BARBARA SHINPOCH STAKES
31st RUNNING, SEPTEMBER 22, 2012
6-½ FURLONGS IN 1:16.45

JOCKEY JUAN GUTIERREZ, BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE, WINNER: “The plan was to stay close to the front. When we took the lead, I wanted to get her to relax. I just waited and waited to try save as much horse as I could. Then I asked her and she had plenty left. She’s a nice filly.”

JOCKEY JAVIER MATIAS, INNOCENT LOVE, SECOND: “I got put a little wide into the turn and I had to close a little more ground on the leader than I wanted. Once I caught up to the leader, I could tell Juan (Gutierrez) was just waiting with his horse. I tried hard to get second because the winner was much the best.”

NOTES: Blueberry Smoothie (3-2-1-0-$46,943)*Tom Wenzel is No. 1 with eight stakes wins this season and tied for eighth all-time with 21 stakes wins at EmD. The eight stakes wins ties for the second highest single-season total in stakes history. Doris Harwood holds the record with 12 stakes wins in both 2007 and 2009*Jockeys Juan Gutierrez and Javier Matias are now tied for first with seven stakes wins apiece at the meet. Gutierrez ranks No. 3 all-time with 45 stakes victories at Emerald Downs*Jerre Paxton’s Northwest Farms have now won this race four times including the 2007 running with Smarty Deb. Sunday, the same connections*Gutierrez, Wenzel and Northwest Farms*combine with 9-to-5 morning line favorite Finallygotabentley in the $65,000 Gottstein Futurity for 2-year-olds. Smarty Deb, of course, defeated males in the 2007 Gottstein and would become the first Emerald Downs-based horse to compete in the Breeders’ Cup.