2008 WTBOA summer sale topper Notoriously drew off by 3 1/4 lengths to notch her fourth stakes victory in the August 1, $52,316 Madamoiselle Handicap at Northlands Park. Bred in Kentucky by Northwest Farms LLC, the four-year-old daughter of Cherokee Run-Silver Echo, by Eastern Echo, improved her record to 7-2-2 from 16 starts and has earned $168,407. Notoriously's three-year-old half-brother Rocky's Quest, a 2009 sale graduate sired by Rockport Harbor, had won a maiden race at Hastings Race Course on July 30 for John and Janene Maryanski and trainer Blaine Wright.

  Two-time stakes winner and 2009 September sale RNA Castinette Dancer added another $5,232 to her earnings after the Washington-bred daughter of Ministers Wildcat-Premo Copy, by Supremo, finished third in the $52,316 Northlands Oaks on July 31. Bred in Washington by John Roche, Castinette Dancer has a record of 3-3-1 from eight starts and has earned $97,115.

  Western Cowboy, a four-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Tiznow out of 1997 WTBOA Summer Yearling Sale graduate Western Woman, by West by West, won the $125,000 West Virginia Governor's Handicap run at Mountaineer Race Track and Gaming Resort on August 6. With six wins and $283,128, Western Cowboy is the leading earner of the trio of stakes horses produced out of the 1998 Washington champion two-year-old filly.

  Since breaking his maiden in a $25,000 claiming race at Pimlico in May 2010, Ben's Cat has added six stakes victories and two stakes seconds to his glittering résumé. The five-year-old son of Gibson Thoroughbred Farm's Parker's Storm Cat scored his biggest win to date when the dark bay gelding came flying at the finish to take the $200,000 Pennsylvania Governor's Cup Handicap, run over Penn National's turf course, by a neck. The favorite in the field of ten runners, Ben's Cat finished the sprint in :56.48. The first four finishers in the five-furlong race were each separated by a neck in the blanket finale. Equally at home on the grass and the dirt, Ben's Cat is five-for seven on the turf. The Maryland-bred gelding out of stakes-placed Twofox, by Thirty Eight Paces, improved his lifetime record to $466,230, with $254,250 of that coming in 2011.

  Parker's Storm Cat sired his fourth 2011 stakes horse when his five-year-old daughter Miss Oil, a Virginia-bred mare out of Pleasant Note, by Prenup, ran second in the $50,000 restricted Oakley Stakes at Colonial Downs on July 30. Miss Oil has earned $72,851 in 15 lifetime starts.

  Parker's Storm Cat had another new winner on August 6 when his three-year-old son Peter G, a South Carolina-bred colt out of Jazz Concert, by Concerto, won a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight race at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town by 2 3/4 lengths.

  2011 Washington leading sire Parker's Storm Cat, who holds court at Gibson Thoroughbred Farm in Thorp, went over the million mark in 2011 earnings when sire figures were totaled through August 5. The 11-year-old son of Storm Cat has had 23 winners among his 55 starters, which includes his multiple stakes winner Ben's Cat - who has contributed $254,250 of his sire's $1,007,693 so far this year - and a trio of stakes-placed horses.

  El Dorado Farms LLC's stalwart Matty G, who topped the state stallion ranks for four consecutive years, currently ranks in second place with 39 winners among 98 runners and $583,294 in monies.

  Polish Miner, who stands at St. Hilaire Thoroughbreds, has 15 winners among his 38 starters who have earned $414,612 in the first seven months of 2011.

  The late Tribunal and pensioned You and I rank in the fourth and fifth spots with $387,000 and $355,011, respectively.

  El Dorado's Private Gold ($318,696), Woodstead Farm's He's Tops ($303,664), deceased Cahill Road ($284,433), Sherri Mellot's Liberty Gold ($224,597) and Woodstead's Delineator ($204,859) hold down the next five spots in the top ten rankings.

Wayne Nagai Photo

Diva Hits High C

  The first open stakes for the juvenile set, the Angie C. Stakes for fillies, and the Premio Esmeralda Stakes for colts and geldings, were both run on the Sunday, August 7, card. Each of the six-panel Northwest Race Series stakes drew fields of six runners vying for the $50,000 purses.

  Northwest Farms LLC's homebred Exclusive Diva went off as the six-to-five favorite in the race named to honor track president Ron Crockett's late mother and ardent race fan, Angie Crockett. The Kentucky-bred daughter of $3-million classic winner Bernardini, who currently heads the nation's second crop sire list with 2011 earnings of nearly $4-million, had easily won her first start, a five-furlong maiden special weight race, by 3 1/2 lengths in gate-to-wire fashion. Little would change in her second outing, as Exclusive Diva and rider Juan Gutierrez again teamed for another duel for the early lead, but were never passed, and finished with a one-length victory. Final race time was 1:09.81 over a fast track.

  "My plan was to take the lead," said Gutierrez, who was taking his 34th stakes win at Emerald and third of 2011. "I knew that the number four (Lady Dakota) had speed, so I tried to keep my horse out in front. When we reached the quarter pole, she took off. She's a really nice filly."

  Squatting Dog Stable and Rusty Warwick's Washington-bred Royal Moses (Cahill Road-Miss Wagon Lode), who had run second in the Northwest Stallion Knights Choice Stakes, also had to settle for the runner-up spot in her second stakes attempt. Finishing four lengths behind in third place was Will This One Do Stables' Talk to My Lawyer, a Washington-bred filly sired by national champion Lawyer Ron out of Washington champion Infernal McGoon.

  Exclusive Diva gave Jerre Paxton's Yakima-based Northwest Farms its 27th Emerald stakes win (and fourth victory in the Angie C.), the all-time stakes record at the Auburn track. It marked the 13th stakes win at Emerald for trainer Tom Wenzel, who had also saddled Northwest Farms and Debbie Paxton's Elusive Noise to take the 2011 Irish Day Handicap. For her two wins, Exclusive Diva, whose dam Puxa Saco is a $400,000 Grade 3 stakes winner and Grade 1-placed daughter of Dehere, has earned $36,855.

Wayne Nagai Photo

Plata (Silver) Lining

As racing luck would have it, another offspring of a second crop Grade 1 winner from the A.P. Indy sire line would determinedly take the second of the two Sunday juvenile stakes offered at Emerald Downs. While Exclusive Diva's sire Bernardini is a direct son of 1992 Horse of the Year A. P. Indy, Premio Esmeralda Stakes winner Silver Boxcar was sired by Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) winner Silver Train, a grandson of A.P. Indy through his three-time Grade 2-winning son Old Trieste.

  Ridden by Gallyn Mitchell, Silver Boxcar vied with Michael and Amy Feuerborn's Northwest Stallion Strong Ruler Stakes winner Chu and I (You and I-Bronze Charmer) once the gates opened. The two runners would frequently change leadership during their close battle, but Silver Boxcar held on longest to emerge a neck winner. Silver Boxcar's final time of 1:10.96 was just over a second more than Exclusive Diva had taken for the same distance two races earlier.

  "Doris (trainer Harwood) didn't really give any instructions, so I pretty much let (Silver Boxcar) call the shots," commented Mitchell after taking his 72 Emerald stakes win, to tie with Ricky Frazier in the number one spot. "He's a big colt and he runs smoothly. I call him, "The Moose" of the barns, but he's a gentle giant."

  The win gave Harwood her fifth stakes win of the meet. The Kent-based trainer has earned a record 53 Emerald stakes victories.

  Many considered Nelson Family Racing's D'honorable One the horse to beat after his impressive 5 1/2-length score in a five-furlong maiden special weight race on July 10. After all, the Florida-bred son of D'Wildcat-Silver Shannon had finished the race in :56.66, the fastest time at that distance so far in the 2011 meeting. The Blaine Wright trainee chased the early leaders, but finished third, three lengths behind Chu and I.

  Silver Boxcar, a Washington-bred colt out of Please Take Me Out, by Take Me Out, races as a homebred for Ivan and Delores Christianson's Shady Valley Ranch. In his first four starts, Silver Boxcar has a 2-1-0 record from four starts and has earned $37,300.

Through August 7 (57 days of racing)

Number of horses entered: 3,674

Number of Washington-breds entered: 2,057 (56%)

Total number of races: 507

Number of Washington-bred winners: 273 (54%)

Number of Washington-bred races: 32

Number of Quarter Horse races: 12