Reed and Erin Palmer/Emerald Downs
Point Piper, shown winning the Longacres Mile, may be the best of the rivals California Chrome will face on Saturday.
Point Piper will be back to try to repeat in the Grade 3, $200,000 Longacres Mile at Emerald Downs on Aug. 13.
With Mario Gutierrez aboard last year, Point Piper came from well back to win by 4 3/4 lengths while establishing a track record of 1:32.90 for the one-mile distance.
Point Piper hasn’t won since, but he was the runner-up to California Chrome in the $180,000 Winter Challenge at Los Alamitos on Dec. 17, and he also finished second to the Grade 2 winner Midnight Storm in the Grade 3 Native Diver at Del Mar on Nov. 27.