Prayer for Da Bric tries going long

AUBURN, Wash. – Prayer for Da Bric, a promising but lightly raced 4-year-old, will try to carry his speed around two turns in the feature race Sunday at Emerald Downs. First post for the holiday card is 2 p.m. Pacific, and the feature, a first-level optional $25,000 claimer, will go as the ninth of 10 races.

Purchased for $32,000 as a Keeneland yearling in 2011, Prayer for Da Bric will be making his ninth career start for David Taylor of Seattle, and his first at a distance longer than six furlongs. By Songandaprayer, Prayer for Da Bric has been late to get going because of an injury that cost him nearly a year. But after a few near-misses in the maiden ranks at Golden Gate Fields last winter, he arrived at Emerald in April and won his debut with room to spare.

In his second local start, and first against winners, Prayer for Da Bric yielded to finish third after pressing a fast pace in a 5 1/2-furlong first-level allowance. Whether Prayer for Da Bric can get Sunday’s longer distance will be the pivotal question facing handicappers as they size up the five-horse field.

“He’s a fast horse,” trainer Frank Lucarelli said of Prayer for Da Bric. “I don’t know if he’ll get a route, but this looks like a good opportunity to try him. He has two sprints here, so the timing is right to give it a go. He’s fast, but how far can he carry it? And if he doesn’t, he’ll be very tough coming back short.

“This is kind of an experiment,” Lucarelli added. “He doesn’t look like a real router; he’s a shorter little horse. So he’s got to relax. A lot will be how he does on the first turn and settles in and relaxes. But I figured he would like this track better than Golden Gate. This racetrack can carry him pretty good.”

Prayer for Da Bric’s four rivals include Fist Full of Green, who has four lifetime victories but has never tried a route of ground; Somewhere With You, who rallied to finish second in the restricted Jim Beam Stakes at one mile in September; Perfect Night, a runner-up in both of his starts this year; and likely long shot Joel N Jill.

Prayer for Da Bric will start from post 2 with jockey Isaias Enriquez, and if all goes to plan, they will make a beeline for the lead, with Fist Full of Green and Perfect Night in closest pursuit.