Sea Basket prevails in the Saturday feature race
SEA BASKET EDGES BRILLIANT BIRD IN FEATURE RACE
AUBURN, Wash. (July 14, 2018) – Sea Basket prevailed over Brilliant Bird in a race-long duel Saturday in the $20,500 feature race for 3-year-old and 4-year-old fillies at Emerald Downs.
With Rocco Bowen riding, Sea Basket edged clear for a one-length victory while covering six furlongs in 1:09.92. Trained by Charles Essex, the winner paid $10.60, $5.40 and $3.60.
A lightly raced Washington-bred by Coast Guard, Sea Basket has fired in all three starts this season, compiling a 2-1-0 record with earnings of $22,455 for owners Essex, Michael Pattison and Joe and Jingyi Crawford.
Saturday’s victory was hard earned as Sea Basket and Brilliant Bird slugged it out while setting fractions of :21.79, :44.60 and :56.82. The sophomore fillies raced as a virtual team into the lane, with Sea Basket finally gaining the upper hand past mid-stretch.
Brilliant Bird, ridden by Javier Matias, turned in a solid performance while finishing second and paid $4.20 and $3.20. Stakes-placed earlier in the meet, Brilliant Bird is 1-2-1 in five career starts.
Hold That Smile, with Austin Solis aboard, finished third and paid $4.40, and Assemble, Curious Rumor, Sassy Debs Firefly, Truth Matters and Tesla completed the order of finish.
NOTES: The $0.20 Jackpot Pick Seven paid $57,865 to one winning ticket Saturday, a record payout for the wager at Emerald Downs. The winning ticket, purchased through the NYRA hub, was alive to only one horse in the eighth race finale, A Little Romance, a 3-year-old Haynesfield filly that surged late under Julien Couton for the victory. . .Trainer Jeff Metz book-ended the card with Cruzin in Style ($3.80) and A Little Romance ($3.80), boosting his meet-leading total to 30 victories. . . Frank Lucarelli and Tim McCanna each had a winner Saturday, and McCanna still leads Lucarelli by one win (929-928) for No. 1 all-time trainer at Emerald Downs. . .Bowen and Eswan Flores each rode two winners Saturday. . .Anne Sanguinetti was excused from her mounts due to soreness from a spill in Friday’s first race. . . Dontkissntell ($3.80) scored impressively in her Emerald Downs debut in race two, covering 6 ½ furlongs in 1:15.79 for trainer Tom Wenzel and owner Karl Krieg. A 3-year-old British Columbia bred by Rosberg, Dontkissntell was runner-up in last year’s Arizona Juvenile Filly at Turf Paradise. . . .Racing continues Sunday with Mile Preview Day—featuring four stakes races—with first post 2 p.m.
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