8/12/2023

(Auburn, WA) It’s Championship Sunday Eve and the festivities began with the Washington Thoroughbred Hall of Fame induction ceremony. We will have full coverage of the new Hall of Famers in a separate post likely next week. After the races the party began with a band and dancing on the 5th floor. Tomorrow activities begin at 11:30am with the Railbird Rally in the Park with food and drink specials and handicappers on hand to offer their opinions on the 4 Stakes races.

There were several late scratches Saturday night dropping the number of runners to 39 for a 5.6 average per race.

Carlos Montalvo picked up where he left off on Saturday winning the 1st race. Trainer Tom Wenzel trained LaPush in the 1st meantime, Jose Zunino took the 2nd race on Westerberg. Could this be a good omen for Sunday? Wenzel has 6 horses running in the 4 stakes races with Montalvo and Zunino splitting the rides. The trio couldn’t be off to a better start.

Montalvo didn’t slow down winning 2 more in the 3rd and 4th races and had racked up 6 wins over an 11 race stretch from Friday to Saturday. 2 of those wins were for Trainer Joe Toye who had to replace Alex Anaya who took the night off after injuring his wrist on Friday night. he expects to be back in the saddle again on Sunday.

Toye also tripled winning 3rd, 4th and 6th races the 6th being the feature race. Toye jumps into a tie for 6th in the trainer standings and Montalvo moves up to 5th place with 26 wins on the season in the jockey race.

6th Race Feature Race the Muckleshoot Casino Purse

The field of 6 lined up under the watchful eye of starter Mark Gibson and when the gates flung open 1-1 favorite WhatwasIthinking went to the lead with Luis Negron while 4-1 Wear the Crown and Kevin Radke sat 2nd on the outside. After stumbling out of the gate 5-2 Frank’s Fix It with Alex Cruz gathered themselves and sat 3rd. Silvio Amador with 6-1 Stephen James sat in 4th.

As the they headed down the backstretch in the 6-furlong feature race the order did not change but halfway around the turn Frank’s Fix It swung to the outside of Wear the Crown who wore down the favorite WhatwasIthinking and pulled into the lead. Frank’s Fix It flattened out but it was Stephen James winding up and came flying down the outside. Radke took a glance and saw him coming and got into Wear the Crown and as the pair hit the wire Wear the Crown just lasted for the nose win. WhatwasIthinking held onto 3rd and Marksman on Target rallied up to 4th.

Trainer Joe Toye saddled the winner for owners Paddock Partners Ltd Rage. It was Toye’s 3rd win of the day. Wear the Crown ran the 3/4’s mile in 1:10.71. Wear the Crown collected $5,510 for the win and pushes career earnings to just shy of 50k at $49,865. Wear the Crown is now 6-2-0 from 20 lifetime starts sporting a 30% win career win rate.

ESN talks with winning Trainer Joe Toye

1st Race

A field of 6 2-year-olds went 5 1/2-furlongs and 2-1 LaPush with Carlos Montalvo quickly took over the lead down the backstretch after 4-5 odds on choice Shelby Shortstop got the jump out of the gate. LaPush would not be challenged the rest of the way opening up to win by nearly 6 lengths in a time of 1:05.56 . Coastal Girl and Alex Cruz closed well for the place, Shelby Shortstop held 3rd and Drewry with Silvio Amador was 4th. LaPush is owned by James Carlin and trained by Tom Wenzel. LaPush paid a unique $6.80 to win and $6.80 to place and the exacta was a solid 21-1 paying $22 on the $1 bet.

2nd Race
Three late scratches left 3 to run in the 2nd which also cancelled place, show and superfecta wagering. 2nd Choice Night to Remember at 9-5 with Luis Negron set the pace with longshot Westerberg and Jose Zunino at 2-1 just behind and getting over to the rail early was 4-5 favorite Start Them Up with Silvio Amador. On the turn Amador moved up to engage Night to Remember while Zunino saved Westerberg and at the top of the stretch Start Them Up rolled out to a considerable lead after shaking off Night to Sergio Alvarez and Remember but Westerberg had his kick ready to run down the favorite and win as the longest shot on the board at 2-1. Westerberg is owned by Alvarez Racing Stable and trained by Sergio Alvarez. The opening daily double paid a decent $24.90 which was depleted as the consolation double to both Treasure’s Reality and My Dad is Thirsty paid $3.70.

3rd Race

Carlos Montalvo is red hot winning his 2nd race of the day and his 5th over the last 10 races run between Saturday and on Friday night. Montalvo got the late call to ride 7-2 Glimpse of Gold after Alex Anaya took off his mounts for Friday. Anaya was was banged up in a spill in the final race Friday night. Montalvo sat off the pace of 3-2 favorite Sandy Harbor with Alex Cruz. Turning for home he loomed up on the outside passed a pair to catch Sandy Harbor just inside the 16th pole and surged to a 3/4-length win Sandy Harbor held 2nd, 8-5 Secret Hottie and Luis Negron were 3rd while rounding out the superfecta was 16-1 A Friend Indeed with Kevin Radke. Glimpse of Gold races for Rick Kessler and Terra Firma Farm and is trained by Joe Toye and ran the 5 1/2-furlongs in 1:05.95. The 1st 50-cent pick-3 paid a solid $84.40.

4th Race

Did we say Carlos Montalvo was Red Hot? We meant to say he is RED HOT! Montalvo won his 3rd race of the day and has won 6 of the last 11 races over the two days so far this week. Montalvo picked up another ride for Alex Anaya and stayed true to the plan sitting 3rd behind the 2 favorites Tennessee Moon with Alex Cruz and Awesome Daze with Silvio Amador. Montalvo swung to the outside at the top of the stretch with 9-2 Mist Oona B and ran down Tennessee Moon for another clear win. Awesome Daze held 3rd and Bikini Beach with Luis Negron ran 4th. Mist Oona B ran the 5 1/2-furlongs in 1:04.34 and races for Terra Firma Farm and trained by Joe Toye, Toye’s 2nd straight win. The 1st pick 4 paid $428.85.

5th Race

Kevin Orozco slowed down the Montalvo machine in the 5th but barely held on to a nose win with 1-1 Dyf holding off a fast closing 10-1 Two Princes with Francisco Diaz-Lopez. Orozco sat off the early speed and took command at the top of the stretch while Diaz-Lopez went wide and closed with a rush to just miss. 3-1 Ididntseethatcomin with Silvio Amador took 3rd and capping the superfecta was Silent Declaration and Luis Negron. Dyf is owned by Paula Marshall and trained by Alexis Silva-Martinez. Dyf ran the mile in 1:38.49. The 2nd Pick-4 of the night paid $166.60

7th Race

Kevin Orozco went wire to wire in the 7th and final race on Saturday night with Sailing In the 6-5 favorite. Orozco and Sailing In set pedestrian fractions of 24.35 and 1:13.79 for 3/4 to leave plenty left for the stretch drive. Orozco and Sailing In did just that in a finishing time of 1:40.53. 2-1 2nd choice Another Ten closed well to be a clear 2nd, 6-1 Goin Coastal and Kevin Radke was 3rd while 4-1 Baby Martini and Alex Cruz was 4th and topping off the Super Hi-5 in 5th place was 30-1 Forever Amber with Jennifer Whitaker. Sailing In races for Mr and Mrs Frederick and Debra Pabst and is trained by Kay Cooper. The 20-cent Jackpot Pick 6 paid off 6 winners but there was no single winner so each winning ticket picked up $378.94 and there will be a nice carryover into Championship Sunday of $7,464. The Super Hi-5 paid $63.61 and the pick 5 returned $448.30

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