Emerald Downs Picks | Longacres Mile Stakes 2024

Aaron previews the 2024 Longacres Mile Stakes at Emerald Downs & gives his win pick from the meet’s top horse race.

The last 2 winners of this hallowed race return for more glory, but could 1 of the 10 rivals post a major upset?

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The press release:

Twelve older horses led by defending champion Five Star General and 2022 winner Slew’s Tiz Whiz square off in Sunday’s 89th running of the $150,000 Longacres Mile at Emerald Downs in Auburn, Washington.

First post is 2 p.m. PT, with the Mile carded as race 9 at 6:30 p.m. PT.

The top four finishers from last year’s race—Five Star General, Il Bellator, Slew’s Tiz Whiz, Arma d’Oro—all return for 2024.

Five Star General is the 5-2 morning line favorite, followed by Slew’s Tiz Whiz, 4-1, Clovisconnection, 9-2, and Arma d’Oro, 8-1.

Owned by Ken Alhadeff and trained by Grant Forster, the remarkable Five Star General bids to become only the fifth two-time winner of the historic race. The 8-year-old full horse by Distorted Humor already has finished top three in a record four straight Miles, and with a victory joins Awesome Gem (2011) and Gigantic (1959) as 8-year-olds to win the Mile.

Since his win here at Emerald Downs last year, Five Star General has continued his trek as something of a world traveler, winning $100,000 races in Louisiana and Kentucky and has an overall ledger of 12-6-9 in 38 starts with $819,702 in earnings. His 97 Beyer Speed Figure in the Michael Schaefer Memorial last month at Horseshoe Indianapolis is tops in this year’s race.

Five Star General drew the No. 9 post-position which has produced just three wins from 40 starters in races at a flat mile the last six years at Emerald Downs. With his speed and versatility, and the experience of jockey Joe Bravo, Five Star General should be able to work out a trip.

Slew’s Tiz Whiz enters the race in peak form. The 6-year-old Tom Wenzel trainee comes off a dead-heat victory in the Governor’s Stakes—his third straight win in the 6 ½ furlong lead-in to the Longacres Mile. The lone Washington-bred in this year’s race, Slew’s Tiz Whiz used his patented closing kick to score by 2 ¾ lengths in the 2022 Mile and rallied from far back for third last year. This year marks something of a tiebreaker between Five Star General and Slew’s Tiz Whiz—they each have a win and a third the last two years.

Owned by Slew’s Crew Racing and ridden by Jose Zunino, Slew’s Tiz Whiz has made all 22 career starts at Emerald Downs with a 9-4-3 mark and $298,457 in earnings.

Clovisconnection has one of the best win percentages in the race. The 4-year-old California-bred is 9-for-14 lifetime with five stakes wins including a 2-for-2 record at Emerald Downs. The speedy Vronsky gelding has yet to negotiate two turns on dirt but led gate to wire in the Robert Dupret Derby at 1 1/16 miles on turf at Santa Rosa and finished a close second in the Silky Sullivan at one mile on turf at Golden Gate – both in 2023. Clovisconnection enters the Mile off two recent sprint wins including the Oak Tree Sprint at Pleasanton.

In addition to Clovisconnection, trainer Blaine Wright saddles Prince Abu Dhabi, also a 4-year-old, with a 6-for-11 life mark including last year’s Muckleshoot Derby at Emerald Downs.

Trainer Justin Evans figures to be the busiest man on the grounds before the Mile. The meet’s leading trainer in wins (45) and win percentage (35.1), Evans entered four in the race—Arma d’Oro, Neiman, Giant Game, and Surprsinglyperfect.

Arma d’Oro and Neiman have been major factors in the local older horse division. Claimed for $25,000 two races back, 6-year-old Arma d’Oro has paid quick dividends for Evans and Rakoczy Racing with two straight wins, one being the meet’s fastest mile (1:34.03) and the other a dead-heat with Slew’s Tiz Whiz in the Governor’s Stakes.

Neiman figures to blast off from the No. 1 post on the stretch-out. The 4-year-old Munnings gelding ran the fastest six furlongs of the meet, 1:07.98, while scoring a $39.86 upset in the Budweiser Stakes, and beaten only 1 ¾ lengths finishing third after outdueling Papa’s Golden Boy in the Governor’s.

A recent private purchase, Giant Game comes off a seventh to The Chosen Vron in the Bing Crosby (G1) at Del Mar and has a resume that includes a win the Grade 3 Cornhusker at Prairie Meadows in 2023. Surprsinglyperfect, the gray beard in this year’s Mile at age 10, has four wins the current meet and 21 wins lifetime including 12 at the mile distance. Sunday marks a steep step up in class.

Il Bellator, a solid second to Five Star General last year, comes off a fifth in the $150,000 Pleasanton Mile following a victory in a one-mile optional claimer on synthetic at Golden Gate.

Phantom Ride is a recent $62,500 claim with three route wins on his 2024 ledger. Deshambeau finished runner-up to Prince Abu Dhabi in the 2023 Muckleshoot Derby while Muncey is conditioned by three-time Longacres Mile winning trainer Howard Belvoir.

The field for the 2024 Longacres Mile Stakes at Emerald Downs:

1. Neiman, Luis Reyes, 124 lbs., 10/1
2. Clovisconnection, William Antongeorgi, 124, 9/2
3. Slew’s Tiz Whiz, Jose Zunino, 124, 4/1
4. Deshambeau, Isaias Enriquez, 124, 20/1
5. Phantom Ride, Rocco Bowen, 124, 20/1
6. Il Bellator, Luis Jimenez Alburto, 124, 12/1
7. Arma d’Oro, Kevin Krigger, 124, 8/1
8. Giant Game, Alex Cruz, 124, 12/1
9. Five Star General, Joe Bravo, 124, 5/2
10. Surprsinglyperfect, Luis Negron, 124, 15/1
11. Prince Abu Dhabi, Alexander Chavez, 124, 12/1
12. Muncey, Javier Matias, 124, 30/1

Fourteen horses entered the Mile, with Papa’s Golden Boy and Canadian shipper Apprehend excluded based on total earnings in 2023 and 2024.