For the Reporter

Jockey Rocco Bowen, Emerald Downs’ leading rider with 11 wins, hopes to return to the races Friday after sustaining minor injuries following a mishap at the gate before Sunday’s sixth race.

“I’m feeling a lot better,” Bowen said. “I’ve been a little banged up the last couple days, but if I’m holding up OK, I’ll give it a go Friday night. I think I’ll be ready to ride.”

Bowen missed the final three races Sunday after his mount Nearlycocktailtime reared in the gate. The 26-year-old Barbados native was taken to Valley General Hospital after complaining of shoulder and knee pain. Nearlycocktailtime was uninjured and raced under Leslie Mawing, who replaced Bowen aboard the Chris Stenslie runner.

Pick 7 carryover

The track’s newest exotic wager – the $0.20 Pick 7 – continues to elude the wagering public and will kick off Friday’s seven-race card with a $9,978 carryover.

Over the season’s first seven days of racing, the Pick 7 has been hit only one time, creating back-to-back three-day carryovers.

To cash Friday, handicappers will have to win each race on the seven-race card, which ends with a 10-horse field competing at 5½ furlongs. So far this season the final race has yet to produce a winning favorite with an average payoff of $30.40 per $2 mutuel, including $92 winner Original Avenue and $51.00 winner Miss Fogcutter on opening weekend.

Queen’s Rush tops Sunday feature

Trainer Len Kasmerski and owner Roz Barclay – the hottest trainer/owner combination at Emerald Downs – swoop in for yet another kill with Queen’s Rush in Sunday’s $15,200 feature race for older fillies and mares that have never won two races.

A field of seven is entered in the six-furlong dash, which goes as race nine on a 10-race card with first post 2 p.m.

Kasmerski and Barclay have been pistol-hot to date, compiling a 5-1-1 record in nine starts at the meet, including Estellara’s runaway victory in last Sunday’s $21,000 allowance feature for fillies and mares. Although Queen’s Rush might not be as talented as Estellara, the 4-year-old Louisiana-bred enters Sunday’s fray sharp, rallying for a one-length victory vs. $15,000 maiden claimers on April 10, and the jump to a non-winners of two lifetime is a logical next step.

Our Silver Lining figures to be a top contender for the victory. The 4-year-old Packy filly led to deep stretch vs. similar competition on April 10, and should be tighter with a race under her belt.

Mylast Sweet Pea was stakes-placed three times in her 3-year-old season of 2014 but needs to move forward off a fourth in her season debut, and Let It Flo finished third in her season debut and should get a stalking trip for the outside post.

The field for Sunday’s $15,200 feature race for $25,000/$22,500 claiming that are non-winners of two lifetime: Mylast Sweet Pea, Leslie Mawing, 120 pounds; Alpine Heir, Jose Zunino, 117; Our Silver Lining, Jorge Rosales, 120; Queen’s Rush, Erick Lopez, 123; Mystic Appeal, Ronald Richard, 120; Sunshine Serenade, Rocco Bowen 120; Let It Flo, Juan Gutierrez, 120.

Pair of sharpies vie in Saturday feature

Two of the meet’s snappiest winners to date meet Saturday in the $16,600 feature race for 3-year-olds and up at 5½ furlongs.

Carded as race eight on a nine-race card, the race is for $25,000/$22,500 claimers that have never won two races, and features six evenly matched runners.

Thisdewarsforyou ran a huge race off the bench for veteran trainer Neil Knapp. The 5-year-old Montana-bred set blistering fractions in the April 9 race—:21.94, :44.22 and :55.84—and held off Party Pooper for a half-length victory. The winning time of 1:01.92 for 5½ furlongs translated to a career-high 79 Beyer, and Thisdewarsforyou is now 3-3-0 in his last six starts.

Inexcess Again was just as sharp, racing to a 1½-length victory for red-hot trainer Blaine Wright on April 16. The 5-year-old California-bred ran 5½ furlongs in 1:02.35 and earned a 77 Beyer. Inexcess Again is 4-1-1 in 10 career starts and made a seamless transition from Golden Gate’s Tapeta surface to Emerald Downs’ conventional dirt.

Trainer Howard Belvoir sends out My Chief and Perfect Night, and both have a chance. My Chief rallied to finish second to Pete’s Slew in a loaded $15,000 claimer at six furlongs on April 17, and Perfect Night, fifth to Inexcess Again two weeks ago, has 15 in-the-money finishes in 22 lifetime starts.

Daytona Beach, a speedster, and Private Boss, a deep closer, round out the six-horse field.

The field for Saturday’s $16,600 feature race for 3-year-olds and up that have not won two races (maiden, claiming and starter races for $22,500 or less not considered): Daytona Beach, Joe Steiner, 120 pounds; Thisdewarsforyou, Ronald Richard, 122; Private Boss, Rocco Bowen, 120; Perfect Night, Javier Matias, 117; Inexcess Again, Leslie Mawing, 117; My Chief, Juan Gutierrez, 117.

Finish lines

Kaabraaj’s state record time of 1:06.86 is believed to be the fastest six-furlong clocking in North America since Twin Sparks’ world record of 1:06.49 at Turf Paradise on November 21, 2009. … Washington Hall of Fame Jockey Vicky Baze is off and running in her latest comeback at Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar, Fla., winning on two of her first 12 mounts including Carmen’s Secret, a 4-year-old Idaho-bred filly trained by Dennis Ward that won Sunday’s fifth race. … Saturday’s $100,000 San Francisco Mile (G3) drew a field of 14 older horses including Alert Bayand defending champion G.G. Ryder. … Emerald Downs regular Chris Larmey earned an all-expenses paid trip to the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks by defeating 191 other players in a contest on TwinSpires.com. The trip includes travel, lodging, two tickets to both Oaks and Derby Day, and a $20,000 buy-in to the inaugural Kentucky Derby Betting Championships. … Emerald Downs announcer Matt Dinerman will be profiled on the Wednesday, May 4 edition of KING-5’s Evening Magazine. … Bh Lisas Boy, who as a 3-year-old dominated last year’s $72,000 Bank of America Emerald Downs Championship Challenge, returns in Sunday’s first race for $5,000 allowance Quarter Horses at 350 yards. The eight-horse field also includes 11-year-old Vodka With Ice, who makes his first appearance here since a 17-1 upset in the 2013 Emerald Downs Championship Challenge. The well-traveled gelding has won 15-of-64 starts with earnings of $428,989. … Apprentice Vladimir P. Jensen rides Original Avenue for trainer Brian Lusk in Sunday’s second race for older fillies and mares. It’s the first EmD mount for Jensen, whose lone career victory was last August at Delaware Park. … Los Alamitos Race Course concludes a three-week meet Sunday, to be followed by the summer meeting at Santa Anita from May 5 through July 10.