The steady 4-year-old Chaching Pete had his consistency rewarded Friday evening with a swift 2 ½-length victory in the featured Carl’s Jr. Purse for 3-year-olds and up at Emerald Downs.
Sweeping to the lead with a powerful move around the turn, Chaching Pete drew off through the lane in 1:09.29 for six furlongs on a fast track. Ridden by Juan Gutierrez, Chaching Pete paid $5.60, $3 and $2.60 as the betting favorite.
Passion Lives Here, Joe Crispin riding, rallied from last to finish second and paid $3.60 and $2.80. I Told You Twice, apprentice Lance Bullock up, finished third and paid $5.80.
Mr Mahal, Joe Cooljet, That’s Cowboy, Top Banker Al and Karen’s Road Star completed the order of finish. Snow On the River was scratched.
Karen’s Road Star sprinted clear early and set fractions of :21.74 and :44.71, while Chaching Pete settled into fourth place. The winner rallied around the leaders on the turn, gained the advantage into the lane, opened a commanding lead in mid-stretch and the outcome was never in doubt.
The victory atoned for a rare clinker by Chaching Pete, a sixth-place finish for a slightly higher claiming price June 11.
A 4-year-old Washington-bred by Petersburg owned and bred by Vic Cozzetti’s Vic-Tory Stables VII, Chaching Pete has a 3-2-1 record in eight starts with earnings of $16,530.
The gelding is 2-1-1 in five starts at the 2011 meeting for trainer Larry Wolf.
“We didn’t know what happened the race before this one, he was a little rusty or dull,” Cozzetti said. “But Larry had him ready tonight.”
NOTES: Chaching Pete was claimed by owner John Parker and trainer Howard Belvoir for $7,500…Eight different riders rode winners on the eight-race card, including the meet’s five leading riders—Leslie Mawing, Crispin, Gutierrez, Deborah Hoonan-Trujillo and Gallyn Mitchell. Mawing remains No. 1 with 47-45 edge on Crispin, followed by Gutierrez (40), Hoonan-Trujillo (37) and Mitchell (30).
St Liams Halo ($5) was a one-length winner of the $50,000 Lt. Governors Handicap in 1:43.70 for a mile and one-sixteenth at Hastings Racecourse. The 4-year-old gelding is three-for-three this year at Hastings, and trainer Troy Taylor and owners Glen Todd and Patrick Kinsella have indicated the $200,000 Longacres Mile (G3) on Aug. 21 is a major goal for the Florida-bred son of Saint Liam.
City Route, bred and co-owned by George Todaro of Seattle, is the 4-to-5 morning line favorite Saturday in the $50,000 Juan Gonzalez Memorial for 2-year-old fillies at 5-½ furlongs at the Alameda County Fair.
Live racing continues Saturday at 2:15 p.m.
Talk to us
Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.
To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.
