Sunshine Beach and Jose Zunino
SPEEDY SUNSHINE BEACH SHARP IN 2021 DEBUT
AUBURN, Wash. (Sept. 25, 2021) – Sunshine Beach returned from a year on the shelf with a sparkling 5 ½-length victory in Saturday’s $16,500 Muckleshoot Casino Purse for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up.
Ridden by Jose Zunino, Sunshine Beach ran six furlongs in 1:10.36 and paid $16.20 as fourth betting choice in a field of seven. Alan Bozell is the winning trainer and co-owner with Prisco Vacca and Victoria Miller.
Prominent from the bell, Sunshine Beach raced in second as Coastal Run carved blistering fractions of :21.20 and :43.72. Sunshine Beach collared the leader past mid-stretch and won going away.
A 3-year-old Washington-bred by Noosito, Sunshine Beach is 2-1-0 in four starts with earnings of $20,295. He had been off since a four-length maiden victory Sept. 2, 2020.
Coastal Run held second while For You Only, the 8 to 5 favorite, finished third. Suddenly Winning, It’s Curlin Time, Lutes Lil Gift and Sacagewea rounded out the complete order of finish.
Doctor Bruce S. and trainer Jose Navarro after the 12-year-old’s final race
WAY TO GO, DOCTOR BRUCE S!
In his 80th and final start, Doctor Bruce S. finished third in Saturday’s ninth race—The Doctor Bruce S. Retirement Purse—and received a big ovation after being unsaddled and even had his picture taken in the winner’s circle. Doctor Bruce S. debuted June 17, 2012 and made all 80 career starts at Emerald Downs compiling a 12-20-13 record and over $103,000 in earnings.
NOTES: Total mutuel handle was $1,053,330 on an 11-race program. . .Joe Toye has clinched his first Emerald Downs’ training title. Toye enters Sunday’s closing day card with a 29-25 lead over defending champion Frank Lucarelli. . .Lucarelli has entrants in three races Sunday—including five in the Gottstein Futurity—while Toye has four horses entered on the 11-race card. . .In the jockeys’ race, defending champion Alex Cruz leads Julien Couton 74-73 with Juan Gutierrez third with 70 wins. Cruz and Couton ride all 11 races Sunday while Gutierrez has mounts in eight races. . . Leslie Mawing rode three winners Saturday while Javier Matias, Jose Zunino and Gutierrez rode two winners each. . .Alan Bozell was the lone trainer with two wins. . .Queen Breezy ($7.60) scored a last to first victory in race three and became the meet’s sixth four-time winner. A 4-year-old Linchpin filly, Queen Breezy was 4-2-2 in nine starts at the meet with over $34,000 in earnings. The victory also gives John Parker an 18-15 cushion on Greg Conley, Chuck Conley and Terra Firma Farm in the owners’ standings. . .Sara’s Finale ($2.20) and Flyin By ($2.80) dead-heated for the win in race four. . .Flyin By is the first victory for trainer Claude Gibson since 2004. . .Trainer Elodio Madrigal scored his first win of the season as Poppy’s C Note ($6) prevailed in the Saturday opener. . . The final five winners Saturday all paid double digits and the $0.50 Pick 5 paid a mammoth $13,337. . .A $10,157 carryover is up for grabs in Sunday’s $0.20 Jackpot Pick 6 with a mandatory payout in effect. . .Live racing continues Sunday with a closing day stakes triple-header featuring two Washington Cup races and the $50,000 Gottstein Futurity for 2-year-olds. First post 2:30 p.m.
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