Lucarelli eyes tactic change for Mach One Rules

Trainer Frank Lucarelli is hoping a change of tactics will help Mach One Rules turn things around when he runs in the Grade 3, $200,000 Longacres Mile at Emerald Downs Sunday. The Washington-bred son of Harbor the Gold will break from the rail in the Mile, which drew six horses.

With three stakes wins and a runner-up finish in the Mile behind Gold Rush Dancer, Mach One Rules was the top older horse at Emerald last year. Sunday, he will be looking for his first victory since he won the $50,000 Muckleshoot Tribal Classic on Aug. 27.

Last year, he settled early and made strong late moves to win the Budweiser and Mt. Rainier prior to his big effort in the Mile.

In his last two starts, Mach One Rules chased Riser early and faded late in the Budweiser and Mt. Rainier. With Riser out of the Mile, Lucarelli will be instructing Pedro Terrero to sit on Mach One Rules early and hope he finds the form that was so successful in 2017.

“There wasn’t any speed to run with Riser, and I thought if we could put pressure on him early we could beat him,” said Lucarelli. “Obviously it didn’t work out. Nobody was going to beat Riser anyway.”

Isaias Enriquez was the regular rider of Mach One Rules last year, but he didn’t return to Emerald for this year’s meet. Enriquez was supposed to ride him in Mt. Rainer, but he missed his flight and Austin Solis picked up the mount. Kevin Orozco rode him in the Budweiser and Governor’s.

The only time Terrero rode Mach One Rules, he lost by a nose in the $51,625 Oakland Stakes at Golden Gate Fields on Nov. 18.

“I am not blaming any of the riders that rode him at Emerald this year,” said Lucarelli. “He just ran well for Pedro at Golden Gate and hopefully he’ll do it again. Last year we would just wait for Barkley to make his move and follow him. We might try that again, but Barkley seems to be doing very well right now.”

Barkley is coming off a runner-up finish behind Riser in the Mt. Rainer and appears to be primed for a big race by trainer Howard Belvoir.

The 9-5 morning-line favorite is Alert Bay, who will be making his first start in more than a year – since he finished third on turf in the Grade 3 American at Santa Anita on July 4, 2017. Trained by Blaine Wright, Alert Bay is a multiple graded winner with more than $1.25 million in earnings.

“Blaine will have him ready,” said Lucarelli. “They aren’t bringing him up just to be in the race.”

◗ Saturday’s feature is a $25,000 conditional claimer, and the Wright-trained Blame It on Royce will try to make amends for his loss as the heavy favorite in a similar race July 20. Post time for the first of eight races is 5 p.m. Pacific.