AUBURN, Wash. – Koala Beach, a stakes winner less than 10 weeks ago, is scheduled to start in a $15,000 claiming race Friday as Emerald Downs heads into the final four weeks of its 90-day meeting.

Koala Beach would seem to be a bargain for $15,000 – he has earned an average of $12,169 per start during his fledgling career for owner Jeff Harwood. But the 3-year-old gelding finished a distant last in the Emerald Derby in his most recent outing Aug. 15, his second consecutive subpar performance following a victory in the $50,000 Pepsi Cola Handicap in late June.

The top four finishers in the Pepsi Cola Stakes, perhaps the best stakes race of the Emerald Downs meeting, face off again Sunday in the $50,000 Seattle Slew Handicap. The 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds is the final prep for the Emerald Downs Derby on Aug. 15.