Noble Juan, who had shown some ability in previous starts, was almost completely overlooked Saturday in the $15,100 American Horse Transportation Purse at Emerald Downs.
The long-striding son of Cahill Road, ridden by Troy Stillwell, ran 6 ½ furlongs in 1:15 and paid $62, $13.20 and $5. The $2 win price was the biggest of the 47-day-old season*surpassing the $55.80 put up by both Strategic Patience and Bouncin Boomer. Greg Moore is the winning trainer.
Emancipated, ridden by Gallyn Mitchell, stalked the early pace and finished well to catch pace setter Westsideclyde, finishing second for the third time this year. Emancipated paid $12 and $4.40. The 5-year-old gelding has finished in the money 6-of-7 starts at the meet.
Many were hoping to see 8-year-old Westsideclyde return to the winner’s circle. But the track’s Top Sprinter of 2007 faded to finish third as the 6-to-5 betting favorite and paid $2.60. With Ricky Frazier riding, Westsideclyde set fractions of 22.2 seconds, 44.2, and 1:08.4.
Skyattic, Dress Code, Snake Attack, Zagreus, and Noble Lad completed the order of finish.
Noble Juan started the season in good form with a 2 ¼-length maiden victory for owners Anne Wisdom and Greg and Ellen Moore. However, two consecutive unplaced efforts on wet tracks left many in doubt whether Noble Juan could take on more talented fields.
Saturday, he answered in the affirmative. Breaking from the No. 7 post, Noble Juan settled in stride and saved ground around the turn, in sixth place as Westsideclyde and Skyattic dueled for command. Angled out in mid-stretch, Noble Juan made a tremendous late rush to push past the leaders and score a one-length victory.
“I had a lot of horse,” Stillwell said. “I knew I had a pretty good shot to win. He was like a Cadillac. He just did what I wanted him to do.”
Noble Juan improved his record to 2-0-1 in five starts and has earned $17,398. Trainer Moore said the 4-year-old’s next race will likely be around two-turns.
News and Notes
• Veteran trainers have started to pick up victories in bunches at Emerald Downs. Howard Belvoir snagged a natural triple, Libby Creek ($18.80) in the second, Cat On Base ($6.20) in the third and Fly Away ($11.00) in the fourth, two days after Tim McCanna tied the track and state records with five wins in Thursday’s 7-race lineup*.
• Last year’s Longacres Mile finishers continue to flourish post-Mile, as Mile runner-up Awesome Gem captured the $500,000 Hollywood Gold Cup Grade 1, the most prestigious stakes race at Hollywood Park.
• Congratulations to jockey Kevin Krigger for his 300th career Emerald Downs victory at in the fifth race aboard Military Deputy ($9.00). The red-hot Virgin Islands-native has posted a 15-for-34 record in the past five racing days.
• Live racing resumes Sunday with first post at 2 p.m.
• Sunday’s card will feature a stakes double-header: the $50,000 Governor’s Handicap for older horses is race six with Noosa Beach the 6-5 morning line favorite, and the $50,000 Washington’s Lottery Handicap for 3-year-old fillies is race eight with Sis’s Sis the 5-2 morning line favorite.
• Federal Way Handicap winner Feeling Fancy will make her return from a two-month layoff in Sunday’s fourth race, an allowance race for 3-year-old fillies that also includes Knight Raider, the Top 2-Year-Old Filly in 2009.
