Find Your Spot and Where We At are on serious rolls at Emerald Downs.
The former, a 3-year-old Washington-bred filly, made it four wins in a row with a hard-earned 1 ¼ -length victory over Chu and You in Sunday’s $50,000 Irish Day Handicap at Emerald Downs. The latter, the ownership syndicate that owns Find Your Spot, capped a weekend sweep that included Jebrica’s victory in Saturday’s $18,900 feature race and Find Your Spot’s triumph in Sunday’s Irish Day Handicap.
In fact, Where We At – Paul Heist of Auburn and Jack Fabulich of Edgewood – is 6-0-1 with its last seven starts, and apparently has the track’s best sophomore filly to boot.
Ridden by Isaias Enriquez at 118 lbs, Find Your Spot ran one mile in 1 minute, 35.78 seconds and paid $7.20, $3.40 and $2.60. Jim Penney is the trainer.
Claimed for $25,000 from her career debut last September, Find Your Spot has developed nicely, reeling off four straight wins – one apiece at Golden Gate and Santa Anita and two at Emerald Downs. Her overall mark is 5-1-2 in eight starts with earnings of $99,820.
The Irish Day victory was worth $27,500, and she earned every penny, engaging Chu and You and Belladiva in mid-stretch and gradually edging clear for the victory.
“We had a meeting this morning; the owners, trainers, jockeys, everybody,” Enriquez said. “We discussed a couple plans about how the race would develop, and it developed exactly like we planned.
“I just wanted to follow Chu and You. That was the horse I wanted to have a target on. After that, I said ‘If I beat that horse, I’m going to win this race.’ “
Chu and You, ridden by Juan Gutierrez at high weight of 119 lbs, once again was gallant in defeat. She won a long pace battle with Belladiva, digging in through the lane for her second straight runner-up finish in a stakes.
The even-money betting favorite, Chu and You paid $2.60 and $2.40.
“She always breaks well, and she relaxed in first part of race,” Gutierrez said. “She had a little pressure on the backside but the pace was comfortable, not too fast. First time at a mile, I was happy with her race. She always tries hard, and I know she’s going to do that.”
Chu and You is 4-2-0 in eight starts with earnings of $107,884, including a $10,000 runner-up check for the Irish Day.
Belladiva, a 12-to-1 long shot ridden by Ronald Richard at 118 lbs, finished third and paid $4 to show. Belladiva finished a neck behind Chu and You, after those two dueled through fractions of :24.04, :47.34, 1:10.73 and 1:22.95.
Mylast Sweet Pea, Papa’s Flashy Girl, Cheeky Stone, Quiet Wisdom and Timeless Pleasure completed the order of finish.
NOTES: Mr. Top Kat ($9.80) became the meet’s third four-time winner, edging b for a head victory in race seven. A 5-year-old Washington-bred ridgling owned and trained by Alan Bozell, Mr. Top Kat is 9-0-1 in 23 lifetime starts. . . Stephanie Plum ($8.40) romped in the $18,900 sub-feature for older fillies and mares, running one mile in 1:35.30 under Leonel Camacho-Flores for trainer H.R. Pat Mullens and owners Swede Larson and Ed Zenker. The hard-hitting 6-year-old mare is 6-for-15 the last two meets at Emerald Downs. . .Fire the Trainer ($11) debuted with a strong stretch rally under Leslie Mawing to win the $17,850 maiden special weight for 2-year-olds in :58.01 for five furlongs. A Kentucky-bred by Majestic Warrior, Fire the Trainer is owned by Chris Randall and Nick Rossi and trained by Frank Lucarelli. . .Mawing and Rocco Bowen each rode a winner Sunday, and through 33 days of racing Mawing owns a 46-36 lead over Bowen atop the jockeys’ standings. . .In the trainers’ race, defending champion Jeff Metz leads Lucarelli 32-20. . .Trainer Nick Lowe and owner/breeder Randy Dickerson swept the early Quarter Horse daily double with Cm Undertainfluence ($6) and Cm Jess Ta Tandy ($6.60). . .Live racing resumes Thursday with the annual Fireworks Spectacular sponsored by Carl’s Jr. First post is 4:30 p.m.