Emerald Downs Handicap Winner Takes Emerald Downs Stakes

  Ole Nielsen's top filly Ole's Miss made the most of her trip to Washington by coming away with a narrow victory in the $50,000 Kent Handicap. She was partnered for the victory by 2014 Emerald leading rider Leslie Mawing, who swept all three of the stakes offered over the July 19-20 weekend at the Auburn oval.

  Ole's Miss went off as the four-to-five favorite and 120 pound highweight in the field of six sophomore fillies going 1 1/16 miles. After trailing the field for the first quarter, Ole's Miss began to make her move in the second turn and held off Bill and Betty Stiles and Valerie Maria Johnson's 20-to-one longshot Mylast Sweet Pea's (Grindstone-Secret Game) determined drive to take her fourth stakes win by a neck in a final time of 1:41.46. Horseplayers Racing Club #213's Papa's Flashy Girl (Papa Clem-With a Flash) was another six lengths back in third place.

  "I didn't want to move too early, so I held her back," said Mawing. "Coming to the three-eighths pole, the pace was crawling, so I let out a little bit more and she just grabbed hold of the bit. Down the stretch, I let her extend her stride and she did that well. (Mylast Sweet Pea) ran a big race. It wasn't like we were stopping, that horse just kicked it in."

  Nielsen, who owns Canmor Farms in Richmond, British Columbia, has been a major factor in British Columbia racing for many years. He purchased Ole's Miss for $19,000 at the 2012 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Since running third in a maiden special weight race at two, Ole's Miss has competed exclusively in stakes races, and until her latest start, has raced only at Hastings Racecourse. At two, she broke her maiden in the Boulevard Casino Stakes. This season, the L. Tracy McCarthy-trained filly reeled off wins in both the Ross McLeod Stakes and Emerald Downs Handicap before finishing second to Arabella's Muse in the Supernaturel Handicap on July 1. The Ontario-bred daughter of Officer-Gypsy Cab Company, by Malibu Moon, improved her record to 4-1-2 from seven starts and her earnings to $129,113. McCarthy is the wife of British Columbia Racing Hall of Fame rider Chris Loseth.

Stryke Two

Stryker Phd Reed Palmer Photo

  According to Larry Ross's wife and able assistant trainer Sharon, Jim and Mona Hour's 2013 Washington champion Stryker Phd exceeded her "expectations in the Budweiser Handicap" and "came back great" from his winning effort in the June 15 stakes. In 2013, Stryker Phd had finished second in the Budweiser.

  The next test on the Longacres Mile quest would come in the July 20 Mt. Rainier Handicap, a 1 1/16-mile race in which the five-year-old gelded son of Bertrando had also finished in the bridesmaid spot in 2013; and we should note that the race was won last year by Herbie D, who would go on the take horse of the meet honors after winning the main event.

  Emerald racing secretary Bret Anderson must have felt Stryker Phd up to the challenge, as the runner was the race highweight at 121, giving three to six pounds to the eight other contestants. Race fans were also in accordance, as the handsome bay went off as the nine-to-ten favorite in the July stakes.

  Henry Leong and Daniel Lew's nearly 24-to-one longshot Don'tmesswithkitten (Kitten's Joy-Trio) "broke sharp and set a pressured pace" until "grudgingly" giving up the lead in the final yards to Stryker Phd, who was one length in front of his determined rival at the finish line. The Nelson Family's Disruption (Street Boss-Disrupt) finished third, 1 1/2 lengths behind Don'tmesswithkitten. The final time of 1:40.20 is the fastest recorded in the six times the race has been run at the 9 1/2-furlong distance.

  "He'd been working great leading up to the race; we were confident," said Stryker Phd's winning partner Leslie Mawing. "Once the race started, I was hoping I could just duplicate the trip he had (in the Budweiser Handicap).

  "The pace seemed reasonable enough, I just had to stay patient and ask him at the right time. He's easy enough to rate; that's no problem. He's a powerful horse."

 The now clear-cut local favorite for the upcoming August 26 Mile, Stryker Phd is one of two stakes winners and champions out of the unraced Smart Strike matron Striking Scholar. The $182,751 earner was bred in partnership by Spokane residents Char Clark and Todd Havens, who sold the future star for $45,000 at the 2010 WTBOA summer sale.

  Stryker Phd received an 86 BRIS speed rating for his most recent win.

There's a New Kid in Town

Trackattacker Reed Palmer Photo

  After just two starts, REV Racing's Trackattacker has given local racing fans something exciting to talk about and he looks to be another star in the making for top Pacific Northwest sire Harbor the Gold.

  After setting a new track record in his first outing, a June 1 maiden special weight race which he won by nine lengths, Trackattacker's connections - owners Roy and Ellie Schaefer, dba REV Racing, and trainer Frank Lucarelli - had to wait until the July 20 Emerald Express Stakes for the next chance to race their speedy juvenile.

  It's not often that you see a two-year-old go off at odds as low as five cents on the dollar, but that's how the fans bet the race, even though there were five other colts and geldings - but only one other winner, Private Boss - entered against Trackattacker in the $50,000 race. Each of those runners went off at double digit odds.

  Leslie Mawing had Trackattacker away alertly and the pair led the field from start to finish as they gradually drew further away at each call. At the quarter pole, they led Moonee Beach by a half-length (:21.86), at the half they were in front by two over One Horse Will Do Corporation's Monster Wave (:44.12). Down the stretch the REV Racing runner pushed his lead to an ever-widening six lengths (:55.91) and by the time the finish line appeared, Trackattacker had "won as the rider pleased" by 11 lengths and set a new stakes record of 1:08.31.

  Monster Wave (Stormy Atlantic-Carson City Babe) finished second, three lengths ahead of Delbert Kelly, Roy Lumm and Mort Robbins' Private Boss (Private Gold-Irene's Bonus Baby).

  "This horse has been training fantastic," said Mawing. "He's such a big horse that if you didn't know him, you'd think he was an older horse. He's got a huge stride. You just want him to do his own thing."

  Purchased for $25,000 from his breeders, Dr. Duane and Sue Hopp's Castlegate Farm (the Hopps also bred and raced 2001 Gottstein Futurity winner Horatio), at the 2013 WTBOA August sale, Trackattacker had shown promise in the days leading up to his debut.

  "We thought he could run," said Lucarelli. "One morning he got away from the rider a little bit and put eight lengths on a horse he was working with like it was nothing."

  The Washington-bred gelding is the second winner from three foals out of the In Excess (Ire) mare Eclatante, who placed in three sophomore stakes at Emerald Downs and earned $83,073 while racing for the Hopps. With his $24,750 winner's share, Trackattacker has now earned $34,568.

A Horse for Ethan

Ethan's Baby Reed Palmer Photo

   Juvenile filly Ethan's Baby was bred and is owned by Todd and Shawn Hansen, owners of Scatter Creek Training Center in Tenino. The Hansens have one young son, Ethan, and he shares a special relationship with the filly that bears his name.  

  Ethan's Baby had been an easy winner in her first race, taking a June 8 five-furlong maiden special weight race by 5 1/2 lengths over a wet-fast track. After her sharp debut, her trainer Howard Belvoir remarked: "I think she's a good filly and she'll do anything you want."

  After her impressive first effort, the Hansens received an offer for their new winner, which they rejected, as Belvoir confirmed they "wanted a good one to keep, and I think they have one here."

  Five other juvenile distaffers joined Ethan's Baby for the $50,000 Angie C. Stakes on July 27. The only other one who was considered to give her a run for her money was John and Janene Maryanski's fellow Emerald maiden special weight winner Seeking the Light (Heatseeker [Ire]-Brightest), who went off at $1.30-to-one odds.

  Ethan's Baby, at $1.10-to-one and partnered by David Lopez, was quickest out of the gate as she sped to early fractions of :22.21, :44.92 and :56.75 before drawing off to win her second outing by 6 1/4 lengths  in 1:09.29, the second fastest recorded time in the stakes 19-year history. Only Goin to the Window's 1:09.01, set in 2012, was quicker.

  "Well she was much the best," said Lopez. "I was a little worried about the first part, but she broke so good. She proved she is much better than the other fillies."

  Charles and Dave Essex and The Little Lady Stables' 25-to-one longshot Pippa Bou Peep (Harbor the Gold-Annie's Bou Peep) outfinished third place Seeking the Light by another 5 1/4 lengths.

   Ethan's Baby became the seventh race favorite to take the Angie C. in the last eight runnings of the race; and as the previous five winners of the six-panel stakes, she led from gate-to-wire.

  Washington-bred Ethan's Baby, a daughter of the now Pennsylvania-based stallion Offlee Wild, has earned $37,043. She is the first foal out of unraced Hope and Vow, a 2008 daughter of Broken Vow who was also bred by the Hansens. The couple had purchased Hope and Vow's dam Shawn's Hope, a Washington-bred daughter of Liberty Gold who placed twice in five starts, for $50,000 at the 2004 WTBOA summer sale. The large price was mainly due to the career of the filly's half-brother Toccet, who had won both the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes and Hollywood Futurity two years earlier en route to $931,387 earnings.

  In addition to Ethan's Baby, 14-year-old Offlee Wild, a Grade 1-winning son of Wild Again, was represented on July 27 by Bayern, who won the William Hill Haskell Invitational (G1) by 7 1/4 lengths at Monmouth Park

    Lopez rode three other winners - War Wizard, Jordans Jem and Tale Spinner - from ten races on the Sunday card, marking his second four-win day at Emerald.  He has had 24 winners from 153 starters to rank eighth in wins at the current meet.

 Gemstones

  Emerald Racing Club's Dancing Yodeler, in his fourth effort for the 128-person syndicate, finished second in a $3,500 claimer on July 27 and added $1,240 to his totals. The six-year-old gelded son of Swiss Yodeler has earned $5,855 with a 1-1-1 record at Emerald Downs.

  Trainer Blaine Wright celebrated his 40th birthday on July 25 with wins by family-owned (Cherie, Susan and Judy Wright) Sthenios and Won Won On Five.

  Through the last week in July and the first 46 days of the meet, trainer Jeff Metz continues his win lead over Frank Lucarelli, 39 to 31. Lucarelli ranks first in earnings with $340,612, while Metz ranks fourth with $282,480. Jim Penney is second in the money category with $315,729 and is third in wins with 23. Howard Belvoir ranks fourth in wins with 17 and Doris Harwood holds the fourth place money spot with $257,808.

  Among the Emerald riders, Leslie Mawing continues to grow his lead and now has 62 wins, 11 more than second place Rocco Bowen. Mawing also leads Bowen in earnings, $685,000 to $496,808. Isaias Enriquez sits in third place with 40 victories and $419,235 in monies won. Eliska Kubinova ranks fourth in wins over Juan Gutierrez, 36 to 25, but Gutierrez's mounts lead Kubinova's money, $366,521 to $356,315.

oHors

  (See "WTBOA Sales Graduates in the News" below for more Emerald results.)

   Two-year-old Seattle Best Copy won a $25,000 maiden claiming race by 3 1/4 lengths at Emerald Downs on July 19. The daughter of Demon Warlock, who was bred by John Roche, races for Stride for Stride Stable and is trained by Mary Pirone, is the fifth winner for her stakes-winning dam Premo Copy, who is also the dam of Washington champion Castinette Dancer.

  Stakes winner and 2000 WTBOA Summer Yearling/Marshall Naify Dispersal Sale topper Collect Call, a 1998 daughter of Meadowlake and the dam of Grade 2 stakes winner and sire Old Fashioned, is also the dam of Please Hold, a three-year-old daughter of Unbridled's Song who sold for $220,000 (the fourth highest offering) at the Barretts' Paddock Sale held at Del Mar on July 20, 2014. Of the 40 horses cataloged, 29 went through the ring and 19 sold for a $2,147,000 total and $113,000 average.

  Stakes-placed Oil Country, a four-year-old gelded son of Free At Last-Topaz 'n Jazz, by Son of Briartic, bred in Washington by Debbie and Rick Pabst, went gate-to-wire to win a 5 1/4-length allowance test at Great Falls on July 20 and up his earnings to $23,737.

  Five-year-old Countersix, a Washington-bred gelding by West Coast Training Center's Liberty Gold out of stakes producer Last S A, by Peterhof, won a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight race by 8 3/4 lengths at Great Falls on July 26.  The half-brother to stakes winner Master's Bluff was bred in partnership by Matt and Hally Moore and Tony Burlingame.

  Newfound Gold, a seven-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Newfoundland-Binntastic, by Lyphard's Wish (Fr), who sold at the 2008 WTBOA sale, improved his record to 9-15-7 after he won a six-furlong $12,500 claiming race at Del Mar on July 25 by 1 3/4 lengths. He has earned $154,819 in 39 starts.

  1994 WTBOA sale graduate and stakes winner St. Helens Shadow, one of a trio of stakes winners Northwest Farms LLC bred out of stakes winner Little Bar Fly, produced her fifth winner in Giant's Shadow, a three-year-old filly by Giant's Causeway, who won a 1 1/16-mile turf maiden race at PARX Racing on July 27. The Kentucky-bred filly is a half-sister to Grade 1 two-year-old winner and sire Officer.

  Former sale horse, stakes-placed Sunpenny (a three-year-old daughter of Good Reward-Cascade Corona bred by Debbie and Rick Pabst who sold at the 2012 WTBOA summer sale) and future WTBOA sale horse Cheeky Stone (a three-year-old daughter of Grindstone-Shameless Sara, by Seattle Shamus) who has been consigned to the 2014 sale by her breeders, Karen and Mickey Taylor LLC, dead-heated for first place in an allowance/$40,000 optional claiming race at Emerald Downs on July 26. Both fillies bred in Washington, Sunpenny races for Z Thoroughbred Racing Partners III for whom she has earned $39,647 and Cheeky Stone upped her earnings to $27,177 for the Taylors.

  Trainer Ben Harris and jockey Ricky Frazier head a stellar field of 2014 Washington Racing Hall of Fame inductees.
  Chum Salmon, winner of seven stakes, including a last-to-first victory in the 1985 Longacres Mile (G2), was elected in the male horse category; and Delicate Vine, the 1986 Washington Horse of the Year and a triple graded winner, is the filly and mare division honoree.
  William and Barbara Nelson Jr., breeder of four Washington state champions, will be inducted in the breeder division.
  Frazier becomes the second jockey to make the Hall of Fame based mainly on accomplishments at Emerald Downs. A native of Arkansas, Frazier - who celebrated his 50th birthday on July 23 - produced one of the most dominant runs in state history, winning five titles in a seven-season span (2004-10),  including two Longacres Miles. In 2007, Frazier set track records with 157 wins and over $1.6 million in earnings, and also finished first with 12 stakes wins. Frazier won 3,469 races and over $2 million in a career that included riding titles at Sam Houston, Retama Park, Louisiana Downs, Delaware Park and Fresno.
  A native of the tiny Eastern Washington community of Satus, Harris was the only trainer in Longacres' 59-year history to win four straight training titles, including the 1991 meet when his 93 wins shattered the single-season record.  His 31 Longacres stakes wins rank him ninth all-time. Harris also won four training titles at Yakima Meadows. His major clients included the late George Layman Jr. and the late Dr. John Furukawa.
  Chum Salmon, a 1980 Washington-bred gelding by Gaelic Dancer-Saree, by The Dude, is considered one of the most exciting runners in state history. Trained by Larry Ross and owned by Chum Salmon Stable, the dark bay or brown horse won 13 of 29 career starts and earned $388,195. His deep closing style produced one of the most electrifying rallies in Longacres Mile history, as the field's lone Washington-bred inhaled a star-studded group for a $19.20 upset in the 1985 renewal of the Northwest's greatest race.
  Delicate Vine, a 1984 Washington-bred by Knights Choice-Fool's Miss, by Saltville, was the nation's second highest ranked two-year-old filly of 1986. Bred by Dan J. Agnew's DanDar Farm, trained by Bobby Frankel and owned by Frankel, Greg Alsdorf and Jerry and Ann Moss, Delicate Vine showcased her talents across America, winning four of five starts, including the Grade 1 Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes at Arlington Park, Grade 2 Sorority Stakes at Monmouth Park and Grade 3 Landaluce Stakes at Hollywood Park.
  William and Barbara Nelson Jr. owned Gunshy Manor, a 165-acre breeding farm in Redmond, located across Lake Washington and just east of Seattle. The Nelsons, mainstays in the industry from the late 1960s until their deaths in the mid-2000s, bred Washington champions Prince Joda, Favored One, Norm's Nephew and Margo's Gift. The Nelsons' legacy lives on as Favored One's granddaughter, Lexie Lou, defeated 14 male runners in the 2014 Queen's Plate.
  Other 2014 Washington Racing Hall of Fame finalists were, by category: male horse: Fast Parade, Handy N Bold and Maxwell G.; filly/mare: Flag de Lune, Snow Plow and Whang Bang; jockey: Doug Dodson, Pepper Porter and Richard Wright; trainer: Cecil Jolly, Bob McMeans and Marion L. Smith; and breeder: Bob Edwards, C. F. Flower and Maurice McGrath.
  Washington Racing Hall of Fame voting is composed of 16 voters, four each from the WTBOA, WHBPA, Emerald Downs and media persons with knowledge of our industry. Four finalists were chosen in each category.

  The Washington Racing Hall of Fame's 12th annual induction ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, August 16, in the Emerald Room following the day's races. For tickets or more information, please contact Emerald Downs at (253) 288-7000 or check the Emerald Downs website at emeralddowns.com.

   Attendees who register for the inaugural Thoroughbred Owner Conference in Lexington, Kentucky, scheduled for October 13 - 16, 2014, by Friday, August 15, will receive an iPad mini as a bonus upon arrival at the conference, it was announced today.

  Among the activities planned for the four-day conference are panels featuring successful owners discussing their approaches to ownership, sales and bloodstock professionals discussing the search for talented equine athletes, behind-the-scenes tours of some of the world's leading breeding operations, social events where attendees can gather to meet and network with other owners and industry professionals, a keynote address from Hall of Fame golfer and Thoroughbred owner Gary Player and a VIP day of racing at Keeneland Race Course.

  The iPad mini will be pre-loaded with a full schedule of events, biographies on all speakers and panelists, as well as maps and directions to various venues.

  "The iPad mini is our way of thanking individuals who have shown such enthusiastic support of our first Thoroughbred Owner Conference," said Gary Falter, vice president of operations for OwnerView. "This conference epitomizes OwnerView's mission to attract and retain owners in Thoroughbred racing, and we've built an agenda designed to be educational, informative, entertaining and rewarding for all attendees."

  The conference is being hosted by OwnerView, the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, and The Jockey Club at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. Designed for both experienced and prospective owners, the event is being co-presented by Del Mar, Keeneland, NYRA and The Stronach Group.

   Conference details, including the complete schedule of events, registration forms and host hotel information, are available at ownerview.com. Additional information about the conference may be obtained by contacting Gary Falter at (859) 224-2803 or by e-mail at gfalter@jockeyclub.com.

   Mark Dedomenico LLC and trainer Jerry Hollendorfer's first-time two-year-old starter Taparri won a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight race at Sacramento by 1 3/4 lengths on July 17. The Kentucky-bred daughter of Tapit-Kiddari, by Smarty Jones, was ridden by Russell Baze. Dr. George Todaro, Dedomenico and partners' three-year-old Kentucky-bred Southern Freedom (Pure Prize-Dixie Crisp, by Dixieland Band) won a six-furlong maiden special weight race at Del Mar on July 19. Six days later, Todaro, Dedomenico and partners' three-year-old Sam's Sister, by Brother Derek-Kittery Point, by Include, won her debut, in a six-furlong maiden special weight race at Del Mar. Dedomenico, Polivka Equine Holdings LLC and Jerry Hollendorfer's three-time winner Free Money, a three-year-old Street Sense-On a Roll, by A. P. Indy, filly, finished third in the $53,565 Wine Country Stakes at Santa Rosa on July 26 in her initial stakes effort.

  Multiple stakes winner No It Aint, a six-year-old son of Yes It's True-Northern Hilite, by Vice Regent, bred in Kentucky by Northwest Farms LLC, won a mile allowance at Arapahoe Park on July 20 to up his earnings to $132,488.

  Al and Sandee Kirkwood's four-year-old gelding Boozer, a California-bred son of Unusual Heat-Kitty and Boo, by Cape Canaveral, won a 1 1/16-mile allowance/$20,000 optional claiming (N) race over Del Mar's turf course by nearly four lengths on July 18. The Mark Glatt-trained runner improved his record to 3-2-1 from nine starts and has earned $160,600. The Kirkwoods had another Del Mar winner on July 26 when their two-year-old colt Red Button, a Kentucky-bred son of Distorted Humor-Skipping Around, by Skip Trial, took a six-furlong maiden special weight race by a half-length.

  Rick Pasko's four-year-old California-bred Mark of a Gem, by Benchmark, won a five-furlong allowance/$40,000 optional claiming (N) race by 2 1/4 lengths over Del Mar's turf course on July 25. It marked the third win for the daughter of stakes-placed Tiz a Gem, by Cee's Tizzy, and upped her earnings to $151,010.

  Three-year-old Our Man Clint, who was bred in Washington by Billie Klokstad and races for Ray and Tim McCanna, won a $12,500 maiden claimer at Santa Rosa by 3 1/4 lengths on July 4. The new winner is a son of El Dorado Farms LLC's Private Gold and out of the winning County Light mare Foxy Lite.

  Washington-owned runners ran two-three in the $64,800 Luther Burbank Handicap run at Santa Rosa on July 27. Dr. George Todaro, et al.'s millionaire mare Halo Dotty, a six-year-old mare by Popular-Spanish Halo, by Comic Strip, finished second by three-quarters of a length to Sing and Tell in the 1 1/16-mile turf race. Finishing only a nose behind in third place was Grousemont Farm's Freedom Reigns (Ire), a $142,389-earning five-year-old daughter of Jeremy-For Freedom (Ire), by King of Kings (Ire), who was last seen running at Keeneland's spring meet.

  Solemnly Swear, a three-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Yes It's True, won his fourth race and upped his earnings to $117,140 after he finished first in a $30,000 optional claiming race at Monmouth Park on July 19. The half-brother to multiple stakes winner Truth and Justice and graded stakes-placed Mr Hall's Opus is out of 2003 Barbara Shinpoch Stakes winner Sala de Oro, who was bred in Kentucky by Barbara Ratcliff's Coal Creek Farm and raced by Dave Mowat's Ten Broeck Farm LLC.

  Unraced Lyrical Prayer, by The Minstrel, the half-sister to Washington broodmare of the year Peaceful Wings, is the grandam of Valid, a four-year-old son of Medaglia d'Oro, who won the $211,000 Monmouth Cup Stakes (G2) at Monmouth Park on July 27. The new stakes winner, who has now won five races and earned $324,282, is out of the stakes-winning Grand Slam mare Grand Prayer.

  Mark Dedomenico LLC and North American Thoroughbred Horse Company's multiple stakes winner Saturday Nite Ride, a five-year-old daughter of Flower Alley-Placerita, by Gilded Time, finished third in the $46,372 Madamoiselle Handicap at Northlands Park on July 18. Dedomenico and NATHC also race Saffron, a two-year-old filly from the first crop of Tale of Ekati - Tchopitioulas, by Woodman, who won a 3 1/2-furlong maiden claiming race in her July 26 debut at Hastings Racecourse.

  The Jockey Club Information Systems Inc. (TJCIS) has unveiled the Pedigree Binder, which enables users to easily manage, store and view Equineline pedigrees online. The new tool is available for no additional charge whenever someone purchases an Equineline pedigree, race record or mare produce record in PDF format.

  The digital Pedigree Binder offers a host of features, including the ability to organize Equineline pedigrees and race and produce records into a personal online binder, the capacity to view binders as an electronic flipbook or PDF and the potential to share binders with others through e-mail and social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter.

  Pedigree binders may also be personalized by uploading PDF cover pages for each binder as well as for each horse within a binder and can include logos, photos and video links.

  "Many breeding farms and Thoroughbred owners currently maintain hardcopy binders or books with pedigrees for reference," said Carl Hamilton, chairman and president of TJCIS. "This new service will simplify the organization and sharing of this information in a professional state-of-the-art presentation, and it should be a valuable tool for owners and other industry professionals."

  Additional information about the Pedigree Binder, including a sample binder, is available at equineline.com/pedigreebinder/.