Whenducksfly take long route back to Emerald Downs
Whenducksfly has taken a somewhat unconventional route to arrive at Saturday’s featured seventh race at Emerald Downs.
He is part of a field of eight for the six-furlong race. The sprint is for 3-year-olds and up who have never won three races, and the claiming price is $15,000.
Whenducksfly is back in the conditioned ranks after facing open claiming rivals in an Aug. 1 sprint at Del Mar. He set the pace in the six-furlong race and finished ninth while racing for a claiming price of $7,000.
The start marked a return to Thoroughbred racing for Whenducksfly, who has spent much of his career competing in 1,000-yard “hook races” open to Quarter Horses. He’s been a regular at Los Alamitos, and it was there where he cleared his nonwinners-of-two lifetime condition over 1,000 yards on May 2.
Whenducksfly does have some Emerald Downs form, as he made his career debut at the track on July 14, 2019. He ran fourth in the maiden race and was claimed out of it for $25,000. Whenducksfly is a Washington-bred son of Harbor the Gold.
Julien Couton has the mount from post 5 for trainer Jeff Metz.
Coastal Jazz is a class play as one who has spent his career facing better. He was an uncharacteristic 10th last out in a first-level allowance over 6 1/2 furlongs at Emerald Downs. The race has since produced three next-out winners, with fourth-place finisher Nationheart, ninth-place finisher Forever Gold, and 11th-place finisher Orcadian Storm all returning to win conditioned-claiming races at Emerald Downs.
Coastal Jazz is a speed horse who will break from post 8. Juan Gutierrez has the mount for trainer Steve Bullock.
Other contenders include Brother Robert, who owns the field’s best last-race Beyer Speed Figure. He earned the number, a 63, for his win over $10,000 conditioned-claiming rivals July 11 at Lone Star Park near Dallas.
Trainer Frank Lucarelli, who had a division of horses on the Texas circuit for the first time in his career in 2021, claimed Brother Robert out of the race on behalf of the ownership of Chad and Josh. Leslie Mawing has the mount from post 4.
The card Saturday also spotlights 2-year-old fillies. A field of seven meets in a $25,000 maiden-claiming sprint at five furlongs. There are first-time starters in the race by Awesome Again and Atta Boy Roy.
Fire Escape, who was second in her debut on July 17 at Pleasanton, will add Lasix.