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Fivestargeneral Favored Over Anyportinastorm For Sunday’s Longacres Mile

Anyportinastorm and Five Star General, runners-up the last two years, head a field of 11 older horse entered in Sunday's $100,000 Longacres Mile (G3) for 3-year-olds and up at Emerald Downs.

Papa's Golden Boy, the dominant handicap horse this year at Emerald Downs, and Background, a Midwest shipper with 2021 earnings of over $150,000, are other top contenders in this year's Mile, which goes as race eight on a 10-race card that begins at 2:30 p.m.

Anyportinastorm and Five Star General, owned by Vancouverites Peter Redekop and Glen Todd, respectively, carry high weight of 123 and 122 lbs.

Five Star General is the morning line favorite at 5-2. A 5-year-old Kentucky-bred by Distorted Humor, Five Star General finished second to Anothertwistafate in 2020 and has performed sharply this year with two wins and a third at Hastings Racecourse and gets the riding services two-time Kentucky Derby and two-time Longacres Mile winner Mario Gutierrez.

Anyportinastorm attempts to give Redekop his second straight Mile victory. Although based in California with Peter Miller, the 7-year-old full horse is no stranger to Emerald Downs, capturing 2019 Horse of the Meeting honors and missing by a head to Law Abidin Citizen in the 2019 Mile. The 3-1 second choice on the morning line, Anyportinastorm is ridden by three-time Longacres Mile winner Juan Gutierrez.

Papa's Golden Boy and Background both carry 121 lbs. and are 9-2 and 5-1 on the morning line.

Trained by Vince Gibson and owned by Gary, Deborah, Jeff and Peyton Lusk of Puyallup, Papa's Golden Boy is among the fastest sprinters in Emerald Downs history. Papa's Golden Boy is three for three this season and posted meet-fastest times scoring blowouts in the 5 ½-furlong Budweiser Stakes (1:02.11) and 6 ½- furlong Governor's Stakes (1:14.50). A 5-year-old Washington-bred by Harbor the Gold, Papa's Golden Boy bids to become the first Washington-bred since Stryker Phd in 2015 to win the Mile.

Papa's Golden Boy drew the No. 1 post-position with regular rider Julien Couton taking the mount. According to Gibson, the gameplan is no secret.

“He drew the No. 1 (post) in his last two races, so this is perfect for him,” Gibson said. “Being inside, we pretty much have to send him out of there, but that would have been the plan wherever he drew. I've trained him harder for this one and he's ready to go. Any horse that tries to put heat on us (early) is in trouble.”

Background scored a pair of allowance victories this spring at the tough Oaklawn Park meeting and leads the field in 2021 earnings with $153,536. Three-time Emerald Downs riding champion Rocco Bowen returns and takes the mount for trainer Mike Puhich and owners Bob and Molly Rondeau of Normandy Park.

The longtime voice of University of Washington football and basketball, Bob Rondeau and Puhich have had horses together since 1984 but never a Mile starter.

“It's an absolute thrill to get to run in the Longacres Mile,” Rondeau said. “(Background) isn't a superstar but he's a really honest horse, and he seems to really be enjoying the Northwest.”

Background dropped a heartbreaker in his most recent start June 26, missing by a head to Guest Suite in the $100,000 Hanshin Cup at Arlington Park, and completed preparation for the Mile with a six-furlong breeze in 1:12 2/5 at the Pegasus Training Center in Redmond.

Seamist Racing's Windribbon, 10-1 on the line, could give trainer Blaine Wright a second straight Mile victory. A 5-year-old California-bred by Sway Away, Windribbon ran the fastest six furlongs of the meet, 1:07.53, and adds fuel to the early pace. Like Papa's Golden Boy, Windribbon must prove he can get the mile distance.

Forest Fire, a newcomer from the east coast, attempts to give owner John Parker his second Mile victory. A 6-year-old Pennsylvania-bred now trained by Candi Cryderman, Forest Fire is 10 for 28 lifetime with earnings of $379,518.

Hard to Deny, winner of two straight mile allowances at Emerald Downs, and Unmachable, winner of stakes each of the last two seasons at Emerald Downs, are both 15 to 1.

Canadian shipper Sir Bregovic is 4 for 4 in 2021, all sprints at Hastings Racecourse, and adds even more speed to what promises to be a fast early pace.

Reelfoot and Muncey are both 30 to 1. Reelfoot is a four-time winner in 2021, albeit at lower class levels, and Muncey hails from the barn of three-time Longacres Mile-winning trainer Howard Belvoir.

In the $50,000 Emerald Distaff, local sensation Daffodil Sweet heads a field of eight older fillies and mares at a mile and one-sixteenth. Trained by Chris Stenslie for One Horse Will Do Corp. and Steve Shimizu, Daffodil Sweet is a triple winner at the meet and 6-1-0 in eight starts overall including two stakes wins.

Canadian shipper Princess of Cairo, who upended Daffodil Sweet in the 2020 Washington Oaks, and multiple stakes winner Killarney Lass are top contenders in the Distaff.

$100,000 Longacres Mile (G3), Sunday, Aug. 15, Race 8
1: Papa's Golden Boy, Julien Couton, 9/2
2: Forest Fire, Erick Lopez, 12/1
3: Windribbon, Kevin Orozco, 10/1
4: Hard to Deny, Alex Cruz, 15/1
5: Anyportinastorm, Juan Gutierrez, 3/1
6: Muncey, Jennifer Whitaker, 30/1
7: Background, Rocco Bowen, 5/1
8: Five Star General, Mario Gutierrez, 5/2
9: Unmachable, Javier Matias, 15/1
10: Sir Bregovic, Leslie Mawing, 20/1
11: Reelfoot, Jose Zunino, 30/1

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‘Better Than Normal’ Noble Drama To Take A Shot In Charles Town Classic

Although Harold Queen's Noble Drama would have been looked upon as a 'sure thing' by many bettors, the 6-year-old multiple-stakes winner with Grade 1 bloodlines will bypass a title defense in Saturday's $75,000 Benny The Bull at Gulfstream Park in search of graded glory.

“I'm thinking Charles Town,” trainer David Fawkes said Wednesday.

Fawkes has his sights set on the $800,000 Charles Town Classic (G2), a 1 1/8-mile stakes for 3-year-olds and up scheduled for Aug. 27.

“I think he fits in there really well,” Fawkes said, “and I've won the race before.”

Fawkes saddled Duke of Mischief for a 2 ¼-length victory over Game on Dude in the 2011 Charles Town Classic. The Florida-bred son of Graeme Hall returned the following year to finish second behind Caixa Eletronica.

Out of a half-sister to 2010 Eclipse Award-winning sprinter Big Drama and full sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Sheer Drama, Noble Drama has won seven stakes and more than $700,000 in purses while racing in Florida, but the gelded son of Gone Astray came up short in only one graded-stakes opportunity.

“I just think this year he's gotten better than normal. He seems better than he used to be,” Fawkes said. “His comeback race was good and his second race is better. I just feel like he's doing really good and deserves an opportunity like that.”

Fan Favorite Noble Drama is 2-for-2 in mile overnight handicap starts since returning from a four-month layoff following his second-place finish in the $200,000 Sunshine Classic during Gulfstream's Championship Meet. He captured the May 22 My Name's Jimmy with a last-to-first surge before defeating a very talented field of rivals with another last to first score in the July 11 City of Dania.

In Noble Drama's absence, a field of seven veteran stakes performers has been assembled for the Benny The Bull, a seven-furlong stakes for Florida-breds.

Jacks or Better Farm Inc.'s Shivaree and Garter and Tie were entered Wednesday with trainer Ralph Nicks hoping that the homebreds can return to winning form. Shivaree, the runner-up in the 2020 Florida Derby (G1), is winless in four starts this year. Garter and Tie, a multiple-stakes winner who finished a troubled third behind Noble Drama in last year's Benny The Bull, is scheduled to make his 2021 debut Saturday.

Owner/trainer Kathleen O'Connell's Well Defined, who captured the 2019 Sam F. Davis (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs, is scheduled to seek his fifth victory in eight races this year in the Benny The Bull. Gary Barber and Michael Sebastian's Untitled, who finished second in the 2020 Gotham (G3) at Aqueduct, is set to come off a 5 ½-month layoff.

Owner/trainer Larry Bates' With Verve, owner/trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Silver Enough, IAB Stables and Walter Fralick's Quenane; Rodney Lundock's Pro Quality round out the field; and Hacienda Real Racing LLC's Travy Boy round out the field.

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Doctor Jeff Faces 11 Talented Juveniles In Saturday’s Saratoga Special

Doctor Jeff, fresh off his debut win last month at Belmont Park, will take the step up in class and face stakes company for the first time as part of a 12-horse field of talented juveniles in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Saratoga Special presented by Miller Lite at Saratoga Race Course.

The 116th running of the Saratoga Special, contested at 6 1/2 furlongs on the main track in Race 9, is one of two stakes on the 11-race card that will be bolstered by the Grade 1, $500,000 Fourstardave Handicap for 3-year-olds up going one mile on the inner turf in Race 10 that is a “Win and You're In” qualifier to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile.

Michael Dubb and Michael Caruso's Doctor Jeff won first out in a six-furlong sprint taken off the turf at Belmont on July 10. The Street Boss colt earned a Saratoga Special field-high 78 Beyer Speed Figure for his 2 1/4-length victory for trainer Rudy Rodriguez and subsequently shipped to Saratoga, where he recorded three breezes over the main track, including a bullet five-furlong work in 59.61 seconds on Sunday.

“I'm just very happy with the way he's training over here,” Rodriguez said. “He beat some tough horses the first time and he did it the right way. We just take it day-by-day, but he's been training over here for a while. If he doesn't like the track now, he's never going to like it.”

Joel Rosario, aboard for Doctor Jeff's win and the winner of last year's Saratoga Special riding Jackie's Warrior, will have the return call from post 8.

Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, fresh off a whirlwind week in which he broke the record for most wins by a North American thoroughbred trainer, will have a strong chance to add to that total in saddling a pair of Winchell Thoroughbred homebreds in Gunite and Red Run.

The duo are both sons of Gun Runner, who Asmussen also trained during a stellar career that netted two Eclipse Awards, including 2017 Horse of the Year honors as well as that year's Champion Older Dirt Male.

“It's extremely exciting. All a part of what makes racing great,” Asmussen said. “We're fortunate to have horses like that and then have the chance for them to prove it. It's amazing how he stamps them just with their attitude. Obviously, he gave them a tremendous amount of ability to find more than what matters. Winning and losing is usually the amount of effort willing to be applied.”

Gunite has given that effort through his first three starts, improving in each race, culminating with a maiden-breaking win last out on June 26 going six furlongs at Churchill Downs. Gunite ran third on debut in April over a sloppy and sealed track at five furlongs and stayed at the same distance in following with a runner-up effort on a fast Churchill course in May.

Asmussen said stretching Gunite out in his last start was beneficial.

“The distance had everything to do with it,” Asmussen said. “Going from five-eighths, five-and-a-half, three-quarters and go third, second and first. That's how it felt to us.”

Ricardo Santana, Jr. will have the mount for a third consecutive time, drawing post 2. Gunite will add blinkers.

Red Run also could be a colt who might appreciate added distance. He boasts an impressive pedigree out of the Tapit mare Red House, who is a full-sister to 2014 Kentucky Oaks winner and Champion 3-Year-Old filly Untapable.

Red Run won going five furlongs on a sloppy Churchill track on May 9 before running fifth in the Grade 3 Bashford Manor on June 26 at Churchill stretched out to six furlongs.

“He's going to need considerably further. The pedigree suggests it also with his female side of the family,” Asmussen said. “I chose him to run here for his next step; he's needing one.”

Manny Franco will be in the irons from the outermost post 12.

Fellow Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will also send out a couple of talented colts, including Phoenix Thoroughbreds' Double Thunder, who won the Bashford Manor by 4 3/4 lengths under Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez. The son of Super Saver is 2-for-2 to start his career, winning on June 5 at Monmouth before graduating against stakes company later in the month.

After drawing away at Churchill and improving his career earnings to a field-high $116,850, Double Thunder will compete at Saratoga for the first time, teaming again with Velazquez in breaking from post 7.

Pletcher's other contender, Repole Stable's Midnight Worker, showed an affinity for Saratoga already, edging Bourbon Heist by a head for a debut win going six furlongs at the historic track on July 24.

Midnight Worker, a son of Outwork, will pick up the services of jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., departing from post 5.

Nakatomi added to trainer Wesley Ward's ever-growing list of first-out winners in April at Keeneland with a victory in a 4 1/2-furlong contest over a sloppy and sealed track. That set up the Firing Line gelding's cross-Atlantic trip to Ascot, where he ran eighth in the Group 2 Norfolk going five furlongs on June 17.

Owned by Qatar Racing, M. Detampel and D. Howden, Nakatomi registered a breeze on the Saratoga main track on Thursday and will see Hall of Famer Javier Castellano will pick up the mount for the first time, exiting the inside post.

Greg Tramontin's Ottoman Empire was a debut winner, topping an 11-horse field in a five-furlong sprint on June 20 at Churchill Downs. Trainer Tom Amoss then moved the son of Classic Empire up in class early in the Saratoga meet, where he ran fourth in the six-furlong Grade 3 Sanford over a main track rated good on July 17.

Ottoman Empire, a $120,000 purchase at last year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale, will look to parlay his graded stakes experience into black type, picking up the services of jockey Dylan Davis from post 3. He will also add blinkers.

Robert Masterson's Glacial won his first race for trainer Norm Casse in May at Churchill before running third in the Bashford Manor in his previous start. The son of Frosted, a $140,000 purchase at the OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training will pick up the services of Tyler Gaffalione in breaking from post 10.

Rounding out the field is High Oak, a first-out winner for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott on June 26 at Belmont [post 11, Junior Alvarado]; Stolen Base, a debut victor on July 23 at Saratoga for meet-leading trainer Mike Maker [post 6, Jose Ortiz]; Dance Code, third in the Grade 3 Sanford after winning his debut in June at Parx for conditioner Juan Vazquez [post 9, Jose Lezcano]; and Kitodan, who broke his maiden at fourth asking in July at Gulfstream Park, for trainer Jorge Delgado [post 4, Chantal Sutherland].

Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

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Sea Foam Goes Gate To Wire In Evan Shipman; First Win For Trainer Michelle Giangiulio

Ten Strike Racing and Four Corners Racing Stable's Sea Foam made every pole a winning one to provide trainer Michelle Giangiulio her first career win in Wednesday's $100,000 Evan Shipman Handicap, a nine-furlong test for New York-breds 3-years-old and up at Saratoga Race Course.

Claimed for $45,000 out of a winning effort in a nine-furlong state-bred optional-claiming route on July 30 at Saratoga, Sea Foam provided Giangiulio her first win in just her sixth career start.

“My mind is blown right now,” Giangiulio said. “It's just epic. My first starter was in [February]. I actually got my trainer's license right at the end of 2020. This is only my sixth start; I have five horses. I've had one win, three seconds and two thirds, so they've been running really, really good.”

Sea Foam broke sharply from post 3 under Joel Rosario and led the five-horse field into the first turn with 3-2 mutuel favorite Mr. Buff pinned to the rail by Three Jokers as the opening quarter-mile elapsed in 24.10 seconds on the fast main track.

Sea Foam dictated terms down the backstretch through a half-mile in 48.10 and three-quarters in 1:12.27 as Three Jokers continued to press with Mr. Buff unable to stretch his significant frame.

Danny California, an optional-claiming winner on Saturday at the Spa, advanced outside rivals through the final turn, but Sea Foam opened up a two-length lead at the stretch call and drew off to a five-length score in a final time of 1:50.91.

Three Jokers completed the exacta by three lengths over Danny California. Rounding out the order of finish were Winston's Chance and Mr. Buff.

Giangiulio said the classy Sea Foam exited his recent win in good order.

“He came out of his last race really well and this race came up a light field. We said we might as well take a shot,” Giangiulio said. “I figured we'd have a huge chance and we might as well run him if he's good, and it worked out.

“I just told Joel to break and go,” she added. “The horse runs best on the lead and that's how he wins. He gave him a perfect trip.”

Giangiulio said she was impressed with the way Sea Foam extended his advantage out of the final turn.

“I didn't think he was going to open up like that,” Giangiulio said. “With Three Jokers coming up to him a little, I guess he just needed to see another horse to kick back in, and he did. It was awesome.”

A 6-year-old son of Medaglia d'Oro, out of the graded-stakes winning Unbridled's Song mare Strike It Rich, Sea Foam captured the 2017 Notebook at Aqueduct and a year later won the New York Derby at Finger Lakes and the Albany at Saratoga.

Rosario said Sea Foam was traveling comfortably throughout.

“He took the lead and he likes to do that. He was going nice and easy and past the three-eighths [pole], he kind of got away a little bit and he ran big again,” Rosario said. “He showed that he improves when he goes to the lead. He's a really nice horse and he tries hard all the time.”

A former assistant to trainers such as Joe Sharp and Tom Morley, Giangiulio boasts a perfect in-the-money record though six starts, sporting a ledger of 6-1-3-2, dating to a third-place finish by Parade Field in February at Aqueduct.

Subsequent starters for Giangiulio include Easy Shot [2nd, June 17 at Belmont Park], True Castle [2nd, July 4, Belmont], Wagon Boss [3rd, July 15, Saratoga], and Joey Loose Lips [2nd, August 5, Saratoga].

Bred in the Empire State by Waterville Lake Stables, Sea Foam banked $55,000 in victory while improving his record to 23-9-3-2. He paid $12 for a $2 win ticket.

Live racing resumes Thursday with a 10-race card highlighted by the 17th running of the $100,000 Saratoga Dew. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern.

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