Whiskeyjack will make his first start versus older foes in Saturday’s six-furlong allowance headliner at Emerald Downs. The sophomore burst onto the Emerald scene two months ago with an eye-catching come-from-behind victory after a terrible start. Since then, the Ryland Harwood trainee has raced exclusively in sophomore stakes company without winning. On July 13, in the Irish Day Stakes, the gelding found himself rather helpless in a four-horse field and behind a crawling pace for stakes-caliber runners. He finished a solid second, 2 1/4 lengths to the good of then-divisional leader Miner League, winner of the 2023 Gottstein Futurity. In his next start, the Muckleshoot Derby, Whiskeyjack again found himself behind a moderate early tempo in a race where the pair who finished in front of him were ahead of him all the way. The race was won by Dynamic Secret, a horse who finished second behind Whiskeyjack on July 3. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. Another four weeks have passed since the Derby, with Whiskeyjack scheduled to step in against his elders for the first time. Harwood reports that his charge is “training well, eating, and growing.” The opposition includes a six-pack of older foes, many of which are of the win-shy nature. Chief among the competition is Pirate Red, who arrives off consecutive daylight sprint wins and who brings strong tactical speed to his outside draw. He’s one of a pair trained by Frank Lucarelli. The gelding just won in 1:14.66 for 6 1/2 furlongs on Aug. 9. The other Lucarelli charge is It’s Turbo, a runner who should be complemented by his barnmate’s considerable early speed. It’s Turbo has a knack for coming from behind and not quite getting there. His only career win came in August 2022 in the WTBOA Lads Stakes. Another contender is Nine One One, a 6-year-old who, despite having spent most of his time in British Columbia, has managed to race at Hastings just four times. He has not won in those four starts, but he has not lost by more than one length. Nine One One has raced slightly more often at Emerald Downs, site of his only two career wins in 2022. Trainer Robert Gilker has compiled a 5-for-13 record at Emerald with all starters over the past five years. A pair of closers in the field, sporting identical records, are Firewalker and Naval Escort. Each lists three career wins from 25 lifetime starts. More often than not, each has attempted, unsuccessfully, to come from behind and find the winner’s enclosure. Firewalker is trained by Howard Belvoir, while Naval Escort is trained by David Martinez. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.