Queen's Rush goes for two in row for hot connections
Trainer Len Kasmerski and owner Roz Barclay have won with half of their 10 starters at the current Emerald Downs meet. They have a good chance of improving their already-impressive record when they run Queen’s Rush in a $25,000 claiming race that will serve as Sunday’s featured race.
The six-furlong sprint restricted to fillies and mares who have never won two races drew seven horses and goes as race 9 on a 10-race card that begins at 2 p.m. Pacific.
Queen’s Rush was coming off a 17-month layoff when she won a $15,000 maiden-claiming race for Kasmerski and Barclay on April 10. With Erick Lopez in the irons, she came from a stalking position to win the 5 1/2-furlong dash by a length. It was her first time running for a tag and her first outing since she went unplaced in a maiden special weight race at Golden Gate Fields on Dec. 6, 2014.
Queen’s Rush drew post 4, with Lopez retaining the mount.
Horses running big races while coming off lengthy layoffs can go in either direction. If Queen’s Rush moves forward, she’s probably the winner. If she bounces, Our Silver Lining could capitalize.
Trained by Jose Navarro, Our Silver Lining set a moderate pace and held on well to finish second in a $15,000 claiming race for non-winners of two April 10. Our Silver Lining is versatile and is capable of stalking if she doesn’t break on top.
Race 9
KEY CONTENDERS
Queen’s Rush, by Old Fashioned
Last 3 Beyers: 54-29-54
◗ She looked good in winning her comeback race, and with the best last-race Beyer Speed Figure in the field, she looks capable of handling the jump in class.
Our Silver Lining, by Packy
Last 3 Beyers: 43-43-33
◗ The consistent 4-year-old could be the one they have to catch and figures to move forward in her second start back.
Mystic Appeal, by Concorde’s Appeal
Last 3 Beyers: 53-49-47
◗ The 5-year-old Idaho-bred is coming off back-to-back runner-up finishes in statebred stakes at Boise and hasn’t been worse than second in her last six starts. She hasn’t raced since August, though, and might need a race in her first start for trainer Jack McCarthy.
Mylast Sweet Pea, by Grindstone
Last 3 Beyers: 37-44-48
◗ The runner-up in the Washington Oaks in 2014, she came up empty after pressing the pace in the same race that Our Silver Lining exits.
◗ Trained by Robert Baze, she should move forward with a race behind her.