Bet the Harbor and jockey Jose Zunino

BET THE HARBOR SCORES AGAIN IN SATURDAY FEATURE

AUBURN, Wash. (May 12, 2018) – Bet the Harbor swept past the leaders into the lane and romped to a 4 ¾-length victory Saturday in the $15,600 Muckleshoot Casino Purse for 3-year-olds and up at Emerald Downs.

Ridden by Jose Zunino, Bet the Harbor ran 6 ½ furlongs in 1:16.45 on a fast track and paid $12.40, $6.20 and $4.80. Mary Pirone is the trainer for owners Mike Dale and Gary Borman.
With the victory, Bet the Harbor joined Dudley Studley and Rojo Bou Peep as the only horses with two wins at the meet.

Hot Bobby, a ridden by Eswan Flores, rallied inside and edged Estiqaa for second place and paid $13.20 and $6.80. Estiqaa, ridden by Rocco Bowen, held third and paid $4.20 to show, and The Press, the 7-5 betting favorite ridden by Jennifer Whitaker weakened to fourth place. Guardingthemoney, Tiz Jolie, Salty Minnow and Remembertobreathe completed the order of finish.

Winless in five starts this winter in Arizona, Bet the Harbor is two-for-two since blinkers were removed prior to his win here April 28. Saturday, he stalked Guardingthemoney and The Press through fractions of :23.11 and :45.87, rallied three wide past the leaders into the stretch, and drew clear for an easy victory.

A 6-year-old California-bred gelding by Harbor the Gold-Stormy Bet, Bet the Harbor is 4-6-2 in 24 starts with earnings of $60,830 including $8,580 for Saturday’s victory.

NOTES: Dudley Studley ($8.20) won his second straight at the meet, running six furlongs in 1:10.71 under Eswan Flores in Saturday’s fourth race. The victory gave owner Tawnja Elison her meet-leading fifth win. . .Jeff Metz saddled two winners and already has four two-win days this season. Metz owns a 9-6 lead on Frank Lucarelli atop the trainers’ standings. . .Flores and Rocco Bowen rode two winners each on the eight-race card. Bowen has at least one win on all seven cards and leads Kevin Orozco 13-7 in the jockeys’ standings. . .Trainer Sandi Gann is off to a hot start, compiling a 2-1-0 record with her first three starters including a victory by Sorryaboutnothing ($3.40) in Saturday’s sixth race. A 5-year-old Repent gelding, Sorryaboutnothing ran one mile in 1:36.53 and was claimed by owner Michael Pollowitz for $10,000. . .Racing resumes Sunday with a nine-race card at 2 p.m. on Mother’s Day. Mach One Rules (6-5) and Barkley (8-5) make their 2018 debuts in Race 3, a $21,500 allowance for 3-year-olds and up at 5 ½ furlongs. So Lucky (5-2), Grinder Sparksaglo (8-1) and C R Bullitt (15-1) round out the five-horse field.

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