Stryker Phd will face full field in Longacres Mile
AUBURN, Wash. – The towering presence of defending race winner Stryker Phd has done little to dissuade out-of-towners from taking a shot in Sunday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Longacres Mile at Emerald Downs.
Fourteen horses were still angling for Longacres Mile berths as of late Tuesday. Only 12 can run, with highweights preferred, a format that was likely to eliminate Botch (114 pounds) when entries were taken Thursday. Three other hopefuls – Solemnly Swear, Scat Daddybaby, and Prohibition – were together at 115 pounds. Barring a late defection or two, their connections were prepared to “shake” for the final spot in the starting gate.
As many as eight starters could be shippers from California or British Columbia. Among the horses from California confirmed to be on the grounds or en route to Emerald Downs on Wednesday were Alert Bay, Sammy Mandeville, Fleet Eagle, Majestic City, and Prohibition. They’ll be joined by three from Hastings – Modern, Taylors Deal, and, if the dice roll his way, Solemnly Swear.
Both Taylors Deal and Solemnly Swear race for Mark Dedomenico and Glen Todd’s North American Thoroughbred Horse Co. Mr. Bowling, also owned by Dedomenico and Todd, was under consideration for the Longacres Mile but instead will start in the S.W. Randall Plate at Hastings on Sept. 13, Todd said Wednesday.
Solemnly Swear hasn’t raced in a year and has never won a stakes race, though he did earn positive reviews after posting Beyer Speed Figures of 95 and 96 in back-to-back allowance starts at Monmouth Park last summer, midway through his 3-year-old season. In his only start for his current owners, Solemnly Swear was fourth in the $50,000 Richmond Derby Trial at Hastings on Aug. 22, 2014.
“We bought him for the [British Columbia] Derby last year, and unbeknownst to us, he had a cracked shin. We had to put a screw in, and he’s been off all this time,” Todd said. “But he’s fine now. He’s a pretty good horse; I thought when we got him, he might be the best one we ever bought.”
Todd said Joe Steiner would ride Solemnly Swear if he gets into the race. David Lopez will be aboard Taylors Deal, who was assigned 116 pounds and is assured of a starting berth.
Taylors Deal, a half-brother to 2012 Longacres Mile winner Taylor Said, won stakes races at 2, 3, 4, and 5 but has yet to break through this year for trainer Troy Taylor. He has started twice at Hastings, finishing second both times against second-level optional-claiming foes. But Taylors Deal’s quiet launch to 2015 was partly by design.
“We’ve just brought him along slowly. He’s a half to Taylor Said and probably a better horse, but he’s had issues his whole life,” Todd said. “But he’s coming into this race 100 percent – we’ve primed him for this. If he runs his race, he’ll be right there.”
In addition to Stryker Phd, who has won six consecutive stakes races at Emerald Downs and will be the starting highweight at 123 pounds, the home team includes Absolutely Cool (118), Noosito (116), and Del Rio Harbor (116), with Scat Daddybaby straddling the fence. In his final start before the Longacres Mile, Stryker Phd rolled to a six-length victory in the 1 1/16-mile Mt. Rainier Handicap on July 19.
“Everybody’s got to beat Stryker Phd,” Todd said, echoing a common refrain. “That was an awesome race he ran the other day. He’s the horse to beat, period.”