Hit the Beach and Jose Zunino
HIT THE BEACH PREVAILS IN SATURDAY FEATURE
AUBURN, Wash. (August 11, 2018) – Hit the Beach held off Double A. Prospect in a driving finish and notched a 1 ¾-length victory in Saturday’s $15,200 feature race for 3-year-olds and up.
With Jose Zunino riding, Hit the Beach covered one mile in 1:36.43 and paid $10.60, $6 and $4.20. H.R. Pat Mullens is the trainer and co-owner with Ed Zenker and Swede Larson.
A 5-year-old Washington-bred by Harbor the Gold-Hit a Star, Hit the Beach has a pair of wins this season and is 3-4-2 in 14 career starts with earnings of $54,055.
Hit the Beach, far back early, rallied in tandem with Double A. Prospect, and Hit the Star gradually edged clear in the final furlong.
Double A. Prospect, ridden by Lorenzo Lopez, held second and paid $6.60 and $4.20. The 4-year-old Abraaj gelding has been razor sharp all season, compiling a 2-1-2 record in six starts.
Rainrebel, longest shot on the board at 26 to 1, rallied for third place and paid $11.20, while Pavelski, Calex, Blame It On Royce and Buckley Bay completed the order of finish,
Also Saturday, Atypique ($8.80) and The Gold Monkey ($6.80) prevailed in split divisions of the opening leg of the Horsemen Helping Horsemen Distance Series for 3-year-olds and up.
Atypique, ridden by Anne Sanguinetti and trained by Roy Lumm, ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.91 and was claimed by Bonnie Jenne for Friendship Stable and Frank MacDonald. The Gold Monkey, ridden by Rocco Bowen and trained by Jeff Metz, ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.43 and was claimed by Joe Toye for owner Gary Jensen.
In fact, four horses—Tiz Jolie, Royal Tale, Intermix and The Gold Monkey—were claimed out of the second division.
NOTES: Zunino was a last-minute replacement for Rocco Bowen aboard Hit the Beach. Bowen rode two winners Saturday, but was off his final two mounts with dehydration. . .Gary Wales also rode two winners, while Jeff Metz led the trainers with two wins, his meet-leading 34th and 35th of the season. . .A 13-time winner at Emerald Downs from 2005 to 2009, Hit a Star is now responsible for five wins this season as a broodmare—three by Daytona Beach and two by Hit the Beach. . .Capital Expense ($15.20) held off Levitation for a neck victory in race two, a $15,000 claimer for 3-year-olds and up. Ridden by Wales for Robbie Baze and L D’ Rado Thoroughbreds, the 5-year-old BC-bred ran six furlongs in 1:09.04. . . Live racing continues Sunday with the 83rd renewal of the $200,000 Longacres Mile (G3) for 3-year-olds and up. First post is 2 p.m., with the 11-race card also featuring the $50,000 Emerald Distaff, $50,000 Barbara Shinpoch Stakes, and $50,000 WTBOA Lads Stakes.
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