Hollywood Harbor Sprint Series at Emerald concludes

Leg 3 of the Hollywood Harbor Sprint Series finds Party Foul the horse to beat over six furlongs Saturday at Emerald Downs.

The sprint series has been presented on three different dates, with only those having participated in the most recent leg eligible to race in any subsequent leg. The series commenced with two divisions July 20 with nine of those runners moving on to leg two on Aug. 3.

Adding elements of luck and uncertainty was the fact that each of the first two legs were claiming races. The luck of the draw at the claim box would determine who landed which starter for the next leg. Saturday’s contest will not be a claiming race, and it will be run for a purse of $30,000.

Leading trainer Justin Evans managed to reach the cusp of the final leg with Leg 2 winner Party Foul, still in his barn after having claimed that one from Leg 1. The son of Acclamation drew the outside post and is once again likely to be the early speed.

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“I am very happy going into the finals to still have this horse,” Evans said. “He has come back with a very sharp work, and the outside draw is great for us.”

Main challengers to Party Foul include the 2-3-5 finishers from Leg 2 – Uncle Leon, Mirror Image, and Mr. Fireball. Uncle Leon finished just a half-length back of Party Foul in that race and was claimed by Blaine Wright. Mirror Image, third in the previous leg, is a consistent sort who was claimed from that race by Valentin Garcia. Mr. Fireball went postward at 4-5 before checking in fifth, beaten 4 1/4 lengths, when the group last met. That runner went home to the barn of Doug Carlson after having been claimed from Evans for $10,000.

Others who have run in both legs of the series include Taino House, Roll Dem Bones, Quiet Charm, and Summanus. The latter pair both finished poorly at long odds in Leg 2 of the series, and each is trained by Sergio Perez.

Taino House is a Charles Essex trainee who broke slowly and raced very wide in the Aug. 3 leg after having been favored in his prior start. A son of Freedom Child, Roll Dem Bones is a Joe Toye trainee who saved ground and went fairly evenly to finish fourth Aug. 3.

Saturday’s feature offers the rare scenario in which all of the starters in the same field faced one another just three weeks ago. Food for thought by handicappers is the notion to strongly consider the individual they backed when the group last met. Undoubtedly there were reasons why that selection was made, and many of those reasons remain relevant. The last-out result either validated those reasons immediately or they inspired greater value in the tote next time around.

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