Flying Emperor will leave gate running in Barker

Flying Emperor was second by a neck in last year’s $50,000 George W. Barker Stakes for New York-bred sprinters at Finger Lakes. The gelding takes another shot at the prize in Monday’s edition of the race.

The Barker is the first stakes race of the season at Finger Lakes, and anchors a nine-race Memorial Day card at the Farmington, N.Y., track. First post is 1:10 p.m.

The consistent Flying Emperor, who is trained by James Wright for owner John Hayek, has five wins and seven runner-up efforts in 12 career starts, all at Finger Lakes. The front-running gelding was caught by favored Jemography to finish second by a neck in last year’s Barker, with the pair 7 1/4 lengths clear of the rest of the field.

That was one of three runner-up efforts in as many tries for Flying Emperor at this six-furlong distance. His five wins have come at distances ranging from 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 furlongs.

The most recent of those victories came in the gelding’s season debut on May 10 when he won a five-furlong allowance. He showed a bit of a new dimension in that effort, racing kindly in hand, sitting a close third at the quarter pole, and then kicking clear to win by 1 3/4 lengths.

Flying Emperor drew post 2 in the field of seven under Emanuel De Diego, who has been aboard for all of his starts. Flying Emperor is almost certain to show the way and is almost certain to have company on the front end from Lady’s Golden Guy, drawn in post 6 with Nazario Alvarado in the irons.

Lady’s Golden Guy is one of two stakes-performing local runners in this field for trainer Debra Breed, along with Winston’s Chance. Lady’s Golden Guy is coming off a front-running, 1 3/4-length score in a May 2 allowance/optional event at Finger Lakes, with another Barker entrant, Writer’s Regret, in second and stablemate Winston’s Chance in third. Lady’s Golden Guy earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 85, the top last-out number in this field.

Some pace up front would suit morning-line favorite Scocciatore, with Andrew Worrie named to ride. He is coming in from the New York Racing Association circuit, where his best efforts have come by stalking or running from off the pace. The gelding, who has not been worse than second in four outings this year, rallied to a win in an Aqueduct allowance on April 7, his first start since being claimed by Jeff Englehart.

Last year, Scocciatore earned a Beyer of 99 by winning an off-the-turf allowance/optional-claiming race at Saratoga. That is far and away the top number appearing on the past performance pages for the Barker.

Two other members of this field broke the 90 threshold in 2021 – Lady’s Golden Guy earned a 90 in an allowance/optional win at Finger Lakes in November and Winston’s Chance posted a 91 while finishing second in a one-turn, 1 1/16-mile allowance/optional race last June at Belmont Park.