Come Away Home edged Bleu Tarp and Edge Forward in a frantic finish Saturday in the featured Carl’s Jr. Purse for 3-year-olds and up at Emerald Downs.
Under a rail-skimming ride by Juan Gutierrez, Come Away Home nipped Bleu Tarp by a head, with Edge Forward another head back in third place.
Come Away Home ran 6 ½ furlongs in 1:15.50 and paid $5.60, $4.20 and $2.10. Jim Penney is the trainer for owners Paul Heist and Jack Fabulich. A 5-year-old Washington-bred gelding by Seattle Shamus-Anazeha,
Come Away Home has been one of the track’s steadiest mid-level claimers, compiling a 3-2-0 record in five starts at the meet including back-to-back scores off the claim for Penney.
Bleu Tarp, the longest shot on the board at 13-to-1, dug in gamely through the lane to just miss the victory. Ridden by Eliska Kubinova. Bleu Tarp paid $8 and $3.40.
Edge Forward, with David G. Lopez riding, paid $2.60 for show. Rezar, Havanna Red and Tapadero completed the order of finish.
Gutierrez and Penney had two winners apiece on the nine-race card. Gutierrez, the defending champion, leads Isaias Enriquez 86-83 in the jockeys’ standings.
NOTES: The Penney-trained Big Bad Brown ($2.60) rallied to win race seven under Kubinova and joined Max Cooper, Stephanie Plum, Stopshoppingdebbie and Southern Solution as four-time winners at the meet. A 5-year-old Washington-bred gelding by Tribunal-Brown, Big Bad Brown was claimed for $10,000 Saturday and will now be trained by Howard Belvoir*Fifth race winner Sharp Focus ($3) had $37,952 of $42,069 wagered in the show pool*Leonel Camacho-Flores was off his mounts Saturday with soreness, the result of a two-horse spill Friday night. Jose Zunino, the other jockey to go down Friday, rode his two scheduled mounts Saturday*7-year-old mare Fantasyville ($8.80) notched her 16th career victory including 11 wins at Emerald Downs with a gate-to-wire score under Debbie Hoonan for trainer Dave Bennett in the Saturday nightcap*She’s a Tiger ($11), co-owned by Dr. Mark Dedomenico of Redmond scored a mild upset under Gary Stevens in the $300,000 Del Mar Debutante (G1) for 2-year-old fillies. By Tale of the Cat-Shandra Smiles, She’s a Tiger was bred by Dr. Rodney Orr, currently tied for seventh in the Emerald Downs’ owners standings with six wins*Also at Del Mar, Longacres Mile nominee Summer Hit ($10.60) was a 1 ¼-length winner of the $90,000 Harry F. Brubaker Stakes at Del Mar. The 4-year-old gelding (by Bertrando-Mia F Eighteen) ran one mile on Polytrack in 1:34.99*just .13 seconds off the track record*Live racing continues Sunday with first post 2:15 p.m. The track’s biggest event for Quarter Horses*the $54,000 Bank of America Emerald Championship Challenge*goes as Race 8 at 5:56 p.m.
