Honour the West wore down Olympic Lights in the stretch and drove clear Saturday to win by 3-¾ lengths in the $13,600 feature race at Emerald Downs.
The 5-year-old by Katowice, under Saul Arias, gave trainer Junior Coffey his second win of the day in the 6-½ furlong race and paid $14.40, $6.20 and $3.40.
“It was a perfect trip,” Arias said. “I saw the other horses out front, and when I asked him he responded.”
Olympic Lights, ridden by Troy Stillwell, made a move in the final turn and finished with a strong effort to take second and paid $5.60 and $3.40. It was two lengths back to Follows None, who closed with a steady rally to finish third under Juan Gutierrez and paid $3.80. Media City, Emancipated, Get You, and Green Secret completed the field. Sharper Eagle and Plain James were program scratches
Honour the West, owned by Michael and Amy Feuerborn of Maple Valley, stayed 3-½ lengths back from a grueling first quarter set by Get You in 21 1/5 seconds. The 2-1 betting favorite Green Secret pressured the pace, but weakened at the half-mile pole and finished last.
Olympic Lights sprinted clear at the top of the stretch after taking the lead into the turn, but C had plenty in the tank and cruised pass the son of Tropic Lightning in the lane to finish in a solid 1:16.
Honour the West scored his first victory of the year to give him a 3-3-6 record in 17 career starts.
Track notes:
* After the first race, leading rider Ricky Frazier took off the rest of his mounts due to a knee injury that flared up during the race. He is listed as day-to-day, but is not expected to ride Sunday’s card.
* Cassie Papineau posted her second three-win day, including a gallant head-bob victory in the seventh race aboard Zayboom ($3.60).
* Troy Stillwell notched a riding double after stopping Papineau from collecting her fourth win with a head victory in the card’s final race. In the fifth race, Maximum Pleasure finished fourth but was disqualified and placed fifth after he interfered with Tucannon at the three-sixteenths pole. Trainers Kathy Schenk (Late Night Affair) and Susan Villyard (Classy Prize) picked up their first victories of the season at Emerald Downs.
