Run Snappy heads a division of the unique Hollywood Harbor Sprint Series, which will commence with two divisions over 5 1/2 furlongs on Saturday at Emerald Downs. Named after the North American record holder at Saturday’s distance, the Hollywood Harbor Sprint Series begins with a pair of $8,000 claiming events. On Aug. 3, a $10,000 claiming event will be held for those who started in one of Saturday’s divisions. The final is Aug. 24. The sprint series races are the sixth and seventh on Saturday’s eight-race card with Run Snappy the clear choice in the first division. The quick son of Runhappy had no chance in his last start June 23, when he started from the rail and then was drawn into a pace battle. He went eye to eye with Code Charlie through early splits of 20.95 and 43.58 before the pair tired to be the final two finishers in the 5 1/2-furlong dash. Run Snappy will drop from $25,000 claiming to $8,000 claiming in the sprint series. A $6,250 claim at Turf Paradise on April 29, Run Snappy paid quick dividends, winning $10,545 in his first Emerald Downs appearance. :: Subscribe to the DRF Post Time Email Newsletter: Get the news you need to play today's races!  The lure of Saturday’s $22,000 purse makes the sprint series worth the risk for trainer Justin Evans. “With the purse being so big on this, a claim and hopefully a win is great business,” he said. Of the sprint series as a whole, Evans said, “It comes down to luck of the claiming draw on the first two legs [to determine] who gets to reap the benefits of having a horse in the final.” After shopping around for other spots for Run Snappy that didn’t fill, he said, “This looked like the most logical spot.” Both divisions of the series drew eight-horse fields. Among the biggest threats to Run Snappy in the first division are Torpedo Away, Mirror Image, and Midnight Fury. Torpedo Away is a Tim McCanna trainee who won for an $8,000 claiming tag on June 15 before finishing third for a $12,500 price on July 6. Mirror Image has raced only twice in 2024. The 10-year-old was most recently a solid runner-up on June 21. Midnight Fury made his Emerald debut in a very unusual two-turn race where the half-mile split was 44.35. The Frank Lucarelli is dropping way down in class to try the sprint series and deserves a close look. The second division of the sprint series is a more wide-open affair with Taino House, who just won a $3,500 starter allowance by four lengths in his first start following a claim, seeming the most interesting. The Miguel Hernandez trainee is 3 for 6 at Emerald. Another prospect in the second division is Mr. Fireball, who is under the care of Rosie Simkins. The son of Peppered Cat has given strong accounts of himself in a pair of $8,000 claiming events at the current stand. He drew toward the outside and brings good speed to the table. Warm and sunny weather is expected for an afternoon card that begins at 1:30 p.m. Pacific. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.