Background Favored to Repeat in Longacres Mile

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Photo: Reed Palmer Photography
Background wins the 2021 Longacres Mile Handicap at Emerald Downs

A full field of 12 older horses square off in the 87th running of the $150,000 Longacres Mile Aug. 14 at Emerald Downs.

Background drew the No. 4 post-position and was made the 2-1 morning-line favorite in his bid to become the fifth two-time Mile winner and just the second at Emerald Downs. Trained by Mike Puhich for Bob and Molly Rondeau, the 5-year-old Florida-bred is 6-3-4 in 20 career starts with earnings of $430,488, including a 4-1-1 record in six starts at a mile.

"He's had a bit of a gap between races, and he runs really well fresh," Puhich said of Background.

Geovanni Franco, who rode the gelded son of Khozan   to victories at Oaklawn Park and Churchill Downs this spring, rides Background.

Majestic Eagle , from the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Neil Drysdale, is 4-1 second choice. A 7-year-old Medaglia d'Oro   gelding, Majestic Eagle is an accomplished turf horse but unproven on dirt. Owned by Seattle locals Ray Morton and John Lindley, he ships north after firing two bullet drills on Del Mar's main track.

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Trainer Blaine Wright has been in the thick of the Longacres Mile the last four years, compiling a win and three seconds since 2018, and saddles Top Executive , Huge Bigly , and Torpedo Away  in this year's race.

Top Executive is the reigning Emerald Downs Horse of the Meeting.


Entries: Longacres Mile S.

Emerald Downs, Sunday, August 14, 2022, Race 8

  • STK
  • 1m
  • Dirt
  • $150,000
  • 3 yo's & up
  • 6:00 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Slew's Tiz Whiz (WA) Jose Luis Zunino 120 Tom Wenzel 8/1
2 2Top Executive (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Evin A. Roman 120 Blaine D. Wright 6/1
3 3Majestic Eagle (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Declan Cannon 122 Neil D. Drysdale 4/1
4 4Background (FL) Geovanni Franco 124 Michael Puhich 2/1
5 5Kingmeister (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Javier Matias 118 Robert A. Meeking 30/1
6 6Huge Bigly (WA) Heribert Naherd Martinez 120 Blaine D. Wright 8/1
7 7Unmachable (WA) Kevin E. Orozco 118 Jack McCartney 15/1
8 8Hard to Deny (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Jake Samuels 120 Niccolo Troiani 30/1
9 9Torpedo Away (WA) Alex M. Cruz 118 Blaine D. Wright 20/1
10 10Five Star General (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Leslie Mawing 118 Doris Harwood 12/1
11 11Spittin Image (WA) Juan M. Gutierrez 118 Candice S. Cryderman 15/1
12 12Papa's Golden Boy (WA) Kevin Radke 120 Vince Gibson 10/1