Emerald meet closes with solid card, topped by the Gottstein Futurity

Emerald Downs is going out with a bang Sunday. The final day of the meet is one of the best of the year, with 98 horses entered in the 11 races. The featured $100,000 Gottstein Futurity is a wide-open event with all 12 2-year-olds trying a middle distance for the first time in the 1 1/16-mile race.

The Futurity is supported by the $25,000 Pete Pedersen overnight stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs, and Hit the Beach, trained by nonagenarian Hilbern Mullins, will try to win it for the second year in a row. Hit the Beach will have to beat a tough field that includes Mike Man’s Gold, who is the all-time leader in races won at Emerald.

The $25,000 Horsemen Appreciation overnight stakes drew a solid field of 10 fillies and mares. Paddy’s Secret looks like the one to beat in the one-mile race. She is trained Frank Lucarelli, who dominated the trainers’ standings at the meet.

The festivities begin at 2 p.m. Pacific, with the Gottstein scheduled for 6:09 p.m.

Trainer Howard Belvoir likes the way Muncey is coming into the Futurity. The Kentucky-bred son of Munnings is coming off a win in the $45,000 WTBOA Stakes on Aug. 18. He was sent off as the favorite in the six-furlong race despite having finished fourth in his only other start, a maiden special weight race on July 28. He was ridden by Javier Matias in both of his races.

“He’s a nice colt,” said Belvoir. “Not many 2-year-olds can pass horses, and he did it in both of his races. He’s training well, but like Barkley he doesn’t put a lot into it. He’s been off for five weeks and hopefully I have him fit enough. “

Among Barkley’s 10 wins for Belvoir was the Grade 3 Longacres Mile last year. He was also ridden by Matias in all of his races.

Muncey will break from post 11.

Unmachable made his debut in the $50,000 Washington Cup Juvenile Colts and Geldings. Despite getting off to a slow start, he won the 6 1/2-furlong dash by 1 1/2 lengths.

A Jack McCartney-trained son of Macho Uno, Unmachable should move forward with the experience behind him and his pedigree suggests he should be fine going a middle distance.

He will break from post 3 with Alex Anaya retaining the mount.

Fillies have had success in the Gottstein, including last year when Northwest Factor came from a stalking position to edge Time ’n Time Again.

Windy Point, a daughter of Coast Guard, will have more than one option when she breaks from the outside post with Juan Gutierrez aboard.

Trained by Jose Navarro, Windy Point took them all the way in the $50,000 Washington Cup Juvenile Fillies on Sept. 9. She came from a stalking position in her runner-up finishes in the $54,000 Angie C on July 21 and the $58,500 Barbara Shinpoch on Aug. 18.

◗ Many trainers at Emerald are feeling a bit displaced with Portland Meadows closed for good. The Portland, Ore., track was used to help fill the gap between Emerald meets.

Nobody will miss it more than Rigoberto Velasquez. He was the leading trainer last year and since 2012 has the most wins of any trainer there.

To help fill the void, Velasquez, who lives in the Seattle area, is taking a string of horses to Grants Pass. The 14-day meet begins Sunday.

“It’s a real shame,” said Velasquez. “They treated us right there. When we found out it was closing, we got rid of a lot of horses. It was also a two and one-half hour drive from home.”

Grants Pass is roughly a seven-hour drive from Emerald.