For the Reporter

Xerxes sprinted clear early and rolled to a 5¼-length victory over Arctic Vortex in Friday’s $9,300 BetAmerica Purse for 3-year-olds and up at Emerald Downs.

Ridden by Erick Lopez, Xerxes covered six furlongs in 1:09, and paid $8.60, $5.60 and $3.40. Norma Burnam, who claimed the gelding for $2,500 two weeks ago, is the winning owner and trainer.

Xerxes led through fractions of :21.99, :44.09 and :56.16 en route to his third victory in four starts at the meet. A 4-year-old Orientate gelding, Xerxes joined Inexcess Again, Copy Begone and Seattles Best Copy as three-time winners at the meet.

Arctic Vortex, ridden by Isaias Enriquez, rallied for second place and paid $4.60 and $4. Pick by the Box, the 2-to-1 favorite ridden by Joe Steiner, finished third and paid $2.60, while Classic Grand, Tim Tim Tim and Cats Gulch completed the order of finish.

Bred in California by The Hat Ranch West, Xerxes is 5-3-1 in 17 career starts with earnings of $47,655, including $5,115 for Friday’s victory. His record at Emerald Downs is 3-1-0 in four starts with earnings of $13,380.

Notes

Friday’s fourth race produced the meet’s first dead-heat for win – Time for a Memory($7.60) ridden by Richard Lull and Call Me Cinderella ($4.40) ridden by Joe Steiner both hitting the wire in 1:39.09. … Rocco Bowen and Leslie Mawing each rode two winners Friday and remain tied atop the jockeys’ standings with 31 wins apiece. … Owner Michael Pollowitz has privately purchased The Sandman from Fox Hill Farms and the 5-year-old son of Bernardini-Dawn Chorusis being pointed to the $50,000 Budweiser Stakes on Sunday, June 19. The Sandman, who will be trained by Frank Lucarelli at Emerald Downs, is 3-2-2 in 10 career starts with earnings of $112,833. … Thanks mainly to double-digit victories by Cowboy Gold ($12) and Risky With Whiskey ($14.20) there were no winning tickets in the $0.20 Pick 7. The carryover is $2,042 to Saturday. … Live racing continues Saturday with first post 2 p.m.