FOOLED AGAIN CONTINUES TO ROLL AT EMERALD DOWNS
AUBURN, Wash. (August 19, 2016) – Fooled Again out finished Perfect Night and edged clear for a 1 ½-length victory Friday in the $11,500 BetAmerica Purse for 3-year-olds and up at Emerald Downs.
Ridden by Juan Gutierrez, Fooled Again sprinted 6 ½ furlongs in 1:15.04 and paid $4.20, $2.80 and $2.80. Jeff Metz trains and co-owns the winner with Brett Brophy and Kelly Dougan.
A 4-year-old Kentucky-bred gelding by Scat Daddy-Valour Road, Fooled Again set fractions of :22.05, :44.27 and 1:08.60 en route to the victory, his fourth in six starts at the meeting.
Perfect Night, ridden by Jennifer Whitaker, rallied to draw even with the winner in mid-stretch, but was out finished in the final yards, and paid $9.00 and $4.00. Perfect Night now has back-to–back seconds at odds of 9-1 and 10-1.
Surfliner, a 35-1 outsider ridden by Javier Matias, rallied from last to finish third and paid $7.60, while Roman Boos, Mr. Takahashi, Legion of Boom, Dustin’s Passion, Dare Me Devil and Daytona Beach completed the order of finish. Outdidya was scratched and reentered in the seventh race Saturday.
Fooled Again became the eighth horse to win four races at the meet and could be a contender for honors as Top Claimer. Copy Begone, the meet’s only five-time winner, might get the nod if the season ended today.
Fooled Again is 6-1-0 in 16 career starts with earnings of $76,170. He’s 4-0-0 in six starts at the meet with earnings of $26,140.
In the $0.50 Pick 5, which featured a $15,154 carryover, tickets with all five winners paid $997.35. Fans wagered a single-day record $71,456 into Friday’s Pick 5.
NOTES: Rocco Bowen was winless in six mounts Friday, ending his streak of 23 straight days with at least one win. The meet’s leading rider with 91 wins, Bowen went nearly two months—June 25 to August 19—in between blanks. . .Eswan Flores, Leslie Mawing and Juan Gutierrez rode two winners each on the seven-race card. . .Gutierrez’ two wins give him 50 for the season and his 15th straight 50-win season at Emerald Downs. . .Metz’ victory with Fooled Again gives him a 34-32 lead on Blaine Wright in the trainers’ standings. . .Kelly Dougan also co-owns 4-year-old filly Sorelli, one of the favorites in Sunday’s $54,000 Bank of America Emerald Championship Challenge for Quarter Horses at 440 yards. . .Other four-time winners this seasons (s denotes stakes winner): Xerxes, He’s Cagey, Knight Club, Barkley (s), Mike Man’s Gold, O B Harbor (s) and Italian Warrior. . .Live racing continues Saturday with first post 2 p.m. Saturday simulcasts include Songbird in the Alabama Stakes at 3:18 p.m. (pacific) and the showdown between California Chrome, Dortmund and Beholder in the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic at 6:18 p.m. At Emerald Downs, a $4,086 carryover is up for grabs on the $0.20 Pick 7.
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