For the Reporter
After two near misses, Party Pooper wasn’t about to be denied Saturday at Emerald Downs.
Powering to the lead past mid-stretch, the 4-year-old colt drew off for a 2 3/4-length victory over My Chief in the $16,600 Muckleshoot Casino Purse.
Ridden by Isaias Enriquez, Party Pooper ran six furlongs in a quick 1:08.26 and paid $6.20, $3.60 and $3. Mike Puhich is the trainer for Dr. Mark Dedomenico and North American Thoroughbred Racing Company.
Party Pooper already had two seconds in similar races at the meet – finishing runner-up to Thisdewarsforyou on April 9 and second to Big Hat Charlie on April 29. Saturday, he sat in third place as Daytona Beach and 6-5 favorite Fooled Again led through fractions of :21.76 and :43.86. Angled off the rail into the lane, Party Pooper exploded to the lead past the eighth pole and quickly kicked clear for the victory.
A Kentucky-bred by Desert Party-Radcliffe Yard, Party Pooper is 2-5-1 in nine lifetime starts with earnings of $52,002, including $9,130 for Saturday’s win.
Party Pooper will have a new home, however, as owner Mark Hughes and trainer Rigoberto Velasquez claimed the colt Saturday for $25,000.
My Chief, a 24-1 bomber ridden by Leonel Camacho-Flores, rallied for second place and paid $17.20 and $6.20. A 5-year-old gelding, My Chief has finished third in all three starts at the meet, twice at higher than 20-1 odds.
Raspberry Road, with Jake Barton riding, closed ground to finish third, paid $3.60 for show, followed by Daytona Beach, Perfect Night, Fooled Again, John’s Not Bluffin and Cantcatchme.
Notes
Guinevere’s Finale ($18.40) captured the $16,600 co-feature for older fillies and mares, rallying from last under Javier Matias to edge 6-5 favorite Seeking the Light in 1:09.26 for six furlongs. David Martinez trains the 5-year-old Kentucky-bred for owner/breeder Oak Crest Farm LLC. … Leslie Mawing, Rocco Bowen and Juan Gutierrez rode two winners each on the nine-race card. … Bowen has five wins in two days and remains tied for first with Mawing with 19 wins each. … Swiss Script ($4.20) ran the meet’s fastest five furlongs – :56.45 – while breaking her maiden in the Saturday opener under Erick Lopez for trainer Len Kasmerski and owner Roz Barclay. … Veteran trainer Ken Person is 2-0-2 in four starts since arriving from Arizona last week, including a win by Calex ($3.80) in Saturday’s second race. A 4-year-old Ontario-bred gelding, Calex improved to 5-for-12 lifetime, and was claimed Saturday by Robbie Baze in a three-way shake for $2,500. … Congratulations to Shawna Whiteside on her first Emerald Downs win as a trainer, saddling Sun Downs shipper Moon Zoom ($7.20) to a 1½-length victory in the fifth race. A former rider, Whiteside’s only win here as a jockey was exactly five years ago – May 14, 2011 – aboard Cranberry Gold. . .Live racing continues Sunday with a 10-race program featuring the $50,000 Auburn Stakes for 3-year-old colts and geldings. First post is 2 p.m.
