CITIZEN KITTY MUY RAPIDO IN EMERALD DOWNS FEATURE
AUBURN, Wash. (July 30, 2016) – Citizen Kitty out finished Dance With Effie and rolled to a 2 ½-length victory Saturday night in the $18,500 feature race for older fillies and mares at Emerald Downs.
With Juan Gutierrez aboard for his second win on the card, Citizen Kitty zipped six furlongs in 1:08.06—third fastest clocking at the meet—and paid $8, $4 and $3. Jeff Metz is the winning trainer for Bruce and Cass Maller’s Highlander Racing Stable LLC.
A Washington-bred 4-year-old filly by Proud Citizen-No Constraints, Citizen Kitty has two straight wins—both at the $25,000 claiming level—and an overall record of 4-1-5 in 18 starts with earnings of $78,803. Her younger sister, Invested Prospect, also has two wins at the meet including a triumph in the $50,000 Seattle Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.
Saturday, Citizen Kitty stalked Dance With Effie as the latter set blistering fractions of :21.63, :43.56 and :55.49, overtook the leader past mid stretch and drew clear.
Dance With Effie, ridden by Rocco Bowen, easily held second and paid $4.20 and $3, while Parkers Delight, ridden by Jose Zunino, finished third and paid $3.20. Three Forks Hold, Perhaps a Pie, T.J.’s Only and Close the Show Lo completed the order of finish. Among the Stars was scratched earlier in the day.
Metz, the meet’s leading trainer with 31 wins, saddles 20-1 long shot Kaabraaj in the $300,000 Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) Sunday at Del Mar.
NOTES: Gutierrez, Leslie Mawing and Rocco Bowen rode two winners each Saturday. . .Bowen, atop the standings with 73 wins, now has wins on 16 consecutive cards and Saturday’s double was his 23rd multiple win day of the meet. . .Blaine Wright had two wins on the eight-race card and is second in the trainers’ standings with 28 wins No. 1 in win percentage with a sterling 27.7 mark. . .Distortedatthebar ($16.80) debuted with a 4 ½-length victory in Saturday’s second race for maiden 2-year-olds, running 4 ½ furlongs in :50.82 under Erick Lopez for trainer Charles Essex and co-owners Rich & Ann Richardson. The winner is a gray Washington-bred gelding by Preachinatthebar-Fully Distorted. . .Live racing continues Sunday with the $75,000 Emerald Downs Derby featuring unbeaten Barkley looking to close out an unprecedented sweep of the 3-year-old colts and geldings division. First post is 2 p.m.
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