Miner League, winner of the 2023 Gottstein Futurity at Emerald Downs, tops Sunday’s $50,000 Auburn Stakes. Trained by Tom Wenzel and owned by George Todaro, Miner League returned May 18 with an emphatic 4 1/4-length allowance win in which he covered 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:03.76. The Mineshaft colt was winning for the third time in four career starts and certainly is the sort who will appreciate the extra yardage of the Auburn Stakes, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-old males. Carlos Montalvo has been named to ride. The most interesting opposition to Miner League is last-out maiden winner Rundoft, who won his debut March 24 at Sunland Park. Rundoft is by Kentucky Derby runner-up Hard Spun and out of a daughter of Gadget Queen, a former Emerald stakes winner. Gadget Queen was a steady stakes competitor during 2009 and 2010 at Emerald. She amassed a career bankroll of $309,030. “I had him as a 2-year-old at Emerald last year and he showed a lot of talent” in the mornings, trainer Blaine Wright said. Rundoft’s emphatic maiden score was widely anticipated as he was 4-5 in the wagering. Rundoft’s last three workouts have come at three different tracks, with the latest a spry 58.80-second five-furlong move at Emerald. His prior workout came at Ruidoso Downs and before that he had three works at SunRay Park. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. Powerized also is a last-out maiden winner. He covered six furlongs in 1:08.59 on June 1 at Emerald, good enough to net a 78 Beyer Speed Figure. That is by far the highest figure earned by anyone in Sunday’s field. Handicappers will note that the gelding got loose on an easy lead in a spot where the top pair ran one-two all the way. Powerized is trained by Frank Lucarelli. Steve Bullock-trained Freightline is another contender. The colt was a well-beaten runner-up to Miner League on May 18 and two starts back won the WTBOA Lads Stakes in August 2023. Freightline has every reason to improve in what will be his second start as a sophomore. The outside trio in the gate are the speedsters Conrad Meadows, trained by Jose Navarro; Where You Gonna Go, trained by Debbie Van Horne; and Tougherthantherest, another trained by Wright. Tougherthantherest has considerable upside potential and may sit a great trip stalking the probable pacesetters from their outside. The son of Take Charge Indy worked in company with Rundoft, and Wright said, “They worked heads” apart. Sunday’s card begins at 1:30 p.m. Pacific and marks day three of the Indian Relay Races, which include a trio of events to take place in between the Thoroughbred races. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.