News from Washington Thoroughbred Breeders & Owners Association

**Kristy Batie photo**

Z Oaks

The highlight for the sophomore filly division each year is the nine-furlong Washington Oaks. This year's August 14 affair was graced by nine local distaffers and two ship-ins from Hastings Racecourse vying for the $75,000 purse.
The lightly raced, but unbeaten, My Untamed Heart quickly went to the lead, setting early fractions of :22.80, :46.60 and 1:10.80. Racing just off the early leaders was Zenovit and leading rider Ricky Frazier. As My Untamed Heart faded, Zenovit drew off in the lane to score a 2 1/4 length victory and earn her first stakes victory. Trained by Larry Ross, Zenovit's final race time was 1:49.40.
"I knew there would be a possibility of some horses closing, but I didn't hear anybody coming," said Frazier, who was taking his eighth stakes win of the meet. "She was full of run."
Zenovit, a daughter of Private Gold-Cahilina, by Cahill Road, has now earned $76,338 and improved her record to 3-2-1 from nine starts for her owners and breeders Gerald and Gail Schneider's Auburn-based Riverbend Farm and farm manager Dana Claxton.
When Blue Ribbon Farm Racing #2's Private Fortune, a half-sister to 2006 Oaks winner and state champion She's All Silk, finished second in the stakes, the Washington-bred fillies gave their sire Private Gold a one-two finish in the important race. Six lengths back in third was Perfect Soul Brothers LLC's Soul Custody, an Ontario-bred daughter of Perfect Soul (Ire)-Halo's Gleam, who outfinished Canadian stakes winner Dearest Princess by three-quarters of a length.

Kristy Batie photo

Putting On Those Derby Boots
Nine three-year-old colts and geldings from up and down the Pacific coastline met the starter for the 73rd Emerald Downs Derby. The August 15 Sunday feature drew a trio of Emerald stakes winners, including race favorite Posse Power. One of the more interesting runners was maiden Ain, who in his only two starts, had finished second in two July maiden/optional $30,000 claiming races at Hastings Racecourse.
Gary Hughes' Saratoga Boot took command at once, clipping off fractions of :22.60, :46.60, 1:11.20 and 1:35.80. Kevin Krigger and the Arkansas-bred gelding looked secure at they amassed a five-length lead in the stretch and then cruised to a 4 1/4-length victory over Swift Thoroughbreds, Inc.'s Ain (Aldebaran-Potion d'Amour [Fr]) in a time of 1:48.40. Willow Creek Farm's Posse Power (Posse-Stellarina) finished a half-length back in the show spot.
"He broke sharply out of the gate," said Krigger. "He knew where he wanted to be and he put himself on the front end. I didn't think that we were going a :22 and change first quarter, but when you are on the good horses, it always feels easy."
The race marked the 29th stakes win for all-time Emerald leading trainer Tim McCanna, who was winning his 754th race at the Auburn oval.
Placed at two, the Derby was the second lifetime victory in eight starts for Saratoga Boot, a gelded son of Storm Boot out of Saratoga Sparkle, by Saratoga Six. After winning a maiden/optional $30,000 claiming race in early May, Saratoga Boot next finished second to Posse Power in the Auburn Stakes and was third behind Newfound Man(who ran sixth in the Derby) and Posse Power in the Seattle Slew Handicap. A full brother to $124,845 stakes winner Sexy Boots, Saratoga Boots has earned $74,200 for his Clarkston-based owner.

Kristy Batie photo
Life's a Beach

Washington horsemen and Emerald Downs had much to celebrate on August 22 as Washington-bred Noosa Beach became the 18th statebred runner to win the Longacres Mile (G3). Washington's premier race was celebrating its 75th renewal.
Four-year-old Noosa Beach, who gave trainer Doris Harwood her first Mile win and races in her husband Jeff Harwood's name, has had almost a perfect season this year. In five starts, the four-year-old son of Harbor the Gold is only a neck shy of perfect.
Race favorite Noosa Beach, who was ridden to perfection by regular rider Ricky Frazier, and 2009 Emerald Derby winner Winning Colors vied back and forth for the lead through the first six furlongs with fractions of :23, :45.80 and 1:09.40. At the top of the stretch Frazier asked his mount for a bit more and the two opened up a two-length lead in the stretch. The final win margin was 1 1/2 lengths the better of Charles Fipke's homebred Jersey Town, a four-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Speightstown-Jersey Girl. Tice Ranch Stables LLC's 2009 Mile winner, six-year-old Kentucky-bred Assessment (Jump Start-Native Ghost) - the lone horse to defeat Noosa Beach this season -finished another 3 3/4 lengths back in third place in the field of 12. Final race time was 1:34.80.
"I was a little anxious out of the gate," said Frazier, who was winning record 71st stakes at the Auburn oval. "Noosa Beach broke great on his first step, but after his second step Gallon stepped straight down on the middle of his foot. I could tell it was bothering him, but I knew he would fight through it.
"When we reached the stretch, I wanted to see how far I could open up on the field. Noosa Beach ran right by Winning Machine, and I was confident we had the race won. He has shown from the get-go that he is a special horse."
A homebred for the Harwoods, Noosa Beach, a Washington champion for the past two seasons, earned $96,250 of the $250,000 pot and improved his record to 9-3-2 from 15 starts. The gelding has earned $340,590 and because of the "Win and You're In" nature of the Mile, is now automatically eligible for the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) to be run at Churchill Downs on November 6.
"It feels fantastic, it's really the highlight of my career," said the winning trainer. Harwood, who is the track's all-time leading stakes conditioner with 47 stakes wins, began training 20 years ago after a riding career at Longacres.

Kristy Batie photo
"V" for Victory
Run two races earlier than the Mile, a field on nine met the starter for the $75,000 Emerald Distaff Handicap, a nine-furlong test for older fillies and mares. The fans made Clair Annette the favorite, as the seven-year-old mare was coming off back-to-back wins in the King County and Boeing handicaps. The speedy chestnut broke on top and led through the first six furlongs with fractions of :22.80, :46.40 and 1:10.80 before fading to last.
Running along in second place was Swift Thoroughbred Inc.'s Kimmyv, who had finished fourth in the Boeing Handicap after winning races at Santa Anita and Churchill Downs for her British Columbia-based owners. As the runners made their way down the lane, Kimmyv, ridden by Chad Hoverson, moved into a clear lead and held off Summer Song to win by a length. Five-year-old Summer Song, a multiple stakes winning Kentucky-bred daughter of Sunday Break (Jpn)-Lost Expectations who races for Glen Todd, Patrick Kensell and Stuart Carmichael, finished 3 3/4 lengths in front of Mary Jo Amlie, Jerry Hollendorfer and Dr. George Todaro's Christmas Ship. Also a multiple stakes winner, Christmas Ship, a five-year-old Florida-bred daughter of Montbrook-Show Your Pride, had finished third in the 2009 Emerald Distaff.
First-time stakes winner Kimmyv is trained by Dino Condilenios and the four-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of El Corredor-Gold in My Stars, by Forty Niner, improved her record to 5-1-1 from seven starts and increased her earnings to $127,400.

Other Emerald News
The Emerald Downs meet expanded to 90 days with the addition of a Wednesday, September 22 card, which will feature a special 1:00 post time. The Washington Horse Racing approved Emerald Downs' request to add one more day to its 2010 racing calendar at their August 13 meeting.
Ron Crockett became the first owner to win 200 races at Emerald Downs when his Late Night Chase, a three-year-old Washington-bred filly trained by Tom Wenzel, took the final race on the August 19 card.