7/12/2024

(Auburn, WA) Back to Friday night racing after last week’s special Wednesday card for the Fireworks show. A 7 race card with a total of 48 starter for an average of 6.9 starters per race. The feature race was a well matched field of 7 going 6 1/2 furlongs. The Pick 6 carryover of $7,000+ spurred on the largest betting day of the season on the Pick 6 of a little more than $10,000. There were 3 winners. Total handle on the night was $843,394 for a per race average of $120,485.

Let’s get to the races!

6th Race Feature Race Mucklehoot Casino Purse

6 1/2-furlongs was the distance of the week’s 1st feature race and a field of 7 3 year-olds and up would do battle. The public was well split with Elevado as the nearly 5-2 lukewarm favorite and the longshot Wintger Falcon just 10-1. At the break Cajun Treasure at 5-2 would go to the lead but be quickly joined by 9-2 D K’s Crown with Kevin Krigger. The two would duel down the back stretch and ran the quarter in 22.32. As they headed into the far turn DK and Krigger extended their lead and would stretch as far as 4 or so lengths at the top of the stretch running the half in 44.69.

5-1 Moonlightnwine and Carlos Montalvo who won at 18-1 with a late run last week made another late bid but could not catch D K’s Crown who won by 3 1/4 lengths and settled for 2nd. Favorite Elevado ran on to be 3rd with Neptali Ortiz and 10-1 Winter Falcon and Alex Cruz took 4th. DK ran the 6 1/2 in 1:16.40.

D K’s Crown races for Paul Miller, Jeff Plotkin and Justin Evans and is trained by Evans and earned $9,405 for his efforts. D K’s Crown is a 7 year-old and won his 11th career race. D K’s Crown is now 11-8-9 from 44 career starts and has pushed his career ernings to $139,495 with a solid 25% win rate. 

D K’s Crown paid $11.50, $5.92 and $3.70 or $21.12 on the $2 combo or $211.20 on the $20 across the board bet. The well spread out wagering left the door open for a decent superfecta and it did not disappoint with a $115.08 on the dime bet or $1,150.80 on the $1 wager.

Feature Race Replay

The rest of the Friday night card!

1st Race
In the opener of Corgi week Mojave at 3-1 went gate to wire with Silvio Amador hustling the 8 year-old Washington bred out of the gate to clear the field shaking off Prince of Luck with Alex Cruz up. Mojave set fractions in the 6 furlong dash of 21.89 and 44.47 and built up a 4 or 5 length lead heading for home. Amador who was looking for his 1st win in 2 weeks left plenty for the final run and held off a closing Upper Room by a length in a final time of 1:09.99. Mojave is owned and trained by Valentin “Picho” Garcia who got his 1st win of the season. Mojave was bred by Oak Crest Farm and is by Nationhood out of Valour Road by Honour and Glory.

Upper Room was a clear 2ndby 10 lengths over 3rd place Tumac Mountain at 27-1 with Leslie Mawing and Prince of Luck held 4th. Mojave paid $8.16, $3.26 and $2.76. Tumac Mountain paid a big $7.20 on the $2 show. The 1st exacta of the week paid $7.87, the 50-cent trifecta returned $24.84 and the $1 superfecta paid $154.70.

Race Replay

2nd Race

A field of 7 maidens went 5 furlongs and Mongolian Spring with Juan Gutierrez went off as the 6-5 betting choice. The Golden Egg was running for the 16th time still looking for win #1 and Alex Cruz would try to snap that string as the 2nd choice at 5-2. There were 2 1st time starters both at 7-1.

At the start The Golden Egg went to the lead with Hatagasal and Kiaman McGregor at 5-1 and long shot Alliante and they would set fractions of 22.50 and 46.25. Meantime, 1st time starter Putdaddyinacaddy broke slowly and far back. Karlo Lopez was aboard the 7-1 shot and never panicked allowed the 1st timer to get to the rail and allow the front runners to run off. Only Hatagasal would survive the early pace and took the lead looking like a winner when Pugtdaddyinacaddy got rolling up the rail and catch Hatagasal in the final 50 yards to win by a 1/2 length in a final time of 58.98. Mongolian Spring ran a very even race and just got 3rd by a nose over The Golden Egg.

Putcaddyinacaddy races for Carl and Debbie Seymore and trained by Carl Seymore. The $2 win, place and show paid $16.18, $9.84 and $3.46. The $1 exacta paid well at $54.45 and the 1st daily double of the night $47.89.

Race Replay

3rd Race
A field of 8 lined up to go 1 mile and 2-1 A Lot of Verve needed to hold off a steady close from 1-1 top choice Soldatna and then wait through an inquiry. Alex Cruz had A Lot of Verve near the lead or on the engine for most of the race while Luis Reyes sat just behind in 3rd with the betting choice and made their move at the top of the stretch. It looked like A Lot of Verve would hold off Soldatna when late in the race Verve veered out and made contact with Soldatna. The inquiry sign lit up with an objection from Reyes but the Stewards made no change. (More discussion on this inquiry below in News and Notes.) 47-1 Avellin with Jose Zunino got up for 3rd and 11-1 Earthly Tiger and Kevin Orozco took 4th.

Wayne Williams and Terra Firma Farm own A Lot of Verve and trained by Joe Toye in a winning time of 1:39.03. A Lot of Verve paid $6.20, $3.34 and $2.90. The 1st 50-cent pick 3 paid a healthy $99.25. The 2 big favorites combined with the 47-1 shot to pay $59.99 on the 50-cent trifecta or $119.98 on the $1 bet and the $1 superfecta paid $486.40.

4th Race
6 runners lined up for this 6 1/2 furlong run and Theuntouchableone with Alex Cruz was the 6-5 favorite and battled for the lead on the rail out of the 1 hole with 9-2 Summanus and Luis Reyes. Those 2 would set fractions of 22.60 and 45.11 but it was too much both would fade to 3rd for Summanus and 4th for Theuntouchableone while Uncle Leon at 2-1 with Allyssa Morales aboard stalked early in 4th and got 1st run to surge to the lead inside the 1/8th pole and then had to worry about Nation of Faith coming from dead last with Karlo Lopez at 12-1. The 3 year-old gelding did that to win by 3/4’s of a length in a final time of 1:17.28.

Uncle Leon races for Remmah Racing and trained by Jorge Rosales and paid $6.72, $3.38 and $3.00. The 1st pick 4 of the night paid $379.23 and the pick 3 a solid $65.72.

5th Race
Odds-on favorite Mister Midas and Juan Gutierrez went straight to the lead and never looked back and did so with zippy fractions of 21.92 and 44.60 and a final time for the 6 furlongs 1:09.52. 5-1 Rhodesia and Silvio Amador was the only one to have a chance but could not match Mister Midas who won by 3 1/4 lengths. Mister Midas races for Shellie and Todd Nickolos and is trained by Candi Cryderman. Mister Midas the 4 year-old gelding is a Washington bred by Gold Rush Dancer out of Smokin Passion by Petersburg and was bred by the owners.

Rhodesia was 2nd by 3 lengths outfinishing 21-1 Night to Remember with Jose Zunino and capping the superfecta was 6-1 Conrad Meadows with Leslie Mawing up. The 2nd pick 4 of the night paid $141.61. Mister Midas paid $3.56, $2.44 and $2.58 and due to the longshot running 2nd was one of the rare occassions the winner paid more to show than to place.

7th Race
In the finale there was a late scratch at the gate of 3rd favorite at the time of Harbor Lass which triggered all the “pick’s” to get added to the betting favorite which was Northern Linchpin and paid a consolation daily double. 

Harbor Lass battled with a pair of 11-1 shots in the 5 1/2 furlong dash to the 1/8th pole when Shilshole Bay and Leslie Mawing flattened out to take 3rd and Tia Suzi with Silvio Amador ended up 4th. Northern Linchpin extended her lead to about 4 lengths when a late run from Sorority Party with Allyssa Morales made a nice run but ran out of stretch to come up about 2 lengths short in the end. Northern Linchpin went off as the 3-5 odds on choice and races for William Hasenoehrl and trained by Charlie Essex. Northern Linchpin is a Washington bred by Linchpin out of Analysis Paralysis by Majesticperfection and was bred by the owner.

The pick 6 pool climbed to more than $17,000 for its largest pool of the season and 3 winners cashed taking $4,786.89 each. With the big favorite winning the pays on the picks were already low and then became lower with the pick 3 paying $10.80, the final pick 4 just $38.71 and the daily double $13.28 and the consolation double to the scratched Harbor Lass of $4.69. Linchpin’s Locket placed 5th to complete the Super High 5 and paid $80.31.

Race Replay

News and Notes

Inquiry
The Stewards had a tough call in the 3rd race when in deep stretch 2-1 A Lot of Verve with Alex Cruz came out and certainly contacted 1-1 favorite Soldatna with Luis Reyes. At first glance many would believe there would be a disqualification but after a closer look it the stewards left the result as is no doubt upsetting several but the Verve backers breathed a sigh of relief.

The official announcement from track announcer Tom Harris said the Stewards ruled despite the contacgt there wasn’t enough left in the race that would have changed the outcome. But to me there was another piece and folks I had no interest in the winner but A Lot of Verve was running a straight a line and Cruz was going right handed and then ran out of strikes using his 6 but pushing from the right side.

Soldatna got up to Verve’s hindquarters and came down making an intial contact. Verve also had blinkers and when he felt the contact veered into it causing the late contact. I am not sure if this was part of the discussion but if Soldatna was ruled to have initiated the first contact and the jockey is doing everything right to keep him straight and the horse, an animal reacts to that contact is that his fault? I happen to believe it is not so in my view the Stewards got this right.

I know many will disagree that’s why this job is difficult but I think they got it right in a tough call. If they had taken him down and ruled the contact was not proportionate to the contact I am not sure I could have argued to heavily on that either but I would have ruled no change as they did in this case.

Jockeys, Trainers and Owners

Leading rider Alex Cruz doubled Friday night and was the only multiple winner. Other winners included Karlo Lopez, Allyssa Morales, Kevin Krigger, Juan Gutierrez and Silvio Amador. Cruz now leads Karlo Lopez by 13 (37-24). Silvio Amador won the 1st to snap an 22 race over 8 day slump and got his 10th win of the season.

Juan Gutierrez and Kevin Krigger both got their 15th win of the year and both are firing at a 33% win rate. Both have 46 starts and 15 wins but Krigger is hitting the top 3 at a huge 67% while Gutierrez has a solid 54% top 3 finish.

Owner/Trainer Valentin “Picho”Garcia got his 1st win as a trainer and owner in the 1st race with Mojave. In the 2nd race owner/trainer Carl Seymore got his 1st win as both owner and trainer although he owns Putdadfyinacaddy with his wife Debbi.

Claims

1st Race
Mojave was claimed by owner/trainer Jaymie Pearman Cruz for the tag of $2,500.
Upper Roon was taken by owner/trainer Miguel Hernandez for $2,500.
Prince of Luck was claimed by Liandro Morfin for trainer Ashlee Wolf for $2,500.
4th Race
Theuntouchableone was red tagged by new owners William Jensen and Gary Olson and goes to Joe Toye’s barn for the price of $8,000.
7th Race
Sorority Party was claimed by Eliana Thompson and goes to new trainer Jorge Rosales for the claim price of $5,000.

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