Roll Dem Bones, Mr. Fireball tangle for fifth straight time

Roll Dem Bones and Mr. Fireball are scheduled to square off for the fifth consecutive time in Friday’s $10,000 claiming feature over 6 1/2 furlongs at Emerald Downs.

It seldom happens outside of stakes competition that two or more runners face each other as many as five times in a row. A major reason for this occurrence was the Hollywood Harbor Sprint Series, which included three legs with purses steadily increasing and participation allowed only for those who had competed in the previous leg.

The Aug. 24 finale featured a hefty $30,000 purse, and when the track came up sloppy the event turned into a laugher in favor of Roll Dem Bones, who won by six lengths over second-place Mr. Fireball.

“Going into the [last] race, we were really happy with how he was doing mentally and physically,” said Joe Toye, trainer of Roll Dem Bones. “I’m always a lot smarter after the race, so I would love to have rain in the forecast for Friday.

“I’m confident he will show up and run whether it is wet or dry.”

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Mr. Fireball, trained by Doug Carlson, has gone to post at lower odds than his rival in each of their four meetings. The pair have split the four decisions, though after the latest result Roll Dem Bones may garner more parimutuel respect.

The field of 10 includes Mirror Image, a Valentin Garcia trainee who finished in front of both Mr. Fireball and Roll Dem Bones in the second leg of the sprint series on Aug. 3. Mirror Image has raced at Emerald 11 times the past two seasons, winning only an $8,000 claiming event in September 2023.

Lie and Deny, a six-time winner from his past eight starts at Emerald, will make his second start for trainer Justin Evans, who claimed the gelding for $15,000 on July 3.

Ultra-sharp Dennard rides a two-race winning streak and is a length from having won four in a row at lower levels. He will make his second start for Robert Baze after having been claimed for $5,000 on Aug. 17.

Handr’sdream, from the barn of Tena Birdwell, last won a recognized race in June 2023 at Pleasanton but has raced at Emerald on five occasions this season, finishing second three times.

Others entered include Napoletano, Ain’t No Sissy, Beau Mischief, and Pedal to the Metal. Napoletano is a Miguel Hernandez trainee who won at Friday’s level on Aug. 11. Ain’t No Sissy, from the barn of Charles Essex, comes off of a win for $8,000 on Sept. 6.

Beau Mischief returns from a win at the $3,500 starter-allowance level for trainer Elodio Madrigal. Last-out claim Pedal to the Medal is now trained by Frank Lucarelli, who claimed the gelding from an $8,000 nonwinners-of-two event on Aug. 10.

The final Friday card of the season begins at 7 p.m. Pacific.

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