Wine At Nine tries for 18th local win
Wine At Nine will try to win for the 21st time when he runs in a $10,000 starter race with a $15,000 claiming option at Emerald Downs on Wednesday.
With 17 of his victories having come at Emerald, Wine At Nine is tied for third on the all-time wins list at the Auburn, Wash., oval with Buddy Dave and Olympic Lights. Mike Mans Gold, who won his 24th race at Emerald last Thursday, heads the list with West Seattle Boy, 21, second.
Wine At Nine is also going for a hat trick in the 5 1/2-furlong dash, which drew seven horses. It goes as race seven on an eight-race card that begins at 6 p.m. Pacific.
His recent wins came at Turf Paradise. The first, on March 24, was for trainer Joe Toye in a $10,000 conditioned claimer where he was a bit of a surprise as reflected by the $16.80 win price in the 7 1/2-furlong race. The race was just his second try on turf, and the only other time he ran on grass he went unplaced in an $8,000 starter with a $20,000 claiming option at Turf Paradise on Feb. 10.
Acting on behalf of himself and Dean Mazzucca, trainer Frank Lucarelli claimed Wine At Nine on March 24. They received an immediate return on their investment April 30 when the 9-year-old son of Divine Park earned $10,435 for winning a first-level allowance race with a $10,000 claiming option at a mile on the main track.
Wine At Nine was sold privately after that victory and returned to trainer Vince Gibson. Under Gibson’s handling, Wine At Nine has won 14 races.
A five-time winner at 5 1/2 furlongs, Wine At Nine will break from post 2 with Javier Matias riding.
Candy Zip is also going for a third victory in a row, but he has not raced since winning an $8,000 claimer for nonwinners of two at Los Alamitos on June 28, 2020. His previous win came going 870 yards in a $10,000 claimer open to Quarter Horses at Los Alamitos in his first start of 2020 on May 23.
The Robert Bean-trained 6-year-old can fire fresh, has been working fast, and could be tough to run down if he breaks alertly from his inside post with Connie Doll riding.
Silver Fury should be okay with the cutback to a sprint after his win going a mile in a $12,500 claimer at Golden Gate on May 2.
The 6-year-old son of Old Fashioned was making his first start for trainer Candy Cryderman, who claimed him for $5,000 on behalf of John Parker on April 16.