Hit a Star too sharp to ignore

AUBURN, Wash. - Hit a Star seems a snug fit in Friday's Emerald Downs feature, a 6 1/2-furlong starter allowance for fillies and mares.

In addition to horses who have raced for a claiming price of $10,000 or less the past two years, the race is also open to second-level allowance runners.

The unusual conditions of the feature have brought together a diverse group of 10.

The 5-year-old Hit a Star, trained by Doris Harwood, is one of two six-time winners in the field. Hit a Star won three races here last season, including a victory in a starter handicap at 6 1/2 furlongs on the final day of the meeting. She began her current campaign with a sharp second in a $25,000 optional claiming race at 5 1/2 furlongs in which she was beaten just a neck by Golden Pine. Golden Pine returned to run third in the six-furlong Hastings Park Handicap on May 20.

Hit a Star might get her sternest opposition from Parioli's Legacy, who will be returning to Emerald after a successful campaign at Turf Paradise. Parioli's Legacy, a 6-year-old trained by Joe Toye, defeated $30,000 optional claimers at a mile in January and ran second in a 7 1/2-furlong stakes on turf in April. She is coming off a creditable fourth in the $45,000 Desert Sky Handicap at a mile on turf on May 5.

Adding spice to the feature are Barbs Last and Nancy Perkins, both of whom are coming off runaway maiden wins.