Manuel Americano gets water from his fellow riders
SMOKEN SHADOW GIVES APPRENTICE AMERICANO FIRST WIN
AUBURN, Wash. (June 21, 2024) – Smoken Shadow powered to the lead on the turn and held on for a one-length victory in Friday’s $16,500 Muckleshoot Casino Purse for 3-year-olds and up.
With apprentice Manuel Americano riding his first career winner, Smoken Shadow ran six furlongs in 1:09.14 and paid $46.92 as second longest price in a 10-horse field. Debbie Peery is the winning trainer for owners Ken Elison and Vicky Elison of Boise, Idaho.
A native of Mexico, Americano was 0 for 11 at Emerald Downs and 0 for 53 overall heading into Friday but delivered a perfect ride on Smoken Shadow. Positioned outside Prime Example through a :21.92 opening quarter, Smoken Shadow pounced on the leader around the turn, kicked three lengths clear into the stretch and held off another long shot, Mirror Image, for the victory.
A 5-year-old California-bred by Shaman Ghost, Smoken Shadow won for the fourth time in 16 starts and upped his career earnings to $56,761. The bay gelding has won at least once the last three seasons at Emerald Downs.
Mirror Image, off at odds of 17 to 1, rallied under Kevin Orozco to finish second and Bedrock, an 8 to 1 shot ridden by Isaias Enriquez, closed from ninth to finish third. Foreign Protocol finished fourth while Party Foul, Taino House, Roll Dem Bones, Winter Falcon, Olympic Legend, and Prime Example completed the order of finish.
NOTES: Friday’s handle $740,357 on a seven-race card. . .The $0.50 Pick 5 returned a season-high $23,840.83 to one winning ticket. The track record of $44,254.85 was set Oct. 29, 2020. . .Atta Boy Lloyd ($4.94) became a two-time winner at the meet with a gate-to-wire score in the five-furlong Friday opener. . .Alex Cruz doubled and leads Karlo Lopez 22-17 in the jockeys’ race. . . Northern Blend at $54.98 on May 12 is the season-high for a $2 win bet. . .Racing continues Saturday with the $50,000 Hastings Stakes for older fillies and mares. First post 1:30 p.m.
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