WA CUP 2-YEAR-OLD C & G STAKES
21st RUNNING, AUGUST 28, 2016
ROCCO BOWEN, SO LUCKY, WINNER: “He broke a lot better today. Howard (Belvoir) told me not to be overconfident today. I knew it was kind of an easier bunch, and I wanted to let the horses get a little closer and see what would be his reaction. He has a lot of ability, and these guys are doing an awesome job with him. You know, Howard is a really awesome trainer- especially with babies. You can’t underestimate Howard, and I was just really blessed to be partnered with this horse. You know, I’m just actually a pilot, because I didn’t move a muscle today on this horse. Today, I just let the other horses get to him to let him see the horses. I wanted to see what his reaction would be when the horses got close to him, for once, and he showed the fans what his response was today.”
WA CUP 2-YEAR-OLD FILLY STAKES
21st RUNNING, AUGUST 28, 2016
ROCCO BOWEN, RISQUE’S LEGACY, WINNER: “She’s just a nice horse. She’s a natural. She’s got a lot of natural speed. You just got to let this kind of horse do its thing. You have to stay out of their way. She actually fought me a little bit today. It’s not noticeable, because I got on her in the morning and I made it look easy. She was fighting me a little bit in the turn, but I just relaxed her and let her do her thing. These nice horses, you just got to guide them around there. If they are doing something wrong you can correct them, but otherwise you just try to let them do the running.”
WA CUP 3-YEAR-OLD STAKES
14th RUNNING, AUGUST 28, 2016
LESLIE MAWING, ETHAN’S BABY, WINNER: “Coming into the race, the horse worked fantastic. The last few works were pretty easy, averaging a :59 pace. You know, I’m sure the company was a little easier. The only one we had to overcome was Dance With Effie, who was the only speed in there. I knew (other jockeys would get instructions) to send or take back, which of course, I was hoping for the latter and that actually did happen. So, I was able to dictate the pace up front and just have it my way all the way. Giving Ethan’s Baby a breather on the backside and not having to press all the way, I think that made all the difference. I was pretty confident (coming down the stretch). Blaine (Wright’s) a fantastic trainer. He gets his horses fit, and he knows where to put his horses. So that’s another plus in my favor.”
WA CUP 3-YEAR-OLD FILLY STAKES
13th RUNNING, AUGUST 28, 2016
JAVIER MATIAS, THE PRESS, WINNER: “He surprised me today, because if you look back at the race, he (The Press) runs huge. He broke sharp, and I saw two horses who were running quickly. So I took back my horse, and at the quarter-pole I asked him, and he tried to make a move. I had a chance to beat him, and he made it. I wasn’t ready for the horse to win this race. It surprised me, you know? Mach One Rules was so wide. With that kind of horse you need to send them and try to save a little ground. It’s true, I beat him a couple of times with Barkley, and now I beat him again. So I think maybe I’m lucky.”
WA CUP FILLY & MARE STAKES
14th RUNNING, AUGUST 28, 2016
JUAN GUTIERREZ, MY HEART GOES ON, WINNER: “David (Martinez) told me to take the lead and take it easy to the quarter-pole. Down the stretch, she was waiting for other horses to take the lead, and she made her break. I put a little pressure to take the lead, and after that I saved the horse until the last part. And she did it. Today was a little bit of an easy group but she’s a nice filly.”
MUCKLESHOOT TRIBAL CLASSIC
74th RUNNING, AUGUST 28, 2016
LESLIE MAWING, STRIKER PHD, WINNER: “It’s one more good win on his record, and my record too, of course. A win’s a win, and I’ll take it no matter what. Winning this race just eclipses his season at Emerald Downs, because we did have a rough beginning. It was great coming back into the winner’s circle, but Larry and Sharon (Ross), they’re great horsemen. They look after the horse first, and they made sure he was 100 percent before they took him into this race. I’m really happy for that. The whole crew down there, from the grooms to the pony people to the exercise riders, everybody’s done a great job. I’m just happy to be part of the whole team. Stryker was fighting a virus early on. We thought we came up with a little foot problem as far as a bruised foot. But we overcame that which was actually good, because it’s hard to overcome that within such a short period of time, to make it back for the meet. But they took good care of the horse, so that’s what I’m happy about. He grabbed a hold of the bit and he was running comfortable. I could have placed myself anywhere. Like I said, I was close to the pace, closer than usual. I just wanted to keep the horse comfortable and not mess with his mojo. But, he’s still got his quirks; he switched leads late, but it was just a matter of keeping him together.”
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