.

Slated to face Crooked Finger Ray in the second race Friday night are a pair of runners trained by Vince Gibson. El Chavo Del Ocho won his last start on May 29 when in for a $5,000 claiming price. New Every Morning has been claimed by Gibson on four separate occasions the past two years. New Every Morning is back in his favorite shed row after having changed hands when second behind El Chavo Del Ocho on May 29.

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While most of the runners in the field tend to race on or near the lead when at their best, El Chavo Del Ocho broke poorly and then recovered nicely to post a come-from-behind victory over his stablemate last time out. The Gibson tag team is well drawn and should be prominent in the outcome Friday.

D K’s Crown beat three rivals while leading all the way in another race on May 29. D K’s Crown earned a 67 Beyer Speed Figure, the best last-out number in Friday’s field, but seemingly did so under optimum conditions and faces a greater challenge this time.

Rounding out the group of six are Mamacallmeboo, a recent claim by Justin Evans who drops in class after finishing poorly over wet ground at Emerald a week ago, and Freestone, trained by Valentin Garcia.

Freestone had one win and two seconds from six starts at Emerald Downs in 2022. In his 2023 debut, he was steadied briefly on the backstretch before racing a bit wide on the turn.

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