Sunshine Emily poised to fire off a layoff

Sunshine Emily hasn’t raced since she romped in a $25,000 claimer on July 7, 2019. Nonetheless, she looks like the one to beat in a $20,000 claiming race for fillies and mares that will serve as the feature race Thursday at Emerald Downs. Horses bred in Washington are in for $25,000.

The six-furlong dash drew seven horses and goes as race 9 on a 10-race card that begins at 5:05 p.m. Pacific.

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Sunshine Emily is the speed of the speed and can fire fresh. Trained by Frank Lucarelli, she won her 2-year-old debut going 4 1/2 furlongs in a $25,000 maiden claimer in 2018. Her next victory came in her first start as a 3-year-old. She broke on top and never looked back while drawing off to win a $25,000 nonwinners of two by 9 1/4 lengths.

Lucarelli is off to a strong start at the meet, and the last two horses he brought back from a layoff of a year or more won.

A 4-year-old Washington-bred daughter of Sixthirteen, Sunshine Emily drew post 3. If she breaks alertly with Heribert Martinez aboard, she could be gone.

Fortune’s Freude won first time out last year and has been training forwardly for trainer Kay Cooper. Toss her last race when she couldn’t keep up in the $50,000 Washington Cup Filly and Mare, and she was a gem of consistency in 2019, compiling a 1-3-1 record from 7 starts. In her two sprints, she had a win and a runner-up finish.

Adding to her appeal are the strong stats Cooper has with horses returning from lengthy layoffs. Over the past five years at Emerald, she has a 19 percent strike rate and $4.94 return on investment with horse coming back from a break of 180 days or more.

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The race also could set up nicely for Fortune’s Freude. Sunshine Emily will have to deal with other speed, most notably Guradian One. If an all-out duel develops, Fortune’s Freude could pick up the pieces.

She will break from post 2 with Gary Wales riding.

Guardian One is making her first start since she finished ninth in the $25,000 Horsemen Appreciation Overnight on Sept. 22 at Emerald. She is another one that can fire fresh, though. The Chris Stenslie-trained 7-year-old was the runner-up in a $15,000 claimer coming off a lengthy layoff in 2017 and won for the same price in her initial start in 2018. She broke poorly first time out last year in a $30,000 optional claimer, but came right back to just miss at the same level.

A six-time winner, Guardian One could get a nice trip leaving from the outside post with Cerapio Figueroa aboard.

The 2017 Washington Oaks winner Little Dancer is seeking her first victory since she dead-heated for first with Blazinbeauty in a $40,000 optional race on Sept. 2, 2018.