(Auburn, Wa) Seven races were on tap for Friday night as the calendar clicks over to August. The season now 2/3’s of the way through the season looks like there will be a new jockey champion for the 1st time in 5 years, the battle for top trainer is going down to the wire with 6 trainers within 3 wins of each other.
The Numbers
The 7 races attracted 52 starters for a 7.4 average per race. The bettors were interested coming up just shy of 1-million with a total handle of $973,237. This is a $139,034 average per race.
3 favorites won with 2 being odds on in the final 2 races. The longest shot was 13-1 Dekudylan in the 4th paying $29.68 on the $2 win and $30.36 for the $6 combo ticket. 12-1 Five Twent Sunset ran 2nd in the 4th and triggered the high pays for exacta, trifecta and superfecta on the night. You can check the pays below in the race re-caps.
The Jackpot pick 6 was hit with a single winner returning more than $3,700 and the Super High 5 paid a season low $50.71.
From the Saddle
Leading rider Kevin Krigger picked up 1 win on the night while 2nd place Manny Americano won 2 and was close to 3, losing to Krigger by just a 1/2 length. Krigger now leads by six, 51-45.
Frank Alvardo also took two wins home on Friday night winning with 13-1 Dekudylan in the 4th and repreating with 6-1 Good Lovin in the 5th. These were wins 8 and 9 on the season for Alvarado.
Kevin Orozco and Carlos Montalvo were the winners in the other 2 races.
Monroy Leaves Emerald Downs
Jockey Francisco Monroy packed up his gear and headed back to California right after winning the Kent Stakes on Precise Timing. Monroy had gotten the mount after P-T’s regular rider, Kevin Orozco, sliced his foot while swimming in a river.
Monroy won his 1st stakes race at Emerald Downs and had been working many horses for trainer Kay Cooper and was having a pretty solid season.
Monroy’s family inclouding kids are still living in California. He left Emerald Downs for some personal issues and needed to get back to his family. We hope all is well for Francisco, we really enjoyed getting to know him and hope to see him come back. Great season Francisco, our love with you and your family.
From the Barn
The race for the training championship tightened up a little bit with Tim McCanna and Howie Gibson both logging wins. McCanna’s win moved him into a 3rd place tie with Jorge Rosales at 18 wins and Gibson is now tied for 5th with Frank Lucarelli at 17 wins.
2-time defending champ Justin Evans is leading with 20 wins, Blaine Wright is just behind with 19. The top 6 are all within 3 wins of each other.
Tom Wenzel with 14 wins and Isidro Tamayo with 11 are the only other 2 conditioners with 10 or more wins.
Meantime, two trainers got their 1st wins of the season. “The Boz”, Alan Bozell took the 2nd race with Cause for Divorce getting an easy win under Kevin Orozco.
The other trainer getting his picture taken for the 1st time in 2025 was Michael Morris when 6-1 Good Lovin and Frank Alvarado cruised to a 4 length win in the 5th race.
Let’s get to the Friday Races!
3rd Race and Feature Race Purse
By Vince Bruun
Tapbyangels continued his promising young career Friday, rallying from slightly off the pace and scoring a 2 ¼-length victory in the featured $16,000 Pepsi Purse for maiden 2-year-old colts & geldings.
Ridden by Carlos Montalvo, Tapbyangels covered five furlongs in :58.49, returning $5.26 as the public choice in the field of 10. Scott Tubbs saddled the winner for Circle T Racing and Steve Haahr.
Coming off a strong debut for the same $25,000 claiming tag last month, Tapbyangels stalked Wreckless Rhett and Matts Advisor through an opening quarter in :21.95 and a half in :45.56, running down those two in the final furlong to win going away.
A $3,000 yearling by Tap Back, Tapbyangels is 1-1-0 in two starts with earnings of $12,240.
Wreckless Rhett held second and has finished second and third in two starts while first-time starter Matts Advisor finished third.
Pay-Outs
9 Tapbyangels (Montalvo) $5.26 $2.94 $2.40
2 Wreckless Rhett (Haldar) $3.32 $2.32
1 Matts Advisor (Americano) $2.98
$1 Ex 9-2 $27.89
$1 Tri 9-2-1 $20.24
$1 Super 9-2-1-5 $104.30
$1 DD 5-9 $16.01
50-cent Pick (3) 3-5-9 $27.89
Race Replay
The rest of the Friday’s races.
1st Race
8-5 Parlay Bay the 2nd betting choice sat right behind the top 1-1 top choice Rockyscents with Kevin Krigger in the 1-mile run. Pedestrian fractions looked like Rocky would roll going 24.10, 48.92 and 1:13.53 for 6-furlongs. But Manny Americano never let Rockyscents get away always within a length. In the final 16th Parlay Bay ground down the front runner to win by 3/4’s of a length in a final time of 1:40.60. Parlay Bay races for Amy Hobson and trained by Simon Hobson.
11-1 Fae Allanah with Kevin Orozco ran on for 3rd and Goin Seventy Five under Julien Couton ran 4th.
Pay-Outs
3 Parlay Bay (Americano) $5.74 $2.66 $3.32
4 Rockyscents (Krigger) $2.80 $2.36
7 Fae Allanah (Orozco) $2.96
$1 Ex 3-4 $6.65
$1 Tri 3-4-7 $40.86
$1 Super 3-4-7-2 $176.230
Race Replay
2nd Race
6 broke from the Emerald gates in the 2nd race going a mile and this time the winner came from dead last. Kevin Orozco had 4-1 Cause for Divorce measured perfectly and turning for home roared by everyone pulling away for an easy 2 1/2 length win in a final time of 1:39.60. The win gave Alan Bozell his 1st win at Emerald in 2025 training for owner James Nunnally.
9-1 Get Down and Carlos Montalvo tried to steal the win with 1st run at the top of the stretch and held well to be 2nd, odds-on choice Locallyworldfamous and Kevin Krigger finished 3rd and 18-1 Don’t Doubt Declan with Akatsuki Tomita completed the superfecta.
Pay-Outs
5 Cause for Divorce (Orozco) $10.62 $4.66 $3.08
4 Get Down (Montalvo) $7.00 $5.10
3 Locallyworldfamous (Krigger) $2.50
$1 Ex 3-5 $26.64
$1 Tri 5-4-3 $66.52
$1 Super 5-4-3-1 190.70
$1 DD 3-5 $17.91
Race Replay
4th Race
13-1 Dekudylan mowed down all 6 competitors in another 1-mile race closing the 6+ lengths he trailed after 3/4’s of a mile in 1:12.20. The battle on the front softened up the field and Dekudylan with Frank Alvardo angled to the outside at the top of the stretch and got up just in time with a neck win over 12-1 Five Twenty Sunset and Alex Cruz in a final time of 1:38.14. 5-1 Rail Town ran 3rd with Manny Americano while 9-2 Street Mogul and Silvio Amador ended up 4th.
Dekudylan races for Swag Stables and David Martinez and trained by Martinez.
Pay-Outs
5 Dekudylan (Alvarado) $29.68 $12.08 $5.60
6 Five Twenty Sunset (Cruz) $10.36 $5.92
7 Rail Town (Americano) $3.74
$1 Ex 5-6 $117.82
$1 Tri 5-6-7 $451.00
$1 Super 5-6-7-1 $1,523.80
$1 DD 9-5 $61.73 Consolation DD 9-4 $3.32
50-cent Pick (3) 5-9-5 $169.97
50-cent Pick (4) 3-5-9-5 $712.55
Race Replay
5th Race
Frank Alvarado just closed from last to win the 4th, in the 5th he went to the lead with 6-1 Good Lovin and pulled away to a 4 length win in the 5 1/2-furlong sprint. 2-1 Light the Beam and Manny Americano tried to close from last but ended up a well beaten, but clear 2nd. Pharoahs List and Francisco Duran took the show money with 5-2 Our Bloke and Kevin Krigger 4th.
Good Lovin ran the 5 1/2-furlongs in 1:03.13 and races for Joe and Emil Abrahamson and trained by Michael Morris his 1st win of the season.
Pay-Outs
2 Good Lovin (Alvarado) $14.78 $6.00 $4.10
3 Light the Beam (Americano) $3.08 $2.46
4 Pharoahs List (Duran) $4.24
$1 Ex 2-3 $23.25
$1 Tri 2-3-4 $112.12
$1 Super 2-3-4-1 $197.60
$1 DD 5-2 $84.30
50-cent Pick (3) 9-5-2 $504.19
Race Replay
6th Race
Odds-on choice Chokechery Shari with leading rider Kevin Krigger ran a perfect closing trip catching Clubhouse Drama and Manny Americano in the final 50 yards to win by a 1/2-length running the 6-furlongs in 1:11.18. 22-1 Bumping River with Carlos Montalvo in the saddle also closed from far back to get 3rd and completing the top 4 was 42-1 Savita under Blake Nunnally.
Chokechery Shari is owned by Robert G. A. Jones and trained by Tim McCanna.
Pay-Outs
1 Chokechery Shari (Krigger) $3.64 $2.50 $2.16
8 Clubhouse Drama (Americano) $3.52 $2.90
9 Bumping River (Montalvo) $5.98
$1 Ex 1-8 $5.84
$1 Tri 1-8-9 $46.92
$1 Super 1-8-9-3 $305.80
$1 DD 2-1 $18.12
50-cent Pick (3) 5-2-1 $117.21
Race Replay
7th Race
In the Friday night finale the betting public had it figured out making Dennard the 2-5 favorite and Manny Americano not disappointing his backers with a clear win covering the mile run in 1:37.35. Dennard races for Chad and Josh and trained by Howie Gibson.
Bert’s Prospect guided by Kevin Krigger ran 2nd, Roister and Kevin Orozco took 3rd with War Chest and Silvio Amador running 4th and Ruler of Angels under David Haldar completed the Super High 5.
Claimed: Dennard and Bert’s Prospect were both claimed for $3,500. Bert’s Prospect goes to the barn of Serjio Garcia for owners Hon Cheung Kum and Kim Tsang. Dennard was red tagged by owner/trainer Miguel Hernandez.
Pay-Outs
4 Dennard (Americano) $2.96 $2.16 $2.10
5 Bert’s Prospect (Krigger) $3.40 $2.42
1 Roister (Orozco) $2.84
$1 Ex 4-5 $3.94
$1 Tri 4-5-1 $12.26
$1 Super 4-5-1-2 $50.80
50-cent Super High Five 4-5-1-2-6 $50.71
$1 DD 1-4 $3.41 Consolation DD 1-7 $1.72
50-cent Pick (3) 2-1-4/7 $15.28
50-cent Pick (4) 5-2-1-4/7 $163.58
50-cent Pick (5) 9-5-2-1-4/7 $1,492.21
20-cent Pick (6) 5-9-5-2-1-4/7 (6 correct) $3,788.97
Race Replay
