Washington champ Elliott Bay needs best to win Auburn Stakes

Elliott Bay will make his 3-year-old debut in the $50,000 Auburn Stakes on Sunday at Emerald Downs. The 2017 champion 2-year-old in Washington, Elliott Bay will need to be on top of his game to win the six-furlong dash for 3-year-olds, which drew a solid 11-horse field.

Trained by Howard Belvoir, Elliott Bay won the $45,000 WTBOA Lads at Emerald going six furlongs in August, but his most impressive performance was when he went around two turns in the $95,000 Gottstein Futurity there. With Jennifer Whittaker aboard, he was forwardly placed and took control of the 1 1/16-mile race at the top of the stretch.

Belvoir is happy with how Elliott Bay is coming up to the race.

“He’s filled out nicely and grown into himself,” he said. “I was hoping to run him in allowance race a few weeks back, but the race didn’t fill. I was a bit surprised when 11 horses entered this race.”

There should a fast and contested pace to work with for Elliott Bay, who typically stalks the pace.

He will break from post 10 with Whitaker retaining the mount.

The field is deep and includes My Heart Awakens, who was an easy front-running winner of his first two starts last year. Trained by David Martinez, he was sent off as the favorite in the Gottstein but got eliminated at the start and was eventually eased.

He has fired bullets in five of his last six works and appears to be primed for a big effort coming off the bench with Leonel Camacho-Flores riding. Expect to see him among the early leaders after he breaks from post 9.

Choreography couldn’t have been more impressive winning a maiden special weight race April 28 in his second start and first at Emerald. With Austin Solis aboard, he broke sharply and kept widening while in hand in the 5 1/2-furlong dash. Solis, the son of Hall of Fame jockey Alex Solis, retains the mount.

Choreography is trained by Sandy Gann and owned by Glen Todd. He has the pedigree to be a decent horse, being out of the stakes-winning sprinter Silver Crown, who earned $272,486. Among his five siblings – all winners – are Mr. Fuzzybottom, who won 16 races and earned $262,256, and How Do I Win, who finished third in the Grade 3 Bay Shore at Aqueduct.

“He can run a bit, and Austin said his father was coming up to see the race,” said Todd, who trains horses at his base of Hastings.

Whatwasithinking has the look of a serious contender. Trained by Frank Lucarelli, he is coming off a sharp win in a first-level allowance race with a $40,000 claiming option April 13 at Golden Gate Fields.

Sippin Fire makes his first start of the year. In four starts last year, he won his debut and the $50,000 Washington Cup Juvenile Colts and Geldings and had a rough trip finishing second to Elliott Bay in the WTBOA Lads. Leading rider Rocco Bowen will be aboard for trainer Steve Bullock.