As track announcer Jason Beem would say, “And the race is on at Grants Pass Downs!”
Oregon’s premier horse racing venue begins its 2021 spring/summer season Monday with first post 5:15 p.m. The eight-race card features two quarter horse events, six thoroughbred races and 65 total horses—a solid 8.1 per race.
The $10,000 added Caveman Stakes drew a full field of 10 older horses at five furlongs including Pulpits Power, last seen winning the $20,000 Grants Pass Mile last fall. The 7-year-old gelding drew the No. 3 post position with defending riding champion Joree Scriver taking the mount.
The 17-day spring/summer meeting features Monday and Tuesday racing through July 6 (except June 14 and 15) and special holiday racing Sunday July 4 at 1 p.m.
“I’m so excited to get our spring/summer season started,” said Grants Pass Director of Racing Rod Lowe. “We spent all winter working on improvements and planning for this meet. We have some very exciting races planned, including a 2-year-old quarter horse futurity that should be worth almost $100,000.”
At 350 yards for 2-year-olds, the Firecracker Futurity is the richest race of the meeting and highlights the holiday card. Oregon-bred filly Louisana Bunny registered a 17 to 1 upset in last year’s Firecracker and later captured the John Deere Juvenile Championship at Emerald Downs.
Tickets for opening day are available at gpdowns.com and at the gate.
The Caveman Stakes figures to be hotly contested. Claimed for $6,250 by trainer Billy Christian last September, Pulpits Power returned a quick dividend for owners Tony Delp and Dee Stillwell, finishing third in the Medford Stakes before rallying to a three-quarter-length victory over Beat the Heat in the Grants Pass Mile. Pulpits Power shortens up for his 2021 debut but did break his maiden sprinting and has finished second in three of five career starts in races shorter than six furlongs.
Pure Pursuit ran the fastest six furlongs of the entire 2020 Emerald Downs’ season–1:08.22 on a wet-fast track last September–and figures to be flying early under jockey Patrick Henry Jr. A 7-year-old Kentucky-bred gelding, Pure Pursuit compiled a 3-3-1 record from eight starts last year, earning $23,215 for trainer Nick Lowe and co-owner Mark Loebner.
Dusalut is a lofty 5-1-1 in 10 career starts at Grants Pass Downs including a 25 to 1 stunner in the Applegate Stakes last fall. Owned by Dorothy Clarke and trained by Teri Beckner, the 5-year-old gray gelding led gate to wire in each of his victories at Grants Pass.
El Alto Hombre is a two-time allowance winner at Grants Pass and finished first or second in 20 of 29 career starts for trainer Liz Kowalski. Keyson, a stakes winner at Turf Paradise, makes his local debut for trainer Dan Kenney and figures to add even more fuel to the early pace.
Jorge Rosales, who captured the 2020 summer crown with a 12 for 37 mark, entered six horses opening day including Count Alexei in the Caveman Stakes. Although a maiden in the thoroughbred ranks, Count Alexei comes off a 2 ½-length victory in a 1000-yard mixed breed race at Los Alamitos and was runner-up twice in maiden special weights on turf—once at Del Mar and once at Santa Anita. Cerapio Figueroa, rider of Count Alexei, combined to win 39 races with Rosales in 2020.
The field for the $10,000 added Caveman Stakes: Count Alexei, Cerapio Figueroa; Keyson, Mckenzie King; Pulpits Power, Joree Scriver; Dusalut, Jaime Lopez; Capes Hot Rocket, Jose Guerrero; Molaf, Luis Gonzalez; El Alto Hombre, Jose Figueroa; Golden Cowboy, Taylor Smith; Chill, David Martin; Pure Pursuit, Patrick Henry Jr. (all carry 126 lbs.)
Entries for the second day of racing, Tuesday, May 11, will be drawn Thursday.
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