Wright will be key player in all-stakes pick four

Trainer Blaine Wright has a strong hand in all the races that are part of the 50-cent all-stakes pick four Sunday at Emerald Downs. The stakes festival begins in the fifth race with the $75,000 Washington Oaks and culminates with the $150,000 Longacres Mile, where Wright has a big shot with Top Executive. Sandwiched between are the $75,000 Emerald Distaff for fillies and mares and the $75,000 Muckleshoot Derby. The Oaks, Distaff, and Muckleshoot Derby are all at 1 1/16 miles.

The Wright-trained Slack Tide will be a short price in the Oaks and will be a single on many tickets in the pick four. After all, she dominated her opponents in her two sprints at the meet in the $50,000 Seattle on June 19 and $50,000 Kent on July 17.

“All is well,” Wright said. “Whether or not she can do the distance remains to be seen.”

Slack Tide’s breeding suggests she could thrive going a middle distance. She should get plenty of stamina from her sire, Shaman Ghost, who won the Grade 1 Santa Handicap and Queen’s Plate going 1 1/4 miles. She is the first foal out of Impeached, who won going long on turf and dirt.

Slack Tide, who has speed but can stalk, will break from post 8 in the nine-horse field with Kevin Radke up.

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Unsolved Mystery, trained by Charlie Essex, was no match for Slack Tide when she finished second in the Kent, but the Kentucky-bred daughter of Goldencents won the one-mile $75,000 Arizona Oaks on March 11 at Turf Paradise, so she will not mind the added distance.

She could be the one they have to run down if she breaks alertly from post 2 with Alex Cruz aboard.

Gold N Glitter finished full of run to get up for third in the Kent and is trending in the right direction for trainer Kay Cooper.

The Distaff attracted 10 horses, but it appears to be a two-horse race between Princess of Cairo and the Wright-trained Buyback.

Princess of Cairo was an easy winner of the Distaff last year and the Washington Oaks in 2020 for trainer Sandy Gann and owner Glen Todd, who died March 27. She will be making her second start for trainer Mike Puhich and owner Mark DeDomenico following a fourth-place finish June 29 at Churchill Downs behind Travel Column, winner of the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks in 2021.

“She could not be doing any better, and we know she loves the surface at Emerald,” Puhich said.

The 5-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Cairo Prince is a stalker. She should get a nice trip from a forward position after she breaks from post 5 with Geovanni Franco riding.

Buyback, trained by Wright, chased a wicked pace before fading going a mile on turf in the restricted $103,000 Osunitas on July 23 at Del Mar.

Toss that race and focus on her nose loss to Tam’s Little Angel in the $77,250 She’s a Tiger on the main track June 25 at Pleasanton and she looks like a serious threat to Princess of Cairo.

“That was a good race for her at Pleasanton, and she shipped well from Del Mar,” Wright said.

The 6-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Mucho Macho Man will break from post 6 with Evin Roman riding.

The Wright-trained Executive Chef is the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the Muckleshoot Derby, which drew 11 horses.

Executive Chef was racing on dirt for the first time when he romped going six furlongs in the Auburn on June 19 at Emerald and got hung out five wide on the turn before closing with a rush to finish a head behind Itsallabouttheride in the $50,000 Irish Day, a 6 1/2-furlong race July 17.

Executive Chef has an excellent 2-3-1 record from six starts and he won a one-mile maiden special weight race at Golden Gate Fields, so the distance should be within his range. He breaks from post 6 with Kevin Orozco retaining the mount.

Smiling Goodbye is trending in the right direction for trainer Debbie Peery, and the 77 Beyer Speed Figure he received for his win in a first-level allowance race with a $30,000 claiming option July 24 is the best last-race number in the field. He is another one stretching out to a middle distance for the first time.

“He’s a small horse with a big heart,” Peery said. “He just keeps getting better each day, and I think he can go this far. He has speed but he can settle. He will be forwardly placed because that’s the way he runs.”

Itsallabouttheride also is heading in a positive direction for trainer Bonne Jenne.

Despite dueling through honest fractions, he was able to hold off Executive Chef in a big effort in just his fifth start in the Irish Day.