Emerald Downs 20th season features possible historic Mile

Anniversary season opening day is Saturday, April 9, with the first race parade to post at 2 p.m.

Stryker Phd is on a path to find a charmed number – three.

If the stars line up as planned, the 7-year-old son of Bertrando will aim for his third consecutive trip to the Longacres Mile winner’s circle Aug. 14 at Emerald Downs.

The bay gelding has won the 2014 and 2015 edition of the Grade 3, 200,000 stakes with Leslie Mawing in the irons and Larry Ross as trainer. The Washington-bred was the first to win the Mile twice at Emerald. The next task is to find the lucky three.

Ross said during a phone interview March 30 the plan is to run Stryker for an unprecedented third victory in 81st running of the Longacres Mile. In the 80 years history of the race no thoroughbred has won the Mile three times, let alone three consecutive times.

There were two horses prior to Stryker Phd who won the Mile twice in row – Simply Majestic in 1988-89 and Trooper Seven in 1980-81. Amble In won the race twice, in 1946 and 1948, but not consecutively. In 1947 Amble In was hampered by arthritis in his shoulders. He won only one race and was not entered in the Mile again until ‘48.

If Stryker runs in the 81st Mile it will be his fourth trip in the Emerald Downs stakes. The gelding ran in 2013 and took second behind Herbie D.

Currently Stryker is in training at Golden Gate Fields in Berkeley, Calif. Ross said he was pointing him to run in the Grade 3 San Francisco Mile at Golden Gate, but he picked up a virus after his March 13 work.

“He worked 47 and change (in 4 furlongs) but I noticed he was a little flat, so we drew his blood,” Ross said. “He got a little virus.”

Ross said he is fine now, “but we are way ahead. He’s very sound, very healthy and wherever Stryker is driving, we go. He will tell us when he is ready.”

Ross said he is very careful with Stryker and wants to stay focused on preparing him for the Longacres Mile. The plan is to run Stryker in one race before entering him in the 1-mile $50,000 Budweiser Stakes June 19.

Larry and his wife, Sharon Ross, also a trainer, are no strangers to winning the Longacres Mile. Larry Ross conditioned Chum Salmon and brought home the Mile win picture and purse in 1985, which was run at Longacres Park in Renton. Washington Hall of Fame Jockey Gary Baze, who is now working as a steward at Emerald, was in the irons when Chum Salmon broke from the five hole. According the Longacres Mile guide, Chum Salmon coasted about 15 lengths back, but Baze was a magician at bringing horses from off the pace to grab the rose necklace, and that is what he did.

Larry Ross trained the No. 2 Washington-bred in earnings (as of 2015), Military Hawk. The son of Colonel Steven was bred and owned by G & N Thoroughbreds. Military Hawk was born in 1987 and retired in 1997, running his last race at Emerald Downs. He earned $686,128 starting 86 races with a record of 18-15-19.

Ross said he is close to all of his horses but there is a special “place in my heart” for Ema Bovary. She won two stakes at Emerald in 2003, the Washington Legislators and Hastings Park, then went on to win stakes and graded races in California and Kentucky. She earned $720,569 in 19 lifetime starts with a 13-4-0 record.

“She was a wonderful horse and a hell of a ride,” he said. “She was amazing.”

He said each horse is slightly different and the secret is understanding each horse.

Ross said Stryker is special horse and he is both cautious and methodical with his training program.

“He’s is lightly races because he puts it all in every time he goes to the post,” Ross said

During the past two seasons Ross has entered Stryker in the Budweiser as his first out at Emerald.

In his 2014 and 2015 campaign Stryker won the Budweiser and the 1 1/16-mile Mount Rainier Stakes before winning the Mile.

Last year Stryker capped an undefeated season with a win in the 1 1/16-mile Muckleshoot Tribal Classic boosting the gelding’s record to 9-5-5 from 22 starts lifetime and $518,081 in earnings. With that stakes win he tied the track record of eight consecutive stakes victories set by the 4-year-old filly Stopshoppingdebbie’s in the 2013-14 season. She was owned and bred by the late Jerre Paxon and trained by Tom Wenzel.

Stryker was purchased at the Washington Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association September sale for $45,000. He is owned by Jim and Mona Hour and was bred at Char Clark Thoroughbreds and Todd Havens in Spokane, Wash.

Ross learned the art of training in Canada. As a kid growing up near Hudson, Quebec, Ross said there were steeplechases and fox hunts “going down my road.” When the young Ross saw the horses running it fired his imagination and set him on the road to his career.

He took a job as groom in 1969 at Toronto, Ontario and found good mentors who were willing to teach a young man on the way up. Ross jumped into the ranks of thoroughbred trainers in 1974 at Suffolk Downs in Boston, Mass. Over the past 40 years he has won graded, stakes and claiming races. He has seen the business falter during The Great Recession and when Longacres Park closed in 1992. At 63 years old he is still training and still winning.

Ross said there is more than the money, accolades and win pictures. The secret is the horse; to able to listen to what the horse tells you by his actions, by the look in his eyes or the sound of her breathing.