$50,000 Auburn Handicap draws 14 nomination | Emerald Downs

The $50,000 Auburn Handicap for 3-year-old colts and geldings drew 14 nominations including Emerald Downs stakes winners Prime Engine, Track Attacker and Daytona Beach.

May 17, 2015 3:39 pm

The $50,000 Auburn Handicap for 3-year-old colts and geldings drew 14 nominations including Emerald Downs stakes winners Prime Engine, Track Attacker and Daytona Beach.

At 6 ½ furlongs, the May 24 Auburn is the first of four open races this season for the sophomore division and lone sprint in the series, which also features the Coca-Cola Handicap at one mile, the Seattle Slew Handicap at 1 1/16 miles, and the championship Emerald Downs Derby at 1 1/8 miles.

Nominations include four horses owned by Dr. Mark Dedomenico, led by Prime Engine, a Northern Afleet colt that knocked Trackattacker from the undefeated ranks while romping by 5-½ lengths in the 1 1/16-mile Gottstein Futurity. Prime Engine subsequently was eighth at 9-to-2 odds in the $1 million Delta Downs Jackpot, but seems back on track while logging a swift series of drills for trainer Mike Puhich.

Trackattacker is undefeated sprinting, compiling a 5-for-5 mark around one turn, and could have a fitness edge following his gate-to-wire allowance win on May 10. Trackattacker piled up a slew of awards last year including Emerald Downs’ Top 2-year-old and champion WTBOA 2-year-old.

Daytona Beach is from the barn of the track’s all-time leading stakes trainer, Doris Harwood, and finished 2014 with back-to-back blowout wins, including a 5 ½-length score in the NWSS Cahill Road Stakes at six furlongs.

O B Harbor makes his stakes debut in the Auburn, but the Oregon-bred figures to be well backed after a sensational season debut last month. The Harbor the Gold gelding romped by seven lengths in a $21,000 allowance race, running 5 ½ furlongs in a meet best 1:02.39 and earning an 83 Beyer. The runner-up in that race, Betrbegone, subsequently notched a 2 ¾-length victory in a May 15 allowance test.

$50,000 Auburn Handicap, Sunday, May 24

3-Year-Old Colts & Geldings, 6 ½ Furlongs

Horse. . . . . . . . . .Owner. . . . . . . . .Trainer

Arrom Bear (3-WA) Center Point Racing & Sabers Drawn Racing Frank Lucarelli

Cash N Dash (3-WA) Karen Kirshner Robbie Baze

Chief of Staff (3-CAL) Mark Dedomenico LLC J. Hollendorfer

Daytona Beach (3-WA) Vital Signs Stable & Jeff Harwood Doris Harwood

Fooled Again (3-KY) Todd & Shawn Hansen Howard Belvoir

Gloria’s Angelo (3-KY) Aithon Stable LLC Larry Ross

Legion of Boom (3-WA) Mark Dedomenico & North American Tbred Mike Puhich

Moby (3-WA) Blue Diamond Stable or Janet Johnson Roy Lumm

O B Harbor (3-ORE) One Horse Will Do Corp. Chris Stenslie