Off at odds of 50-to-1, the lightly raced gelding held on gamely through the stretch for the stunning triumph under red-hot jockey Deborah Hoonan-Trujillo.

Showme Yourfriends ran 6-½ furlongs in 1 minute, 15.05 seconds on a fast track and paid $102.40, $38.40 and $9.40. The $2 win payoff was the highest of the 22-day-old meeting and the second biggest for a stakes race in the track’s 16-year history. No Giveaway at 60-1 in the 2005 Longacres Mile holds the Emerald Downs stakes payoff record.

Winter Warlock chased the winner home but had to settle for second place. Ridden by Joe Crispin, Winter Warlock paid $12.40 and $5.80.

It was 2-¾ lengths back to third-place finisher Seattle Sniper, who was ridden by Juan Gutierrez and paid $3.40.

Previously unbeaten Mack’s Gold Bullet finished fourth, tiring after dueling with Hayjax through fractions of :21.85 and :43.79. Zayda, Landed On the Moon, Slim Pickins, Couldabenthewhisky and Hayjax completed the order of finish.

Couldabenthewhisky, the 9-to-10 betting favorite finished eighth, and jockey Gallyn Mitchell said the state champion 2-year-old of 2010 simply failed to fire. Away alertly, Couldabenthewhisky gave way in the stretch and only beat one horse.

“When I asked him, he just didn’t give me anything,” Mitchell said. “He never grabbed hold of the bit once in the race. I’m not making excuses, but (trainer) Bonnie (Jenne) told me that he was a little hot in the paddock, so maybe that had something to do with why he didn’t run his race today.”

Showme Yourfriends, winless in one start as a 2-year-old, has developed quickly this spring for trainer Chris Stenslie and owners Jody Peetz of Issaquah and Tina and Scott Saxwold of Des Moines. Coming off a maiden victory May 8, Showme Yourfriends was overlooked Sunday against his more accomplished foes.

But he looked like an old pro in the Auburn, rallying from just off the pace to take a half-length lead into the stretch, and from there it was a match race with Winter Warlock to the wire.

“I honestly had no game plan going into the race,” Hoonan-Trujillo said. “He gets really nervous before the race, but he’s perfect during the race.

“Going around the turn, I knew that I had a lot of horse. He’s a big horse, so I had to make sure not to get into trouble. It’s harder for big horses to stop and then re-break. I had no idea if we were going to win the race. I just knew that I needed to hang on.”

Bred by Howard Belvoir in Washington, Showme Yourfriends is by Delineator out of the Chisos mare Raise a Moon. The bay gelding earned $27,500 for the victory and is 2-2-0 in four starts with $43,350.

Stenslie capped a phenomenal week in which she saddled a winner all four days, a streak that also included a victory by Hollywood Harbor in Saturday’s $20,000 feature race.

Hollywood Harbor was a triple stakes winner in 2009 for Stenslie and co-owner Peetz.

The 3-year-old division reconvenes Sunday, June 26 for the $50,000 Pepsi-Cola Handicap at one mile.

NOTES: The late 50 cent Pick 4—2-9-4-7—paid a whopping $12,829.25 to one winning ticket. The sequence included Showme Yourfriends at 50-1, Stolen Forum at 9-1, Ducoti at 12-1 and Broulee Beach at 2-1. The record Pick Four payout is $18,223.20 at Emerald Downs, set April 17, 2009, on a $1 minimum wager.

Hoonan-Trujillo has ridden two of the first four stakes winners at the meet—You Me and Ema B ($23.20) in the May 15 Hastings Handicap and Showme Yourfriends ($102.40) in the Auburn Handicap.

Avilion Air ($4.60) romped by 5-½ lengths in race five to give owner Bill Bomar—an esteemed pilot for the Air Force in World War II—a very special victory on Memorial Day…Monday’s fourth race—the Happy Retirement Sandy Smith Purse—was named in honor of Emerald Downs’ extraordinary long-time director of housekeeping.

The Quarter horse event (race 11) resulted in a dead heat for the win between Queens Prince Gol ($4.40) and Shezahawk ($2.80)…Live racing resumes Friday with first post at 6 p.m. Emerald Downs is open for simulcast wagering Wednesday through Sunday, and the Quarter Chute Café offers simulcast wagering Mondays and Tuesdays.