Weekend Wizard, Sippin Fire square off in Muckleshoot Derby

Hastings invader Weekend Wizard and locally based Sippin Fire will settle who the best 3-year-old in the Northwest is when they face each other Sunday in the $50,000 Muckleshoot Derby at Emerald Downs. The 1 1/8-mile race is the first leg of the Northwest Triple, which also includes the Grade 3, $150,000 British Columba Derby at Hastings on Sept. 8 and the $100,000 Getaway Stakes at Emerald on Sept 23. If a horse wins all three races, he will receive a $100,000 bonus.

The nine horses entered in the Muckleshoot Derby each will carry 122 pounds.

Weekend Wizard, trained by Craig MacPherson, romped by six lengths in the $50,000 Chris Loseth Handicap on July 1 at Hastings. The 88 Beyer he received is easily the best in the field, and if he can produce a similar figure away from home he’ll be tough to beat.

Sippin Fire received a 76 Beyer for his rallying 2 3/4-length victory over Smoothee Lee in the $50,000 Seattle Slew Stakes on July 8 at Emerald. He has the home-track advantage, and with a fast pace expected the race could set up for him.

“He’s ready to rock,” said his trainer, Steve Bullock. “He came out of his last race in great shape and he worked a strong five furlongs last Saturday. I’m hoping for a little pace.”

Bullock is also hoping Sippin Fire can do a little better than his full brothers Couldabenthewhisky and Del Rio Harbor, who finished second in the Emerald Derby in 2011 and 2014, respectively.

A Washington-bred son of Harbor the Gold, Sippin Fire will break from post 6 with leading jockey Rocco Bowen riding.

MacPherson is hoping for a clean beginning for Weekend Wizard when he breaks from post 8 with Julien Couton aboard for the first time.

“He doesn’t handle adversity very well and he needs to get into a good position early,” said MacPherson. “He doesn’t have to be on the lead, and he can make two runs in a race, but when he got bumped around in a couple of his races he just didn’t put out.”

Smoothee Lee surprised trainer Frank Lucarelli when he ran a big race to finish second in the Seattle Slew. The Kentucky-bred son of Sidney’s Candy was coming off a fourth-place finish in a $15,000 claimer for 3-year-olds going six furlongs.

“I just threw him in the Seattle Slew because I knew he wanted to go long,” said Lucarelli. “He went from being a claimer to a derby contender after the Seattle Slew.”

Argosy Fleet will try to give trainer Blaine Wright his third win in the derby in the last six years. He saddled the first two finishers, Riser and Aqua Frio, last year.

Argosy Fleet looked like a potential star when he finished a troubled second in the $50,000 River Rock Casino at Hastings on June 3, but was a no-show in the Chris Loseth, where he finished sixth.

Freiburg will be the one they have to run down, but he is questionable at the distance. In his only route attempt he set a fast pace under pressure before being eased in the Seattle Slew.