For Gallyn Mitchell, it was another one of those weekends.
On Saturday, Mitchell rode five winners on the 10-race card at Emerald Downs — his second five-bagger of the season. One of those victorious rides, aboard News Alert in the sixth race, gave trainer Tim McCanna his 56th victory of the meeting at the track, a new single-season trainer’s record for wins.
Then on Sunday, Mitchell persevered down the stretch run to capture the $75,000 Barbara Shinpoch Stakes aboard Cherokee Echo.
Mitchell and Cherokee Echo eked out a half-length victory over Carrie Cat in the one-mile Shinpoch race for 2-year-old fillies. Cherokee Echo went the distance in 1:37 2/5 on a fast track and paid $19.40, $7.20 and $4. Bud Klokstad trains the winner for owners Billie Klokstad of Maple Valley and Art McFadden of Portland.
Mitchell, with 55 stakes wins, and Klokstad, with 42, are Emerald Downs’ all-time leading stakes winning jockey and trainer. It was the third stakes win of the season for Mitchell and the first for Klokstad.
McCanna’s record-breaking victory was in gate-to-wire fashion in a $3,500 claiming event on Saturday. Mitchell and News Alert won the race by 1¼ lengths, paying $4.80.
McCanna is the all-time leading trainer at Emerald Downs with 635 victories heading into Monday’s Labor Day card (results unavailable). With a 22-win lead over Doris Harwood, McCanna is well on his way to winning his eighth training title in the track’s 13-year history.
“The horses are running well, and I’ve got an exceptional crew,” McCanna said. “They make it easy.”
Gann retires
Sandi Gann, who rode 1,207 winners in a career that spanned 20 years, has announced her retirement as a jockey.
Gann, 45, was honored with the Sandi Gann Purse last Friday at Emerald Downs, and the entire jockey colony was in the winner’s circle to salute the popular rider after the second race. She said she plans to become a trainer in Arizona.
Gann began her career on quarter horses in 1985 and made the move to Thoroughbreds in 1987. She was one of the leading riders the final three years at Longacres. Gann rode 194 winners at Emerald Downs.
