Mach One Rules held off first-time starter Viewingthegold in a driving finish and scored a head victory Saturday in the $50,000 WTBOA Lads Stakes for 2-year-old colts and geldings at Emerald Downs.
A race later, Princess Kennedy—ridden by birthday boy Gallyn Mitchell—romped to a an 8 ¾-length victory over Freaky Kiki in the $50,000 Barbara Shinpoch Stakes for 2-year-old fillies.
The Lads was virtually a match race, with Mach One Rules and Viewingthegold racing head-and-head from flag fall to finish, with Mach One Rules narrowly edging his less experienced rival in a stakes record 1:15.78 for 6 ½ furlongs.
Ridden by Leslie Mawing, Mach One Rules paid $5.80, $4.60 and $3.20 as a narrow betting favorite. The winning connections—trainer Frank Lucarelli and owner Roy Schaefer of Port Orchard—also won last year’s Lads with Trackattacker.
A Washington-bred by Harbor the Gold-Felice the Cat, Mach One Rules is the third straight Lads winner sired by Harbor the Gold and the fifth in seven years. Unbeaten in two starts, he earned $32,175 to push his bankroll to $43,450.
Viewingthegold, ridden by Javier Matias, nearly sprang a 25-to-1 upset, but came up a head short. Also sired by Harbor the Gold, the runner-up paid $20 and $6.80.
Gold Rush Dancer, ridden by Julien Couton, was four lengths back in third and paid $3.20.
The 2-to-1 second choice, Gold Rush Dancer might have been compromised by a poor start.
Cross Creek, Noble Nick, Huya, Endangered and Wando Cat completed the order of finish.
In the Shinpoch, Princess Kennedy rallied from last to score the biggest margin of victory in the 34-year history of the race. A Kentucky-bred by Sun King-Pat Hand, Princess Kennedy ran 6 ½ furlongs in 1:17.12 and paid $5.60, $4.40 and $2.80.
Trained by Tom Wenzel for owner-breeder David Thorner of Yakima, Wash., Princess Kennedy earned $27,225 to push her ledger to 4-2-1-0-$49,038.
Mitchell, the track’s all-time leader with 1,410 wins and 78 stakes wins, celebrated his 53rd birthday in style.
“The first couple times I rode (Princess Kennedy) I figured some stuff out,” Mitchell said. “I talked to Tom (Wenzel) and we fixed them. Last race, we just got in a little bad racing luck, and for a 2-year-old filly to pick herself back up and come running like she did, I knew she was something special.”
Freaky Kiki, the early ridden by Joe Steiner, held second and paid $11 and $5. My Heart Goes On, who defeated Princess Kennedy in the Angie C Stakes, finished third and paid $2.80.
First-time starter Say It Slow finished fourth, followed by It’s My Knight, Two Pt Conversion, Jerre to Carrie and Kiss My Lulu. Cape Grace was a late scratch.
Mawing, the meet’s leading stakes rider with six wins, rides defending champion Stryker Phd in Sunday’s $200,000 Longacres Mile. Saturday, he said Mach One Rules had a tough task holding off Viewingthegold.
“If my horse was going to get beat it was going to get beat on the front end,” Mawing said.
He dug back in. It was all horse today, it wasn’t me. I was just happy to have the best horse out there today.”
As a Washington-bred, Mach One Rules is eligible to compete in the $50,000 Captain Condo Stakes in the Washington Cup on Sunday, September 13.
HOWARD BELVOIR BAGS 2,000th CAREER WIN
Trainer Howard Belvoir reached a major milestone Saturday when Vistarella notched a 4 ¼-length victory under Jennifer Whitaker in race five.
The $23 upset was career victory No. 2,000 for the 71-year-old conditioner, whose career began in 1963.
“When you think how many trainers have never even run 2,000 races, let alone win 2,000, it’s pretty amazing. This is something I really wanted.”
A 5-year-old California-bred owned by John Parker of Lake Bay, Wash., Vistarella ran 6 ½ furlongs in 1:16.39. It was her second win in seven starts at the meeting.
Fittingly, Whitaker rode the landmark winner for Belvoir. A 44-year-old Snohomish native, Whitaker is practically the barn’s assistant trainer, combining for 340 wins with Belvoir over the last 15 years, including the 2008 Longacres Mile with Wasserman.
Vicki Potter, Belvoir’s longtime partner, and his son, Vann Belvoir, also were in the winner’s circle. Vann Belvoir is up from Del Mar and saddles Prohibition in Sunday’s $200,000 Longacres Mile (G3).
NOTES: Julien Couton rode two winners, his 23rd day with two or more wins, and extended his lead to 75-57 over Juan Gutierrez atop the jockeys’ standings. . .Jacango ($9) set a track record of 15.56 for 300 yards while winning theSaturday opener for Quarter Horses. A 3-year-old Oregon-bred by Spit Curl Jess, Jacango is the first Quarter Horse with three wins at the meet. . .Javier Matias swept the early double on Jacango ($9) and Furriddle ($5), and leads the Quarter Horse standings with a 6-for-11 record. . .Live racing continues Sunday with the $200,000 Longacres Mile (G3), with defending champion Stryker Phd headlining a 12-horse field in the 80th running of the Grade 3 classic. The 11-race program also features the $65,000 Emerald Distaff and the $25,000 Pete Pedersen Memorial. First post is 2 p.m.
