Class Included, the only maiden in the race, rallied for a 1 ½-length victory Sunday in the $18,000 WTBOA Purse for 2-year-old fillies at Emerald Downs.
A bay filly with a blonde tail, Class Included ran six furlongs in 1 minute 10 4/5 seconds on a fast track and paid $4.60, $3 and $2.80. Juan Gutierrez—riding his third winner of the day—was the jockey for trainer Jim Penney and owners Michael and Amy Feuerborn of Maple Valley.
Penney, fourth in the standings with 41 wins, has 499 career victories at Emerald Downs, and his 22.5 win percentage ranks No. 1 among trainers in the top 10 this season.
Bred in Kentucky by the Feuerborns, Class Included has a 1-1-0 record in two starts with earnings of $13,300. The daughter of Include finished second in her Aug. 14 debut, a maiden special weight from which third-place finisher Lady Golightly returned to win the $50,000 Barbara Shinpoch Stakes last week.
Tiger’s Mistress, ridden by A.L. Gutierrez, rallied from last to finish second and paid $4 and $2.60. It was 4 ½-lengths back to third-place finisher Zolazane, ridden by Ricky Frazier, and a $3.80 show payoff. Renaissance Queen, Debbie’s Ferrari and Ms Moscow Mattie completed the order of finish.
Renaissance Queen dashed to an early two-length lead, running the half-mile in :44 4/5, but was overtaken by Class Included into the lane and gave way in the stretch. Class Included stalked the leaders while three-wide, swooped to the front at the quarter-pole, drew well clear in mid stretch, and held off Tiger’s Mistress late.
News and Notes
Emancipated ($7.60) posted a gate-to-wire victory in the co-featured eighth race, an $18,000 optional claimer for 3-year-olds and up. The consistent 5-year-old Washington-bred gelding has a 3-4-2 record in 11 starts this season with earnings of $35,950…Late Nite Chase ($5.60) prevailed in the sixth race for her third victory in 29 days, and the triumph moved Ron Crockett into a first-place tie with Howard Belvoir for leading owner at 14 wins apiece…Frazier rode two winners and finished Week 22 with a 105-78 lead over Juan Gutierrez in the jockeys’ standings…Tim McCanna leads Vann Belvoir 56-48 in the trainers’ standings…Dearest Princess ($7)—fourth to Zenovit in the Washington Oaks—won Sunday’s $50,000 Hong Kong Jockey Club for 3-year-old fillies at Hastings Racecourse… Also at Hastings, Longacres Mile 11th place finisher Burj Dubai finished fourth in the $25,000 PNE President’s Speed Handicap won by Boundless Cat ($20.20). Almost Time, fourth in the Mile, was a late scratch…Live racing resumes Friday with first post at 6 p.m.
