Jin Tong (No. 2) with jockey Alex Anaya
JIN TONG FOR THE UPSET IN SUNDAY FEATURE RACE
AUBURN, Wash. (July 2, 2023) – Jin Tong overcame a slow start and outfinished stable mate Poverty Bay and scored a half-length victory in the $24,000 Muckleshoot Casino Purse for 3-year-olds and up Sunday at Emerald Downs.
Nicely handled by jockey Alex Anaya, Jin Tong covered six furlongs in 1:08.96 and paid $19.60 as sixth choice in a field of eight runners. Joe Toye trains and co-owns the winner with Wayne Williams of Vancouver, Wash.
One of two 3-year-olds in the race, Jin Tong began his career in California where he won at first asking at boxcar odds before running out of the money in graded stakes at Del Mar and Churchill Downs. More recently, the son of Goldencents competed on a synthetic surface at Turfway Park before finishing third in a promising Emerald Downs debut last month.
Sunday, Jin Tong was last on the backstretch as Ice Needs Whiskey and Poverty Bay set fractions of :21.73 and :44.77. Commencing his bid on the turn and splitting horses into the stretch, Jin Tong rallied strong to collar Poverty Bay in the final furlong and win going away, improving his career mark to 2-0-2 from eight starts with earnings of $63,343.
Afterwards, Toye and Williams both credited Kara Lin Toye, daughter of Joe Toye, with finding the horse in Kentucky for his new owners.
Poverty Bay, ridden by Kevin Radke, won the pace battle but lost the war to his younger stable mate. Second choice at odds of 3 to 1, the consistent 4-year-old Coast Guard gelding has two seconds and a third at the meeting.
J C’s a Legend, the other 3-year-old in the race, also rallied well for third, a half-length behind Poverty Bay, while Firewalker, 2 to 1 favorite Jose Jose, Ice Needs Whiskey, Harbor Outlaw, and Contejas rounded out the full order of finish.
NOTES: Mutuel handle totaled $1,313,258 on an eight-race program. . .Isaias Enriquez posted his fourth straight riding double and is now tied with Carlos Montalvo for sixth place at 14 wins apiece. . .Not many horses are sharper than Exclusive Speaker ($12.60) at Emerald Downs. Nine days after setting a track record for 1 mile & 70 yards, the 6-year-old gelding rallied from last to win a $25,000 optional claimer in 1:34.82 for a mile under Alex Cruz for trainer Jorge Rosales. . .Muncey also continues to race in good form. In his last three starts, the 6-year-old Munnings gelding has finished second at 14 to 1, second at 15 to 1, and second at 17 to 1. . .In addition to another good showing with Muncey, Jennifer Whitaker and Howard Belvoir clicked with Settler’s Cove ($12.60) in the finale. . .Neptali Ortiz and Luciano Medina Gabriel continued their winning ways as Jedi Knight ($26.40) scored a gate to wire upset in race two—the third win in two days for the jockey and trainer at Emerald Downs. Medina Gabriel also saddled runner-up Affirm Chief in race two and is a scorching 4-1-2 with his last seven starters. . .The stewards suspended Rocco Bowen two days (July 8 & 9) for causing interference aboard Foster Boi in the fifth race on June 25. . .Live racing continues Monday with a nine-race program at 5 p.m. followed by the Fireworks Spectacular.
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