Gallon held off Chhaya Dance in a spirited stretch run for a half-length victory Sunday in the $20,000 Travelodge Purse for older horses at Emerald Downs.
Finishing eighth in the Longacres Mile last month, the classy Gallon ran 6-½ furlongs in 1 minute, 15 1/5 seconds on a sloppy track and paid $3.80 and $2.40. Jim Penney, saddling his third straight feature race winner, is the trainer for Michael and Amy Feuerborn of Maple Valley. Juan Gutierrez rode the winner at 120 lbs.
Chhaya Dance, in his 2009 debut for trainer Mike Chambers, shadowed Gallon throughout the race but couldn’t overtake the betting favorite. With Seth Martinez riding at 121 lbs., Gallon paid $2.80 for place.
It was 6-¾ lengths back to Chickasaw Park in third place, and Stormy Seattle finished fourth and last. Starbird Road and Nationhood were scratched.
Voted the track’s top 2-year-old of 2007 and top 3-year-old of 2008, Gallon was winless in four starts this year and hadn’t won since Sept. 1, 2008, when he finished second but was promoted to first in the $100,000 Emerald Derby after a disqualification ruling.
The last time Gallon crossed the finish line first was in the Tacoma Handicap on June 29, 2008. Of course, the 4-year-old gelding had been competitive against many of the best horses on the grounds, including third-place finishes to Longacres Mile winner Assessment in both the Budweiser-Emerald and Mt. Rainier Handicaps. Gallon was the odd-on favorite today.
Breaking from the rail post-position, Gallon led by a half-length through fractions of 22 2/5 and 45, with Chhaya Dance in hot pursuit. The lead was a scant head in mid-stretch, but Gallon had plenty in reserve to hold off Chhaya Dance, whose last race was at Turf Paradise on Nov. 8, 2008.
A Kentucky-bred by Victory Gallop, Gallon has a 5-5-3 record in 18 career starts and has raced in the track’s top events for juveniles, sophomores and older horses—Gottstein Futurity, Emerald Derby and Longacres Mile. The $11,000 winner’s prize pushed his earnings to $235,690 for the Feurborns, who won Saturday’s feature race for 3-year-olds with R Samurai.
Penney, closing the season with a flourish, won the Friday feature with Off the Heezy, Saturday with R Samurai and Sunday with Gallon.
Monday, he sends out the Feuerborn-owned Red Dancer in the $75,000 Emerald Derby at 1-1/8 mile.
Track notes:
• Tim McCanna saddled two winners and opened a 55-51 lead on Doris Harwood with 13 days remaining in the 2009 meeting.
• Gutierrez, Ricky Frazier and Javier Matias rode two winners each on the 10-race card. Frazier leads Gallyn Mitchell 138-98 in the standings and needs 20 wins in the final 13 days to break his own single-season mark of 157 wins. It was the 44th time this season that Frazier rode at least two winners on a card.
• Rendezvous, co-owned by George Todaro of Seattle, posted a 22-1 upset Sunday in the $350,000 Del Mar Derby (GII) for 3-year-olds on turf…Racing continues Monday with the $75,000 Emerald Derby for 3-year-olds. Peaceful Reign is the 2-1 morning line favorite. First post is 2 p.m.
• Autism Awareness, seventh beaten 4-½ lengths in the Longacres Mile, is the 5-2 second choice Monday in the $75,000 Governor’s Handicap at Sacramento.
• Victorina, winner of the 2008 Washington State Legislators Stakes, is 5-1 in Monday’s $85,000 Adoration Stakes at Del Mar. Del Mar also features the $300,000 (GI) Del Mar Futurity for 2-year-olds.
• Saratoga’s getaway card is topped by the 105th running of the $300,000 Three Chimneys Hopeful (GI) for 2-year-olds. The 13-horse field is considered so wide-open that Prince Rooney, by Tale of the Cat-Rooney’s Princess, is a tepid 9-2 morning line choice.
