Tendon tear sidelines Barkley for season
Barkley, the top older horse at Emerald Downs, will not race again this year.
“He has a slight tear in one of his tendons so we’re going to stop on him,” said his trainer, Howard Belvoir. “It doesn’t seem to be bothering him, and Jennifer Whitaker, who gallops him, said he was training better than ever. It’s really not that a big of a deal, and if we ran him he would probably be okay. But, he has just been too good to everyone, so I’ll work on him and bring him back when he’s ready to go. There isn’t enough time to have him ready for Emerald this year, and I won’t send him south, so it will be next year before he races again.”
Barkley has raced exclusively at Emerald, where he has compiled a 10-4-1 record from 18 starts for earnings of $363,625.
The Kentucky-bred horse by Munnings closed out his 5-year-old campaign last year with a victory in the Grade 3 Longacres Mile and he looked better than ever when he won a 5 1/2-furlong allowance race in his first start this year.
“It will be tough on the local industry,” said Belvoir. “He is fun to watch and had quite a following.”
Das Bear risks Emerald record
Das Bear will try to keep his perfect record at Emerald intact when he runs in a $15,000 claiming race for non-winners of two that will serve as Saturday’s feature. The six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up drew six horses and goes as race 7 on an eight race card that begins at 2 p.m. Pacific.
Das Bear, a four-time winner, is eligible to run because the race conditions stipulate that maiden, claiming, and starter races for $12,500 or less do not count in determining eligibility and allowances.
The Vince Gibson-trained 4-year-old completed a hat trick with sharp win going 5 1/2 furlongs in a $12,500 conditional claimer on May 4. With Jorge Carreno aboard, he got bumped pretty hard leaving the starting gate but quickly recovered, and after setting reasonable fractions he was drawing away at the finish. The final margin was 3 1/4 lengths.
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He started his winning streak with a victory for trainer Frank Lucarelli in a $4,000 claiming race for non-winners of two at Golden Gate on March 23. He romped by seven lengths in a $7,500 claimer for non-winners of three at Emerald April 20 and was claimed out of the race by Gibson, who was acting on behalf of Gary and Debbie Lusk. He also won a $15,000 maiden claiming race at Emerald in his second start last year.
His new connections were rewarded instantly, and if Das Bear stays in the zone he should be able to keep the streak going.
He will break from the inside post with Carreno retaining the mount.
He’s Not Grey looks like the main threat. The 4-year-old son of Slew’s Tiznow has won half of his 10 starts at Emerald for trainer Candi Cryderman, and is coming off a third-place finish in a $10,000 starter race on May 12.