Tougherthantherest and jockey Silvio Amador
TOUGHERTHANTHEREST CAPTURES $50,000 IRISH DAY
AUBURN, Wash. (May 25, 2024) – Tougherthantherest sprinted clear early and held Whiskey Jack and Miner League safe in the stretch, scoring a convincing 2 ½-length victory in Saturday’s $50,000 Irish Day Stakes for 3-year-old colts and geldings.
Ridden by Silvio Amador at 121lbs., Tougherthantherest covered the 6 ½ furlongs in 1:16.86 on a fast track and paid $8.38 as third betting choice in a field of four.
Blaine Wright is the winning trainer for owners Heidi Nelson of Bothell, Wash., and Dale Varbel of Graham, Wash.
For Wright, it’s a record sixth win in the Irish Day and fifth in the last seven runnings. His 57 stakes overall stakes wins are tied for second all-time at Emerald Downs.
Breaking from the outside post in a compact field of sophomores, Tougherthantherest controlled the pace, setting fractions of :22.51 and :45.24, and was two lengths clear past mid-stretch, and had plenty left to hold off betting favorites Whiskeyjack and Miner League.
A Kentucky-bred by Take Charge Indy out of the Greatness mare Cat Ten, Tougherthantherest banked $28,200 for the victory and owns a s 2-0-1 mark in six career six starts with earnings of $53,450.
Whiskeyjack, 8 to 5 second choice ridden by Jose Zunino at 121 lbs., finished well to take second place. It was the first defeat for the Oregon-bred, now 2-1-0 from three career starts.
Miner League, the 4 to 5 public choice, was 2 ¼ lengths farther back in third, while Jullian in Paris finished fourth. Sir Argento was scratched earlier in the day.
Miner League had a four-race win streak snapped, a run that included the 2023 Gottstein Futurity and last month’s Auburn Stakes.
The $50,000 Muckleshoot Derby at 1 1/16 miles is next for 3-year-olds on Sunday, Aug. 11.
NOTES: Saturday’s mutuel handle was $958,150 on an eight-race card. . .With two wins Saturday, Blaine Wright is 11 wins shy of 500 at Emerald Downs. . .Frank Lucarelli swept the late double including long shot Sporty Nugget, whose $83.78 win mutuel is largest of the season to date. . .Taino House ($6.08) became the meet’s third three-time winner with a victory in race six. . .Luis Reyes recorded his first riding triple at Emerald Downs. . .Silvio Amador rode two winners including the front-running score on Tougherthantherest. . .Saturday’s fourth race marked the half-way point of the 2024 meet; 27.5 days in the books, 27.5 days to go. . .Racing continues Sunday with the $50,000 Kent Stakes for 3-year-old fillies along with the Corgi Races. First post 1:30 p.m.
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