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Absolute Cool takes the Sunday feature at Emerald Downs | Horse Racing

Published 8:56 pm Sunday, July 31, 2011

Absolutely Cool and jockey Juan Gutierrez were the winning team in the $17
Absolutely Cool and jockey Juan Gutierrez were the winning team in the $17

Trainer Tom Wenzel pulled another rabbit out of his hat Sunday afternoon at Emerald Downs.

Saddling his ninth feature race winner of the meeting to go along with one stakes victory, Wenzel brought Absolute Cool off a two-month freshening for a 1-½-length victory in the $17,600 Cascade Coffee Purse for 3 year olds and up.

Ridden by Juan Gutierrez, Absolutely Cool ran 6-½ furlongs in 1 minute, 14.64 seconds on a fast track and paid $7.20, $3.80 and $2.40. Karl Krieg III of Oak Harbor, Wash. is the owner-breeder.

A 4-year-old Washington-bred by Absolute Harmony, Absolutely Cool has a 4-3-1 record in 12 starts lifetime with earnings of $47,892, including $9,680 for Sunday’s triumph.

A two-time winner at the 2010-11 Turf Paradise meeting, Absolutely Cool most recently finished eighth in the May 22 Governor’s Handicap won by Noosa Beach.

The respite worked wonders as Absolutely Cool pressed the pace while even-money betting favorite Newfound Man led through a quarter-mile in a relatively slow :23.19 seconds.  Attacking from the outside, Absolutely Cool took command on the turn, running the half-mile in :45.14, opened a clear lead into the lane and held off He’s All Heart late for the victory.

He’s all Heart, ridden by Gallyn Mitchell, finished well for second place and paid $4.40 and $2.10. It was three-quarters-of-a-length back to Newfound Man, Leslie Mawing riding, and a $2.10 show payoff.

Go With Gusto and Noble Juan completed the order of finish.

McCANNA HITS ANOTHER MILESTONE

More Wine Won ($4) won the 10th race finale under Joe Crispin and trainer Tim McCanna became the first trainer in Emerald Downs’ history with 800 wins.

A 10-time leading trainer at Emerald Downs, McCanna ranks second with 30 wins at the current meeting and has won the last four training titles here.

McCanna, 49, recently was voted into the Washington Racing Hall of Fame and the official induction ceremony is Saturday, Aug. 20.

The top five winning trainers in Emerald Downs history (through July 31): McCanna, 800; Frank Lucarelli, 651; Howard Belvoir, 546; Jim Penney, 525; Doris Harwood, 411.

NOTES: Onepartuclrharbor ($6.80) scored her third gate-to-wire victory of the season in race seven to give trainer Chris Stenslie a career-high 20 wins at the 2011 meeting. Stenslie is 20-for-78 (25.6 percent) and a contender for Top Training Achievement at the conclusion of the season.

The Stenslie-trained Hollywood Harbor, coming off a meet-fastest 1:13.80 for 6-½ furlongs, breezed one mile in 1:40 Sunday morning and is considered a possible starter in the $200,000 Longacres Mile (G3) on Sunday, Aug. 21…Happy Birthday to track announcer Robert Geller, 52-years-old Sunday!.

Skinny Genes pulled off a tough feat in the second race—winning her career debut in a route race. The 3-year-old Pleasant Tap filly gave the crowd a thrill, balking at the starting gate, and then rallying from last to win going away in 1:39.47 for one mile. Ridden by Pedro Terrero, trained by Howard Belvoir and owned and bred by Todd and Shawn Hansen. Skinny Genes paid $11.40.

Terrero and leading rider Leslie Mawing rode two winners each on the 10-race card, and Mawing finished Week No. 16 with a 75-66 lead over Juan Gutierrez in the Thoroughbred jockeys’ standings…Joe Crispin also rode two winners, one thoroughbred and one Quarter Horse, and is third with 63 wins in the Thoroughbred standings.

Belvoir led the trainers with two wins and owns a 37-30 lead over Tim McCanna in the Thoroughbred trainers’ standings.

2010 Longacres Mile runner-up Jersey Town made a strong 2011 debut with a second-place finish in the $100,000 Teddy Drone Stakes at Monmouth Park. Force Freeze, a 16-to-1 long shot won the race, in a near record 1:07 3/5 for six furlongs.

Live racing resumes Thursday with first post at 6:15 p.m.

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