Puhich sends out Prime Engine, Chief of Staff in maiden special weight

AUBURN, Wash. – It’s been a busy summer for Mike Puhich, the veteran trainer who divides his time between Emerald Downs and the Pegasus Training Center in nearby Redmond, Wash. On Thursday, Puhich was in Lexington, Ky., buying yearlings for Pegasus owner Mark Dedomenico. On Saturday, Puhich will send out a pair of promising first-time starters in the fourth race at Emerald.

Six horses were entered in the $17,850 maiden special weight for 2-year-olds, and five are first-time starters. Puhich has Prime Engine, a $110,000 Keeneland yearling by Northern Afleet, and Chief of Staff, a son of Majestic Warrior from a productive Awesome Again mare. Dedomenico paid $50,000 for Chief of Staff at the October 2013 Barretts yearling sale in Pomona, Calif.

After Prime Engine spent six months with Puhich at Pegasus, Dedomenico tried to sell the colt in March at a Barretts sale of 2-year-olds in training. But Prime Engine stayed put when the bidding failed to reach a reserve of $145,000, and the always-optimistic Puhich said he’s thrilled to have him in the barn.

“He had a shin on him at the sale, and people got off him a bit,” Puhich said. “But we gave him as much time as he needed. He’s a great, big horse who needed time to mature. We’re going to get a race into him and decide where to go from there. He acts like he’s got some talent.”

Puhich is similarly high on Chief of Staff. Both horses have distance-leaning pedigrees, and the season-ending, $65,000 Gottstein Futurity at 1 1/16 miles is just around the corner Sept. 28.

“He had a small issue that needed to be taken care of surgically, or otherwise, he would have cost a whole bunch of money,” Puhich said of Chief of Staff. “He’s another one who we’re trying to develop and see what we have. If one of them jumps up and runs well, and then the Futurity is sitting there, we may take a shot.”

Puhich sent out three starters in last month’s Longacres Mile and came up empty-handed. His best finisher, Mr. Bowling, was a distant sixth. Prohibition was seventh in his first start for Puhich, and Jebrica finished far back in 10th. A fourth potential starter, Commander, missed the race because of a bruised foot. Both Commander and Mr. Bowling are entered Sunday at Hastings in the $50,000 Randall Plate Handicap. Prohibition and Jebrica are staying home with Puhich.

“We’re on the fence about what to do with him,” Puhich said of Prohibition. “We’ve got the B.C. Premiers’ up there at Hastings and may look at that. Jebrica is on a little R and R right now. We’ll probably send him down to California sometime next month.”