Emerald Downs: Lucarelli sends out two in Express

AUBURN, Wash. – Frank Lucarelli began the week with his customary lead in the Emerald Downs trainer standings, but the veteran conditioner has yet to win a stakes race at the meeting. He’ll have two chances Sunday when he sends out Mebossman and Mizzo’s Gold in the season’s first stakes race for 2-year-olds, the $50,000 Emerald Express at six furlongs. First post for the 10-race card is 2 p.m. Pacific.

Mebossman ran a big race in his debut, finishing a close fourth in a 4 1/2-furlong dash won by Kenai King. While Kenai King is likely to be the favorite in a field of 11 on Sunday, Mebossman should attract considerable interest in the wagering. By the Seeking the Gold stallion Petionville, he’s a half-brother to a handful of stakes-class runners, including Jade Green, Peaceful Reign, and Jebrica.

After jumping to the early lead in his debut, Mebossman settled in behind front-runner Italian Warrior, came three wide into the stretch, and then ducked in sharply past the furlong marker under David Lopez.

“The horse was kind of figuring things out,” Lucarelli said. Lopez “was trying to get him off the outside hip of the leader, but then he ducked in, and when he did get down to the rail, he picked it up again near the wire. I think that experience will help him a bunch; the horse will learn a lot from that. He’s real rateable, and with all those young horse having a lot of speed, that might be a good angle for him.”

Lucarelli’s other entrant, Mizzo’s Gold, was a laughing winner in his debut, overpowering $12,500 maiden claimers while under an easy hand ride from jockey Isaias Enriquez. While Enriquez jumps off to ride Kenai King in the Emerald Express, Mizzo’s Gold is a candidate to spring an upset with new rider Ronald Richard.

“He could have won that by double what he won by,” Lucarelli said of Mizzo’s Gold’s six-length triumph July 7. “He was wrapped up the entire stretch. He’s a nice little horse. He’s real fast, and I think he can rate a bit, too. In the morning, I’ve put him behind horses and he’s done well. But these babies, they’ll be gunning. It gets interesting the second time out. Some move way up, and some go the other way. Some never run as good as they did the first time. You never know.

“I think Kenai King is the one to beat. He closed so well and he’s already run a very decent time and closed ground. If I had to pick the race, I’d pick a horse like him.”