My Friend Emma, Big Champion triumph in split Albany

The method and results were the same, but the paths to victory in both divisions of Saturday’s Albany Stakes at Golden Gate Fields were different for My Friend Emma ($3) and Big Champion ($13).

Both speedsters won their divisions of the five-furlong turf stakes with ease.

My Friend Emma went wire to wire, setting fractions of 21.13 and 43.81 seconds en route to a 2 3/4-length victory over Annie’s Candy. His final time of 55.42 seconds was one-fifth off the course record.

Big Champion dueled with Taman Guard early and trailed by a head through a 21.12-second opening quarter, but quickly established his dominance through a 44.45-second half-mile. He defeated Tribal Storm – who beat him by a head last out on May 18 – by 2 1/4 lengths in 56.37.

My Friend Emma, a solid sprinter, who won the Jess Jackson at five furlongs on the turf at Santa Rosa in 2016, had stretched out to a mile in his past two starts, winning an allowance heat and then running a game second in the Grade 3 All American on May 28.

Big Champion, who missed all of 2017, came north for a five-furlong turf start last month with a three-race winning streak in mixed-breed races at Los Alamitos, including a stakes victory.

Rhoda March, who trains My Friend Emma, was not concerned about the 12-day turnaround from the All American.

“He’s such a strong horse, and he loves the grass,” she said.

Nor was she concerned as jockey Ricardo Gonzalez guided the 6-year-old Tannersmyman gelding through the blazing fractions.

“He doesn’t seem to be stressed when he’s going fast,” she said.

March said the Oak Tree Sprint at Pleasanton on July 4 was a likely next race, but she would be checking races down south while weighing her options.

“We have to take advantage of the ride when he’s going so strong,” she said. “Everyone connected with him is top of the line, and we’re counting our blessings.”

My Friend Emma, owned by Candelario Barragan and Jocelyn Robles earned $39,450 from the $60,650 purse. He has earned $268,108 with eight wins in 20 starts.

For his part, Big Champion earned $30,400 from a $55,950 purse in the second division of the Albany, run two races later. The 5-year-old Munnings gelding has nearly doubled his lifetime earnings to $64,245 in six thoroughbred starts, not counting three wins and a second in four mixed-breed starts. Big Champion is trained by Michael Curtis and owned by 4 Hares Racing, Inc. He was ridden to victory on Saturday by Barrington Harvey.