Southern Solution gets class relief in featured claimer
Southern Solution lost his last two races by double-digit lengths, but he looks like the one they will have to catch and beat in a $15,000 claiming race for 3-year-olds and up that headlines the 10-race card Saturday at Emerald Downs.
The one-mile feature drew seven horses, and Southern Solution will appreciate the class relief after getting fried in back-to-back duels in a $25,000 optional claimer July 12 and a $25,000 open claimer Aug. 9.
Trained by Rigoberto Velasquez, the nine-time winner can be a handful if he makes the lead and is able to set reasonable fractions. That should be the case Saturday. Dynamo Dixie is the only rival with the same running style, but he isn’t as fast, and in his last two wins, he came from a stalking position.
Prior to his two recent fade jobs, Southern Solution lost by a head in a one-mile, $25,000 claiming race June 21 and was nipped by a head going 6 1/2 furlongs in the race Velasquez claimed him out of for $10,000.
David Lopez rides Southern Solution, and there isn’t much doubt he will be gunning him to the lead after he breaks from post 3.
If a duel develops, Neverabettercause and Tale Spinner have the best chance of picking up the pieces. Tale Spinner also is trained by Velasquez, who claimed him out of his last race.
Key contenders
Southern Solution (Last 3 Beyers: 59-29-70)
* The speed of the speed, he could be gone if he breaks on top.
DRF Formulator fact: Since 2013, Lopez, now based at Hastings, has won at a 29 percent clip with a $2.34 ROI riding for Velasquez at Emerald Downs.
Neverabettercause (Last 3 Beyers: 75-66-60)
* This 4-year-old British Columbia-bred is stepping up in price following a game win going 1 1/16 miles in a $10,000 claiming race July 24.
* A double stakes winner at Hastings as a 2-year-old, he followed that sharp win with two solid works. He certainly is trending in the right direction for trainer Blaine Wright.
Tale Spinner (Last 3 Beyers: 79-84-76)
* He’s finished first or second in three of his nine starts at Emerald.
* At the current meet, he finished full of run but just missed in back-to-back one-mile, $10,000 claiming races.
DRF Formulator fact: Over the past five years at Emerald, Velasquez has a 21 percent strike rate when running back claimed horses the first time.