Dirt Road Red on a tear coming into allowance

Dirt Road Red will attempt to win for the sixth time in a row in Sunday’s allowance feature over six furlongs at Emerald Downs.

The resurgent gelding was claimed for $25,000 from his last race on July 28 and will make his first start for trainer Candice Cryderman on Sunday.

“He settled into our barn very nicely,” Cryderman said. “He’s a good feeling horse and very sharp”.

The 6-year-old now has a record of 11 wins, 14 seconds, and 8 thirds from 44 career starts with a bankroll of $203,698. He also boasts the most wins of any horse this season at Emerald Downs.

Heading the opposition is Tax Code, a lightly raced 4-year-old son of Speightstown from the barn of Shelly Crowe. The Godolphin-bred gelding has won two of his last three and missed by just a neck on Aug. 6 after having been away from the races for seven weeks. With the more recent start under foot, Tax Code figures to give Dirt Road Red all he can handle Sunday.

The early pace is expected to come from Prayer of Jabez, a 4-year-old gelding who can be effective whether setting or stalking the early tempo. The Edward Kereluk trainee has shaded 44 seconds for an opening half-mile on a couple of occasions this year, although just one of his four career wins were on the lead.

Additional speed arrives in the form of veteran El Alto Hombre, who has given good account of himself locally since arriving from Oregon for the 2022 Emerald Downs season. The 8-year-old is a 17-time winner, although he is just 1 for 10 at Emerald Downs.

Another in the field is the sophomore Jin Tong, who ducked out at the start and lost the rider in the Muckleshoot Derby one week ago. Jin Tong has beaten older horses before as he won an allowance race on July 2 at Emerald when meeting his elders.

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Five-year-old Coastal Kid drew the rail and will be making his first start since being moved to the barn of Tom Wenzel. Although he has started at Emerald Downs just seven times, Coastal Kid has made them memorable. He suddenly veered out sharply in midstretch when seemingly on his way to victory in the Gottstein Futurity of 2020. The son of Coast Guard later lost by just a head in the 2021 Muckleshoot Derby before winning the Muckleshoot Tribal Classic four weeks later.

Coastal Kid has at times been effective both setting or stalking the early pace and will get some class relief on Sunday after trying stakes company in his last two starts. Most recently, Coastal Kid finished fifth, beaten 6 1/2 lengths after veering in at the start and then racing a bit wide in the Governor’s Stakes on July 23.

Sunday’s first race goes at 2 p.m. Pacific.

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