6/27/2025
(Auburn, WA) It was a great card on Friday night with a lot of chances to cash in some hefty tickets. Some first time winners the $1,000 horseshoe toss and the regular Fab Friday 1/2 price specials.
Bonnie Jenne
But there was a heaviness hanging over the Auburn oval with the news that beloved and long time Northwest trainer Bonnie Jenne passed away from her battle with cancer.
There was a moment of silence and publicity director Joe Withee did a couple of interviews with Jenne’s great friends and colleagues Kay Cooper and Rosie Simkins. Many of the pony horses were sparkling with Jenne’s Friendship Stable colors of green and gold.
In the feature race, one of Jenne’s former horses, Pirate Red who was claimed by trainer Frank Lucarelli for $15,000 last June was in the race and won. Lucarelli said, “Bonnie was just so positive and her smile was infectious I felt bad in claiming Pirate Red but I told her I was going too and she told me she didn’t blame me. It’s always nice to win but this was truly appropriate for Red to win tonight for Bonnie.”
We’re working on a much larger tribute story and were at the track on Friday talking with many people about Bonnie and her husband Wally who passed away in 2020. We’ll put out the link when that story is completed likely some time next week.
The Numbers
The Friday night card had 7 races and 56 starters averaging 8 per race. This was a great betting card and this Friday night bounced back from the season low of 810k last Friday to $1,003,931 for a $143.419 per race average.
From the Saddle
Jockey Akatsuki Tomita has an established riding record in Australia and Japan and decided to come to the U-S in late November. Tomita rode once at del Mar, twice at Los Alamitos and then had 6 rides at Santa Anita. He did not have much success with his best finish a 2nd and decided to head north to Emerald Downs. Tomita then connected veteran Jockey Agent Keith Drebin who picked him up as one of clients and so far, it has been a struggle.
The winless U-S streak was snapped on Friday night in the 3rd race. Tomit guided 6-1 Yes He Can to a clear win coming from a perfect stalking position to get his 1st U-S victory. We talked with Tomita after the race and he said, “It’s been a grind, but things are starting to come together, and I am excited for the rest of the season.” Tomita said turning for home he knew he finally had that 1st win and rode hard to make sure he wouldn’t be surprised.
One of Drebin’s other riders also snapped a cold streak. Pablo Castillo had been riding in South America and was here at Emerald Downs on opening day and won his 1st race in the 3rd on Fantastic Dream. Since then, he has been shut out. Castillo was aboard 5-1 Graceful Mischief and hugged the rail avoiding a near disastrous collision in the middle of the track in mid-stretch and rolled to the win. This was Castillo’s 2nd win of the season.
Drebin also has a 3rd rider, veteran Frank Alvarado who came up a short neck from winning the Seattle Stakes on Sunday aboard Beauty Bark.
Kiaman McGregor is wondering when he may be left alone in the stretch. A couple of weeks ago one runner cut in front of him at the 1/8th pole clipping heels and McGregor took a tumble. Fortunately, he was not injured. Last night in the 4th race he was closing down the middle of the stretch aboard 5-2 Red Leader when the pace setter Ruby N Ray suddenly drifted hard from the rail right into Red Leader causing a near devastating fall.
McGregor stayed on and finished 3rd while a tiring Ruby N Ray faded to 5th. A Stewards Inquiry was called but since Ruby N Ray finished behind Red Leader there was no change to the order of the race. Jockey David Haldar will likely be called into the a meeting with the Stewards about the incident.
Meantime, McGregor took a deep breath and came back to win the feature race on Pirate Red. McGregor told us he just hopes others stop running into him on the track.
Two other riders got wins on Friday, Silvio Amador off his two stakes wins last Sunday took the 5th race on Ballyvaughn Gig and Manny Americano won the finale aboard Princess Fav.
The Streak
Kevin Krigger has now won a race on 17 consecutive days and has only been shut out once this season in 21 days of racing. Krigger extended his streak quickly winning the 1st and 2nd races of the night. Krigger was the only one to double on Friday night.
From the Barn
A big congratulations to owner-trainer Sarah Jennings for getting her 1st career win. She sent out Graceful Mischief in the 4th for her 1st ever win. This was her 2nd career start. Her first she sent out Tribal Star on June 6th but finished 7th. Her 2nd start with Mischief did the opposite by avoiding the Mischief in the stretch of that race. A heads up ride by Pablo Castillo kept Gracefull Mischief out of trouble and a clear lane on the rail to get that 1st win.
Streak snapped
Blaine Wright’s 4 race win streak was broken in the 3rd race when the 3-1 Uncle Leon ran 2nd in the 3rd race. Wright won 4 last Sunday and took over the trainer lead with 16 wins. Thos just behind all won on Friday with Justin Evans, Tim McCanna, Frank Lucarelli and Isidro Tamayo all scoring victories. Veteran condition Dan Markle opened the week with a win, his 2nd on the season. Jose Puentes tallied his 3rd win of the year inthe 3rd race with Yes He Can which gave jockey Akatsuki Tomita his 1st U-S win.
The Betting Window
The Pick 5 was wet to pay a season high pay-out or a huge return or a carryover unless the big 2-5 favorite won. Going into the race there were 3 runners that would have triggered a carry-over. 3 others would have been a single ticket winner paying $28,970, 2 others had 3 winners sharing the pot paying $9,656 and the low pay was $1,524 if the 2-5 favorite Princess Fav won. Princess Fav also picked those who bet on Peggy the Colonel who was a late scratch meaning those who had her in their Pick 5 automatically get the betting favorite.
Manny Americano both came through with a the win paying off the most people but disappointing the 3 ticket holders who had Above the Ordinary which was going to pay 9k+. The Pick 5 paid 19 winners $1,524. Some may have been surprised if they also had the scratched horse they would have collected on that one as well.
Anyone who was alive only to the scratched horse probably is very lucky she scratched considering Princess Fav and Above the Ordinary were 24 lengths in front of the 3rd place horse.
Let’s get to the Friday Races!
6th Race and Feature Race Muckleshoot Casino Resort Purse
In the feature race 7 lined up to go the 6-furlongs after a late scratch of Tiger Too. 8-1 A View From Above jumped out to the lead with second choice 5-2 Pirate Red right there 2nd on the rail coming out of the 1 hole. The pace was quick laying down a 21.41 and hitting the half at 43.45.
Pirate ked by a head but was getting the better of A View From Above who would fade to last. Red had to tangle with the stalkers and 17-1 Town Performer with Francisco Monroy took his shot going head and head with Pirate Red turning for home. Meantime, 6-5 favorite Joe Don Looney began his run under Kevin Krigger and was closing along the rail.
At the 1/8th pole it looked like Pirate Red may be in trouble but McGregor knew Red well and had more to give as Pirate Red eased away and would finish first by a 1/2 length in a final time of 1:08.30. Town Performer with a huge run held off the favorite Joe Don Looney for 2nd by a head and P3-1 Poverty Bay with Manny Americano ran an even 4th.
The trainer of Pirate Red, Frank Lucarelli said “We claimed him last year and had him at Turf Paradise where he didn’t like it. We ran him a 3 times and sent him back to Washington to give him a break. He loves Emerald Downs and it showed tonight.”
Lucarelli trains for the owners Gary Hendricks, Frank Enterante and Carl Petroff. Pirate Red is a Washington bred by Dynamic Impact out of Caliente Gold by Harbor the Gold and was bred by the Bar C Racing Stables. Pirate Red is now 4-2-1 from 11 starts and picked up $11,400 for the win to push his career earnings to $50,516. Pirate Gold is 4-2-1 from 8 starts at Emerald Downs and now has strung together 3 straight wins over the Auburn oval going back to last season.
Pay-Outs
1 Pirate Red (McGregor) $7.92 $4.42 $3.12
7 Town Performer (Monroy) $10.26 $5.86
6 Joe Don Looney (Krigger) $2.90
$1 Ex 1-7 $33.23
$1 Tri 1-7-6 $148.24
$1 Super 1-7-6-8 $456.00
$1 DD 6-1 $17.98
50-cent Pick (3) 7-6-1 $120.19
Race Replay
The rest of the Friday’s races.
1st Race
The field of 8 went the flat mile and despite a slow pace on the lead set by Rail Town and Manny Americano it was not slow enough to hold off a stalking 2-1 Laura’s Kidough with Kevin Krigger up running the mile in a final 1:36.72. Rail Town held 2nd, 42-1 Sir Lucas and Chel-c Bailey ran 3rd with 9-2 Don’t Have Another finishing 4th.
Laura’s Kidough is owned by Terrance Mann and Dan Markle and trained by Markle.
Pay-Outs
2 Laura’s Kidough (Krigger) $6.48 $3.36 $2.68
4 Rail Town (Americano) $3.30 3.12
6 Sir Lucas (Bailey) $10.90
$1 Ex 2-4 $8.01
$1 Tri 2-4-6 $238.24
$1 Super 2-4-6-8 $827.80
Race Replay
2nd Race
Another mile run for 9 runners for older horses and 8-5 2nd favorite Fast Chaz with Kevin Krigger wasted no time to get to the lead and set some quick fractions of 22.75 and 45.32 setting up the closers again. 8-1 Mongolian Spring with Carlos Montalvo came running along the rail while Fast Chaz and Senor Del Campo battled down the middle of the stretch. Mongolian Spring looked like he caught and passed that duo but Fast Chaz did not give up to get the win by a nose over Mongolian Spring. Senor Del Campo held 3rd and Right Hand Ryder finished 4th with David Haldar up.
Fast Chaz is owned by Justin Evans, Rakoczy Racing and Wonderland Racing Stables and trained by Evans.
Pay-Outs
1 Fast Chaz (Krigger) $5.58 $3.88 $3.42
9 Mongolian Spring (Montalvo) $6.32 $4.58
7 Senor Del Campo (Amador) $7.78
$1 Ex 1-9 $26.95
$1 Tri 1-9-7 $225.70
$1 Super 1-9-7-2 $891.90
$1 DD 2-1 $9.33
Race Replay
3rd Race
9 went 6-furlongs in the 3rd and Handr’sdream went to the lead while 6-1 Yes He Can stalked along the rail with Akatsuki Tomita aboard. Turning for home the inside was wide open and Yes He Can rolled to the lead to pull away for an easy win. The closers came late with 3-1 Uncle Leon and Francisco Duran getting up for 2nd just in front of 14-1 Mr Fireball and Frank Alvarado while the top choice at 5-2 Howdoyoulikemenow and Kevin Krigger completing the superfecta.
Yes He Can races for Silva Soto and trained by Jose Puentes. This win was also the first for Akatsuki Tomita in the United States.
Pay-Outs
6 Yes He Can (Tomita) $15.08 $7.70 $7.14
4 Uncle Leon (Duran) $4.38 4.70
5 Mr Fireball (Alvarado) $8.06
$1 Ex 6-4 $34.58
$1 Tri 6-4-5 $367.46
$1 Super 6-4-5-2 $893.20
$1 DD
50-cent Pick (3)
Race Replay
4th Race
6 went 6-furlongs and Ruby N Ray went to the lead and set sizzling fractions of 21.30 and 43.50 and it was way too much for R N R. Down the stretch he came out and bump hard with Red Leader, somehow Red Leader and Kiaman McGregor stayed up and would finish 3rd.
Meantime, a crafty ride by Pablo Castillo on 5-1 Gracefull Mischief went right up the rail and shot thr0ugh the gap when Ruby N Ray drifted out and rolled to the win in a final time of 1:09.33. Graceful Mischief is owned and trained by Sarah Jennings, her first ever win as an owner-trainer.
Bourbon Dancer and Kevin Krigger got up for 2nd and Street Mogul with Sivio Amador took 4th.
Pay-Outs
7 Graceful Mischief (Castillo) $13.98 $4.52 $3.32
4 Bourbon Dancer (Krigger) $5.44 $3.06
5 Red Leader (McGregor) $2.68
$1 Ex 7-4 $35.26
$1 Tri 7-4-5 $132.74
$1 Super 7-4-5-3 $495.30
$1 DD 6-7 $61.74
50-cent Pick (3) 1-6-7 $164.17
50-cent Pick (4) 4-1-6-7 $496.91
Race Replay
5th Race
6-5 Betting favorite Ballyvaughn Gig and Silvio Amador went straight to the front and set brisk splits of 22:04 and 44.04 and simply did not stop pulling away for an easy win in a final time of 1:14.63 just missing the fastest 6 1/2-furlongs of the season at 1:14.55. Ballyvaughn Gig is owned by John Molloy and Timothy O’Leary and trained by Isidro Tamayo.
23-1 Jullian in Paris with Isaias Enriquez closed well to be 2nd, 4-1 It’s Turbo was 3rd and 7-1 Mars on Fire was 4th.
Pay-Outs
6 Ballyvaughn Gig (Amador) $4.78 $3.86 $3.04
5 Jullian in Paris (Enriquez) $10.52 $6.38
7 It’s Turbo (Krigger) $2.86
$1 Ex 6-5 $48.10
$1 Tri 6-5-7 $187.86
$1 Super
$1 DD
50-cent Pick (3)
Race Replay
7th Race
In the finale of Friday night the odds on favorite Princess Fave and Manny Americano overcame a fierce battle with 9-1 Above the Ordinary under Silvio Amador in the final 50 yards to post the 3/4 length victory in a time for the 1-mile in 1:37.07. This race truly became a match race as the pair were 24 1/4 lengths in front of the rest led by 3rd place Miss Peru and Pablo Castillo at 41-1, 4th went to 4-1 Peg’s Choice and Frank Alvarado and completing the Super High Five was 19-1 Dream Paynter and Akatsuki Tomita.
Princess Fave is owned by the Warlock Stables and trained by Tim McCanna.
Pay-Outs
6 Princess Fave (Americano) $2.82 $2.34 $2.10
3 Above the Ordinary (Amador) $5.56 $4.92
10 Miss Peru (Castillo) $6.26
$1 Ex 6-3 $7.34
$1 Tri 6-3-10 $68.02
$1 Super 6-3-10-5 $295.50
50-cent Super High Five 6-3-10-5-9 $1,020.61
$1 DD 1-6 $7.45
50-cent Pick (3) 6-1-6 (5 correct) $21.03
50-cent Pick (4) 7-6-1-4/6 (5 correct) $172.01
50-cent Pick (5) 6-7-6-1-4/6 (5 correct) $1,524.77
20-cent Pick (6) 1-6-7-6-1-4/6 (5 correct) $74.14 Carryover $5,393
Race Replay
