Elusive Noise made it two straight victories Saturday with a gate-to-wire triumph in the $21,000 Caliber Concrete Purse for 3-year-old fillies on Kentucky Derby Day at Emerald Downs.
Ridden by Juan Gutierrez, Elusive Noise ran 5-½ furlongs in 1:03.62 on a sloppy track and paid $3.20, $2.60 and $2.20. Tom Wenzel, saddling his second winner on the card, is the trainer for owners Debbie Paxton and Northwest Farms.
A Kentucky-bred that cost $110,000 as a yearling, the daughter of Elusive Quality-Noisette is 2-for-2 with earnings of $20,680.
Breaking from the outside post in the field of six, Elusive Noise set fractions of :22.18, :45.36 and :57.37, and was fully extended to hold off Class Included by a neck.
Class Included, ridden by leading rider Leslie Mawing, was getting to the winner, but ran out of ground and finish second. The runner-up paid $4.20 and $3.20.
Love Makor, Jose Zunino aboard, finished third and paid $2.60. The Gang and I, Wings of Pegasus and She’s a Rock Star completed the order of finish.
COULDABENTHEWHISKY ROARS AT HASTINGS
Washington’s champion 2-year-old of 2010 made an explosive return to action Saturday in the $50,000 Jim Coleman Province Stakes at Hastings Racecourse.
Racing for the first time since a victory in the Gottstein Futurity last September, Couldabenthewhisky rallied for a 2 ½-length score under Gallyn Mitchell, covering 6 ½ furlongs in 1:17.16 on a sloppy (sealed) track. Bonnie Jenne is the trainer and co-owner with Longshot Racing and Craig and Stanley Fredrickson.
Couldabenthewhisky paid $13, $5.90 and $4.20.
Inhisglory, a 10-1 shot finished second, and 22-1 outsider Jump Up and Kissme was third. Previously unbeaten Bond James Bond, the 8-5 favorite, finished fifth in the field of nine.
Couldabenthewhisky made a four-wide bid entering the final turn, took the lead entering the stretch and won clear. It was the fourth stakes win for the Harbor the Gold gelding, and his first race away from Emerald Downs. The $30,000 winner’s check upped his bankroll to $121,602.
It was an amazing few moments for Jenne and her stable. Six minutes after Couldabenthewhisky’s triumph in Vancouver, Shameonya ($19.80) notched a two-length victory in the seventh race at Emerald Downs, a $7,500 claiming race for fillies and mares at 5-½ furlongs.
NOTES: Congratulations to owners/breeders Don & Beverly Turner of Tacoma as their first-time starter McGuffin notched a 6-¼-length victory in Saturday’s second race at Emerald Downs. Ridden by Pedro Terrero and trained by Tom Wenzel, the son of Trail City ran 5-½ furlongs in 1:05.01, and paid $14. Avid movie buffs, the Turners named McGuffin for the plot element popularized by Alfred Hitchcock that drives the story in a feature film.
Trainer Howard Belvoir and owner Tice Ranch Stables—the combination that won the 2009 Longacres Mile with Assessment—appear to have another star runner with Awesome Woman, a $60,000 daughter of Henny Hughes who romped in her career debut in the fifth race. With Juan Gutierrez up, Awesome Woman ran six furlongs in 1:10.21 on a sloppy track while winning by 4-½ lengths.
Jockey Joe Crispin was off his final two mounts due to a lacerated wrist. Second in the standings with 15 wins, Crispin rallied New York-bred Go With Gusto from last place for a $13 victory in the sixth race.
Gutierrez was the lone jockey with two wins while Wenzel was the only trainer with two wins…Live racing continues Sunday with first post at 2:15 p.m. on Mother’s Day.
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