Chu and You, dominant in her career debut, looks to step outside her brother’s shadow on Sunday in the $50,000 Angie C Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at six furlongs.
With the same parents—You and I-Bronze Charmer—and a matching name, Chu and You might have a difficult task trying to separate herself from her older brother Chu and I and his incredible 2-year-old campaign during the 2011 season. After all, Chu and I did win two juvenile stakes races and finished second in another en route to the meet’s Top 2-Year-Old honors.
However, Chu and You’s precocious ability has created some momentum that, at the very least, could match her brother’s 2-year-old year. She’s already practically mirrored Chu and I’s remarkable career debut with one of her own. Both siblings made their first starts in a $25,000 maiden-claiming race with jockey Juan Gutierrez aboard and won with widening victories. Chu and I won by six lengths, while sis pulled a way for a 5 ¾-length score. Trainer Robbie Baze said he was really impressed with his filly’s strong opening performance, which earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 64, the highest Beyer for any 2-year-old this season.
“I expected her to run pretty good in her last race,” Baze said. “Although, I didn’t expect her to run as well as she did, but I did expect her to run well.”
Since her flashy debut, Chu and You has trained forwardly in the mornings including a six-furlong drill in 1:13 3/5 (1/1) on July 27. Baze said the Washington-bred filly should get plenty out of her final workout.
“We decided to work her once the length of the race rather than give her two works,” Baze said. “Juan (Gutierrez) worked her and she seemed to handle it pretty well.”
There could be extra incentive for Gutierrez on Sunday, considering the 43-year-old rider (turns 44 on Tuesday) has won two straight Angie C Stakes, and with a win this weekend, would become the only jockey with four Angie C scores.
To do so, both horse and rider will have to hold off top challengers Strawberry Dawn and Tinkerbelle Tops. A chestnut filly by Tribal Rule, Strawberry Dawn showed tremendous promise in her debut with a willingness to pass horses, resulting in a 2 ½-length victory. Tinkerbelle Tops, meanwhile, could be Chu and You’s biggest pace threat, in view of the filly’s resounding five-length score via gate to wire on June 1. The first foal out of $100,000 earner Butterfly Belle, Tinkerbelle Tops certainly attracted jockey Debbie Hoonan, who appeared to have multiple options in the featured stake.
The seven-horse field includes six horses coming off victories and one maiden—Decatur Princess—that looks to give trainer Tom Wenzel his third straight Angie C victory.
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Emerald Downs own Kerry Dalton, Director of Group Sales, Merchandising, Website & Social Media, is the Angie C Stakes Honorary Steward.
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The Angie C is race nine at 6:09 p.m.
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The third edition of the Press Box Podcast—featuring interviews, guest handicappers and Robert Geller’s live call of the race—begins 30 minutes before post time. The link is available at the Emerald Downs Twitter feed (@emeralddowns) and the track’s Facebook page. Jacob Pollowitz hosts the 45-minute show live from the media office.
The field from the rail out for the 18th running of the Angie C Stakes: Simba’s Sis, Eliska Kubinova, 119 lbs.; Chu and You, Juan Gutierrez, 119; Tinkerbelle Tops, Debbie Hoonan, 119; Decatur Princess, Rocco Bowen, 117; Strawberry Dawn, Leonel Camacho-Flores, 119; Rosie’s Revenge, Ronald Richard, 119; See My Tail Lites, Isaias Enriquez, 119.
NOOSITO MAKES DEBUT SATURDAY
It’s difficult to distinguish what combination has been more potent at Emerald Downs. Trainer Doris Harwood with 2-year-old runners or the cross between sire Harbor the Gold and broodmare Julia Rose.
Luckily, race fans won’t have to play that role on Saturday as Harwood sends out Noosito——a.k.a. Noosa Beach’s youngest brother—for his career debut in a maiden special weight for 2-year-old colts and geldings.
Noosito, purchased for $55,000 under the ownership group Last Rose Stable, marks the conclusion of a breeding line that includes two-time Horse of the Year Noosa Beach and last year’s champion 2-year-old Music of My Soul. Julia Rose passed away in the fall of 2011.
While the pedigree certainly bodes well for Noosito, Harwood remains cognizant of the ebbs and flows of a 2-year-old racehorse.
“As of right this second, he’s passed all his tests,” Harwood said. “Still, he’ll have to show us how smart he is on race day.”
The nine-horse field also includes Smart Copy, second to Del Rio Harbor in a July maiden special weight. Del Rio Harbor followed that win with another in last Sunday’s Emerald Express.
CIAO! ITALIAN DAY RETURNS SUNDAY TO EmD
Emerald Downs will host its 2nd annual Italian Day this Sunday with another daylong celebration of food, festivities and fun.
To honor the country of Italy, the track will provide a slew of activities including a spaghetti-eating contest, mini bocce ball competition accompanied by live Italian music, a roving accordion player and fabulous prize drawings.
Radio host Danny Bonaduce and KZOK will be on hand to commemorate the rich Italian Heritage through entertainment and will give fans a chance to win a brand-new FIAT. Bonaduce will also serve as Honorary Steward for the Italian Day Purse, which goes as race six on the 10-race card.
It wouldn’t be Italian Day without Italian cuisine, which also includes Italian beers and specialty wines. Live racing begins at 2 p.m.
NOTES: Weekly honors: Trainer-Howard Gibson (2-2-0-0); Jockey-Juan Gutierrez (19-6-4-2) Owner-Roddina Barrett & Wayne Williams (1-1-0-0); Groom-Policarpo Fernandez (Doris Harwood); Washington-bred: Knight Club (breeder Nina & Ron Hagen)…Director of Media Relations Vince Bruun, at Del Mar Racetrack to recruit handicap horses for the $200,000 Longacres Mile (G3) on Sunday, August 18, caught up with former Emerald Downs trainer Vann Belvoir and his wife Sauci Belvoir near the Del Mar shed row Thursday morning. In the afternoon at Del Mar, Belvoir’s Mile nominee Gladding finished third in an allowance/optional claiming race…Del Rio Harbor’s victory in the Emerald Express was the record 28th stakes win for sire Harbor the Gold at Emerald Downs. Cahill Road (26 stakes wins), Delineator (19), Katowice (19) and Basket Weave (15) round out the top five…Emerald Downs added another member to its training colony on Sunday when veteran conditioner Bobby Pate arrived with a six-horse string. Pate, who has yet to start a horse at Emerald Downs, said Wednesday that he plans to be active in the claiming game this season…Saturday’s ninth and feature race spotlights six older horses, led by Polish Dollar, running one mile for an optional tag of $40,000. A 7-year-old by Polish Gift, Polish Dollar has stamped himself a legitimate contender for the meet’s Top Claimer award with a record of 3-1-1 in his first five starts this season. The field’s lone filly, Royal Moses, comes off a three-quarter-length victory against fillies and mares on July 20…Defending riding champion Juan Gutierrez and Isaias Enriquez enter week 16 tied in the jockeys’ standings with 68 wins apiece. On pace for 108 wins, both riders have traded leads in the standings since the ninth week of the season. If Gutierrez continues at his current pace, he would become only the second jockey in track history to notch three straight 100-win seasons. Ricky Frazier was first and has four straight 100-win seasons from 2007 to 2010…Jockeys Debbie Hoonan (4-for-7) and Lorenzo Lopez (3-for-7) have won over half of the 13 Quarter Horse races this season at Emerald Downs. Hoonan and Lopez are a combined 7-for-14, and all other jockeys are a combined 6-for-67 in Quarter Horse races…The victory by Rf Pistol Pete in Sunday’s opener at 350 yards gave trainer Juan Sanguino his fifth win of the season, breaking the single-season mark of four QH wins set by John R. Harris in 2011…Speaking of Quarter Horses, trials for $60,000 Bank of America Emerald Downs Championship Challenge are scheduled Saturday, August 17.
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