9/8/2024
(Auburn, WA) We are finishing the season with Weekend Round-Ups as the local high schools sports teams have hit the fields and courts and Eli Sports is scrambling. We will be at the track for closing day for sure for stories on the final Stakes races plus all of our season ending wrap-ups over the next couple of weeks.
This week it’s just the 3 feature races and links to Equibase and the full charts for all races. Next week we will have all 3 Stakes races and begin our post-season wrap-up.
Sunday’s Feature 8th Race
A field of 6 went mto the gates to run 6 furlongs and the odds-on choice was Prisoner with Luis Reyes at 2-5 and they broke well sitting 2nd as they let 7-1 Mister Mafioso and Karlo Lopez go to the lead where they set some blistering fractions of 21.51 and 43.85. That pace did catch up with Mr Mafioso as they would hit the wall in mid stretch but did hold on to finish 4th.
This set up the heavy favorite Prisoner to make a jail break and take the lead and looked like he would roll to an easy win. However, other closers were winding up and 5-1 Welton with Isaias Enriquez coming from last place was rolling 5 wide after a slow start. The start did not impact Welton with the speed on the front end. Prisoner and Reyes may have thought sxiting a length or so off of Mr Mafioso would have left enough in the tank to finish the win, but Welton had other ideas.
Enriquez unleashed the beast and they were flying and engaged Prisoner just inside the 16th pole and pulled away for a comfortable 1+ length win in a final time of 1:09.10. Prisoner held 2nd while 14-1 D K’s Crown with Silvio Amador ran on for 3rd.
Welton races for Mike Hill and is trained by Frank Lucarelli. Weltoin earned $13,965 to push his career earnings to $77,794 and now has a career record of 4-1-2 from 10 lifetime starts. Welton won for the 2nd time this season at Emerald with 5 starts.
Welton paid $12.04, $4.02 and $2.72. The $1 exacta was $10.78, 50-cent trifecta $34.79 and the $1 superfecta was $155.90.
Sunday Equibase full Charts and full pay-outs
Welton runs them all down for the win
Saturday’s Feature 7th Race
A contenscious field of 6 came down to running straight late in the stretch. 10-1 Poverty Bay and Alex Cruz went to the lead and 2-1 2nd betting choice Nine One One and Luis Reyes broke with him and it quickly turned into a follow the leader 6 furlong run. Poverty Bay set all the fractions of 21.95 and 44.36 with Nine One One in his hip pocket. 2-1 favorite Whiskeyjack and Carlos Montalvo was further back looking to make a stretch run.
As the lead duo turned for home Poverty Bay was on the lead on the rail and Nine One One came at them and the two were locked in a head and head battle. There was some minor bumping midstretch but inside the 16th pole Nine One One came down on Poverty Bay with a harder bump and forcing Poverty Bay to slightly check and in the end Nine One One got the head win in the photo but the Inquiry sign got lit up.
After reviewing the video the Stewards ruled there was enough interference from Nine One One that could have changed the outrcome and disqualified Nine One One placing him 2nd and awarding Poverty Bay the win. Many were not happy with decision but from our standpoint it was a good call. The contact was clearly initiated by Nine One One in our opinion and it was minimal but the win margin was exceptionally minimal and took away the chance for Poverty Bay to win. Tight call no doubt but we can’t argue with it.
Whiskeyjack was the one going best at the end and ran out of stretch closing from far back to take 3rd just 3/4 of a length behind the top 2. Further back 10-1 Firewalker and David Martin ran 4th.
Poverty Bay is owned by Rick Kessler and Terra Firma Farm and trained by Joe Toye. Poverty Bay is a Washington bred by Coast Guard out of Hula Lula by Raise the Bluff and was bred by Dave Breiwick. Poverty Bay earned $13,965 for the win to push the 5 year-old gelding’s career winnings to $98,172. His career record is now 4-7-4 from 21 lifetime starts.
Poverty Bay paid $23.64, $9.38 and $5.24. The $1 exacta returned $47.61, the 50-cent trifecta $119.51 and the $1 superfecta $951.20.
Saturday’s Equibase full Charts and full pay-outs
Poverty Bay and Nine One One go at all the way to the line
Friday’s Feature 4th Race
A compact field of 5 well matched fillies and mares running for a claim tag of $25,000 went 6 furlongs in the mid-card feature race on Friday night. The betting public were split with 2 runners at 2-1 a 5-2, 7-2 and longshot Nation’s Bellewith Kevin Orozco at 12-1 would end up 4th.
The slight betting choice Zazen with Karlo Lopez broke well and sat a couple lengths behind the front speed in 4th place. 2-1 2nd choice Reign of Fire with Isaias Enriquez went to the front and was pressed by 7-2 Mary Walker who was trying to become the 1st 5 time winner of the meet but ended up tiring and finished last.
Reign of Fire set fractions of 21.71 and 44.47 but by the half mile pole Zazen had edged up to engage and at 1 time 4 all within a 1/2 length of each other with 7-2 Ms Flashy Harbor and Kevin Krigger last but beginning to stir.
Once they straightened away it became a 2 horse race to inside the 1/8th pole when Zazen and Lopez began to assert themselves and pull away from Reign of Fire who was a clear 2nd while Ms Flashy Harbor made a good move but only good enough for 3rd place. Zazen would finish nearly 2 lengths to the good over Reign of Fire in a final time of 1:09.81.
Zazen races for Rockingham Ranch and is trained by Justin Evans. Zazen is a Washington bred 5 year-old mare by Grazen out of Smokin’ Grey by Smoke Glacken and was bred by Mr and Mrs William Griffin. Zazen is now 8-4-5 from 30 lifetime starts and earned $13,965 to push her career earnings to $151,622.
Zazen paid $6.06, $2.72 and $2.42. The $1 exacta paid $7.32, the 50-cent trifecta $6 and the $1 superfecta $69.90.
Friday’s Equibase full Charts and full pay-outs
Zazen pulls away for the win
News and Notes
Owner John Parker recorded his 200th win as an owner at Emerald Downs and is only the 2nd owner to hit the 200 mark. Parker got the win in the 1st race on Saturday with Wear the Crown. Apprentice Manuel Americano booted home the benchmark win and trainer Candi Cryderman had Crown ready to win.
Jockey Karlo Lopez broke out of his 2nd-itis winning 6 races which gives him 42 and 4th place in the standings by wins. He is #2 in earnings. Top rider Alex Cruz added another 3 wins and had a 19 win lead over 2nd place Kevin Krigger with 45. Luis Reyes had another strong week with 4 wins and is 3rd with 43 wins. Carlos Montalvo joined the 40+ win club getting his lone win in the final race of the week for his 40th victory. And Manuel Americano stacked up 3 wins for the week and has now won a race over 5 straight days.
Trainer Charlie Essex had his best week of the season firing off 5 wins from 8 starts for a 63% win rate. It was all or nothing for Essex this week as his other 3 did not hit the board but no doubt he’ll take this week more often. Essex went from 10 to 15 wins and is now 6th in the wins standings and 7th in earnings. Leading trainer Justin Evans added 2 more wins to push his season record to 56-35-27. Rigoberto Velasquez was the other trainer with multiple wins this week with 2. That pushed Velasquez into double digits with his 9th and 10th wins of the year.
This has been a banner year for claims but Saturday was the 1st official day of the year there were no claims but there was an attempt as the one claim was voided. On Sunday it was officially the 1st day with no claims or attempted claims. Of course the end of the year has a lot to do with it and the ones going now are to trainers who plan on shipping and running at another track.
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