Emerald Downs news and notes | Horse Racing

Week 6 honors: jockey – Juan Gutierrez (7-for-19); trainer – Doris Harwood (Noosa Beach and Winning Machine first and second Seattle Handicap); owner – Lisa Baze and Jerry Carmody with West Seattle Boy's 16th win at Emerald; groom –Fernando Ochoa (Doris Harwood)

May 20, 2010 9:22 pm

News and Notes

• Week 6 honors: jockey – Juan Gutierrez (7-for-19); trainer – Doris Harwood (Noosa Beach and Winning Machine first and second Seattle Handicap); owner – Lisa Baze and Jerry Carmody with West Seattle Boy’s 16th win at Emerald; groom –Fernando Ochoa (Doris Harwood)

• Amazing Legacy is a 2-year-old to follow at Emerald in 2010. The bay colt is a full brother to 2007 Longacres Mile winner The Great Face and a half-brother to Churchill Downs Handicap (GII) winner Atta Boy Roy. Amazing Legacy should be ready to race late in the meet, trainer Tom Wenzel said.

• Trainers Jim Penney and Vann Belvoir begin the week tied for first with 13 wins, while Frank Lucarelli is third with 11 wins. Penney has complied an amazing 4.38 return on investment or ROI, thanks in large part to four double-digit first-time starters.

• Charles Essex (10-for-32, 3.29 ROI) and Bill Tollett (8-for-17, 4.09 ROI) also are firing with longshots.

• Top trainer/jockey combinations include: Penney-Juan Gutierrez (6-for-15, 3.90 ROI); Essex-Troy Stillwell (10-for-29, 3.89 ROI) and Lucarelli-Pedro Terrero (7-for-18, 2.51 ROI).

• The first three stakes have been won by a favorite (Feeling Fancy-Federal Way), second favorite (No Flies On Doodle-Hastings) and third favorite (Noosa Beach-Seattle). Last year, favorites won 22-of-35 stakes.

• Inglewood Handicap, Grade 3, winner Gallant Son worked five furlongs in 1 minute, 1/5 April 23 at Hollywood Park last Saturday in a prep for the Shoemaker Mile (GI) on Memorial Day. When asked about the Longacres Mile, Lucarelli said “We’ll have a better idea after the (Shoemaker).”

• Gary Baze and Vicky Baze are off and running at Assiniboia Downs. The Northwest standouts are two of four jockeys tied for first place in the jockeys’ standings after one week at the Winnipeg track. Gary is 5-for-21 and Vicky is 5-for-24….

• West Seattle Boy came out of his record-tying victory in good shape and is likely to take a crack at a 17th Emerald Downs victory in a couple weeks, co-owner Lisa Baze said.

• Assessment, fifth in the Seattle Handicap, is doing well after his 2010 debut and will be pointed toward a title defense of the $50,000 Budweiser Handicap on June 20, trainer Howard Belvoir said.

• An undisclosed Emerald Downs player hit last Sunday’s Belmont Park pick six for $49,841. The winning ticket cost $72.

• 38 years ago today, May 20, 1972, Larry Pierce rode a record seven winners at Longacres.