Puhich has high hopes for Longacres Miles Day

Trainer Mike Puhich is looking forward to Sunday, when he is hoping to win the $150,000 Longacres Mile for the second year in a row with Background. The Puhich-trained Princess of Cairo is nominated to the Mile, but will start in the $75,000 Emerald Distaff, where she also is trying to repeat and figures to be a solid favorite in the 1 1/16-mile race for fillies and mares. Puhich also is entering Big Java in the $75,000 Washington Oaks. The only stakes race Puhich will not be participating in is the $75,000 Muckleshoot Derby.

“I am very excited,” Puhich said. “All three are doing well.”

Rocco Bowen rode Background to his narrow win over Windribbon in last year’s Mile and was planning to ride the three horses for Puhich on Sunday. However, the three-time leading rider at Emerald went down in a spill Monday at Presque Isle Downs. Geovanni Franco will pick up the mounts.

“It’s really a shame Rocco got hurt,” Puhich said Tuesday. “He’s not only a great rider but he is a really good kid. He was here on Sunday to breeze the horses at Pegasus and he was very happy with how they all went. I talked to him in his hospital bed this morning, and he told me he has a broken clavicle and will need surgery. Hopefully, he will recover soon.”

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Franco rode Background in his last five races, was aboard Princes of Cairo in her only race this year, and rode in Big Java in her last three outings.

“Geovanni knows them well,” Puhich said.

Puhich said Bowen was particularly pleased with how Princess of Cairo worked six furlongs in 1:13.00 over the synthetic surface at the Pegasus Training and Equine Rehabilitation Center in Redmond, Wash.

Princess of Cairo won the 2021 Distaff by four lengths with Mario Gutierrez riding for trainer Sandy Gann. The Kentucky-bred daughter of Cairo Prince was based at Hastings with owner-trainer Glen Todd, who died March 27. Todd was a close friend of Puhich, and they teamed to win the 2012 Longacres Mile with Taylor Said, also ridden by Gutierrez.

“It is just not the same with Glen gone,” Puhich said. “He was one of my best friends for a long time and right about now we would be getting excited about his 2-year-olds. We would probably talk to each other two times a day. He was one of a kind, and I can’t tell you how much I miss him.”

One of the horses Background will be trying to beat in the Mile is Five Star General, who raced for Todd when he finished second in the Mile in 2020 and third in last year’s edition. Five Star General was purchased for $110,000 by Ken Alhadeff out of the Fasig-Tipton Glen Todd Dispersal digital sale held at Pegasus between April 27 and May 3. He is trained by Doris Harwood.

◗ The Candi Cryderman-trained Crooked Finger Ray looks like the one to catch and beat in an $8,000 claimer that headlines Friday’s seven-race card. The six-furlong dash for 3-year-olds and up drew seven horses and goes as the sixth race.