Thetrailerguy slight choice in wide-open Emerald Derby
AUBURN, Wash. – After spending four months trying to separate the pretenders from the contenders, the 3-year-old division a Emerald Downs is still impossibly wide open heading into Sunday’s $65,000 Emerald Downs Derby. A field of eight is set to tackle the derby’s nine furlongs, and while a couple of longshots are wishing on rainbows, at least six horses shake out as legitimate contenders.
Thetrailerguy is likely to start as a tepid favorite. He won the one-mile Coca-Cola Handicap in dramatic fashion June 21, weaving through traffic to reel in a tiring Prime Engine in the final strides. Thetrailerguy was off the board in the 1 1/16-mile Seattle Slew in his most recent start but had a lousy trip, hitting the brakes in a traffic jam past the eighth pole, and surely could have been closer.
There are questions to be answered about Thetrailerguy’s ability to win going 1 1/8 miles. His sire, Hennessy, was a brilliant sprinter who lost his only two-turn start and never raced beyond 1 1/16 miles. But there are abundant stamina influences, including Unbridled and Cozzene, in Thetrailerguy’s female family, and he will have the services of Julien Couton, Emerald’s leading rider, for trainer Monique Snowden.
Snowden and owner Heidi Nelson might not want the role of favorite, anyway. Favorites are just 2 for 19 in previous installments of the Emerald Downs Derby, and longshot winners have been the norm this year in a topsy-turvy division. Fooled Again returned $19 when he captured the 6 1/2-furlong Auburn Handicap; Thetrailerguy paid $18.40 in the Coca-Cola; and Betrbegone, the longest shot on the board, led gate to wire in the Seattle Slew. He paid $68.60.
If the race unfolds as expected, Betrbegone will make a beeline for the front end, with Prime Engine and Raspberry Road in closest pursuit. And if this is like previous derbies at Emerald Downs, the complexion of the race may have changed dramatically by the time they wheel for home.
Emerald Derby, Race 8
KEY CONTENDERS
Thetrailerguy (Last 3 Beyers: 71-70-71)
◗ While his Coca-Cola victory was eye-catching, Thetrailerguy got a dream setup, closing into a collapsing pace to get up in the final strides. After the leaders ran six furlongs in 1:10.73, the stretch-runners came home through a relatively slow 26.07-second final quarter.
Prime Engine (Last 3 Beyers: 81-69-58)
◗ Prime Engine adds blinkers and switches to jockey Joe Steiner after squandering the lead in deep stretch in his past two starts.
“He’s run very consistent, but quite honestly I’ve been pretty disappointed in all three of his starts,” trainer Mike Puhich said. “I’ve always thought he was the best horse every time I ran him. I’ve been disappointed with the outcomes but not with his efforts. . . . [We’re adding blinkers] to get him a little more focused down the lane. It’s not like he’s getting tired at the end of the race. It’s more that he’s getting the lead and waiting. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s sitting a little closer to the pace.”
Betrbegone (Last 3 Beyers: 82-55-71)
◗ Betrbegone took advantage of an inside speed bias and a heady ride by Leonel Camacho-Flores to win the Seattle Slew. He picks up six pounds (Derby starters carry 122) while trying to carry his speed an additional 110 yards.