Calex and jockey Lorenzo Lopez

CALEX BACK IN THE WINNER’S CIRCLE

AUBURN, Wash. (May 17, 2019) – Calex took command early and was never headed and rolled to a 4 ½-length victory Friday in the $11,200 Muckleshoot Casino Purse for 3-year-olds and up.

Notching his 16th career victory, Calex ran one mile in 1:35.93 and paid $37.40, $15.40 and $9.80. Lorenzo Lopez rode the winner for owner/trainer Valentin Picho Garcia.

Hustled to the lead from the No. 1 post, Calex opened a clear lead while running fractions of :22.54, :46.11, 1:09.90 and 1:22.53. Shaking off Botch into the lane, Calex led by five lengths past mid-stretch and coasted home unchallenged.

Archie Graham, the 2-1 favorite ridden by Franklin Ceballos, finished strongly outside and edged Remembertobreathe for the place, returning $4.80 and $3.80.

Remembertobreathe, ridden by Kevin Orozco, was a nose back in third and paid $4 to show, while Oldtimers Vision, Botch and Uzta Have Money completed the order of finish.

Pulpits Power reared and unseated jockey Heribert Martinez at the break. The stewards conducted an inquiry into the incident, but determined Pulpits Power had a fair start.

A 7-year-old Ontario-bred, Calex is 16 for 52 lifetime and 9 for 26 at Emerald Downs. He earned $6,160 to boost his bankroll to $91,793.

NOTES: Frank Lucarelli and Chad Christensen enjoyed a perfect Friday evening, winning races two, three and five with I Came to Play ($3.60), Irish Terrier ($7.20) and Bullet Express ($6.20). Lucarelli tops the trainers’ standings with 11 wins and is up to 955 lifetime at Emerald Downs, while Christensen moved atop the 2019 owners’ standings with five wins. . .Javier Matias was aboard Bullet Express and needs four wins to become the ninth jockey with 500 wins at Emerald Downs. . .Battle Point Red ($7.20) led gate to wire in Friday’s $25,000 maiden claimer for 3-year-olds and up, running six furlongs in 1:09.94 under Juan Gutierrez for Badrock Racing and trainer Bonnie Jenne. Jenne has at least one win all 24 seasons in track history, and 209 wins overall at Emerald Downs. . .Live racing continues Saturday with an eight-race program at 2 p.m. The $1,500,000 Preakness Stakes will be simulcast between races four and five at Emerald Downs, post time 3:48 p.m. (PDT).
–##–