A field of nine sophomore fillies led by Gottstein Futurity champion Northwest Factor are entered in Sunday’s $50,000 Seattle Stakes at six furlongs.
The Seattle is the first of 28 stakes worth an aggregate $1,550,000 in purses to be run in 2019, and first of four open stakes for 3-year-old fillies. It goes as the eighth race at 5:39 p.m.
Voted the track’s champion 2-year-old filly of 2018, Northwest Factor makes her season debut for trainer Steve Bullock and How We Roll #4. A Kentucky-bred by The Factor, Northwest Factor showed versatility as a 2-year-old, capturing the 5½-furlong Angie C Stakes and gutting out a 24 to 1 upset over colts in the 1 1/16-mile Gottstein Futurity.
Mucho Amor, a new shooter from the powerhouse Blaine Wright stable, could go favored Sunday. A beautifully-bred daughter of Mucho Macho Man, Mucho Amor has already showed talent all around the country–scoring a maiden allowance victory at Keeneland, finishing fourth in the Grade 2 Adirondack at Saratoga, and prevailing by four lengths vs. allowance runners on synthetic at Golden Gate in her debut for Wright.
Killarney Lass comes of a 10th in the Grade 3 Providencia on turf at Santa Anita, but she has three career wins for trainer Frank Lucarelli, topped by a sharp one-mile allowance at Golden Gate.
Forty Six Carats, co-owned by Mark Dedomenico and former Washington Husky announcer Bob Rondeau, showed promise as a 2-year-old, romping vs. maiden allowance foes before finishing sixth in the Gottstein.
3-year-old filly series
• May 12: $50,000 Seattle Stakes, 6 furlongs
• June 9: $50,000 Kent Stakes, 6½ furlongs
• July 14: $50,000 Irish Day Stakes, 1 1/16 mile
• Aug 11: $50,000 Washington Oaks, 1 1/8 mile
The field for the $50,000 Seattle Stakes: 1-Killarney Lass, Kevin Orozco, 119 pounds; 2-Lulu’s Lightening, Heribert Martinez, 116; 3-Something About Me, Jorge Carreno, 116; 4-Timberlake Gage, Juan Gutierrez, 116; 5-Northwest Factor, Gary Wales, 120; 6-Slingshot Mistress, Ryan Barber, 116; 7-Hello Bourbon, Jose Zunino, 120; 8-Mucho Amor, Juan Hernandez, 120; 9-Alittlelesstalk, Lorenzo Lopez, 116.
Barkley vs. Sippin Fire on Sunday undercard
Defending Longacres Mile champion Barkley faces defending Horse of the Meeting Sippin Fire in Sunday’s fifth race at Emerald Downs. An allowance/optional claimer at 5½ furlongs, the $21,500 race is a prep for next month’s Governor’s Stakes and marks the season debut for the track’s top two heavyweights.
Barkley has been off since defeating Alert Bay in the $200,000 Longacres Mile (Grade 3) last August. The 6-year-old full horse by Munnings has won Emerald Downs’ stakes at ages 2, 3, 4 and 5, compiling a 9 for 17 mark with earnings of $351,800 for trainer Howard Belvoir and Rising Star Stable III. Regular rider Javier Matias has the mount.
Sippin Fire comes off one of the best campaigns in track history. A 4-year-old Harbor the Gold gelding, Sippin Fire captured a meet-high four stakes as a 3-year-old ranging in distance from 6 1/2 furlongs to 1 1/8 miles, earning $115,425 for trainer Steve Bullock and How We Roll #4. Gary Wales takes over as rider from a sidelined Rocco Bowen.
Barkley and Sippin Fire have trained extremely well this spring, the former capping off an eight-race series of works with a bullet five furlongs in :57 1/5 on May 2, and the latter capping a nine-race series of drills in :58 2/5 last Sunday.
Oh Marvelous Me, third in last year’s Longacres Mile, and Hit the Beach, winner of last year’s Muckleshoot Tribal Classic and Pete Pedersen Overnight Stakes, add depth to a tough six-horse field.
Elliott Bay and Cody’s Choice, second and third to Awhitesportscoat in a 5 1/2-furlong allowance April 28, are entered for a $50,000 claiming tag.
The field for Sunday’s 5th race ($21,500 allowance/optional claiming): 1-Hit the Beach, Heribert Martinez, 120 pounds; 2-Elliott Bay, Jennifer Whitaker, 120; 3-Cody’s Choice, Jorge Carreno, 120; 4-Sippin Fire, Gary Wales, 120; 5-Oh Marvelous Me, Jose Zunino, 120; 6-Barkley, Javier Matias, 120.
Weekend schedule
Friday, May 10
6:30 p.m. (7 races)
Fab Friday T-Shirt Giveaway
Saturday, May 11
2 p.m. (8 races)
Mother’s Day Saturday
Sunday, May 12
2 p.m. (9 races)
Mother’s Day
$50,000 Seattle Stakes (3-year-old fillies, 6 furlongs)
Notes
Seattle Times Executive Editor Don Shelton serves as honorary steward for the Seattle Stakes. … The aggregate Emerald Downs’ record for the seven entrants in Saturday’s third race is 55 for 137 with $701,333 in earnings. Mike Man’s Gold, No. 2 all-time with 19 wins at Emerald Downs, faces Wine At Nine (13 EmD wins), Huya (6), Blame It On Royce (6), Maurice Code (4), So Lucky (4), and Levitation (3). … Saturday’s feature is an $18,500 allowance/optional claimer for older fillies and mares at six furlongs. Papa Mambo, voted the meet’s Top Claimer of 2018, faces Jerre to Carrie, Brilliant Bird, Judicial, Forbidden Maria and Guardian One. … Wine At Nine also is entered back in Sunday’s $10,000 starter allowance for 3-year-olds and up. … Summer weather conditions prevail this weekend: Friday’s expected high is 86 degrees, Saturday’s high is 88 and Sunday 77.
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