$67,320 BANK OF AMERICA
EMERALD DOWNS CHAMPIONSHIP CHALLENGE
2nd RUNNING, SEPTEMBER 2, 2012
440 YARDS IN :21.96
JOCKEY NEVER MARIN, A ROYAL DERVISH, WINNER: ““He’s a strong horse. I was very confident that he’d run well. He got bumped pretty hard at the start, but he just pinned his ears back and kept going. I knew it would be a close finish, but I was sure we had it won. I can’t wait for the final in Iowa.”
TRAINER KURT DALTON, A ROYAL DERVISH, WINNER: “I don’t know how this horse does it, but he puts it together every time. It’s pretty special for a 7-year-old to keep competing at this level. I just want to thank Emerald Downs and everybody else for helping to put this race together.”
NOTES: A Royal Dervish (34-12-5-8-$129,553)…The top three finishers—A Royal Dervish, defending champion Devon Dat Cash and Vodka With Ice—are all 7-year-old geldings, and they also finished first, second and third in this race last year (1st-Devon Dat Cash, 2nd-Vodka With Ice, 3rd-A Royal Dervish) …A Royal Dervish earned a berth in the $350,000 (G1) Bank of America Racing Challenge Championship on October 27 at Prairie Meadows, Altoona, IA…This is the first Emerald Downs victory for jockey Never Marin, whose 48 career Quarter Horse wins have come mainly in Idaho…Darrell R. Hare, Director of Racing Challenge for the AQHA, served as honorary steward…J Mancuso ($3.40) won the $15,000 Pfizer Emerald Starter Allowance Challenge in a track record :17.76 for 350 yards. The 3-year-old gelding earned a berth in the $75,000 Pfizer Starter Allowance Saturday, October 27 at Prairie Meadows.
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