Papa's Golden Boy ready to lay down the law in Governor's Stakes

Papa’s Golden Boy will show off his substantial speed when he runs in the $50,000 Governor’s for 3-year-olds and up Sunday at Emerald Downs. In the supporting feature, Blazingbellablu and Lets Declare Peace will vie for favoritism in the $50,000 Washington State Legislators for fillies and mares.

The Vince Gibson-trained Papa’s Golden Boy will be a short price in the 6 1/2-furlong Governor’s, which drew 10 horses and goes as the eighth race.

The Washington-bred son of Harbor the Gold is one of the fastest horses ever seen at Emerald, and after posting a half-mile time of 43.32 seconds in the $50,000 Budweiser on June 26, he just kept widening to win the six-furlong dash by 4 3/4 lengths. He also won the Budweiser last year and then repeated in the Governor’s.

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Papa’s Golden Boy put in a strong four-furlong move in 46.60 on July 16, and Gibson is expecting a strong effort Sunday.

“He trained nicely this morning,” Gibson said Thursday, “and he galloped real strong when he worked a half-mile. He’s ready to go.”

Papa’s Golden Boy will break from the outside post with Kevin Radke retaining the mount.

Five Star General finished third in the Budweiser, and the Grade 3 winner will appreciate having an extra sixteenth to work with Sunday. He is trained by Emerald’s all-time leader in stakes wins, Doris Harwood.

Washington State Legislators

Blazingbellablu looks like the one to beat in the 6 1/2-furlong Legislators, which drew six horses and goes as the fifth race. After all, she has not finished worse than second sprinting on dirt and was making her first start of the year when she was the runner-up to Maybe I Will in the $50,000 Hastings on June 26 at Emerald.

Trainer Charlie Essex is expecting the 4-year-old Washington-bred daughter of Grazen to move forward with a race behind her.

“She is doing great,” Essex said. “She had been going pretty steady since she began her career, so we thought we would give her a rest after Turf Paradise.”

Prior to going on hiatus, Blazingbellablu won back-to-back $60,000 stakes for fillies and mares at Turf Paradise in November before finishing second going a mile in the $39,000 Bell of the Ball on Dec. 29.

She will break from post 5 with her usual rider, Alex Cruz, up.

Lets Declare Peace, trained by Frank Lucarelli, also figures to move forward in her second start of the year. The 4-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Declaration of War is coming off a fourth-place finish going 5 1/2 furlongs on turf in a conditioned allowance race June 24 at Lone Star. It was a strong field. The winner, Quick Quick Quick, repeated in the $150,000 Chicken Fried Stakes on July 16 at Lone Star.

Lets Declare Peace went into the race off back-to-back wins on the main track at Remington Park. She romped by eight lengths in first-level allowance race Oct. 8 and came from a stalking position in her one-length victory over My Girl Red in a conditioned allowance race Oct. 30.

Lets Declare Peace is versatile. With the lack of pure speed in the field it is likely Kevin Orozco will try to put her into the race shortly after she breaks from the inside post.