Oh Marvelous Me unleashed a torrid wide rally and drew off for a 4¼-length victory Monday in the $15,200 Les Schwab Purse for 3-year-olds and up at Emerald Downs.
Ridden by Jose Zunino, Oh Marvelous Me zipped six furlongs in 1:09.06 and paid $15.40, $5.40 and $5. Blaine Wright is the trainer for owners Todd and Shawn Hansen of Tenino.
A 5-year-old Bluegrass Cat gelding, Oh Marvelous Me tracked the leaders, as Capital Expense, Blame It On Royce and Swingshift Deputy dueled through sizzling splits of :21.28 for the quarter-mile and :43.90 for the half. Launching a four-wide bid on the turn, Oh Marvelous Me swept past the leaders into the lane and drew away for a convincing victory.
Oh Marvelous Me is 2-0-1 in three starts at the meet, and 3-2-2 in 13 lifetime starts with earnings of $36,193.
Mister Breeze, ridden by Natasha Coddington, rallied from last to takes second place and paid $10.60 and $5, while Valid Keiki, Isaias Enriquez riding, finished third and paid $4.60.
Blame It On Royce, Capital Expense and Valid Keiki all tired from their early efforts and finished fourth, fifth and sixth.
Notes
Sea N Redd ($14) prevailed in the first 2-year-old race of the meet, leading gate-to-wire under Erick Lopez in :52.78 for 4½ furlongs. Owned by John Parker and trained by Candi Tollett, Sea N Redd is a California-bred filly by Trappe Shot-Decatur and was coming off a sixth in her debut last month in Phoenix. Sea N Redd and runner-up Bellastime were the only two fillies in the race, although Bellastime was disqualified and placed sixth for interference in the stretch. … Juan Gutierrez rode his 1,299th and 1,300th Emerald Downs’ winners Monday, and is 119 wins away from Gallyn Mitchell’s track record of 1,419 wins. … Jose Zunino also rode two winners Monday while Jeff Metz was the lone trainer to double on the 10-racrd card. … In the trainers’ race, the win by Oh Marvelous Me pushed Blaine Wright to a 13-12 lead over Frank Lucarelli. … 93-year-old trainer Arturo Arboleda made it two wins in three days as She’s Informed ($13.20) captured the Memorial Day opener. … G.G. Ryder ($23.80) prevailed in a four-horse blanket finish in Sunday’s $100,000 All American Handicap (Grade 3) at Golden Gate Fields. A 6-year-old California-bred by Chhaya Dance, G.G. Ryder is 13-for-36 lifetime with earnings of $651,195 for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer and Dr. George Todaro of Seattle. The top four finishers – G.G. Ryder, Flamboyant, even-money favorite Alert Bay and Street Lad – were separated by two heads and a nose. The winner ran one mile on Tapeta in 1:37.48. Point Piper, the 2016 Longacres Mile winner, finished seventh. … Live racing resumes Friday with first post 6:30 p.m., and includes a $3,583 carryover in the $0.20 Pick 7.
