Perfect Finish led all the way Saturday for an easy 7 ¾-length victory in the $18,000 allowance feature for fillies and mares at Emerald Downs.
The 4-year-old Katowice filly is the younger sister of 2008 Longacres Mile winner Wasserman and shares the same connections as her big brother—owner-trainer Howard Belvoir and jockey Jennifer Whitaker.
Perfect Finish ran 5 ½ furlongs in 1 minute, 3 2/5 seconds on a sloppy track and paid $5.20, $2.60 and $2.10. A double stakes winner last fall at Portland Meadows, Perfect Finish has won 6-of-12 overall with earnings of $62,499.
Gunned to the lead from the outside post, Perfect Finish quickly opened a two-length lead while covering the quarter-mile in 22 1/5. From there, the rout was on. The bay filly extended the cushion to five lengths into the stretch, after running the half-mile in 45 1/5, and drew off through the lane under a hand ride.
“She’s a nice filly to ride,” Whitaker said. “She tries every time she comes over here.”
The track’s all-time leading female rider with 355 wins, Whitaker has teamed with Belvoir to win 244 races, the most successful jockey-trainer combination in track history.
Crocodile Tuff, Deborah Hoonan-Trujillo riding, rallied from last to finish second and paid $4.60 and $3. Glo Bou Liza, the 9-5 second choice ridden by Troy Stillwell, weakened to third place and paid $2.80 for show. Gizmo Girl and She’s All Silk completed the order of finish.
NOTES: Trainer Frank Lucarelli continued his torrid start with three victories from four starters—all routs. Feeling Fancy ($4.40) dominated 3-year-old fillies with an 8 ¾-length victory in the fourth, running six furlongs in 1:09 3/5 on a sloppy track. Earlier, All the Rage ($13.20) stomped $3,500 claimers by 6 ¾ lengths in the second race. And finally, Classielyte whipped a good field of $17,500 claimers by 5 ¼ lengths in the seventh race. Lucarelli is tied with Vann Belvoir for first place in the trainers’ standings with seven wins and his average margin of victory is 7 ½ lengths…Gallant Son, also conditioned by Lucarelli, is 15-1 on the morning line and will break from the No. 11 post in Sunday’s $100,000 Inglewood Handicap for older horses at Hollywood Park. Compari (7-6-0-1-$422,640) is the 7-5 choice in the Grade III event on turf…Friday’s training triple by Robbie Baze was his first since May 10, 2008, when he saddled winners that paid $19.40, $15 and $55.40. Baze picked up yet another victory in Saturday’s opener as D Devil ($5.40) out-finished Hickory Road for the gelding’s 10th career victory…First-time starter Avram ($4.20) lived up to billing with a one-length victory under Gallyn Mitchell in the fourth race, running 5 ½ furlongs in 1:04 on a sloppy track. Vann Belvoir trains the 3-year-old Eddington gelding for Nelson Family Racing… …Saratoga’s Magic (46-9-11-7-$356,415) and Shem (33-10-6-5-$273,075) are co-favored at 5-2 for Wednesday’s $50,000 Portland Mile Handicap at Portland Meadows…Week 3 at Emerald Downs wraps up 2 p.m. Sunday.
