Riser looks tough to top in Budweiser
Riser will be a short price to win the $50,000 Budweiser Stakes on Sunday at Emerald Downs. In his last start in the $50,000 Governor’s Stakes on June 3, he completely dominated three of the four horses he is facing, and the fifth horse in the field is his stablemate Mah Gellin, who would have to run the race of his life on dirt to contend. Given that Mah Gellin is an 8-year-old with 37 starts behind him, that is an unlikely scenario.
The 6 1/2-furlong dash goes as the fourth race on a 10-race card that begins at 2 p.m. Pacific. Post time for the Budweiser is 3:36.
Riser was making just his second start as a 4-year-old in the Governor’s, and he did not embarrass himself when he finished eighth coming off a lengthy layoff in the Grade 3 Twin Spires Turf Sprint on May 4 at Churchill Downs. With two races behind him, a scary thought for his opposition is that he could be sitting on a peak performance Sunday.
A couple of negatives are that he is picking up six pounds off his 4 1/4-length romp on June 3 and will carry high weight of 124 pounds. He also drew the rail, where he will need to break alertly with Juan Hernandez retaining the mount.
Nonetheless, he would have to take a big step backward to get beat, and Wright is happy with how the Ohio-bred colt is heading into the race.
“He came back with a nice easy breeze and seems to be doing very well,” Wright said. “He is facing a tough group of horses, though, so he needs to bring his running shoes with him. He’ll also need a clean break.”
KEY CONTENDERS
Riser, by Mizzen Mast
Last 3 Beyers: 92-78-75
◗ The good-looking gray was very impressive winning the Governor’s, and unless one of his opponents changes running style he should be able set moderate fractions.
◗ Wright is winning with 29 percent of his starters at the current meet and in the past two years at Emerald has a 35 percent strike rate and $2.45 return on investment in non-graded stakes.
Barkley, by Munnings
Last 3 Beyers: 82-82-85
◗ The classy 5-year-old looked good winning his first start of the year and finished well to edge Mach One Rules for the runner-up spot in the Governor’s.
◗ The Howard Belvoir-trained Kentucky-bred worked a fast half-mile in 46.60 seconds June 18, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the five-time stakes winner was a bit closer to the pace than usual.
Mach One Rules, by Harbor the Gold
Last 3 Beyers: 81-80-81
◗ The champion older horse in Washington in 2017 was coming off two losses in his first two starts when he won this race last year for trainer Frank Lucarelli. Déjà vu?
