Arctic Breeze (No. 10) prevails in the $50,000 Kent Stakes

ARCTIC BREEZE SPRINGS UPSET IN $50,000 KENT STAKES

AUBURN, Wash. (July 14, 2024) – Arctic Breeze rallied from far back to catch Chai in the final strides and score a neck victory in Sunday’s $50,000 Irish Day Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Emerald Downs.

Ridden by Karlo Lopez at 120 lbs., Arctic Breeze covered 6 ½ furlongs in 1:17.62 and paid $25.62 as fifth betting choice in a bulky field of 11 sophomore fillies. Blaine Wright saddled the winner for owner Peter Redekop of Vancouver, BC.

In 10th place as betting favorite Appeal Factor led through fractions of :22.14 and :45.09, Arctic Breeze gathered momentum on the turn, came four wide into the stretch, angled inside past mid-stretch, and flew late to tag Chai in the shadow of the wire.

Scoring her first stakes win, Arctic Breeze earned $27,500 to boost her career total to $79,910. A Kentucky-bred by Arrogate, her overall record is 3-2-2 from 11 starts.

Wright swept both weekend stakes at Emerald Downs, winning Saturday’s Irish Day Stakes for colts and geldings as Tougherthantherest ended Miner League’s four-race winning streak. And in the Kent, Arctic Breeze became the first horse to defeat Appeal Factor, whose previous three career starts were all stakes victories.

Wright, 49, already has three stakes wins at the meet and ranks No. 2 all-time with 58 stakes wins at Emerald Downs, just nine back of Doris Harwood’s record 67 stakes winners.

Chai, bidding for a third straight victory at the meet, turned in an excellent performance to just miss her first stakes win. Ridden by Isaias Enriquez at 118 lbs., the 5 to 2 second choice gained the lead with a four-wide sweep into the stretch, was a length clear inside the eighth pole, and was tagged in the final strides.

Paynt Ya Later, 4 to 1 third choice ridden by Javier Matias at 120 lbs, was 1 ¾ lengths back in third place while 28 to 1 I’m Telling Mom finished fourth.

Rounding out the order of finish were the maiden Signora Vittoria, Rocky Bae Rae, Veronica’s Delight, Appeal Factor, Victoria’s Charge, Classic American, and Rockit a Day.

Appeal Factor, the 2 to 1 favorite, attempting to win a fourth consecutive stakes, set a pressured pace to the head of the lane and gave way through the stretch.

Next for 3-year-old fillies is the $50,000 Washington Oaks at a mile and one-sixteenth on Sunday, Aug. 11, part of a Championship Sunday stakes quartet featuring the $150,000 Longacres Mile.

NOTES: Sunday’s mutuel handle totaled a healthy $1,555,586 on an eight-race card and on-track attendance was a season-high 9,548 on Corgi Day. . .Dana Ralph, in her second term as Mayor of Kent, served as honorary steward for the Kent Stakes. . .Blaine Wright and Peter Redekop teamed with Anothertwistafate to win the 2020 Longacres Mile. . .Sweater Weather, dam of Arctic Breeze, won five stakes and $545,726 in a 28-race career in Toronto. . .Justin Evans and Kevin Krigger teamed for two more winners—Quagmire Magic ($5.02), Coastal Jazz ($6.44)—and are 12 for 35 combined this season. . .At the midway point of the season, Evans leads Wright 27-21 in the trainers’ standings. . .Krigger posted his second riding triple of the season while Carlos Montalvo booted home two double-digit winners. . .Alex Cruz blanked Sunday but maintains a 37-26 lead over Karlo Lopez in the jockeys’ race. . .Sunday’s $0.50 Pick 5 returned a season-high $25,371.01. . .Arctic Breeze at 11 to 1 in the he Kent Stakes and Heat Seeking Leta at 16 to 1 in the finale led to the mammoth payout. . .The track record Pick 5 payout is $44,254.85 set Oct. 29, 2020. . .The same connections that won Saturday’s finale at 40 to 1 with Sporty Nugget—Isaias Enriquez, Frank Lucarelli, Billy Speed Racing Stable—took the Sunday opener with Hickory Wind ($4.32), who romped by a meet-high 15 lengths in 1:17.15 for one mile. . .Lapush ($14.28) became a double winner at the meet for Montalvo, Tom Wenzel and owner James Carlin, holding off Ruby Ray for a neck victory in a $24,500 allowance for older fillies and mares. . .13 horses are nominated to next Sunday’s $50,000 Governor’s Stakes including Budweiser Stakes winner Neiman and two-time defending Governor’s champion Slew’s Tiz Whiz. . .Trainer Charles Essex nominated three to next Sunday’s $50,000 Washington State Legislators Stakes for older fillies and mares including five-time Emerald Downs’ stakes winner Blazingbellablu. . .Saturday’s Hollywood Harbor Sprint Series opener drew 16 horses in two divisions for purses of $25,000 and $22,000 at 5 ½ furlongs. . .Live racing resumes Friday with first post 7 p.m.

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