Knight Club continued her winning ways Friday with a one-length victory in the $11,500 Bet America Purse for fillies and mares at Emerald Downs.
Scoring her second win of the meet and her fourth in five starts this year, Knight Club ran one mile in 1:38.02 under Leonel Camacho-Flores and paid $5.20, $3.60 and $2.20. Rigoberto Velasquez is the winning trainer and co-owner with James Jackson.
A 5-year-old Washington-bred by Matty G-Knight Weave, Knight Club has finished first six straight times but was disqualified and placed second for interference in a Jan. 12 race at Portland Meadows. Since then she has reeled off four straight victories, including Friday’s when she overtook Another Winter on the last turn and held off a late bid from Lizzy Lass for the victory.
“She’s an honest horse, easy to ride,” said regular rider Camacho-Flores. “She always gives you a hundred percent.”
Knight Club is 10-6-2 in 28 lifetime starts with earnings of $69,851, including $6,325 for Friday’s victory.
Lizzy Lass, the longest shot on the board at 12-1, rallied under Javier Matias for second place and paid $8.80 and $3.20. Wise, ridden by Joe Steiner, was a neck back in third and paid $2.10 to show, while Another Winter and Stephanie Plum completed the order of finish.
Quibble and Come On Cozzene were scratched earlier in the day.
Notes
Jockey Diego Sanchez was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after a third race spill in which Sanchez’ mount, Agate Beach, clipped heels at the three-eighths pole. Sanchez was conscious and talking but was transported to Harborview for evaluation. … Chaching Pete ($3.40) notched his 15th Emerald Downs victory with a coast-to-coast score in race two, running 6½ furlongs in 1:16.62. A 9-year-old Washington-bred, Chaching Pete tied Polish Dollar in second place for most wins by an active horse at Emerald Downs. … Buddy Dave, No. 1 among active runners with 16 wins at EmD, is entered in Sunday’s third race. … Trainer Mike Puhich extended his streak to five straight days with a win as Rods Song ($5.60) clicked in race five under Isaias Enriquez for owner Muddy Waters Stables LLC. … Enriquez rode three straight winners Party for One ($3.80), Rallying Market ($25) and Rods Song. … Jockey Ronald Richard won both halves of the early double with victories aboard La Brisa ($4.80) and Chaching Pete. … Seattle Stone ($12.80) prevailed in the nightcap under Javier Matias for trainer Greg Moore, and the three-day carryover in the $0.20 Pick 7 is $8,689 to Saturday’s races 3 thru 9. … Jockeys Jake Barton and Francisco Duran, who tied for seventh in 2015 with 33 wins apiece, have both resumed riding at Emerald Downs. Barton is back from Turf Paradise, where his 58 wins are good for fourth place, while Duran finished fourth at Sunland Park with 26 wins. Turf Paradise ends its meet Sunday while Sunland Park wrapped up its 2015-16 meet Tuesday. … Live racing continues Saturday with a nine-race card at 1 p.m. The 142nd Kentucky Derby simulcast is between the fifth and sixth races at 3:34 p.m.
