El Gran Bebe becomes meet’s second triple winner with Saturday’s hat trick | Emerald Downs

El Gran Bebe, who looked beaten in mid-stretch, rallied back for a nose victory over Uzziah in the featured Coca-Cola Purse for 3-year-olds and up Saturday at Emerald Downs. With David G. Lopez aboard for his third of four wins on the day, El Gran Bebe ran one mile in 1 minute, 35.41 seconds and paid $12.80, $6.80 and $3.60. Robbie Baze is the trainer for owners Michael and Any Feuerborn of Maple Valley. A 5-year-old Kentucky-bred, El Gran Bebe is three-for-three this season, and joined Roarified as the meet’s only three-time winners. Roarified can retake the lead Sunday with a victory in race eight.

June 16, 2013 2:35 pm
El Gran Bebe makes it three wins at the meet with a nose victory over Uzziah in the feature race. Jockey David G. Lopez was aboard for his third of four wins Saturday.
El Gran Bebe makes it three wins at the meet with a nose victory over Uzziah in the feature race. Jockey David G. Lopez was aboard for his third of four wins Saturday.

El Gran Bebe, who looked beaten in mid-stretch, rallied back for a nose victory over Uzziah in the featured Coca-Cola Purse for 3-year-olds and up Saturday at Emerald Downs.

With David G. Lopez aboard for his third of four wins on the day, El Gran Bebe ran one mile in 1 minute, 35.41 seconds and paid $12.80, $6.80 and $3.60. Robbie Baze is the trainer for owners Michael and Any Feuerborn of Maple Valley.

A 5-year-old Kentucky-bred, El Gran Bebe is three-for-three this season, and joined Roarified as the meet’s only three-time winners. Roarified can retake the lead Sunday with a victory in race eight.

Taking full advantage of a track on which speed horses dominated, El Gran Bebe was hustled to the lead, and set fractions of :23.52, :46.75, 1:10.66 and 1:22.85. The moment of truth came when He’s a Cruiser swept to the lead in upper stretch, but El Gran Bebe fought back to regain the advantage, and then held off 12-to-1 long shot Uzziah for the victory.

Uzziah, ridden by Eliska Kubinova, rallied strongly to just miss the victory. The runner-up paid $12.60 and $7.

It was 3 1/2 -lengths back to Showmethemoneyjim, ridden by Anne Sanguinetti, and a $3.60 show payoff. He’s a Cruiser faded to fourth, and was followed by Bid for Pride, Snow On the River, Lit’l in Din Boy and Our Eagle Boy.

El Gran Bebe is seven-for-21 lifetime with earnings of $73,448.

Lopez, posting his first four-win day at Emerald Downs, climbed into a third-place tie with Rocco Bowen in the jockeys’ standings at 21 wins apiece.

NOTES: Frank Lucarelli saddled three winners on the nine-race card–Forest Bunny ($40.80), Meant to Be Mia ($4.40) and All My Friends ($2.40)–and climbed into a fifth-place tie with Blaine Wright in the trainers’ standings at 11 wins each… Isaias Enriquez and Leonel Camacho-Flores rode two winners each on the nine-race card. Enriquez is within three wins of Juan Gutierrez, who missed a second straight day while attending his daughter’s graduation in California. Gutierrez, who leads Enriquez 40-37, returns Sunday and rides in nine of 11 races… Jockey Debbie Hoonan was off her mounts a second straight day with a knee injury. Agent David Singer said Hoonan also will miss Sunday’s card and is scheduled to have a MRI taken on Monday… Live racing continues Sunday with an 11-race program at 2 p.m… Makors Finale is the 3-to-1 morning line favorite in the $50,000 Budweiser Handicap at 1 1/16 miles. Post time is 5:56 p.m. The first 7,000 fans receive free Emerald Downs ball caps with paid admission.