6/21/2024
(Auburn, WA) It was a beautiful night on the 4th Friday night of racing with 7 races and 48 starters lined up. The feature race will be only the 2nd 10 or more horse field of the season and had 3 year-olds and up going 6 furlongs. There would be a big upset in the feature race with more than the usual celebration.
Our coverage of the Feature and all races below, let’s get to the action!
Feature Race 6th Race
If you have never won a race as a jockey and you’re looking for your 1st win why not do it in a race with the 2nd most horses in the race, why not make it the feature race of the night and why not do it at huge odds?!
That’s exactly what apprentice Manuel Americano did Friday night aboard Smoken Shadow. The 22-1 shot broke alertly and immediately pressed the pace of the field of 10 going 6 furlongs and had a length lead at the 1/2 mile pole setting fractions of 21.92 and 44.23. Americano had moved over to the rail by this time and kept after the 5-year-old gelding getting to the line first denying late runs by other longshots to win by a length in a final time of 1:09.14.
Smoken Shadow is owned by Kenneth and Vicky Jo Elison and trained by Debbie Peery. This was Peery’s 2nd training win of the year after getting Lie and Deny to the winner’s circle last Friday. It was the Elison’s 1st win of the season. Smoken Shadow is now 4-1-1 from 17 lifetime starts and picked up $9,405 to push his career earnings to $56,781.
17-1 Mirror Image with Silvio Amador ran on nicely to be 2nd, 8-1 Bedrock with Isaias Enriqwuez was 3rd with 10-1 Foreign Protocol and Alex Crux taking 4th.
The 22-1 shot did not set a new high for the $2 win but did so for the $2 show being the 1st horse to pay double digits on the show bet. Smoken Shadow paid a sweet $46.92, $18.72 and $13.74 on the show for a $79.38 $2 combo bet or for the old school $5 across bet that returned $198.45.
Shadow combined with those other outsiders did set new high pays for the $1 exacta of $284.17, and the 10-cent superfecta at $1,090.67. The $1 super returned $10,906.70.
When Americano returned to the jockey’s room he got the traditional “splish-splash” welcome after getting his 1st career victory. Americano began in Northern Cal last June riding at the fairs and then to Golden Gate and had 53 mounts and looking for that 1st win. He had ridden 11 times at Emerald coming into Friday night and is now 1-1-2 from 12 mounts.
Feature Race Replay Manuel Americano’s 1st ever win!
1st Race
A field of 6 went 5 furlongs and front speed Atta Boy Lloyd and Karlo Lopez went straight to the front and never looked back. The big Gray gelding quickly opened up by 1 1/2 lengths and doubled it by the finish line with an easy win in a final time of 57.58. Atta Boy Lloyd won his 2nd race of the meet and is owned by Rakoczy Racing and Justin Evans and trained by Evans.
7-1 Prayforourcountry and Kevin Orozco ran on for 2nd with Fun City and Alex Cruz 3rd and capping the superfecta 23-1 Chancellors Boom with David Martin. The 10-cent superfecta paid well with a 7-5 shot on top at $32.90 or $329 on the $1 bet.
2nd Race
5 3-year-olds and up went 1-mile and Owhatarush with Luis Reyes went gate to wire to win easily by 5 lengths at 5-1. Owhatarush was head and head with Mangia Pane and Juan Gutierrez for 4 furlongs before ‘rush began to separate and held a 2 length lead at the top of the stretch. 7-2 Veritas Aequitas and Alex Cruz closed to get up for 2nd but was 5 lengths behind the winner. Mangia Pane held 3rd and Luka Grazie ran 4th.
Owhatarush is owned by Jeremy Johnson and Anne Wisdom and trained by Wisdom who is now 2-1-0 from 6 starts. Owhatarush is a 4-year-old gelding Washington bred by Gold Rush Dancer out of Ohwhatablast by Olmodavor and was bred by Nina and Ron Hagen. Owhatarush finished off the 1st daily double which paid $26.82.
Race Replay
3rd Race
Princess Hekawi and Alex Cruz made a nice move on the turn to engage pacesetter Ask Alice with Jose Zunino and looked like the 4-year-old filly was going to roll on by but Alice had an answer and came back on the Princess but at the 16th pole Princess Hekawi opened up and Alice was running out of steam for a 1 3/4 length win for the Princess covering the 6 furlongs in 1:10.69. Another Ten with Carlos Montalvo ran 3rd and Sparkle in the Sky with Kiaman McGregor aboard ran 4th.
Princess Hekawi races for Jan McCanna and Royal Victory Thoroughbreds and trained by Tim McCanna. Princess Hekawi paid $10.40 to win and the 1st 50-cent pick 3 returned $98.60.
4th Race
7 broke from the gate in the 4th and it quickly turned into a match race between 7-2 Delta Delta with Alex Cruz and 5-2 Soldatna and Kevin Orozco. The pair never separated by a neck from the 1/2 mile to the finish went to Delta Delta by a neck in a thrilling stretch run. 5-1 Pure Cane Sugar with Leslie Mawing made a late move to get 3rd while betting choice at 2-1 Mongolian Spring and Juan Gutierrez began on the front end but settled for 4th. The winning time was 1:16.96.
Delta Delta races for Kara Lin Toye and the Tobin Stables and trained by Joe Toye. This is the former trainer champ’s 2nd win of the year. Delta Delta capped off a great pick 3 paying $199.91 and a solid pick 4 at $448.10.
Race Replay
5th Race
Seven 3 year-olds and up fillies and mares went 6 furlongs and the 4th favorite 9-2 Drewy sat off the pace in 5th early on while 5-2 Silent Beauty and Allyssa Morales went to the lead with 3-2 favorite Hot Lava Cake and Alex Cruz dueled on the lead setting fractions of 21.91 and 44.83. That pace took it’s toll on the favorite who faded to 5th. Meantime, Silent Beauty had the lead until Drewy engaged at the top of the stretch to take a head lead and stretched it to 2 lengths. Silent Beauty ran big to hold onto 2nd. 15-1 Dads Diva and Isaias Enriquez ran on for 3rd and Drinkup Buttercup at 9-2 with Karlo Lopez took 4th.
Drewy ran the 3/4’s mile in 1:10.93 and races for Ten Broeck Farm and is trained by Blaine Wright.The 3 year-old filly is a Washington brred by Tapizar out of Racy Rascal by Into Mischief and was bred by Mr and Mrs William Griffin. Drewy paid $11.44 on the $2 win and the 2nd pick 4 returned $683.43.
7th Race
The betting favorite Jim’s Jet with Allyssa Morales would bookend the only 2 wins by the public’s choice taking the 1st and last race. 7-5 Jim’s Jet took the field of 6 going 5 1/2 furlongs gate to wire extending the 4 year-old filly’s lead as the race went on to win by a comfortable 2 lengths. 4-1 Engaging Soul with Silvio Amador closed from last to take 2nd, 8-1 Sporty Nugget and Isaias Enriquez ran an even 3rd and 3-1 Gormley Gal with Alex Cruz with 11-1 Spectacular Kat and Karlo Lopez completed the Super High Five.
Jim’s Jet is owned and trained by Jennifer Nunnally and finished off some big pays on the night. The $1 daily double paid $70.43, the 50 cent pick 3 was a big $204.25, the final pick 4 returned $1,996.97 and the pick 5 a massive $23,840.82 to 1 lucky winner or skilled handicapper.
News and Notes
New Voice!
Emerald Downs’ regular race caller Tom Harris came back this season after Bill Downes moved onto other opportunities but part of Harris’s agreement is that he would need to take off 2 weeks. This week is week 1 of his deal and so Dean Mazzuca has stepped in. Mazzuca is well known to many track goers as an owner and he is the starter for the many fun races on the track from the corgi’s to the Grandparents race. Mazzuca has filled in before and has called races for some of the Oregon Fairs so the booth is in good hands during Harris’s break.
Jockey Notes: Cruz Doubles
Outside of the big news of the night with Manuel Amricano winning his 1st career win there were other notes. Alex Cruz was the only rider to double taking the 3rd and 4th and extending his lead over karlo Lopez who won the opener. Cruz is now up 22-17. Silvio Amador took over sole possession of 4th place with his 9th win of the season. And Kevin Krigger is back on Saturday after serving a 1 day suspension on Friday.
Rocco Bowen is at Thistledown this weekend on Ohio Derby Day where they had a huge Saturday with 13 races including the $500,000 Ohio Derby plus 4 other Stakes races.
The Tote Board blew up on Friday night with the big 22-1 winner in the feature. Only 3 betting favorites hit the board on the night with Atta Boy Lloyd winning the 1st and Jim’s Jet taking the finale and the only other betting choice to finish was a 3rd place run in the 3rd race with Another Ten. We’ll give Mongolian Spring a bit of credit with a 4th place finish in the 4th.
This set up big pays with the $2 win paying an average of 14-1. Take out the big longshot and the other 6 races the win pay was an average $9 or 7-2. There were new season highs set on 4 different wagers Friday night all connected to Smoken Shadow with the $2 show now at $13.74.
22-1 Smoken Shadow to 17-1 Mirror Image paid a new $1 high exacta of $284.17, the 10-cent superfecta of those 2 with 3rd place 8-1 Bedrock and 4th place 10-1 Foreign Protocol returned $,090.67.
The biggest pay-off was the 50-cent pick 5 that paid 1 winning ticket holder the pot of $23,840.82 for the new high pay of all bets on the year. This bet strung a 4-1 to 7-2 to 9-2 to 22-1 to 7-5 for the lone winner.
Claims
Race 3
Another Ten was claimed by Diane and James Hickox and Howie Gibson and will be trained by Gibson for a price of $2,500.
Vhagar goes to new owner Luane Bean and to the barn of Bob Bean for $2,500.
Race 4
Soldatna was red tagged by Bryan Smith for new trainer Blaine Wright for the claiming price of $10,ooo.
Race 5
Drewy now goes to new owner Aaron Bresko for trainer Tena Birdwell for a price of $8,000
Hot Lava Cake attracted Alex and Vincent Ortega as the new owners and heads to the Scott Tubbs barn.
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