Only 13 days remain in the 2012 meeting at Emerald Downs, but several important events remain on the docket: Labor Day racing on Monday, Sept. 3, Washington Cup X on Sept. 9, and the Gottstein Futurity and Ashbaugh Beal Claiming Challenge on Closing Day, Sept. 23.

And this Sunday is the most important date of the season for quarter horses with the second running of the $54,000 Bank of America Emerald Championship Challenge for 3-year-olds and up at 440 yards. The field is composed of 10 qualifiers from two heats on Aug. 18 and goes as the eighth race at 5:39 pm

Quarter Horses have produced boxcar payoffs at Emerald Downs. Fastest qualifier Follys Fast (:22.09) and second fastest qualifier Givemesumcorona(:22.11) won their respective heats while paying $19.40 and $38.60 to win.

In last year’s final, Devon Dat Cash and Vodka With Ice ran first and second at 17.30 and 17.80-to-1, respectively, and the $1 exacta was worth $206.80while the $1 superfecta paid a whopping $7,073.70.

Devon Dat Cash and Vodka With Ice are back this year as the fifth and seventh fastest qualifiers at :22.34 and :22.44 seconds respectively. A Royal Dervish, third in last year’s final, is another top contender based on his second fastest qualifying time of :22.16. The 7-year-old Washington-bred has been a steady performer with a career mark of 11-5-8 in 33 starts for trainer Kurt Carlton and owners Bob and Scott Gilner.

Devon Dat Cash is winless since his $36.60 surprise last year, but the 7-year-old gelding ran his best race of 2012 in the trial, and obviously enjoys Emerald Downs with a 1-2-0 record in three starts. He finished second when Snip N Dale captured the first quarter horse race in track history*the $12,400 Muckleshoot Tribal dash/John Deere Bonus Challenge on Sept. 25, 2010. Trainer John R. Harris, meanwhile, was the leading Quarter Horse conditioner here last year with four wins.

Sunday’s late Daily Double is composed of two quarter horse events, the Bank of America Emerald Championship Challenge and the $15,000 Pfizer Emerald Starter Allowance Challenge.

The field for the second annual Bank of America Emerald Championship Challenge, Race 8, 5:39 pm: 1-L Bar D Snow Princess, Tad Skaggs, 124 pounds; 2-Lajolla Famosa A.L. Gutierrez, 124; 3-Givmesumcorona, Leonel Camacho-Flores, 122; 4-Vodka With Ice, Jose Zunino, 124; 5-Just a Rumor, Jorge Rosales, 124; 6-A Royal Dervish, Never T. Marin, 124; 7-Follys Fast, Dennis Reyes-Frisby, 124; 8-Cash Baq, Debbie Hoonan, 122; 9-Devon Dat Cash,J. Luis Torres, 124; 10-Cupids Dash, Troy Stillwell, 124.

The field for the $15,000 Pfizer Emerald Starter Allowance Challenge, Race 9, 6:09 pm: 1-Junosnoking, Hoonan, 124; 2-Hannibal Lector, Tim Neal, 124; 3-Ought to Azoom, Ruben Lozano, 124; 4-Mr Easy Okie, Stillwell, 124; 5-JMancuso, Torres, 122.

Notes

Week 20 honors: Jockey, Debbie Hoonan (19-5-1-1); Trainer, Bonifacio Rayas (3-2-0-0); Owner, Shady Valley Ranch (2-1-0-1); Groom, Gumaro Martinez (Larry Ross); Washington bred, Cariboo Road (breeder Ron Crockett Inc. & Mr. & Mrs. William T. Griffin). …

Juan Gutierrez begins Week 21 with a 91-79 lead on Leslie Mawing in the jockeys’ standings and is on pace to finish with a career-high 106 wins and his first Emerald Downs’ riding title. In the last 10 years, Gutierrez has finished second twice, third four times, fourth twice and fifth twice. …

Eliska Kubinova needs six wins in the final 13 days to break the single-season apprentice mark of 70 wins established in 2009 by Cassie Papineau.