6/27/2026

(Auburn, WA) The final Saturday of June is upon us and it’s day 1 of Corgi weekend. More than 80 dogs will be racing to qualify for Sunday’s finals. Once again, crews will be filming for an ESPN show that will come out later this Summer. We’ll have all the Corgi coverage in a separate post that will be up by Monday.

From the Saddle

Karlo Lopez Off on Saturday

Karlo Lopez was shaken up Friday night after the horse he was on in the 7th and final race of the night took a spill tossing Lopez. Lopez was taken to the hospital and released. He took off all 8 mounts he had lined up for Saturday. The horse, Higher Perfomance had just finkshed 2nd when he went down. He was taken off the track in the Equine Ambulance.

Apprentice Taliyah Timentwa also was unseated after the finish but neither Timentwa or her mount were injured.

Montalvo leaves Emerald to ride at Colonial Downs

Jockey Carlos Montalvo has left Emerald Downs and moved his tack to Colonial Downs in Virginia. ESN was told Montalvo was a bit frustrated with the lack of rides he was being offered especially with his Stakes record.

Montalvo arrived in Auburn in 2023 and each year Montalvo won 4 Stakes races. In 2023 the Seattle and Kent Stakes with Aloha Breeze, the Emerald Distaff on Tiz A Macho Girl and the Gottstein aboard Miner League. Montalvo won the Emerald Distaff and Legislators Stakes with Aloha Breeze in 2024. He added the Auburn Stakes with Miner League and the Oaks on LaPush.

Last year in 2025 Montalvo won the Legislators Stakes and Muckleshoot Tribal Distaff with Aloha Breeze, the Angie C with Falling Leaves and the Gottstein on Robin Racer. And last Sunday Montalvo added the Hastings Stakes with Aloha Breeze and a couple of 2nd place finishes in the Auburn with Falling Leaves and the Seattle Stakes up on Robin Racer.

Montalvo left with a 5-4-4 record from 29 starts for a 19% win rate and 50% top 3 finish. His best year at Emerald was 2024 where he went 40-31-33 from 188 mounts and earned $638,570.

His Emerald Downs total was 564 92-82-100 with earnings of $1,756,372.

Montalvo rode two on Friday at his new home finishing 4th and 8th and rode once on Saturday with a 3rd place finish. Montalvo’s career numbers of 1,395-1,473-1,618 from 13,053 starts for a 16% win rate and 49% top 3 finish. He is just shy of the 30-million mark for career earnings.

A personal note, we’ll miss Carlos, he always tried hard on his rides and a super nice to guy with us and always willing to talk even when things didn’t go his way he would take the time to explain what happened . We wish him all the best and hope he comes back one day.

2026 Jockey Battle

Last year’s Champion, Kevin Krigger opened the week winning the first 2 races of Friday night while current leader Silvio Amador was shut out. Amador leads Krigger 28-27. In 3rd is Adrian Castellanos who also did not get his picture taken and began 8 wins behind with 20. Blake Nunnally swept from last to 1st to win the finale last night and is still just the 4th rider with double digit wins at 16.

Castellanos explodes

After Lenny Seecharan rode a perfect stalking trip to win the opener on Saturday for his 7th win of the season, Silvio Amador got his first win of the weekend to push his total to 29.

After that, Adrian Castellanos took over. Castellanos won the 3rd, 4th and 5th races then capped it with a win in the 8th for a 4 win day. Only the 2nd 4 win day of the season. Castellanos has 24 wins and remains in 3rd place 3 behind Kevin Krigger and 5 behind Amador.

Kevin Orozco got a big win in the 6th on Mimi Kai then Allyssa Morales won the feature race with Chuckanut Bay.

From the Barn

Leading trainer Tim McCanna won the opener last night to push his total to 14 wins while a 4-way log jam remained for 2nd place. Jorge Rosales, Frank Lucarelli, Howie Gibson and Tom Wenzel all remain with 10 wins.

Peery with a strong 1st Race, then lost

Debbie Peery picked up her 5th win of the season when Saint Mihiel won the 1st race. She also had Creme de Menthe who ran a solid 3rd. So a great start except not one but both of her horses were claimed by new barns for the price of $5,000 each.

Blaine Wright won and lost as well

Blaine Wright got a win in the 2nd with Goin’ South only to have the 4-year-old gelding red tagged for $15,000. Then in the 7th race Wright started Executive Chef which ran 3rd as the 8-5 favorite. But Wright and owners the Maryanski’s and Schneider’s lost Exec Chef when the 6-year-old gelding was claimed for $40,000 by new owner Muddy Waters Stables for new trainer Mike Puhich.

Jorge Rosales gains ground

Trainer Jorge Rosales won 2 races to chip away at McCanna’s lead now with 12 wins compared to McCanna’s 14. Howie Gibson also picked up 1 with Chuckanut Bay winning the feature.

McCanna now leads with 14 wins, Rosales 2nd with 12, Howie Gibson 3rd with 11 then Lucarelli and Wenzel each with 10.

The Betting Window

The biggest note of the day is one expert handicapper and it was not Larry the SportsCat, had all 6 winners on the pick 6 collecting more than $11,000.

7th Race Feature Race

By Vince Bruun

Chuckanut Bay continued his winning ways at Emerald Downs, rallying for a 1¾-length victory over Cap It Daddy in Saturday’s $25,000 Muckleshoot Casino Resort Purse for 3-year-olds and up.

Ridden by Allyssa Morales, Chuckanut Bay ran 6 ½ furlongs in 1:14.87—fastest of the meeting at the distance—and returning $6.38 to win. Howie Gibson is the trainer for owner Remmah Racing (Dee Hammer).

Unbeaten in two starts at the meet, Chuckanut Bat is 13 for 35 lifetime with earnings of $213,343. The winner is a 6-year-old Washington-bred by Abraaj out of 2010 Washington Oaks winner Zenovit.

Taken off the pace as Candy Caballo, Coastal Jazz and Cap It Daddy rocketed through a half mile in :43.73, Chuckanut Bay split horses in upper stretch and powered home for his seventh victory in 16 career starts at Emerald Downs.

Cap It Daddy, ridden by Silvio Amador, held second place in another sharp effort for Eloldio Madrigal and Cold Boy Stables. Claimed for $8,000 last June, the 4-year-old son of Dads Caps has two wins and three seconds in five starts including a pair of runner-up finishes to Chuckanut Bay this season.

Executive Chef, the 8 to 5 favorite ridden by Kevin Krigger, finished third while Candy Caballo, Firewalker, Whiskeyjack and Coastal Jazz rounded out the order of finish.

• $1.00 EXACTA 2-5 $18.98
• $0.50 TRIFECTA 2-5-4 $18.81
• $0.10 SUPERFECTA 2-5-4-6 $10.16
• $1.00 DAILY DOUBLE 7-2 $33.77
• $0.50 PICK 3 3,4,6-7-2 $27.08

Race Replay

The rest of Saturday’s card

1st Race

Saint Mihiel was placed just off the early pace by Lenny Seecharan and surged past to take command at the 1/8th pole then had to hold off closer Honey Red and Alex Anaya for a length victory in a final time of 1:10.52. Saint Mihiel is owned by Kenneth Elison or Vicky Jo Elison and trained by Debbie Peery.

Honey Red was 2nd while frontrunner Creme de Menthe with Adrian Castellanos held 3rd and Hakuhia and Frank Alvarado finished 4th.

• $1.00 EXACTA 5-6 $43.82
• $0.50 TRIFECTA 5-6-3 $75.17
• $0.10 SUPERFECTA 5-6-3-7 $67.50

Race Replay

2nd Race

The field of 5 went 6 1/2 furlongs and 8-5 Goin’ South ridden by Silvio Amador dueled out of the gate with Barrister Proof under Allyssa Morales and the pair set a fast 44.10 half mile time. This would take it’s toll on Barrister Proof who would fade to 4th place but stalker Baby Waylon and Alex Cruz took the first crack at Goin’ South then Frank Alvarado let Wood Ceiling go but none of them could catch Goin’ South who won by 3 in a final time of 1:5.25.

Goin’ South races for Gate2Wire LLC and trained by Blaine Wright.

• $1.00 EXACTA 4-1 $9.70
• $0.50 TRIFECTA 4-1-3 $15.39
• $0.10 SUPERFECTA 4-1-3-2 $6.76
• $1.00 DAILY DOUBLE 5-4 $18.78

Race Replay

3rd Race

7 broke from starter Mark Gibson’s gates in the 3rd race going 3/4’s of a mile and 6-1 Samarolu was the clear winner guided by Adrian Castellanos. Evie’s Song with Frank Alvarado closed well to finish 2nd, the betting choice Mocktails Anyone and Isaias Enriquez still sesarching for that first win and Obsessed with You ridden by Silvio Amador completed the superfecta.

Samarolu is owned by Bill Randall and trained by Mark Cloutier.

• $1.00 EXACTA 3-2 $71.62
• $0.50 TRIFECTA 3-2-4 $55.86
• $0.10 SUPERFECTA 3-2-4-1 $28.80
• $1.00 DAILY DOUBLE 4-3 $25.80
• $0.50 PICK 3 5-4-3 $85.80

Race Replay

4th Race

Hadlees Honor at 5-1 gave Adrian Castellanos back-to-back wins on the day. Hadlees Honor pulled away at the top of the stretch and then had plenty to keep Time Ticker and Alex Cruz at bay who swung wide and was a clear 2nd. Tiz Grazen with Kevin Orozco ran an even 3rd and outsider Ice Tower and Silvio Amador capped the top 4 finish.

Hadlees Honor is owned by Carter James and trained by Jorge Rosales.

• $1.00 EXACTA 3-1 $19.50
• $0.50 TRIFECTA 3-1-2 $34.79
• $0.10 SUPERFECTA 3-1-2-4 $38.02
• $1.00 DAILY DOUBLE 3-3 $32.77
• $0.50 PICK 3 4-3-3 $103.45
• $0.50 PICK 4 4 OF 4 5-4-3-3 $288.37

Race Replay

5th Race

Two late scratches dropped the field from 7 to 5 going as mile and Toppers at Seaside with Kevin Orozco and Prowling Cat under Kevin Krigger set the tone with soft fractions of 24.11, 47.53 and 1:12.07 fo 3/4’s wasn’t slow enough to deny 1-1 favorite Light the Beam handing Adrian Castellanos his 3rd straight win on the card in a final time of 1:37.52. Prowling Cat held on for 2nd, Om Fire with Alex Anaya got by Topper’s for 3rd.

Light the Beam races for Julie Hebdon and trained by Jorge Rosales his 2nd win in a row on Saturday.

• $1.00 EXACTA 4-5 $12.83
• $0.50 TRIFECTA 4-5-7 $18.87
• $0.10 SUPERFECTA 4-5-7-1 $6.06
• $1.00 DAILY DOUBLE 3-4 $14.70
• $0.50 PICK 3 3-3-3,4 $59.65

Race Replay

6th Race

A well matched field of 8 went 5 1/2 furlongs and 4-1 Mimi Kai sat patiently and when the time was right, Kevin Orozco stayed clear to the outside and rolled by posting a near 2 length victory in a final time 1:03.63. Mimi Kai is owned by Pat Crow, William Douglas Stenberg and Bryson Cooper and trained by Kay Cooper.

Company Girl ridden by Francisco Diaz-Lopez set the pace and did well to hold onto 2nd place. Cape Blossom and Alex Cruz finished 3rd and Thebiggerthebetter with Adrian Castellanos took 4th.

• $1.00 EXACTA 7-5 $23.25
• $0.50 TRIFECTA 7-5-6 $41.23
• $0.10 SUPERFECTA 7-5-6-4 $30.14
• $1.00 DAILY DOUBLE 4-7 $15.20
• $0.50 PICK 3 3-3,4-7 $49.97
• $0.50 PICK 4 4 OF 4 3-3-3,4,6-7 $316.61

Race Replay

8th Race

FortyshadesofTiger pressed the pace got first run and controlled the lead down the stretch denying a late run from Cause for Divorce along the rail. Fortyshadesoftiger also gave Adrian Castellanos his 4th win of the day. Fortyshadesoftiger races for Rancho Viejo and Jerry Carmody and trained by Jesse Velasquez. The 4-year-old gelding is a Washington bred by Smiling Tiger out of Forty Something by Slew’s Saga and was bred by Dr and Mrs Jack Root Jr.

Cause for Divorce with Blake Nunnally up grabbed 2nd, Drive Train and Frank Alvarado showed, Hot Goblin under Kevin Orozco and R Barracuda with Alex Cruz completed the Super Hi Five.

• $1.00 EXACTA 3-8 $8.77
• $0.50 TRIFECTA 3-8-6 $13.41
• $0.10 SUPERFECTA 3-8-6-5 $34.76
• $0.50 SUPERHIGHFIVE 3-8-6-5-4 $257.21
• $1.00 DAILY DOUBLE 2-3 $9.96
• $0.50 PICK 3 7-2-3 $33.87
• $0.50 PICK 4 4 OF 4 3,4,6-7-2-3,7 $69.15
• $0.50 PICK 5 5 OF 5 3-3,4,6-7-2-3,7 $502.34
• $0.10 PICK 6 6 OF 6 3-3-3,4,6-7-2-3,7 $11,196.52

Race Replay

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