Surprsinglyperfect is a clear standout and will be a short price in Saturday’s allowance feature over a mile and 70 yards at Emerald Downs. Before arriving at Emerald Downs in May, 10-year-old Surprsinglyperfect listed a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 81. The Justin Evans trainee has topped that number in each of his last two starts with blowout wins after racing two turns each time. Entering Saturday’s race, the gelding sports not only a career bankroll of $300,222 but also a last-out Beyer of 87, which topped his previous best of 85 earned 2 1/2 weeks prior. Others in Saturday’s lineup have last-out Beyers of 77 at most. The probable favorite possesses a running style that lets him adapt to most any situation. Chief among the opponents Saturday is Dirt Road Red, a Candice Cryderman trainee who won twice in a row last month with solid efforts. Dirt Road Red has won seven of his past 11 races at Emerald and will be making his fourth start of 2024. “He definitely needed time off after last year,” Cryderman said of Dirt Road Red. “He came back training great from Day One and hasn’t disappointed.” :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. An interesting new face in Saturday’s field will be Saqeel, who was claimed for $16,000 four weeks ago at Churchill Downs. The gelding shipped to Emerald in time for a half-mile drill in 48.40 seconds last Sunday on a fast strip. Saqeel boasts a career bankroll of $353,844, and his most impressive success to date was likely a Sept. 24 allowance last year at Churchill Downs. The son of Daaher resides in the shed row of Dan Markle, and leading rider Alex Cruz has accepted the mount Saturday. Among others in the field are a pair of Joe Toye trainees, Son of Thunder and Jin Tong. Son of Thunder is exiting a win in an allowance race on June 23 and will again have Juan Gutierrez aboard. Jin Tong was a distant second behind Surprsinglyperfect at the $25,000 claiming level on July 3 and will take another crack at that foe Saturday. Rounding out the group are You’re the Cause, trained by Debbie Van Horne; Falsely Accused, trained by Jason Homer; and venerable El Alto Hombre, to be saddled by Liz Kowalski. El Alto Hombre sports 18 career victories, many of which were earned on the Oregon fair circuit after spending his earliest race days at Portland Meadows. Now 9, the son of Archarcharch had never set foot outside of Oregon or Washington to race until less than a year ago. A $172,084 career earner, El Alto Hombre most recently won an allowance race on dirt at Turf Paradise before finally making his turf debut with a solid runner-up finish at the same locale. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.