Invested Prospect puts perfect sprint record on line

Invested Prospect will try to keep her unblemished sprint record intact when she runs in a $50,000 optional-claiming race for fillies and mares at Emerald Downs on Sunday.

The 5 1/2-furlong dash drew a strong field of seven horses, including last year’s Washington Oaks winner, Princess Kennedy. Perhaps a Pie also is entered. Perhaps a Pie upset the 2016 Emerald Distaff, which is the richest race for fillies and mares at Emerald.

Invested Prospect, trained by Blaine Wright, is clearly the one to beat, however. She has run her opponents off their feet in her six wins sprinting. Her only loss came when Wright stretched her out in the $50,000 Irish Day, where she was in front after a half-mile but faded badly to finish last in the one-mile race.

Wright said he wasn’t planning any route races for Invested Prospect this year.

“We’ll run her three times at Emerald and then look at running her on the turf at Del Mar,” he said.

If all goes well Sunday, Invested Prospect’s next two starts at Emerald will be in the $50,000 Hastings on May 20 and the $50,000 Washington State Legislators on June 17.

Wright was happy with the way the 4-year-old Washington-bred was coming up to her first start since she won a $62,500 optional-claiming race going six furlongs at the Oak Tree meet at Pleasanton on Sept. 25.

“She’s doing fine, but it’s a good field which includes her sister Citizen Kitty,” he said.

Invested Prospect will break from post 6, with Juan Gutierrez riding. Citizen Kitty, a four-time winner with $83,115 in earnings, drew the rail. The 5-year-old daughter of Proud Citizen is trained by Jeff Metz.

With heavy rain in the forecast, the track likely will be sloppy. That shouldn’t hurt Invested Prospect, who romped by 8 3/4 lengths when she debuted in a maiden special weight race at Emerald as a 2-year-old in 2015.

KEY CONTENDERS

Invested Prospect, by Abraaj
Last 3 Beyers: 86-70-77

◗ She is the speed of the speed, and the classy filly will be tough to run down if she breaks alertly.

Princess Kennedy, by Sun King
Last 3 Beyers: 66-85-69

◗ The Washington Oaks winner is coming off a well-deserved break and could fire as a fresh horse for trainer Tom Wenzel.

DRF FORMULATOR FACT: Over the past five years at Emerald, Wenzel has a 28 percent strike rate with horses coming back from a layoff of 180 days or longer.

B C Z Middleton, by Nobiz Like Shobiz
Last 3 Beyers: 50-73-70

◗ Trained by Metz, she was good enough to beat older fillies and mares sprinting as a 3-year-old last year in the Washington Legislators. A winner in her first start this year at Turf Paradise, she is back on dirt following a dull effort on Tapeta in the $59,000 Camilla Urso at Golden Gate Fields on March 18.