For the Reporter

If Round 2 is anything like Round 1, racing fans are in for a treat when 3-year-old colts and geldings line up for the $50,000 Coca-Cola Stakes on Sunday.

Eight horses are nominated to the Coca-Cola, a one-mile test and the next-to-last steppingstone to the $75,000 Emerald Downs Derby on Sunday, July 31. All eyes, however, will be on Barkley, Mach One Rules and Access This, the trio of sophomores who delivered a thrilling finish in the May 15 Auburn Stakes.

In the Auburn, Barkley slipped through inside and out-finished previously Mach One Rules by a head in a stakes record 1:14.21 for 6½ furlongs. With the victory, Barkley improved to four-for-four lifetime with earnings of $77,275 for Howard Belvoir and Rising Star Stable III.

Northwest newcomer Access This finished a close third in the Auburn, hooking into Mach One Rules around the turn and battling determinedly through the lane. Runner-up Mach One Rules, track and state champion 2-year-old of 2015, also ran extremely well, considering the Auburn was his first start of 2016.

Of the eight horses nominated, Access This and Super Hawk are the only nominees with route wins on their resume, both scoring maiden special weight victories on the synthetic Tapeta surface at Golden Gate Fields.

$50,000 Coca-Cola Stakes, Sunday, June 5
3-Year-Old Colts & Geldings, 1 Mile
Horse, owner, trainer

Access This (3-KY), Peter Redekop B.C. Ltd., Blaine Wright
Barkley (3-KY), Rising Star Stable or Howard Belvoir, Howard Belvoir
Mach One Rules (3-WA), R.E.V. Racing LLC, Frank Lucarelli
Party for One (3-WA), Coal Creek Farm, David Martinez
Super Hawk (3-NY), El Dorado Racing, Larry Ross
The Press (3-WA), Howard Belvoir, Howard Belvoir
William Crotty (3-KY), Sue & Tim Spooner, Glyn Kelly & Ann McLennan, Dan Markle
Work With Me (3-WA), Howard Belvoir & David Matsumoto, Howard Belvoir