Race one is 6 furlongs in length. This $20,000 maiden claiming race is for three year olds and upwards. It’s a small field of 7. The slight favorite is Orange Express at 5-2 on the morning line. He’s a three year old gelding with a couple past races at Emerald Downs. His jockey, De Leon has ridden him both times at this track, so he’s familiar with Orange Express to some extent.

Orange Express last raced on June 18 at the $25,000 level. He really did not impress. He managed to close it up some and get third. In his other race at Emerald Downs, he finished second. He’s finished in the money 3 of 4 races this year. I don’t think he is going to best this field.

At 3-1 Box Top is a viable choice. He’s got a good jockey/trainer combo. The main issue might be that the jockey, Zunino, has not ridden him before. This horse is going to dart out early and could be the pace setter. We will see if Zunino is the trick that keeps Box Top in the lead to the wire.

Handsome Hero is another horse that figures to be in the race. He’s listed at 4-1. It’s quite possible that he gets in a duel with Box Top as he has shown early speed. His last race was June 25 at the $17,500 level. He came in second after losing some gas. His jockey, Krigger, is familiar with him and Handsome Hero is familiar with Emerald Downs. It just might be the ticket to break the maiden this time around.