Jeff Harwood’s Noosa Beach takes aim at a track record and towers over five opponents Sunday in the eighth running of the $50,000 Muckleshoot Tribal Classic for older horses at Emerald Downs.

The Muckleshoot Tribal Classic at one mile tops the list of six stakes worth an aggregate $250,000 exclusively for Washington-breds. Although it rained Wednesday and the track was listed sloppy for morning workouts, an improving weather forecast calls for partly cloudy conditions Sunday with a high of 65 degrees.

Noosa Beach (15-8-3-2-$340,590) has pretty much run the table at Emerald Downs in 2010. The 4-year-old Harbor the Gold gelding is a neck away from a perfect slate, compiling a 5-1-0 record in six starts with four stakes wins and $199,750 in earnings. Coming off a 1 ½-length victory in the Longacres Mile (GIII), Noosa Beach will be the biggest favorite on the Wa Cup card, and a victory would give the gelding a single-season record five stakes wins at Emerald Downs.

“This has been a great season,” trainer Doris Harwood said. “Jeff and I have been blessed. Noosa Beach has been bumped and stepped on, and he still came out like a trooper.

“The best thing I’ve done so far this year is to enter him. The off-track won’t bother him, as we’ve seen already this year.

Howard Belvoir’s Wasserman, the two-time defending Classic champion, will make his record sixth Washington Cup appearance and his fifth straight start in the Classic. The 8-year-old gelding enters the contest the leading active Washington-bred earner with $525,299 including a record $505,562 at Emerald Downs.

Elttaes Stable’s Margo’s Gift (25-9-3-4-$350,982) makes his fourth straight Wa Cup appearance; the 5-year-old Polish Gift gelding is the third-leading active Washington-bred earner—sandwiched between Wasserman and Atta Boy Roy.

Vic-Tory Stables’ He’s All Heart (18-5-4-3-$55,769) is a gifted miler whose runner-up effort to Jersey Town in a July 25 optional claimer looked even better when Jersey Gift finished second to Noosa Beach in the Longacres Mile.

Siberian Cocktail (12-3-4-2-$56,778) comes off a snappy six-furlong victory (87 Beyer) for leading trainer Tim McCanna, and Karla Laird’s Scalding Passion (37-4-8-6-$104,413) ran perhaps his best race in this event last year while finishing runner-up to Wasserman.

RACE 7: $50,000 Muckleshoot Tribal Classic for Older Horses-1M

Post Horse Trainer Jockey

1 Wasserman Howard Belvoir Jennifer Whitaker

2 Margo’s Gift Doris Harwood Francisco Duran

3 Noosa Beach Doris Harwood Inoel Beato

4 Siberian Cocktail Tim McCanna Kevin Krigger

5 He’s All Heart Larry Wolf Gallyn Mitchell

6 Scalding Passion Robbie Baze Juan Gutierrez

SHOWDOWN IN DENNIS DODGE STAKES

Double stakes winner Couldabenthewhisky (4-3-0-0-$49,373) and stakes winner Winter Warlock (4-2-2-0-$44,230) have wasted no time developing a rivalry in the juvenile ranks. ‘Whisky took a 2-1 lead over ‘Warlock with a half-length victory in the $50,000 WTBOA Lads Stakes at one mile.

Sunday, the rivals scale back to 6 ½ furlongs in the $40,000 Dennis Dodge Stakes, named in honor of the late Daily Racing Form columnist/handicapper.

Longtime owner Craig Fredrickson and his father, Stanley Fredrickson, each own 25 percent shares in Couldabenthewhisky, and Craig said the Harbor the Gold gelding has made for an unforgettable meet.

“This has been the best summer that I have ever had,” Fredrickson said. “This is going to be a fun race. We have a fun little rivalry going with Winter Warlock.

“We were pretty confident (going into the WTBOA Lads). We felt like he had a pretty good shot.”

Trainer Bonnie Jenne of Couldabenthewhisky has a fabulous Wa Cup record with four winners from just eight starters.

Broulee Beach (1-1-0-0-$6,325) would be the third straight “Beach” to win the Dodge, following in the footsteps of Koala Beach (2009) and Noosa Beach (2008). Broulee Beach romped by 11 lengths in his Aug. 14 debut and was claimed by trainer Blaine Wright for owner Ernest Sherman. Ricky Frazier is the all-time leading Wa Cup jockey with eight wins.

RACE 9: $40,000 Dennis Dodge Stakes for 2-Year-Old Colts & Geldings-6.5 F

Post Horse Trainer Jockey

1 Mack’s Gold Bullet Vann Belvoir Juan Gutierrez

2 Stellar Blue Jim Penney Francisco Duran

3 Stolen Rio David Bennett Pedro Terrero

4 Giuseppe G Vann Belvoir Troy Stillwell

5 Broulee Beach Blaine Wright Ricky Frazier

6 Winter Warlock Tim McCanna Kevin Krigger

7 Couldabenthewhisky Bonnie Jenne Gallyn Mitchell

ZENVOIT COULD CLINCH TITLE IN FLETCHER

The 3-year-old filly division is up for grabs with four different winners in the four stakes to date. However, Riverbend Stable and Dana Claxton’s Zenovit put it all together in a 2 ¼-length victory in the $75,000 Washington Oaks last month and would probably be voted division honors if she prevails in the $40,000 John & Kitty Fletcher Stakes at one mile.

A daughter of Private Gold, Zenvoit (9-3-2-1-$76,338) has improved in every start this year. Including a fourth in the Federal Way Handicap won by Felling Fancy and third in the Irish Day Handicap captured by Sis’s Sis.

Michael & Amy Feurborn’s Sis’s Sis (8-4-1-0-$62,385) also would be considered a contender for 3-year-old filly honors with a victory, but she needs to rebound from an 11th place finish in the Washington Oaks.

RACE 4: $40,000 John & Kitty Fletcher Stakes for 3-Year-Old Fillies-1M

Post Horse Trainer Jockey

1 Knight Raider Doris Harwood Kevin Krigger

2 Zenovit Larry Ross Ricky Frazier

3 Lilly’s a Jewel Dan Markle Deborah Hoonan- Trujillo

4 Missie Ky I You Charles Essex Francisco Duran

5 Sis’s Sis Jim Penney Juan Gutierrez

CLAIR ANNETTE BIDS ADIEU IN BELLE ROBERTS

Nina Egbert’s 7-year-old Clair Annette—a quadruple stakes winner at Emerald Downs—makes the final start of her career in the $40,000 Belle Roberts Stakes for fillies and mares at a mile and one-sixteenth.

Trained throughout her career by Connie Bouslaugh, Clair Annette has won 9-of-16 starts at Emerald Downs and has developed into a front-running distance horse, after beginning her career as a speed-crazy sprinter. Voted Emerald Downs’ Top Claimer in 2008, Clair Annette has won four stakes total at ages 6 and 7.

Blue Ribbon Racing’s Private Fortune (13-1-4-3-$55,465) tries older horses after finishing second at 45-to-1 in the Washington Oaks, and Ron Crockett’s Have’n a Wild Time (9-1-2-2-$49,990) posted the biggest upset in Wa Cup history with a 27-to-1 score in the 2009 Diane Kem Stakes.

RACE 5: $40,000 Belle Roberts for Fillies and Mares-1 1/16M

Post Horse Trainer Jockey

1 Ghost Tree Dan Markle Deborah Hoonan- Trujillo

2 Have’n a Wild Time Tom Wenzel Pedro Terrero

3 Clair Annette Connie Bouslaugh Kevin Krigger

4 Mizzen You Frank Lucarelli Francisco Duran

5 Private Fortune Jim Penney Troy Stillwell

LADY GOLIGHTLY AIMS FOR SECOND STRAIGHT IN KEM

Hall of Fame trainer Allen Jerkens is called the “Giant Killer” for his knack of springing upsets in stakes races at Saratoga. At Emerald Downs, trainer Tom Wenzel also is developing into something of a giant killer.

Wenzel won last year’s Diane Kem Stakes with Have’n a Wild Time, whose $54.60 payoff for a $2 win ticket was the largest in an Emerald Downs stakes in 2009. And in this year’s Kem he sends out Lady Golightly, a Matty G filly whose $42.40 payoff in the Aug. 29 Barbara Shinpoch Stakes was the largest in an Emerald Downs Stakes in 2010.

Harwood, the track’s all-time leader with 47 stakes wins, has never won the Diane Kem, but has chances with both Bell Adieu and Last Wild Kiss.

RACE 6: $40,000 Diane Kem Stakes for 2-Year-Old Fillies-6.5 F

Post Horse Trainer Jockey

1 Allison Ridge Vann Belvoir Kevin Krigger

2 Chasing Demons Tim McCanna A.L Gutierrez

3 Pickled Again Martin Pimentel Inoel Beato

4 Bell Adieu Doris Harwood Francisco Duran

5 Last Wild Kiss Doris Harwood Gallyn Mitchell

6 Iforgottobeme Bill Thompson Juan Gutierrez

7 Julie M C M Jose Navarro Deborah Hoonan-Trujillo

8 Lady Golightly Tom Wenzel Pedro Terrero

9 Mariah’s Juke Box Doris Harwood Ricky Frazier

10 SOPHOMORES VIE IN CHINOOK PASS STAKES

John & Janene Maryanski’s Newfound Man and Jeff Harwood’s Koala Beach head a field of 10 3-year-olds in the $40,000 Chinook Pass Stakes at one mile.

Newfound Man (6-3-0-1-$55,538) captured the Seattle Slew Handicap at a mile and one-sixteenth and Koala Beach (10-4-2-1-$121,693) ran the fastest mile at the meeting—1:34 1/5—while scoring in the Pepsi-Cola Handicap.

The No. 1 post-position is 29-for-149 in routes this season, a stat that figures to help Newfound Man. Koala Beach drew the No. 10 post, which is 0-for-6 in routes thru Sept. 6.

Wally Thompson’s Certified Diamond (8-4-1-1-$24,586) has won three straight races for trainer Vann Belvoir, albeit in softer company. Karl C. Krieg’s Absolutely Cool (3-1-2-0-$$13,675) stretches out after three fast sprints for Wenzel.

Dunn Bar Ranch LLC’s Fisher Creek (9-3-2-2-$35,740) also tries two turns after winning two of his last three sprints for McCanna, and figures to even more speed to the lineup. Ditto for Frank McDonald’s Bogachiel (9-2-3-0-$28,586), a Harbor the Gold gelding who led to deep stretch against older horses in an Aug. 22 optional claimer at 6 ½ furlongs.

RACE 8: $40,000 Chinook Pass Stakes for 3-Year-Old Colts & Geldings-1M

Post Horse Trainer Jockey

1 Newfound Man Blaine Wright Inoel Beato

2 Wheelhouse Petra Lewin Francisco Duran

3 Power Strip Tim McCanna Javier Matias

4 Fisher Creek Tim McCanna A.L. Gutierrez

5 Certified Diamond Vann Belvoir Juan Gutierrez

6 Slew the Man Mike Chambers Anne Von Rosen

7 Absolutely Cool Tom Wenzel Gallyn Mitchell

8 Mr. Mad Max Dan Markle Debbie Hoonan-Trujillo

9 Bogachiel Bonnie Jenne Pedro Terrero

10 Koala Beach Doris Harwood Ricky Frazier