Zazen has Beyer advantage in speed-laden sprint

Zazen brings a towering Beyer Speed Figure edge back to Emerald Downs and seems the horse to beat in Sunday’s six-furlong allowance feature.

Owned by Sue and Tim Spooner, Zazen returns to the Auburn, Wash., track to face six others on Sunday.

Dan Markle trains the daughter of Grazen who, in recent times, has made a home for herself on the Tapeta surface at Golden Gate Fields. With that venue permanently closing this weekend, Zazen returns to her old stomping grounds where she will meet a number of speed horses in a scenario that should be to her liking.

Zazen appeared at Emerald just once last season, finishing fourth, beaten 5 1/2 lengths by Blazingbellablu, in the Hastings Stakes. After that race she was sidelined for almost four months.

Although her Beyer Speed Figures were earned on a synthetic surface, Zazen figures to take lots of wagering support.

The opposition is headed by Ruby Ray, a Justin Evans trainee who was fortunate enough to draw the outside post Sunday.

“The post is going to help,” Evans said. “She was really up against it in her first start” at Emerald Downs.

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“She’s a filly with a lot of talent, and I don’t think we have scratched the surface yet.”

Ruby Ray does not need the early lead to win. In her latest start, she led at the first call for the first time in seven dirt starts while pinned inside by her pace competition.

Zippin Sevenz also should appreciate the likely pace scenario. An Alan Bozell trainee making her first start of 2023, Zippin Sevenz was third, beaten a neck, one year ago when returning from an identical layoff. She is a tractable sprinter.

Chief among the expected pace players are Miss Dynamic and Miss Bella, who went head to head on the front end facing similar company last August. Miss Dynamic had the luxury of the outside that day. On Sunday, she must begin from the rail.

Miss Dynamic is trained by Rigoberto Velasquez, while Miss Bella hails from the barn of Blaine Wright.

The early battle staged by Miss Dynamic and Miss Bella allowed Zippin Sevenz and Silvery Orb to pass them late. Silvery Orb also is in Sunday’s field. She hails from the barn of Tom Wenzel.

You Go Girl, a Steve Bullock trainee, should be just behind the top flight. Like Zazen, she has done her best recent work on the synthetic surface at Golden Gate. The daughter of Coast Guard has raced 34 times at Emerald Downs, winning five times and banking $137,881 locally.

The Sunday card begins at 1:30 p.m. Pacific with pleasant weather expected.

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