AUBURN, Wash. – Snake Attack, Highdleburg, and A K Racer, who finished within a half-length of each other when they last met, will knock heads again Thursday in the feature race at Emerald Downs. The eight-race card begins at 6:15 p.m. Pacific, and the feature, a $7,500 claimer for older horses at six furlongs, is the seventh race.Snake Attack prevailed narrowly on July 21 under similar conditions, inching away from Highdleburg in the final yards after a spirited speed duel that began shortly after the start. A K Racer, rank and hard to handle in the early stages, rallied to reach contention and finished on near-even terms with Highdleburg, a half-length behind the winner. Handicappers will be hard-pressed to separate these three on Thursday, and any of the three could start as the betting favorite in an eight-horse field. Trained by Larry Wolf, Highdleburg won three times at Emerald Downs in 2010 but has been unlucky at the current meeting, finishing a close second in three consecutive starts after setting or pressing a fast pace each time. Regular rider Gallyn Mitchell is back aboard, and Highdleburg drew the outside post position, a potential asset in a field with several like-minded speed horses. After getting trapped inside horses in his past two starts, Highdleburg could get a more relaxed trip from the outside on Thursday. Snake Attack has seven victories and is 6 for 11 at Thursday’s distance. He’s never won back-to-back starts during his 26-race career, but with the sizzling Juan Gutierrez in the saddle for trainer Jim Penney, he figures to be prominent throughout. It’s the same story for A K Racer, a speedy Florida-bred who has two wins, a second, and a third in five starts at the meeting, all for trainer Tim McCanna. He’ll be ridden by Joe Crispin. Others in the field include Destinys Roar, who finished a fast-closing third in a mixed Quarter Horse-Thoroughbred dash over 870 yards in his last start; Passion Lives Here and Chaching Pete, both triumphant against $7,500 nonwinners of three in their most recent outing; Vaderator, who picks up leading rider Leslie Mawing after finishing a close second for $5,000 in his last start; and Siberian Cocktail, who ran six furlongs in 1:08.80 at Emerald Downs last August. Highdleburg, Vaderator, and Siberian Cocktail are most likely to vie for the early lead, with Snake Attack and A K Racer tucked in close behind. If the pace is hot, late-runners Chaching Pete and Passion Lives Here could make their presence felt in the final furlong.