8/16/2025
(Auburn, WA) Sunday is Championship Sunday at Emerald Downs with 6 Stakes races on the card including the 90th edition of the Longacres Mile. There are a few NW trainers positioned to have a huge day if things go well for them.
Already this year on Super Stakes Sunday #1 on June 22nd, Blaine Wright had a huge day winning 3 of the 4 stakes races on the day. Wright took the Auburn Stakes with Si That Tiger, then won the Hastings aboard Attracted and finished off 3 straight stakes wins with Clovisconnection in the Budweiser. He also had a 2nd in the Auburn with Goin’ South losing to himself.
Frank Lucarelli won the 4th stake of Super Stakes Sunday with Saleen G T in the Seattle Stakes.
On Super Stakes Sunday #2 it was Tom Wenzel’s turn. Wenzel didn’t get a win on the first SS Sunday but had a pair of 2nds and 3rds. He turned those into 3 wins on July 20 taking 3 of the 5 stakes on the card.
Wenzel began his run in the Washington State Legislators Stakes with an exacta finish of Aloha Breeze winning and Lapush 2 lengths behind in 2nd. That was followed by a dominating victory in the Angie C with Falling Leaves and completed the Tom Wenzel pick 3 with Slew’s Tiz Whiz roaring to a convincing 3 length win in the Governor’s Stakes, his 4th consecutive victory in the Governor’s.
Ryland Harwood began the 5 stakes with a big win in the King County Express stakes with Blackberry Jam. Kay Cooper who conditioned the 2024 Horse of the year Precise Timing, saw her star bounce back with an impressive win in the Kent Stakes to end the day.
The Irish Day Stakes was supposed to be run on this day but got pushed to Sunday, July 28 so they could field enough entries. In that race Si That Tiger again rolled to the win for Blaine Wright.
Heading into the 6 stakes races on Championship Sunday these longtime NW trainers all remain in contention to have big days or they could take each other down and spread the wealth.
Before we get to the breakdown of each trainer’s chances let’s note that Doris Harwood is the all-time leader in stakes wins at Emerald Downs with 67. Two trainers are right on her tail ready to overtake that impressive run by Harwood and one of them could do it on Sunday with a big day. Here are the top 4 all-time leading trainers in stakes races:
- Doris Harwood 67
- Tom Wenzel 64
- Blaine Wright 63
- Frank Lucarerlli 56
Who has the best chance for 3 stakes win day?
This is based simply on morning line and number of entries. This is not a prerdiction.
Tom Wenzel
Wenzel doesn’t have the biggest stable on the backside but he has a ton of quality, much thanks to owner George Todaro and stable manager Bob Capalletti. The Wenzel/Todaro team will send 7 runners to to the gates on Sunday. Their biggest threats are Aloha Breeze in the Distaff at 3-5 morning line and regular rider Carlos Montalvo will again be the pilot.
Montalvo is aboard their next best chance for a win on the talented 2-year-old filly, Falling Leaves the 1-1 morning line choice.
In the Muckleshoot Derby Wenzel and Todaro have the 2nd and 3rd morning line favorites with 5-2 Bodi Zafa and Montalvo up and 9-2 Candy Caballo with Julien Couton.
The duo has 3 others but on the outsiders list with 2 going in the Lads, Vino Viking at 8-1 with Couton and 10-1 Robin Racer and Montalvo. Their final chance will be in the final race, the Washington Oaks as 8-1 Maximum Sparkle with Montalvo aboard looking to improve off an even run in her last start at 8-1.
That isn’t it for Wenzel though, as you can see none of the Todaro runners are in the big one, the 90th Longacres Mile but Wenzel is with 9-5 favorite Slew’s Tiz Whiz. Wenzel is part of the ownership group, Slew’s Racing Crew and will have a lot of support when he breaks from the 8 hole on Sunday.
Wenzel has one more legitimate runner in Lapush owned by James Carlin who recently ran 2nd to Aloha Breeze her stablemate. Couton rides Lapush in the Distaff and if Aloha Breeze falters at all it could very will be Lapush who sweeps on past for the win and is the 4-1 2nd favorite.
Conclusion: It would be stunning for Wenzel to come away Sunday without any trips to the winners circle. Our analysis gives him his best chance in the Lassies with Falling Leaves followed closely by Aloha Breeze or Lapush in the Distaff.
The 3rd most likely win is Slew’s Tiz Whiz in the Longacres Mile. We’ll actually give Maximum Sparkle the next best chance simply because Wenzel will have to sleigh the giant in the Derby running two against Si That Tiger. If Tiger is off his game then he has a huge shot at collecting a win.
The others would be upsets but certainly not out of the question with 9 total starters and the longest morning line at 10-1.
We talked with Wenzel at the Longacres Mile draw about several of his starters on Sunday.
ESN talks with Tom Wenzel
Blaine Wright
Much like Wenzel, Blaine Wright has some pretty impressive owners that continue to feed him talented runners and Wright has proven he knows how to get his runners ready for a big day. He has had multiple 3 win Stakes days and again is just 1 behind Wenzel and 4 behind Harwood.
Let’s begin in the belly of the beast with Si That Tiger and the ownership group of John and Janene Maryanski and Gerald and Gail Schneider. They have had multiple stakes winners and the best just might be who they have running in the Muckleshoot Derby, Si That Tiger with Silvio Amador aboard as the 8-5 favorite.
This combination has another big shot in the Lads with 5-2 and 2nd morning line choice Lead the Charge also with Amador riding.
Blaine just missed by a head last year in the big one, the Longsacres Mile with Clovisconnection and he’s got Clovis back in this year with a new rider, and a pretty good one in leading rider Kevin Krigger. The versatile runner is coming off a bit of a flat effort in the Governor’s but we wouldn’t expect that again on Sunday, a big chance in the big race for owner William Hedrick and is the 5-1 3rd favorite.
Wright has just one more runner in the Stakes on Sunday with 15-1 outsider Canterbury Lane in the Oaks and Frank Alvarado gets the ride for owners Ten Broek Farms.
Conclusion: It’s going to take a huge effort from any of the others lined up against Si That Tiger or a combination for Tiger to have a rough trip but this is the best chance for a stakes win for Wright on Sunday.
Wright and Lead the Charge are opposite in the Lads against Blackeberry Jam and will need a big run to get the win. But 2-year-olds can improve mightily once they figure it out and they can also lose focus and forget what they learned so we think this slot is a solid chance for a victory.
Clovisconnection at his best is going to battle like heck and might just get there. He will have plenty of competition whether he wants to go to the lead or sit off the pace and with Krigger aboard he’s gonna get a good ride. Simple question, is he good enough to knock off the favorites in the 90th Longacres Mile? We think he can and should be in the mix at the least.
Canerbury Lane will have to show something more in the Oaks and has work cut out for here in a race that has a lot of talent.
Frank Lucarelli
Frank Lucarelli is having another solid year and remains in the hunt for the trainer’s championship. He’s got several shots at a stakes on Sunday beginning with the last race and Saleen G T. She’s a proven stakes champion and Isaias Enriquez will ride her again. Saleen G T races for one of Lucrelli’s longtime clients R. E. V. Racing.
Lucarelli is sending out Cantcatchthiscat in the Lads as the 7-2 3rd choice for owner Magaret Root. All of them will need to step up to take down Blackberry Jam.
Luke is starting 6 on Sunday with half of them in the Lassies. He’ll send out 9-2 Code of Valor with Kiaman McGregor, 6-1 Deep Desires and Alex Cruz and 8-1 Bewitching Joy with Enriquez riding.
In the Muckleshoot Derby Big Bowie under Enriquez is a 15-1 outsider and will have to improve quite a bit to hit the board.
Conclusion: Lucarelli’s best shot at a Stakes win picture we think remains with Saleen G T. A proven stakes winner in a very competitive field should not be a surprise if she gets the win.
Cantcatchthiscat we believe can take that next step in a young horse’s journey and could certainly find his way into the winner’s circle in the Lads.
Lucarelli’s trio of runner we’ll say any one of them could figure the game out and with literally half the field in the race the only issue is trying to figure out which one may make the leap.
Justin Evans
The 2-time defending training champion would like to impact the stakes competition as he battles for his 3rd straight title. Evans will send 4 to the stakes starting gates beginning with 7-2 Subtle Shimmer in the Lassies. Subtle Shimmer will go in as the 2nd morning line favorite at 7-2 with Kevin Krigger riding but they will have to take a big step forward to knock off undefeated Falling Leaves at 1-1 whose likely to be bet down to odds on. If she can do it, Evans will also do it as part owner with Ty Leastherman and his daughter Addison Evans.
Evans will team up with Leatherman again in the Lads and son Austin with Saint Benji. Krigger will ride the 6-1 4th choice and will look to surprise the top 3 runners.
Evans final 2 starters will both begin as 15-1 outsiders in the Longacres Mile with Bearings breaking from the 9 hole and Alex Cruz riding and then in the finale the Oaks starting Heras Hope and Cruz will get aboard again.
Conclusion: It’s gonna take an upset for Evans to pick up a stakes win with his best shot in the Lassies and Subtle Shot. The big hurdle is just how good is Falling Leaves. If she falters, Subtle Shot becomes “Big Time” Shot.
The Lads is the Evans’ next best chance with Saint Benji. It’s a great sign to have Krigger signed on to both of these runners for the Evans barn.
Kay Cooper
What can you say about Kay Cooper? She kinda knows her way around this game from low claimers to the best of the best. Her husband Bryson also might know a thing or two about racing and their whole family have such long roots in NW racing going back to Kay’s father the Hall of Famer Jim Penney.
Cooper is very careful and purposeful with her stable and she knew the star of the barn right now, Precise Timing, needed that opening race where she ran an even off the board effort. Precise Timing came back to win a contested race in the Seattle Stakes by a neck. Precise Timing is the 3-1 luke warm favorite in the Oaks but to win someone is going to have to pass her in the stretch.
Cooper has one more on Sunday in the Distaff with Chai. Chai had disappointed in her 1st 2 runs this year but changed riders to Kevin Orozco in her last and just missed. They’ll start from the 4 gate and are 5-1 morning line, the 3rd favorite.
Conclusion: Cooper got Precise Timing cranked up for her 2nd start but regular rider Kevin Orozco couldn’t ride due to a foot injury. Francisco Monroy got the call and rode a great race for the neck win. We don’t think Orozco, who had been the only one to ride P-T and to Horse of the Year honors last season, will miss a beat. And this being her 3rd start of the year she is the one to beat and could easily add another stakes win to the Blue Ribbon #23 stable.
Meantime, Chai is coming off her best effort and if she takes another step will be in the mix in the Distaff. She like others will need to defeat the queen, Aloha Breeze but if she doesn’t carry the mile and 16th Chai may come storming down the stretch ansd could upset. We will not be keeping the Jill Fabulich and Lori Heist owned runner out of our trifecta.
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