No Flies On Doodle turned aside all challengers, including the previously undefeated Ladyledue, and won the $50,000 Washington’s Lottery Handicap for 3-year-old fillies at Emerald Downs Sunday.
With Enumclaw resident Gallyn Mitchell in the irons at 116 pounds, No Flies On Doodle ran 1-1/16 miles in 1 minute, 43 4/5 seconds on a fast track and paid $17.20, $6.40 and $5.40.
Vann Belvoir is the trainer for Swag Stables, owned by Keith Swagerty, who is also from Enumclaw.
Breaking alertly from the five hole, No Flies On Doodle set fractions of 22 4/5, 46 1/5 and 1:10 3/5 while maintaining a clear lead over Ladyledue. No Flies On Doodle straightened into the lane with a nearly two length lead and held Point of Reference off at a the wire.
“She finished up great for me today,” Mitchell said. “Just a bang-up race.”
Mitchell is again tied with Ricky Frazier for first place with 57 stakes wins at Emerald Downs.
It was the first Emerald Downs stakes victory as a trainer for Belvoir, who has been red-hot all week with six wins in nine starts. And it also was the first stakes win for Swag Stables—the meet’s leading owners with 18 wins
No Flies On Doodle, daughter of Storm Blast, earned $27,500 to increase her bankroll to $49,975. The Washington-bred has three wins and two seconds from five starts. The previous four were all in sprints.
Point of Reference, a newcomer to the Northwest and conditioned by Frank Lucarelli from Enumclaw, rallied in the stretch and appeared to have dead aim on the winner, but the filly could not close the gap on No Flies On Doodle.
Point of Refence was ridden by Saul Arias at 117 pounds and paid $3.20 and $4.20.
Crocodile Tuff, a 26-1 long shot ridden by Seth Martinez, closed ground from last place to finish third and returned $7.20 to show. Seeking Ema, Super Dixie and Ladyledue completed the order of finish.
Ladyledue, the 9-10 betting favorite, bobbled at the break, pressed the pace to midway on the second turn, and then gave way in the stretch run. The Washington-bred filly had won her previous five career starts, all in stakes, on the front end.
“She stumbled a little bit out of the gate, but I was comfortable where I was at in the race,” jockey Ricky Frazier said of Ladyledue. “When I needed a little horse, she didn’t have any, and I knew I was out of horse at about the half-mile pole. She didn’t bring her A-game today, but she’ll come back.”
Track notes:
• Swag Stables, Belvoir and Mitchell struck again in the ninth race with Forener, a 2-year-old monster who trounced allowance runners by nine lengths in 1:03 flat for 5 ½ furlongs. A Kentucky-bred by Lost Soldier, Forener is unbeaten in two starts with earnings of $19,800.
