Seattle Stakes and return of Longacres Mile winner make for a strong card

Despite the presence of last year’s local 2-year-old filly champ Northwest Factor, there isn’t much doubt Mucho Amor will be heavily favored in the $50,000 Seattle Stakes at Emerald Downs Sunday. The six-furlong dash for 3-year-old fillies drew nine horses and goes as race 8 on a nine-race card that begins at 2 p.m. Pacific.

The Seattle is slotted as the feature, but upstaging it a bit is a $50,000 optional-claiming race that marks the return of last year’s Longacres Mile winner Barkley. Also entered in the 5 1/2-furlong sprint, which drew six horses, is Sippin Fire, who was the champion 3-year-old at Emerald last year. It goes as race 5 with an approximate post time of 4:07.

Mucho Amor will be making her first appearance at Emerald, and if she runs anywhere near as well as she did in her first start for trainer Blaine Wright in a first-level allowance race with a $40,000 claiming option at Golden Gate on April 14, the result is a foregone conclusion.

With Juan Hernandez aboard, she sat just off the pace before drawing away to win the six-furlong dash by four lengths. The 75 Beyer Speed Figure is easily the best last-race figure in the Seattle, and she figures to move forward in her second start back.

She began her career with trainer Wesley Ward, so it was no surprise she won her debut at Keenleand before finishing fourth in the Grade 2 Adirondack at Saratoga. Prior to being moved to the West Coast she finished sixth in a one-mile $75,000 optional claimer at Keeneland on Oct. 10.

She will break from post 8 with Hernandez riding.

“She hasn’t done anything wrong since I’ve had her,” said Wright. “I like that she drew an outside post and she should run well. It’s a good field, though. Northwest Factor ran tough every time and she was good enough to beat the boys.”

Wright was referring to Northwest Factor’s gutsy win going1 1/16 miles in the $90,000 Gottstein Futurity on Sept. 23. It was her final start as a juvenile;.

Trained by Steve Bullock, Northwest Factor is versatile, and she won the $54,000 Angie C going 5 1/2 furlongs. She has a strong set of works showing and appears to be primed for a big effort coming off the bench.

Trainer Howard Belvoir said Barkley is “training fit, but not racing fit.”

He might be understating things a bit. Barkley, who won coming off a similar layoff last year, may have tipped his hand when he worked a bullet five furlongs in a sizzling 57.20 seconds May 2.

“He’s a good work horse and I broke him off behind another horse to give him something to run at,” said Belvoir.

The classy 6-year-old has compiled a 9-4-1 record from 17 starts, all at Emerald, so expect him to be in the mix when the dust settles Sunday.

He will break from the outside post with his usual rider Javier Matias aboard.

Sippin Fire reeled off four straight stakes wins before coming up empty as the favorite in the $100,000 Getaway Day Stakes on Sept. 23.

Gary Wales picks up the mount from regular rider Rocco Bowen, who is recovering from a shoulder injury.

The Bullock-trained son of Harbor the Gold signaled his readiness with a bullet five-furlong move in 58.20 seconds on May 5.