My Legal Bet has hurdles, but is class of Emerald claiming feature
My Legal Bet has a chance to tower over her rivals in Friday evening’s co-featured $25,000 claiming event at Emerald Downs, but the Justin Evans trainee has not raced since winning a $50,000 starter allowance on June 3 at Golden Gate Fields and has never raced on dirt.
If My Legal Bet is able to navigate those considerable hurdles, Friday’s fourth race will be hers to lose. Of his recent acquisition, Evans said she “has a lot of class and brings a lot of upside. Her last work was sharp, and [she] drew into a competitive race.”
The 6-year-old daughter of Coach Bob has started just nine times, all on Golden Gate’s Tapeta surface, and has known her share of layoff lines. On the bright side, just once from those nine starts has My Legal Bet been assigned a Beyer Speed Figure of less than 68, and she earned a 75 Beyer in her last start. Just one of Friday’s foes has topped a 65 Beyer in 2023.
Heading the opposition is Reign of Fire, a mare trained by Rigoberto Velasquez who has earned $199,646 in winning nine times from 37 career starts. The daughter of Vronsky drew the rail, but she brings good tactical speed and does not need the early lead for success.
Reign of Fire missed by a head at Friday’s level on Aug. 4, five weeks after she scored her first Emerald Downs victory at the $15,000 claiming level. Isaias Enriquez again has the mount aboard the 5-year-old.
Velasquez also entered In the Vault, and that mare has been competitive in a couple of recent allowance races. Luis Negron will take over aboard In the Vault for this race.
Others entered include You Go Girl, Your Royal Coil, and Frisco Frills.
You Go Girl tried stakes competition in the June 25 Hastings Stakes but finished sixth, beaten eight lengths after a wide trip. Next time out, the daughter of Coast Guard took a neck decision in allowance company on July 9. The third horse across the finish line in the July 9 race, Our Lyla Grace, returned to win the Washington Legislators Stakes in her subsequent start on July 23.
Co-featured on Friday will be a race with parallel conditions to the evening’s fourth race, but over another half-furlong and open to colts and geldings. Heading the field in the sixth race are comebacker Overly Fast, trained by Tom Wenzel, and speedy Brady Boy, trained by Blaine Wright. The pair will meet five others, including Harbor Outlaw, Leprino, Executive Chef, also trained by Wright, and a pair trained by Howard Belvoir, Muncey and Holiday Hustle.
Racing gets under way at 5 p.m. Pacific with afternoon temperatures expected to be near 80 degrees.
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