Rematches on tap in both stakes
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Aloha Breeze will attempt to continue her dominance over the 3-year-old filly division at Emerald Downs in Sunday’s $50,000 Kent Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs. The card also includes the $50,000 Irish Day Stakes at the same distance for 3-year-olds.
Aloha Breeze, a daughter of The Factor, was an impressive winner of the Seattle Stakes on June 18 for trainer Tom Wenzel and owner George Todaro. Aloha Breeze will be making her third start of 2023 and sixth overall, having tasted defeat just twice.
One of those losses came in July 2022 to Miss Dynamic, who will be back in Sunday’s lineup for trainer Rigoberto Velasquez after finishing second to Aloha Breeze in the Seattle Stakes. The only other blemish on Aloha Breeze’s record was a runner-up finish to Beyond Awesome in the Arizona Juvenile Fillies Stakes on Dec. 21 at Turf Paradise. Beyond Awesome is 5 for 6 in 2023 while banking $150,167.
There is potentially more early speed in the Kent than there was in the Seattle Stakes, when the top pair quickly separated themselves from the others. If that other speed materializes it may let chief rival Miss Dynamic work out a stalking trip, which may leave her with more punch over the final quarter-mile.
Also entered in the Kent Stakes are Jamies Inheritance, trained by Charles Essex; Dad’s Estrella, trained by Sergio Alvarez; and Driveway and Stepup, who are trained by Jose Navarro.
◗ In the co-featured Irish Day Stakes, Clovisconnection will face off against Lloyds Logic again after they finished one-two, respectively, in the Auburn Stakes on June 18.
In that event the pair finished well clear of the others in what was Lloyds Logic’s initial start of 2023. Clovisconnection is assumed to have had a fitness edge in the Auburn based on three prior races this year.
The only runner in the Auburn Stakes who is not back in the Irish Day Stakes is Table Bay, who was entered in Saturday’s third race. How he performs may serve as a bellwether for the form of others in the Irish Day.
A curious entrant in the Irish Day is Stealing Hearts, a shipper from Lethbridge, Alberta, who finished fifth of six in the Auburn Stakes before returning to Lethbridge to win the 3-Year-Old Spring Stakes there on June 25. Stealing Hearts on multiple occasions has been beaten by vastly inferior competition and a victory on Sunday would number among the most remarkable upsets in Emerald Downs history.
Another entered on Sunday is Langston Road, who won a maiden race on May 27 at Emerald Downs before winning an allowance race on June 25 in the time of 1:33.83 for a mile. The Blaine Wright trainee will be tested for class on Sunday.
Rounding out the field are Jin Tong, trained by Joe Toye; Company’s Dream, trained by Vince Gibson; and Royal Halo, trained by Frank Lucarelli.
Sunday’s weather is expected to be comfortable with highs in the upper 70s. Post time is 2 p.m. Pacific.
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