Under Par won't be easy to catch in allowance

Under Par will try to carry her considerable speed a middle distance for the first time when she runs in first-level allowance race with a $30,000 claiming option Saturday at Emerald Downs. The one-mile race for fillies and mares drew eight horses and goes as race 7 on an eight-race program that begins at 5 p.m. Pacific.

Trained by Mark Cloutier, Under Par won six races and never finished worse than third in 10 starts at Hastings prior to running at Emerald for the first time on June 30 at the same level as Saturday’s feature. Breaking sharply in the six-furlong dash, she posted quick interior fractions before drawing off to win by 8 3/4 lengths. The 85 Beyer Speed Figure she received is a career best, and it will be interesting to see how far she can carry her high cruising speed.

Her sire, Stephanotis, won the 1 1/4-mile Grade 3 Dominion Day at Woodbine. She is out of Big Bertha, who won sprinting at Emerald and Hastings but also was victorious going 1 1/16 miles on turf at Del Mar.

Under Par will break from post 7 with Denny Velazquez riding.

The main threat to Under Par could come from Yukon Bell, who also is based at Hastings.

The Barbara Heads-trained daughter of Drosselmeyer will appreciate the class relief after running in 13 straight stakes races. She also will appreciate getting away from the sensational Here’s Hannah, who was the 2018 horse of the year in British Columbia and has dominated the older filly and mare division at Hastings this year.

In her last start, Yukon Belle finished third to Here’s Hannah in the $50,000 Monashee on July 13.

Jerre to Carrie, trained by Rigoberto Velasquez, was no match for Under Par last time, but the 6-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Congrats is the only horse in the field with a win at the distance.

67-year-old jockey still winning

Also featured at Emerald on Saturday is the return of the amazing Akifumi Kato. The 67-year-old jockey is on a 48-year streak of winning at least two races a year. He was a two-time winner at Turf Paradise this year, and is the only rider to have won a race at the four major tracks in Washington.

It is appropriate he will be riding Cats Gulch for trainer Arturo Arboleda in the fifth race. Arboleda, 95, is the oldest active trainer in North America.

“It only seemed natural to match him with a horse from Arturo,” Emerald president Phil Ziegler said. “It’s great to recognize a horseman like Mr. Kato, who has contributed so much to our industry.”

Kato rode primarily at Playfair, where he was the all-time leading rider with 1,104 wins. Playfair was located in Spokane, Wash., prior to closing in 2000.