7/30/2023

(Auburn, WA) Sunday was the wrap-up of Premio Esmerelda weekend celebration and was met with a huge Sunday crowd, dancing horses beautiful cultural dancing, food trucks, kids activities and great racing.

Racing

There were no stakes races this week but two time trials for the Bank of America quarter horse championships which will be run on August 20. This added 2 races to the Sunday card ands 11 races were run. There was a total of 15 quarter horses and 58 thoroughbreds for an average of 7.5 for the quarters and 6.4 for the thoroughbred races and 6.6 for all 11 races.

The huge Premio Esmerelda crowd was not there just for the dancing horses, quarters and then they left, they stayed all day and the handle ballooned to a hefty $1,804,278. The huge pools coupled with some longshots rolling in combined for some big pays as well on the day.

Jockeys

Only 1 rider doubled on the day and that was Silvio Amador who has been red hot over the past several weeks. Amador is currently in 4th place in the jockey standings with 31 wins just 2 behind Kevin Radke who sits at 33. The race for the top spot saw Luis Negron add 1 to his lad over Alex Cruz. Cruz was shut out for the 2nd straight day but for the week the two were even with 2 wins each. Negron leads by 3 45-42. The way Amador is riding and Radke certainly has the ability to make this more than a 2-man race it will be fun to see these 4 go at it over then next several weeks.

Alex Anya had a big win getting the nose down with Attorney Louis at 11-1 to give trainer Joe Toye his 400th win at Emerald Downs the 11th trainer to reach that milestone. More on Toye below.  Jennifer Whitaker got a big win on a 2-year-old 1st time starter in Rimrock Lake at 7-1, Negron’s win was aboard She Had a Secret at 7-1, Kevin Orozco had a fabulous run on Forty Smooches with a nose win over Abraaj Mirage, the longshots kept coming with Jose Zunino bringing in 13-1 Tapit at Midnight, Isaias Enriquez brought 6-1 Daffodil Sweet home in the feature, Amador won his 1st in the 9th on Mr. Fireball at 9-1, Radke won on the lone betting favorite in the 10th on Poverty Bay and Amador took the finale on Sparkles and Spurs at 7-02 by a neck denying Cruz a win on the day.

Trainers

Trainer Joe Toye was the only one to double winning his 400th and 401st wins at Emerald Downs with Attorney Louis in the 4th and then Poverty Bay in the 10th. Toye missed a triple by a nose when Forty Smooches nosed out Abraaj Mirage in the 6th. Toye told ESN he did not realize he was close to the 400 mark until someone told him on Sunday morning. In these cases many times it can take awhile to get that magic win but for Toye it was 1 and done. He scored #399 on Saturday night and in his 1st start on Sunday got the job done with Attorney Louis. he would then add #401 later. We got to talk with Toye on his pony horse at the winner’s circle and he said it’s always great to win and then when you hit these milestones it’s special.

Joe Toye on his 400th win

Joe Toye’s 400th win with Attorney Louis and Alex Anaya in the saddle

There were several conditioners with their 1st win of the season starting with Marshall Allen who has only 3 starts and got his 1st win in the feature with Daffodil Sweet. Longtime trainer Don Roberson who had been training for several years at tracks all around the country got his 1st win ever at Emerald Downs with She Had a Secret. Veteran Rosie Simkins got her 1st win of the season with Mr Fireball, her 24th start of the year and after an 0-5-7 start gets to erase that 0 in the win column.

Kimberly Johnston picked up her 2nd win, Howard Belvoir got a big win with his 2-year-old 1st time starter, Kay Cooper has heated up over the past couple of weeks and added her 6th win of the season and Bonnie Jenne has had a solid year which continued with a win in the finale with Sparkles and Spurs and is now 3-6-4 on the season from 30 starts.

Owners

6 owners or ownership combinations got their 1st win of the season on Sunday. Clemans View Farm, Rick Sackett, Kimberly and Linda Johnston, John Coonan, the Shady Valley Ranch and the One Horse Will Do Corp who won the feature race with Daffodil Sweet.

Three owners picked up their 2nd wins of the season and included the Jack and Jill Stable, Bill Jensen and Gary Olson and Rick Kessler with the Terra Firma Farm. None of the top 10 by earnings owners had a win on Sunday. With their win Rick Kessler and the Terra Firma Farm moved into the 11th spot in earnings with a season record of 2-6-4 from 15 starts with earnings of $56,500.

The Betting Window

There was a new high pay-out this week in the 50-cent Pick 5. 2 winning tickets connected a 13-1 to 6-1 to 9-1 to 6-5 to 7-2 for a return of $11,806.40 beating the former season high by $288.85. This is far short of the track and state record pick-5 pay-out of $44,254.85 set on October 29, 2020.

There was also a huge pick-4 pay-out that set a new season high and began with the 2 quarter horse races, the 1st of 4 pick-4’s. The new high season pay was $6,607.40 beating the May 28th pay-off of $5,814.30. This is also far short of the track and state record of $67,847.05 set on August 14, 2020.

The $1 daily double had a new high pay-out from the 2nd race the 2nd quarter horse race which was won by a 14-1 shot to the 3rd race winner at 7-1. 3-winning tickets were cashed for $508 beating the previous season high of $496.50 also from May 28th. The track and state record for the $1 daily double was $3,268.90 and paid off on August 14, 2020.

Overall on Sunday the 3 pick-4’s paid $6,607.40, $2,277.80, $1,319.40 and $1,118.75 for an average pay of $2,830.84. The pick-3’s did not set a new season high but there were plenty of big pays including 2 of more than $1,000. The 1st pick 3 that connected 5-2 to 14-1 to 7-1 paid $1,004.15. The 3rd thru 5th races connected 7-1 to 11-1 to 7-1 and returned $1,655.75. The 2nd thru 4th of 14-1 to 7-1 to 11-1 paid 2 of 3 as no one had all 3 on their ticket and this was the low pay of the day in the pick 3 of $42.90. The next low pay-out was $120 and was the final 3 races of 9-1 to 6-5 to 7-2. For the day the pick 3 averaged a $455 pay-out.

The win-place-show bets all paid well through out the day with the high $2 win of $30.60, the high $2 place paid $20.60 and the high $2 show was good for $10.

Dancing Horses

The Premio Esmerelda celebration featured the famous Dancing Horses plus colorful cultural dancing and big crowds!

The Horses

The Band Plays

Cultural Dancing

See bottom of post for Photo Gallery.

Let’s get to the race re-caps!

The Quarter Horses

The first 2 of 4 quarter horse races this year at Emerald Downs were run on Sunday and they were the time trials for the $40,000 Bank of America Challenge Cup set for August 20th. 7 ran in the 1st race and 8 in the 2nd both races were 440 yards.

1st Race Bank of America Trial #1
The field of 7 broke clean and 5-2 3rd choice The Rev Rocker and Guillermo Suarez went to the front and held off 12-1 No Juans Fool and Kody Kellenberger for the win. 7-1 Fast Movin Freight with Alex Anaya was just a neck back in 3rd and they were just a neck in front of 4th place finisher Gc Harrys Game with Jose Borbonio. The Rev Rocker races for LG Racing and is trained by Jose Rosales Gomez and ran the 440 in 22.39.

Trial Heat 1

ESN talks with Guillermo Suarez

2nd Race Bank of America Trial #2
The field of 8 broke together but Dash to the Flash broke inward from the 5 hole and impeded 3-2 favorite Dr Tool and Guillermo Suarez who then was pushed into the 3 horse Super Bowl Sunny Day. Dash to the Flash finished 3rd but was DQ’d and placed 6th. Meantime, from the 7 hole Cordarelton Benn had no issue breaking clean on Apolinaria Prize and the 14-1 oversight by the public saw this pair destroy the field winning by 1 1/2 lengths in a final time of 22.13 recording the fastest trial time of the day. 5-2 CM Boom Shakalaka aqnd Cruz Contreras ran a clear 2nd. 11-1 Newport Guy and Erick Garcia were promoted to 3rd while Dr Tool ended up 4th. Apolinaria Prize is owned by Marquez Juan Manuel and trained by Lorenzo Marquez-Campo.

Trial Heat 2

ESN talks with Cordarelton Benn

The Thoroughbreds

8th Race Feature Race

A field of 6 went in the feature race on Sunday going 6-furlongs. 5-1 Stepup with Alex Anaya went to the front and set the early fractions with You Go Girl in her hip pocket. The pair set fractions of 22.46 and 45.73. The deep track took its toll on the front speed and set up a last to 1st move from former stakes winner Daffodil Sweet and Isaias Enriquez.

Enriquez was last going into the far turn and began picking off opponents 1 at a time. At the top of the stretch it looked like 5-2 2nd choice Miss Bella who broke last and then moved up quickly came with a huge sweeping outside move and took the lead at the top of the stretch. All that extra ground caught up to her as she hit a wall and fell from 1st to last. Meantime, the favorite Silvery Orb with Jose Zunino had been stalking from 4th and found a seem surging to the front but could not fight off a high flying Daffodil Sweet.

Enriquez with a perfectly timed ride brought the former front runner from off the pace for the neck win in a time of 1:11.09. The win gave Daffodil Sweet’s trainer Marshall Allen his 1st win since Kenai King with Jose Zunino won for Allen on September 7, 2015. Allen trained a few races in 2016 and then stepped away from training getting back into the game this year training for Jody Peetz of the One Horse Will Do Corp and former trainer now owner Chris Stenslie. They’ve had 3 starts, Daffodil Sweet has run twice and Hard to Deny just once.

Daffodil Sweet earned $16,240 to push her career earnings over the 200k mark to $200,161. The 6-year-old mare is now 10-3-1 from 19 career starts. She loves the Auburn oval winning 8 of her 10 races here including a pair of stakes races.

Daffodil Sweet gets up in the final jumps to win the Sunday Feature Race

Feature Race Winner’s Circle Ceremonies

3rd Race
Rimrock Lake a 1st time starter for trainer Howard Belvoir destroyed this 7 horse field with a huge move on the turn that never stopped for jockey Jennifer Whitaker as she pulled away for a 4 1/2-length win at 7-1. Clemans View Farm is the owner and Rimrock Lake ran the 5 1/2-furlongs in 1:06.36. The gelding is a Washington bred by Raised a Secret out of Nightwalker by Parkr’s Storm Cat and was bred by Clemans View Farm. Cheshire Kid and Kevin Radke ran 2nd, Digital Soldier with Kevin Orozco was 3rd and taking 4th was Well Imagine That and Luis Negron.

4th Race

Alex Anaya took trainer Joe Toye’s instructions to heart and got the naturally front running Attorney Louis to sit off the pace and made a bold, wide move and beat another closer Northern Blend with Alex Cruz who found a hole on the rail for the win by a neck. This was trainer Joe Toye’s 400th win at Emerald Downs making him the 11th conditioner to do such a thing. Dirt Road Dollars and Luis Negron got the nose difference show while Royal Candy and Rocco Bowen settled for 4th. Attorney Louis is owned by William Jensen and Gary Olson and ran the 5 1/2-furlongs in 1:05.69.

5th Race
Luis Negron pushed his lead in the jockey standings back to 3 over Alex Cruz with a win in the 5th on 7-1 She had a Secret. She had a Secret came from off a perfect stalking trip to win by a half length covering the 6-furlongs in 1:11.95.  Libby’s Gambit and Kevin Radke got up for 2nd by a nose over 14-1 Pocket Knife and Jose Zunino. She had a Secret races for Rick Sackett and is trained by Don Roberson marking Roberson’s 1st win in Washington in many years after leaving to run down south.

6th Race
Forty Smooches looked like he gave away the race to the odds-on choice Abraaj Mirage and Rocco Bowen but Kevin Orozco got after Smooches and he came back for a dramatic nose victory. Hadlees Honor and Carlos Montalvo ran 3rd with Larsen Bay and Alexis Valdes rounding out the superfecta. Forty Smooches is owned by the Jack and Jill Stable and trained by Kay Cooper and ran the 6 1/2-furlongs in 1:17.42. Forty Smooches is a 6-year-old gelding bred in Washington by Munnings out of Find Your Spot by Nationhood and was bred by Mr and Mrs Frederick Pabst, Grasshopper Stable and Jack Fabulich.

7th Race
Jose Zunino came from dead last on this 13-1 outsider Tapit at Midnight and roared down the stretch 5-wide to win going away by more than a length. Candied Lute and Kevin Orozco almost made it all the way on the lead but held 2nd. Franks Fix It ran 3rd with Alex Cruz and Arthur Spooner flattened out in the drive to take 4th. Tapit at Midnight ran the 6 1/2 in 1:17.93 and is owned by Kimberley and Linda Johnston and trained by Kimberley Johnston.

9th Race
Silvio Amador would get his 1st of 2 wins in the final 3 races of the week taking Mr. Fireball gate to wire in the 1st front-running win of the day at a nice 9-1. No one challenge Mr. Fireball on the front and so Amador kept him running free setting soft fractions leaving plenty for the drive and winning by 2 lengths. 5-2 Mosquito Fleet and Alex Cruz tried come off the pace but didn’t get anyone to help out on the front so settled for a clear 2nd by 5 lengths. Jose Zunino had won on Tribal Impact 3 straight but also a closer had nothing to run at and ran an even 3rd while Hey Sequoia and Alexis Valdes took 4th. Mr. Fireball ran the 3/4-mile in 1:10.22 and races for John Coonan and gave trainer Rosie Simkins her 1st win of the season. Mr. Fireball is a 7-year-old Washington bred gelding by Peppered Cat out of Sheen Falls by Officer and bred by the owner John Coonan.

10th Race
The only race the betting favorite won all day was in the 10th with Poverty Bay and Kevin Radke sat just off the pace early but didn’t waste too much time running behind anyone and took over down the backstretch and pulled away to a 2 length victory. 6-1 Firewalker and Alexis Valdes were 2nd followed by 5-2 Naval Escort and Silvio Amador and Company’s Dream and Alex Cruz were 4th. Poverty Bay ran the 6-furlongs in 1:10.61 and races for owners Rick Kessler and the Terra Firma Farm and comes from the Joe Toye barn his 2nd win of the day. The 4-year-old gelding is a Washington bred by Coast Guard out of Hula Lula by Raise the Bluff was bred by Dave Breiwick.

11th Race
In the finale Alex Cruz took 8-5 favorite California Halo right to the lead trying to get his 1st win since Friday and to pull back within 2 of leading rider Luis Negron. Cruz and Halo set all the fraction except for the last one when Sparkles and Spurs and Silvio Amador engaged the front runner and they went neck-a-neck to the wire with Sparkles and Spurs ending up with the advantage giving Amador his 2nd win of the day. Vadulie was closing lat and finished about a 1/2 length behind the front pair with Kevin Radke while Pista Girl and Kevin Orozco finished 4th and Aunt Noreen with Isaias Enriquez rounded out the 50-cent Super Hi-5. Sparkles and Spurs is owned by the Shady Valley Ranch and trained by Bonnie Jenne. Sparkles and Spurs is a 3-year-old Washington bred filly by Parker’s Storm Cat out of Myladysabitshady by Harbor the Gold and bred by the Shady Valley ranch.

Photo Gallery

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