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.
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.
Emerald Downs, Sunday, August 14, 2022, Race 8Entries: Longacres Mile S.
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)
Evin A. Roman
120
Blaine D. Wright
6/1
3
3Majestic Eagle (KY)
Declan Cannon
122
Neil D. Drysdale
4/1
4
4Background (FL)
Geovanni Franco
124
Michael Puhich
2/1
5
5Kingmeister (KY)
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)
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)
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