Chu and I simply refused to yield the lead Saturday at Emerald Downs.
The diminutive You and I gelding held on gamely for a head victory over Havanna Red in the 30th running of the $40,000 WTBOA Lads Stakes for 2-year-old colts and geldings. Perfectly ridden by Juan Gutierrez, Chu and I ran one mile in 1:38.43 on a fast track and paid $6, $3.40 and $2.80.
The victory places Chu and I in the driver’s seat for honors as Emerald Downs’ Top Juvenile of 2011, and continued a hot streak for trainer Jim Penney and owners Michael and Amy Feuerborn.
The Washington-bred gelding has a 3-1-0 record in four starts, including two stakes wins, with earnings of $50,539. And Penney has five stakes wins at the meet including two apiece with Feuerborn homebreds Chu and I and 3-year-old filly Class Included.
Gutierrez rode four winners on the eight-race card including his fourth stakes triumph this season and 35th lifetime at Emerald Downs. In the WTBOA Lads, he managed Chu and I’s speed to a t, as they led through fractions of :24.16, :48.28, 1:13 and 1:25.46.
Chu and I led by three lengths in mid-stretch, and then had to hold off Havanna Red in the final strides for the victory.
“I thought Silver Boxcar would go with me on the lead,” said Gutierrez. “I expected him to pressure us, but that never happened. I was very happy with my spot, because he was galloping on the front end.
“He started to wait for other horses a little bit in the lane. I felt the other horse coming but my horse dug back in. He’s a little horse, but he has a big heart.”
Havanna Red, ridden by Leonel Camacho-Flores, angled out past the eighth pole and closed strongly to just miss. Off at odds of 7-to-1, Havanna Red paid $6 and $3.80.
It was seven lengths back to third-place finisher Leadership, a 27-to-1 long shot ridden by Jennifer Whitaker, and a $6.80 show payoff.
Del Siete Leguas and Silver Boxcar finished fourth and fifth respectively, and were followed by Gold Surge, Bluegrass Chapp and Wild Wings.
NOTES: The $0.50 Pick 5 paid a season-high $14,067 to one winning ticket…Trainer Frank Lucarelli saddled his 15th and 16th winners this month as first-time starter Ronda Rocks ($6.60) led gate-to-wire in race three and Touch of Elegance ($4.80) became the meet’s first six-time winner with a romping score in the sixth. Lucarelli, bidding for his third Emerald Downs training title, has pulled within one victory of Howard Belvoir for top spot in the standings…Rossi Reserve ($3.60) romped in race two for her fifth win of the meet. Owned and bred by Northwest Farms and trained by Tom Wenzel, Rossi Reserve was finally claimed Saturday as trainer Dave Bennett red-tagged the 4-year-old Eddington filly for owner Debra Larson…A tip of the hat to Vic Cozzetti as his “Vic’s Trips” play of the day—Pure Artistry—prevailed in race four at 10.30-to-1…Leading rider Leslie Mawing rode two winners and is two wins shy of the 100-win mark…Live racing continues Sunday as the 2-year-old fillies take their turn in the $50,000 Barbara Shinpoch Stakes at one mile. Northwest Farms’ unbeaten Exclusive Diva is the 7-to-5 morning line favorite.
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