Trick Or Retreat wins first Sunday feature of the season | Emerald Downs

Trick Or Retreat continued his hard-trying ways Sunday at Emerald Downs.

Trick Or Retreat continued his hard-trying ways Sunday at Emerald Downs.

The consistent 4-year-old gelding swept past Scat Daddybaby in mid-stretch and held off Sportive for a half-length victory in the $24,000 Stella Artois Purse for 3-year-olds and up

Ridden by Francisco Duran 119 lbs, Trick Or Retreat ran six furlongs in 1:09.18, and paid $20.60, $6.40 and $2.80. Doris Harwood is the trainer for owners Mark Malnati and Robert McKay.

Sportive, ridden by Javier Matias at 124 lbs, rallied inside for second and paid $7 and $3.20. Winner of the Portland Meadows Mile in January, has finished first, second or third in 39 of 48 lifetime starts.

Scat Daddybaby, ridden by Juan Gutierrez at 119 lbs, held third and paid $2.10 to show. Fourth in the 2014 Longacres Mile, Scat Daddybaby led through fractions of :21.68, :44.18 and :56.38, led by 2 ½ lengths into the stretch before weakening late.

Prohibition, the 8-to-5 second choice, finished fourth, and St Nicholas Becky was last.

A 4-year-old Washington-bred gelding by Harbor the Gold-Retreat After Me, Trick Or Retreat is 3-3-2 in nine starts with earnings of $55,909, including $13,200 for Sunday’s win. The dark bay or brown gelding finished 2014 strong, winning an $18,900 allowance race and finishing second to stable mate Noosito in the Chinook Pass Stakes.

“(Trick Or Retreat) is a big, strong 4-year-old,” Harwood said. “He’s actually been working with Noosito.”

Noosito, a triple stakes last year at Emerald Downs last year, is scheduled to make his season debut in the $50,000 Governor’s Handicap on May 17. The 6 ½-furlong Governor’s is the first stop on the road to the $200,000 Longacres Mile (G3) on August 16.

NOTES: 123Racing handled $5,960 Sunday, easily surpassing the $2,000 guarantee, with the winner cashing for $2,658.20 and the runner-up $1,329.80. . .8-year-old Clemens Brook ($9) continued her winning ways, scoring her 14th career win in Sunday’s eighth race for $20,000 claiming fillies and mares. Trained by Rigoberto Velasquez and ridden by Jennifer Whitaker, Clemens Brook ran 5 ½ furlongs in 1:03.59 and improved to 11-for-24 at Emerald Downs. . .Whitaker also won the nightcap on It’s Our Pleasure ($8) for the 8-year-old gelding’s 12th lifetime win. . .In race four, River District ($17.60) gave theJeff Metz/Juan Gutierrez combination their second win in as many days. A 3-year-old Street Sensegelding, River District is out of Hoh Buzzard, who produced 2012 Railbird Stakes winner Via Velaggio. . .Metz had two wins Sunday and finished opening weekend with three wins. . .Defending riding championLeslie Mawing rode his first two winners of the meet—Zippinaroundtown ($5.40) and Wine At Nine($4.60)—with both wins on runners trained by Mike Puhich. . .Eliska Kubinova scored her first win as a mom, rallying Admiral Morgan ($6) to a neck victory in the Sunday opener. In February, Kubinova gave birth to daughter Emilia. . .Three woman jockeys rode winners Sunday—Whitaker, Kubinova and Natasha Coddington, who scored her first win of the season on Sociable Gold ($5.60) for trainer Monique Snowden in race seven. . .Live racing resumes Saturday at 2 p.m. Simulcast wagering is offered Mondays and Tuesdays in the Quarter Chute Café and Wednesday to Sunday at Emerald Downs.