Ain’t Tellin’ did what he does best Saturday at Emerald Downs.
With Juan Gutierrez riding, the rapidly improving 5-year-old gelding led gate-to-wire for a 4 ½-length victory over Tale Spinner in the $14,900 Muckleshoot Casino Purse. Ain’t Tellin ran one mile in 1:34.88 and paid $7.40, $3.60 and $2.80.
Ain’t Tellin’ and Coach Royal are now tied for most wins at the 2015 meeting with five apiece. Ain’t Tellin’ is 5-0-0 in six starts with earnings of $28,415 while Coach Royal is 5-0-1 in seven starts with earnings of $35,740.
Coach Royal, a 6-year-old gelding, is the 2-to-1 morning line favorite in Sunday’s sixth race for $25,000 claimers at 6 ½ furlongs, and with only seven days left in the meeting,
Ain’t Tellin’ and Coach Royal figure to be the top contenders for 2015 Top Claimer.
A Florida-bred by Lewis Michael, Ain’t Tellin’ continues to blossom for trainer Jim Penney, assistant Kay Cooper and owners Paul Heist and Jack Fabulich. After beginning the meet with a win vs. $5,000 maiden claimers, Ain’t Tellin’ has claimed the claiming ladder with wins for $4,000, $7,500, $12,500 and $15,000.
As usual, Ain’t Tellin’ ran his foes into submission on the front end, setting fractions of :24.15, :47.05 and 1:10.48, opening a three-length lead into the stretch, and extending the margin to the wire.
Tale Spinner, the 6-to-5 favorite ridden by Leonel Camacho-Flores, rallied from last to finish second and paid $2.80 and $2.40.
Neverabettercause and My Chief dead-heated for third place and Oldtimers Vision finished fifth.
NOTES: Julien Couton and Juan Gutierrez, the meet’s top two jockeys, rode two winners each on the 10-race card and Couton leads Gutierrez 87-72 atop the standings. . .Trainer Jim Penney won the late daily double with Ain’t Tellin and Follow My Tracks ($3.20) and is No. 4 all-time with 650 wins at Emerald Downs. . .Saturday’s early $0.50 Pick 4 paid a whopping $4,795.35 to one winning ticket. It was a superb payoff, considering the $2 win prices in the sequence: $15.60, $9, $14.20 and $8.60. . .Bird In Love ($8.20) won her fifth race of 2015 and third of the meet with a gate-to-wire victory under Rocco Bowen in Saturday’s sixth race. The 4-year-old Great Britain-bred is 3-0-1 in four starts at the meet. The victory also extended Bowen’s consecutive days with a winner streak to 12. . .Live racing continues resumes Sunday with Stryker Phd the 1-to-5 morning line favorite in the $60,000 Muckleshoot Tribal Classic, centerpiece of the 13th annual Washington Cup—five stakes for Washington-breds worth an aggregate $260,000.
