Quarter horses line up at Emerald Downs | Horse Racing

The biggest quarter horse race in track history will be held Sunday as Emerald

Downs presents the $60,000 Bank of America Emerald Challenge Championship for 3-

year-olds and up at 440 yards.

Sponsored by the American Quarter Horse Association, the race drew 10

runners, and the winner automatically qualifies for the $350,000 Bank of America

Championship Final on Saturday, Oct. 29 at Los Alamitos in Cypress, CA.

In making a morning line for Sunday’s race, Emerald Downs line maker Rob Rao

is faced with quite a challenge. The track only recently added Quarter Horse racing—

running 14 races to date in 2011—and most of the horses Sunday have not raced

against each other.

Rao said Southern California shipper Simons Wonder Choice might get the

favorite’s role on his morning line. The 4-year-old gelding exits a pair of Grade I races at

Los Alamitos, including a fourth in which was only two necks behind Freaky in a 400-

yard race. That would be like a Thoroughbred shipping in for the Longacres Mile after

showing competitive races against Breeders’ Cup type horses.

Moreover, Carlos Huerta, a top rider at Los Alamitos, will accompany Simons

Wonder Choice to Emerald Downs with trainer Valentin Zamudio.

Bcr Buds for All would appear to be the top local hope after winning a trial race at

350 yards on Aug. 21. Javier Matias has the ride for trainer Bill Hoburg, whose runners

are 2-2-1 in six Quarter Horse races at the meet.

• The Bank of America Emerald Challenge Championship is Race 8 at 5:48

p.m.

• The AQHA will present a blanket and bronze statue to the winning owners,

and belt buckles for the winning trainer and jockey.

• Race 10 Sunday is the $15,000 Pfizer Emerald Starter Allowance Challenge

for 3-year-olds and up that have started for a claiming price of $5,000 or less

in the last year. A field of eight including Snow Patrol, a Texas-bred that has

won five-of-nine the last two years, will race 350 yards.

The field for the 1st running of the $60,000 Bank of America Emerald Challenge

Championship: 1-Vodka With Ice, Manuel Garcia, 124 lbs, 2-The Bounty Man, Vince

Guerra, 124; 3-Bcr Buds for All, Javier Matias, 124; 4-Srqh Stylinmochaman, Leonel

Camacho-Flores, 124; 5-Vodka Soda No Fruit, Jesse Chavis, 124; 6-A Royal Dervish,

Jeff Jerman, 124; 7-Eyez On Brimmer, Brian Merrill, 124; 8-Simons Wonder Choice,

Carlos Huerta, 124; 9-Winning Colours, David Reyes-Frisby, 124; 10-Devon Dat Cash, Luis Torres, 124.

J P JAMMER ADDS INTRIGUE TO SUNDAY’S SUB-FEATURE

TRAINER KARYN SEAL PULLS DOUBLE-DUTY

With no open stakes races left for older horses at the meet, some of the top local

Thoroughbreds entered into Sunday’s $21,000 allowance race at 1-1/16 miles.

The sub-feature attracted several familiar faces, in fact, 6 of the 7 starters

average nearly 25 career starts at Emerald Downs. J P Jammer, however, can only

account for one, a sixth-place finish in the Aug. 21 Longacres Mile (G3).

That was good enough for owner Clifford Dean Street, who claimed the

California-bred by Old Topper for $62,500 specifically to cross The Mile off his list of

things to accomplish. Now it’s time to recoup some of that claiming expense, which

leads the 5-year-old J P Jammer to Sunday’s event. Trainer Karyn Seal said she

expects J P Jammer to improve off his Mile effort.

“He’s been jogging and galloping well lately,” Seal said. “He should run a little

better now that he’s had more time to adjust to the track. Still, it’s not an easy race.”

Quite possibly the meet’s toughest allowance race, the field includes four stakes

winners and two Mile champions. Collectively, the field has earned $1,790,382—an

average of $223,798 per starter.

That’s mere pocket change compared to the money earned by horses that Seal

works with on a weekly basis, while still maintaining a 14-horse stable at home. As a

flight attendant for Air Equine, Seal routinely oversees some of the nation’s best horses

on flights across the country. The Montana-native regularly ships horses for top trainers

Bob Baffert, Jerry Hollendorfer and Graham Motion.

“It’s such a great job,” Seal said. “I like petting million-dollar horses.”

The field for Sunday’s allowance race: 1-He’s All Heart, Gallyn Mitchell, 120

lbs, 2-Assessment, Juan Gutierrez, 120; 3-J P Jammer, Connie Doll, 120; 4-Winning

Machine, Leslie Mawing, 122; 5-Mr. Mad Max, Joe Crispin, 120; 6-Wasserman, Jennifer

Whitaker, 120; 7-Seven Torrents, Pedro Terrero, 120.

NOTES: Week 20 Honors—Jockey-Leslie Mawing (25-9-1-4) Trainer-Larry Ross (6-3-

1-1) Owner-Riverbend Stable (Sweet Saga, Barbara Shinpoch Stakes) Groom- (Jesus

Gonzalez, Sweet Saga)…Owner Herman Sarkowsky said Emerald Distaff winner Hard

Way Ten would make her next start Sept. 5 in the $50,000 Delta Colleen Stakes at

Hastings Racecourse…Co-owner Craig Fredrickson said Couldabenthewhisky will

run in the $200,000 British Columbia Derby (G3) on Sept. 10 at Hastings…Jebrica’s

connections have already confirmed that the Emerald Derby winner will also ship up for

the race…In Friday’s sixth race both Buddy Dave (5-for-9) and Untilifindyou (5-10) have

a chance to tie Touch of Elegance (6-for-7) for most wins at the meet…2010 Longacres

Mile runner-up Jersey Town is entered in Saturday’s $250,000 (G1) Forego Stakes at

Saratoga Racecourse…The 16 wins by Frank Lucarelli in August tied the track record

for most wins in a month set by Doris Harwood in July 2009…The “Paddock Preview

Show”, hosted by Jacob Pollowitz of the media relations department, runs from 1-1:20

p.m. at the Emerald Downs’ paddock. Jockey Javier Matias will stop by on Sunday

to discuss his mount aboard Quarter horse Bcr Buds for All in the $60,000 Bank of

America Emerald Championship Challenge.

QUARTER HORSE STANDINGS—THRU SUNDAY, AUG. 28

Leading Jockeys

Name Sts 1st 2nd 3rd Win% $% Purses

Connie P. Doll 11 4 0 1 36 45 $9,050

A.L. Gutierrez 11 3 3 0 27 55 $10,455

Joe A. Crispin 10 3 0 3 30 60 $7,865

Deborah Hoonan-Trujillo 12 1 4 2 8 58 $8,195

Matt Hagerty 11 1 3 2 9 55 $7,002

Leonel C. Flores 8 1 2 1 13 50 $5,070

Javier Matias 6 1 1 1 17 50 $4,200

J. Luis Torres 2 1 0 0 50 50 $1,675

Shawna Whiteside 6 0 0 1 0 17 $1,400

Jorge Rosales 4 0 0 1 0 25 $1,070

Ruben Camacho 3 0 0 1 0 33 $438

Tad Wayne Skaggs 1 0 0 1 0 100 $500

Jose Luis Zunino 1 0 0 0 0 0 $200

Jake Samuels 1 0 0 0 0 0

Stephanie Keever 1 0 0 0 0 0

Current Meet Leading Trainers

Name Sts 1st 2nd 3rd Win% $% Purses

John R. Harris 9 3 0 1 33 44 $6,838

Bill C. Hoburg 6 2 2 1 33 83 $6,975

Scott Raley 7 2 0 3 29 71 $6,035

Donald David Young 6 2 0 0 33 33 $4,300

Baxter E. Andruss 7 1 1 3 14 71 $4,750

Robert Austin 4 1 1 1 25 75 $3,500

Jose Ariel B. Lozano 6 1 1 0 17 33 $3,682

Karyn Seal 3 1 0 1 33 67 $3,050

Ben Root 1 1 0 0 100 100 $2,200

Carrie Hoburg 1 1 0 0 100 100 $1,500

Billy Christian 13 0 1 1 0 15 $3,515

Eloy Mendoza 2 0 1 1 0 100 $1,650

Richard C. Carver 2 0 1 0 0 50 $1,200

Robbie Baze 2 0 1 0 0 50 $1,200

Dayson Lavanway 2 0 1 0 0 50 $1,100

Bill Tollett 1 0 1 0 0 100 $1,100