Roarified took the early lead and held off the closers late for a 1-¼ -length triumph Sunday in the $11,300 Dennis’ Retirement Purse for older fillies and mares at Emerald Downs.
The only 3-year-old in the race, Roarified ran one mile in 1:36.98 under Deborah Hoonan-Trujillo riding, and paid $6.40, $3.60 and $3.20. Chris Stenslie is the trainer for owner One Horse Will Do Corp. (Jody Peetz, Issaquah.
Private Fortune, ridden by Pedro Terrero, rallied from last to finish second and paid $4 and $3. Shameonya, ridden by Jose Zunino, challenged the winner in mid-stretch but was unable to go by and lost second place late. Shameonya paid $2.40.
Hoonan-Trujillo, riding her third winner of the day, nursed Roarified through fractions of :23.82, :46.84 and 111.24. The front-running tactics worked perfectly as Roarified had enough gas left to hold off both Private Fortune and Shameonya.
A Washington-bred by Roar-Sugar Sleet, Roarified is three-for-four at the meeting and four-for-six overall. The $6,215 winner’s share pushed her earnings to $19,790.
Stenslie continued her winning ways as well, going two-for-two Sunday and is six for her last 10 overall. Stenslie ranks fifth in the trainers’ standings with an 18-for-61 mark (29. 5 percent) and needs just one victory to equal her career-high of 19 wins set last year.
Hoonan-Trujillo also is enjoying her best season at Emerald Downs. The riding triple boosted her season total to 46 wins and she’s also on pace to to top her career-high of 68 wins set in 2005.
Juan Gutierrez also rode three winners—his second consecutive three-win day—and is making a serious bid for the top spot in the riders’ standings. Leslie Mawing and Joe Crispin rank one-two with 58 and 53 wins, respectively, followed by Gutierrez with 50 and Hoonan-Trujillo with 47.
In the trainers’ standings, Howard Belvoir owns a 25-24 lead over Frank Lucarelli, with Tim McCanna third with 23 wins.
Sunday’s card—the 41st day of racing—marked the halfway point of the 82-day season.
NOTES: Lonely and Free ($4.20) and A. Lurie Girl ($4) dead-heated for the winin the seventh race—the Equine Art 2011 Purse. Both mares both hit the wire in 1:09.89 for six furlongs.
Owner Heidi Nelson, whose 3-year-old Zayda captured the June 26 Pepsi-Cola Handicap, appears to have an exciting 2-year-old prospect as well. D’honorable One ran the fastest five furlongs of the meeting—:56.60—while winning a $16,000 maiden special weight by 5-¼ lengths over Silver Boxcar.
A 2-year-old colt by Bluegrass Cat purchased for $92,000 at the Ocala March Sale, D’honorable One was just one tick off the fastest five furlongs ever by a 2-year-old at Emerald Downs—:56 2/5 set by Demosthenes on Sept. 13, 2009. Coincidentally, D’honorable One’s trainer, Blaine Wright, also conditioned Demosthenes.
Elusive Noise ran the previous fastest five furlongs of the meet, :56.80 on April 17…Victor Bahna Jr.’s Rooster City finished second at 13-to-1 in the $50,000 Sam J. Whiting Memorial Handicap at Pleasanton, Calif.
Excessive Passion ($7.60) ridden by Frank Alvarado prevailed in 1:09.80 for six furlongs.
Thursday racing begins this week and continues through Thursday, Aug. 25. First post is 6 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, and 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
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