Wide-open Mount Rainier headlines Longacres Mile Preview Day

The $50,000 Mount Rainier headlines Longacres Mile Preview Day at Emerald Downs Sunday. The final local prep for the Grade 3, $200,000 Longacres Mile, the Mount Rainier is one of four stakes on the 10-race card, which begins at 2 p.m. Pacific at the Auburn, Wash., oval.

The 1 1/16-mile Mount Rainier anchors an all-stakes pick four that begins on race 5 with the $50,000 King County Express for 2-year-old colts and geldings. The Frank Lucarelli-trained Show Me the Mints figures to be a short price in the 5 1/2-furlong dash. The $50,000 Angie C. for 2-year-old fillies appears to be a wide-open event, as does the third leg in the sequence, the $50,000 Boeing for fillies and mares.

Anyportinastorm is easily the best older horse at Emerald, but following his decisive win in the $50,000 Budweiser Stakes on June 30, trainer Blaine Wright said the 5-year-old son of City Zip would pass on the Mount Rainier and work his way into the Aug. 11 Longacres Mile.

With Anyportinastorm on the sidelines, the Mount Rainier became a crapshoot, and it is not an easy task separating the nine horses entered.

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Respect the Hustle ships in from California, where he beat More Power to Him by a head in a second-level allowance race with a $62,500 claiming option at Pleasanton on July 7.

Respect the Hustle will break from the outside post with leading rider Gary Wales aboard.

More Power to Him, trained by Faith Taylor, also made the trip north. The 5-year-old California-bred will break from post 8 with Kevin Orozco riding. The last time he ran here, he finished a close third to Riser in the 2017 $75,000 Emerald Downs Derby.

Respect the Hustle, trained by Bill McLean, is perfect in two starts on dirt. He also won the $75,000 Oak Tree Juvenile at Pleasanton in 2017.

The Mount Rainer wasn’t on McLean’s radar, and prior to Respect the Hustle’s latest win, he was planning on taking the 4-year-old Kentucky-bred to Del Mar.

Fred Desimone, part-owner of Respect the Hustle, had other ideas, though.

“He runs well on turf and I was looking forward to taking him to Del Mar,” said McLean. “But before we got out of the winner’s circle Fred told me he had nominated him to the Mount Rainier. He’s a nice horse and handles dirt very well. I am a little concerned about him coming back this soon, but Tim said he handled the ship well and hopefully he runs his race.”

McLean was referring to Tim McCanna who will be Respect the Hustle’s trainer of record for the Rainier.

The Wright-trained Oh Marvelous Me could end up favored. He was the runner-up to his stablemate Anyportinastorm in the Governor’s and the Budweiser. The 7-year-old son of Bluegrass Cat finished third in the Longacres Mile last year.

El Huerfano should appreciate the move back to a route after not firing in his first start at Emerald in the 6 1/2-furlong Budweiser. Trained by Chris Stenslie, El Huerfano came into the Budweiser following back-to-back wins going around two turns in $62,500 optional claiming races at Santa Anita on April 27 and May 24. He could be the one they have to run down with Agapito Delgadillo riding.

◗ Fly Far Away is one of three possibilities for Wright in the Boeing. The 6-year-old daughter of Pleasantly Perfect looked good winning a conditioned allowance race with a $30,000 claiming option on June 29 and could be peaking at the right time. Wright has won seven of the 10 stakes races at the meet.

Wright also has solid chances with Bella Ami, who figures to be involved early, and Reginella, who won the Emerald Distaff last year.

◗ Leading trainer Frank Lucarelli should win the King County Express with Show Me the Mints. The Washington-bred son of Coast Guard finished second in his only start in a maiden special weight race on June 16, and the 45 Beyer he received stands out.

◗ There are just a couple of winners in the King County, but seven of the 11 horses entered in the Angie C. come into the 5 1/2-furlong dash off a victory.

You Go Girl is a maiden but only because she had to steady sharply at the seven-sixteenths pole when she finished second behind Devilish Diva in a maiden special weight race in her second start on June 7.

Trained by Steve Bullock, You Go Girl also ran a big race in her debut, finishing second to Windy Point. Julien Couton picks up the mount from Gary Wales.

Devilish Diva and Windy Point are part of the Angie C. field.