Nationhood streaking again

AUBURN, Wash. - Nationhood will have nine challengers at Emerald Downs on Monday when he tries for his third straight stakes win in the $50,000 FSN Handicap at 6 1/2 furlongs.

Nationhood, a 6-year-old son of Cherokee Run from the barn of trainer Mike Chambers, began his latest win streak with a three-length victory in the 6 1/2-furlong Coyote Handicap at Turf Paradise in March. After a freshening, he returned to win this track's six-furlong Seattle Handicap on May 4, edging stablemate Chhaya Dance by a neck in 1:08.40. Last year he won four straight races, stepping up from the $25,000 claiming level at this track to the stakes ranks at Turf Paradise, where he won the 5 1/2-furlong Zip Pocket Stakes in October. Ricky Frazier will ride at 120 pounds.

Chhaya Dance will again take on Nationhood in the FSN after falling just short in the Seattle. Chhaya Dance, a lightly raced 4-year-old by A. P. Indy, was making his stakes debut in the Seattle after winning 2 of 6 starts against maiden and allowance company. Seth Martinez rides at 118 pounds.

Two new rivals for the Chambers trainees are Westsideclyde and Winter Warning. Westsideclyde was the meet's top sprinter here last season, when he won the FSN and the Budweiser-Emerald Handicap before being sidelined with a knee chip. The 6-year-old Westsideclyde, who is trained by Craig Roberts, will be making his first start of the year. Gary Baze will ride at 119 pounds.

Winter Warning will be making his Emerald Downs debut after winning 4 of 8 starts last year at Hastings Park for trainer Troy Taylor. Winter Warning, a 5-year-old son of Future Storm, capped his campaign with a win in the nine-furlong S.W. Randall Plate and a second to two-time Sovereign Award winner True Metropolitan in the nine-furlong Winston. Local trainer Terry Gillihan will saddle Winter Warning on Monday, when he will be ridden by Mario Gutierrez at 115 pounds.

* Emerald Downs will stage its popular Win-A-Jockey Sweepstakes for the Memorial Day card. The names of a dozen fans will be drawn and matched with the 12 horses in the eighth race. The fan paired with the winner gets to choose an Emerald jockey to ride for him or her throughout the meeting and will receive the equivalent of 1 percent of that jockey's purse earnings at the meet.