Sweet Saga is a maiden no more.
With Gallyn Mitchell riding at 115 pounds, the bay filly exploded in the stretch and notched a half-length victory over Talk to My Lawyer in Sunday’s $50,000 Barbara Shinpoch Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at Emerald Downs.
Sweet Saga ran one mile in 1:36.97 on a fast track and paid $21, $8.20 and $3.40. Larry Ross is the trainer for owners Gail and Gerald Schneider of Auburn, Wash.
It was the first victory in three lifetime starts for the winner, whose two previous races were thirds in both a stakes and a maiden special weight.
In the Shinpoch, Sweet Saga lagged in fifth place, eight lengths off the pace, as even-money favorite Exclusive Diva alternated for the lead with Talk to My Lawyer through fractions of :24.33 and :48.40 seconds. The winner rallied outside on the second turn, angled out farther into the stretch, and wore down Talk to My Lawyer in the final strides.
Talk to My Lawyer, ridden by Jennifer Whitaker at 113 lbs., was clearly second best and paid $5.40 and $3.20.
It was 2-¼ lengths back to the previously unbeaten Exclusive Diva, ridden by Juan Gutierrez at 119 lbs, and a $2.20 show payoff. Winner of the Aug. 7 Angie C Stakes, Exclusive Diva surrendered the lead to Talk to My Lawyer in mid-stretch and weakened slightly in her first route test.
Mitchell, No. 1 all-time with 74 stakes wins at Emerald Downs, took over on Sweet Saga as Leslie Mawing, who rode her in her two previous races, opted to ride Royal Moses in the Shinpoch.
“After galloping this horse, I knew that she would handle the distance,” Mitchell said of Sweet Saga. “She broke well, and I just let the speed get away from us early. I got her to settle nicely going into the first turn.
“When (Gentlemen’s Red) passed us on the backside, my horse got into the bit, which I didn’t want her to do. I was able to get her off the bit pretty easily, though. At the three-eighths pole, I gave her a tap on the shoulder and she started to kick it into gear. By the eighth pole, I knew I’d run by the leaders. She switched leads perfectly and then just motored past the field.”
Royal Moses, runner-up in both the Knights Choice and Angie C, lacked a closing kick and finished fourth.
Gentleman’s Red and Miss Top Nite completed the order of finish.
NOTES: West Seattle Boy ($8) extended his all-time Emerald Downs win mark to 20 with a last-to-first triumph in Sunday’s opener. The 12-year-old gelding now has four more wins than any horse in track history, and an overall mark of 24-13-19 in 101 starts and earnings of $174,475 for trainer Rigoberto Velasquez and owners Lisa Baze and Jerry Carmody…Velasquez capped a two-for-two day in the fifth when Yasou, a relative toddler at age 6, scored as the 9-to-5 favorite…Leading rider Leslie Mawing rode four winners and finished the week with a 102-84 lead over Juan Gutierrez in the Thoroughbred jockeys’ standings…Mitchell and Pedro Terrero rode two winners each….In the Thoroughbred trainers’ standings, Howard Belvoir continues to cling to a 45-44 lead over Frank Lucarelli…Live racing resumes Friday with first post at 6 p.m. The four-day week includes holiday racing on Monday.
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