Choreography holds off Wheel Rally in the Saturday feature

CHOREOGRAPHY ALL THE WAY IN SATURDAY FEATURE

AUBURN, Wash. (June 23, 2018) – Choreography set fast early fractions and held off Wheel Rally for a neck victory Saturday in the $18,500 feature race for 3-year-olds at Emerald Downs.

With Austin Solis riding his second winner of the night, Choreography ran 6 ½ furlongs in 1:18.27 and paid $14.40, $7.20 and $5.20. Sandi Gann is the winning trainer for owner North American Thoroughbred Racing Company (Glen Todd, Surrey, BC).

Breaking from the No. 3 post, Choreography took command early, opened a five-length lead while setting fractions of :22.19 and :44.92, and had just enough gas in the tank to prevail.

A Kentucky-bred by Discreet Cat-Silver Crown, Choreography is 2-0-0 in four starts with earnings of $21,469. He broke his maiden by 7 ¾ lengths in his Emerald Downs debut on April 29 before finishing off the board in the Auburn Stakes on May 27.

Wheel Rally, ridden by Rocco Bowen, closed strongly in the middle of the track for second place and paid $6.60 and $4.40. Hey Sequoia, with Leonel Camacho-Flores aboard, rallied inside for third and paid $3.20.

Huggy Bear, He’s Not Grey, Tumac Mountain, Great Eagle and Winter Knight completed the order of finish.

Hey Sequoia, Huggy Bear and He’s Not Grey all went off at 3-1 odds.

Sandi Gann

NOTES: Gann, who rode 194 winners as a jockey at Emerald Downs, is 3 for 8 in her first season here as a trainer. . .Kevin Orozco rode three winners to reclaim second in the jockeys’ standings with 29 wins. . .Frank Lucarelli saddled two winners and is bearing down on Tim McCanna to become the all-time leading trainer at Emerald Downs. McCanna leads Lucarelli 928-924. . . Seattle Stakes winner Ima Happy Cat breezed five furlongs in :59.80 in advance of the $50,000 Irish Day Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on Sunday, July 1. . .Racing continues Sunday with a 10-race card including the $50,000 Budweiser Stakes for 3-year-olds and up at 6 ½ furlongs. Riser is even-money on the morning line, followed by Barkley (5/2), defending Budweiser champion Mach One Rules (3), Mah Gellin (6) and Dedicated to You (10). First post is 2 p.m., and action includes a $5,180 carryover in the $0.20 Jackpot Pick 7.