Spot On finds nice spot in conditioned claimer

Spot On appears to be just that when she runs in the feature race Saturday at Emerald Downs. The 4-year-old Washington-bred daughter of Nationhood figures to be a short price in the $15,000 claimer for nonwinners of two that drew seven horses. The six-furlong dash for fillies and mares goes as race 7 on an eight-race card that begins at 2 p.m. Pacific.

Trained by Kay Cooper, Spot On was making her first start as a 4-year-old when she was the runner-up at the same level going 5 1/2 furlongs on April 28.

With Heribert Martinez aboard, she chased an honest pace set by Hold That Smile and held on well to lose by a half-length after being overtaken by Fortune’s Freude at the sixteenth pole.

Spot On showed some promise when she won her debut in a maiden special weight race last year, but after a couple of tries with stakes company she finished third in a $25,000 conditional claimer last July 6. Her race on April 28 was the first time since then that she ran in a claiming race. It seems she has found the right level and should be tough to handle with a similar performance.

She will break from post 2 with Martinez riding.

Trainer Blaine Wright is represented by Beau Rocks and Glitter and Gold.

Beau Rocks was making his first start at Emerald when she finished fourth in the same race Spot On exits. She had a wide trip and could move forward in her second start of the year. The 5-year-old won a maiden special weight race on Tapeta at Golden Gate in 2017 and last year she won an allowance race on dirt at Pleasanton.

Beau Rocks is a closer and should have an honest pace to work with.

Her stablemate Glitter and Gold figures to supply some of the speed.

Glitter and Gold also gets some class relief after a rough trip in a first-level allowance race with a $30,000 claiming option April 27.

The Kentucky-bred daughter of Bodemeister could be dangerous if she clears early while running without blinkers for the first time

Wright will not be at Emerald on Saturday. He is at Pimlico, where he will saddle Anothertwistafate in the Preakness.

Wright said he was pleased with Anothertwistafate drawing post 12 where he should get a better trip than he did in his runner-up finishes in the Sunland Park Derby and the Grade 3 Lexington at Keeneland, where he got stuck behind horses while racing on the inside.

“He should get a nice trip unless something goes terribly wrong,” Wright said. “All we can hope for is an opportunity to show what he can do.”

Anothertwistafate is owned by Vancouver resident Peter Redekop, and large crowds are expected at Hastings and Emerald to watch Anothertwistafate’s attempt at winning one of the most important races in North America.