Papa's Golden Boy unlikely to be caught in Thursday sprint

Papa’s Golden Boy will appreciate the class relief and the move back to a sprint when he runs in a nonwinners-of-two allowance race for 3-year-olds and up at Emerald Downs on Thursday.

The six-furlong dash drew five horses and goes as the first of 10 races. Post time is 5 p.m. Pacific.

The conditions of the race allow Washington-bred nonwinners of three to run. The last time Papa’s Golden Boy ran in a non-stakes race, he romped in a similar race on July 16.

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Breaking from the inside post with Gary Wales riding for trainer Vince Gibson, the 4-year-old son of Harbor the Gold opened up a 12-length lead while posting a wicked half-mile time of 43.37 seconds. Papa’s Golden Boy was 10 lengths in front at the eighth pole and Wales had him geared down when he crossed the wire eight lengths in front of Muncy. The final time was a rapid 1:09.37 and the 82 Beyer Speed figure he received is the best at the meet for six furlongs.

In his next start in the $40,000 Mt. Rainer, he posted a faster half-mile time of 43.14 seconds. He again appeared to be home and cooled out when he held a six-length lead at the eighth pole. However, he started to tire late and Elliott Bay nailed him at the wire in the 6 1/2-furlong dash.

In his next two races, he set sprint-like fractions before finishing fifth in the Grade 3 Longacres Mile and then last going a mile and a sixteenth in the six-horse $40,000 Muckleshoot Tribal Classic.

Thursday he will be back doing what he does best and he will be very tough to catch if he runs his usual race after breaking from the outside post with Wales aboard.

The Chris Stenslie trained Hard to Deny won’t mind the move back to a sprint after almost taking them all the way in a one-mile race at this level on Sept. 24.

Running over a track rated sloppy, Hard to Deny was under no real pressure while posting a six-furlong time of 1:10.31. He held a two-length advantage at the eighth pole but could not resist the late surge by Unmachable. He was game in defeat, though, losing by just a neck.

The race was elevated when Unmachable came back to feast on the fast pace in the Muckleshoot Classic, winning by 3 1/2 lengths.

Hard to Deny went into his last race off a runner-up finish going 6 1/2 furlongs at this level on Sept. 3. The Kentucky-bred son of Hard Spun never really threatened Lansky, who won by 6 1/4 lengths.

Hard to Deny will break from post 3.

With a slew of live mounts Wednesday, jockey Juan Gutierrez has an excellent chance to be the all-time leading rider at Emerald when he rides Hard to Deny on Thursday. Coming into the week, Gutierrez had 1,418 wins at the Auburn, Wash., track, one fewer than Gallyn Mitchell.