Background steps to the forefront to win Longacres Mile

By Doug Parry

Special to The Herald

AUBURN — It was a thrilling comeback in more ways than one in Sunday’s Longacres Mile at Emerald Downs.

Background, ridden by Rocco Bowen and owned by Bob Rondeau — the longtime University of Washington sports announcer — and his wife, Molly, charged from mid-pack to nip long-shot Windribbon at the wire and take the lion’s share of the $100,000 purse in the Northwest’s premier horse race.

Bowen, who won three Emerald Downs riding titles in the 2010s, returned to the Northwest for the first time since 2018 and picked up where he left off, winning three races on the day and rallying Background to a victory that looked improbable at the top of the stretch.

Bowen, a 32-year-old from Barbados, was closing in on a fourth local riding championship when he suffered a serious injury to his shoulder in September 2018. He struggled to rehab the injury and wouldn’t ride again until mid-2020, when he resumed riding at tracks in the Midwest, and has since re-established himself as a solid rider at high-level racetracks. He was emotional about the victory, throwing his fist in the air in celebration as Background crossed the finish line and tearing up in the winner’s circle as he described how he coaxed a late rally out of the horse.

“I can’t believe it … finally,” Bowen said of his first Longacres Mile win. “I knew Background wasn’t done, we fought together out there.”

Top local horse Papa’s Golden Boy led the race early as expected, but California invader Anyportinastorm ensured a rapid pace, running up alongside the speedy sprinter and forcing a 45.34-second half-mile. Windribbon, another locally based horse off at odds of 12-1, stalked the frontrunners and pounced at the quarter pole, pulling to a clear lead by mid-stretch. Meanwhile, Background continued a sustained rally, reaching second place inside the 1/16th pole and surging in the final yards to win by a head.

Background, a 4-year-old Florida-bred gelding trained by Mike Puhich, paid $6,80 to win as the 2-1 betting favorite, and Windribbon paid $9.00 to place. Five Star General, the morning-line favorite who shipped in from Vancouver, B.C., for the race, finished third, paying $3.80 to show. Papa’s Golden Boy held well for fourth.

Rondeau shipped his horse to Emerald Downs after strong efforts at a mile at Oaklawn and Arlington Park in the Midwest. His trademark voice was hoarse after the race as he described winning his first Longacres Mile after being involved in horse-racing as an owner for more than 35 years. He had clearly worn out his vocal cords rooting his horse down the stretch.

“Unbelievable, I have no voice left at all,” Rondeau said. “(In mid-stretch) there’s no way in the world he wins that race, but (Background) had the wherewithal to pull it off. This is an unimaginable thrill.”