Arrom Bear shook off Where’s My Voucher on the turn and powered home for a 6 ½-length victory Saturday in the $18,800 Muckleshoot Casino Purse for 3-year-olds at Emerald Downs.
Ridden by Joe Steiner, Arrom Bear ran six furlongs in a scorching 1:08.92 and paid $3, $2.80 and $2.20. Frank Lucarelli is the winning trainer for Center Point Racing Stables.
Kikisoblu with a 1:08.69 clocking in the May 10 Hastings Handicap recorded the only faster time at six furlongs this season.
A Washington-bred gelding by Nationhood-Lite Night, Arrom Bear has three wins this year—two at Golden Gate Fields, one at Emerald Downs—and all three came on different racing surfaces. He won March 14 on the synthetic Tapeta surface, April 4 on turf, and Saturday on dirt.
Arrom Bear is 4-0-1 in eight starts overall with earnings of $38,817, including $10,340 forSaturday’s triumph.
Breaking from the No. 7 post-position, Arrom Bear dueled through fractions of :21.86 for the quarter-mile and :44.26 for the half, kicked five lengths clear after five furlongs in :56.26, and extended his margin late.
Cash N Dash, ridden by Leslie Mawing, finished second and paid $5.60 and $3.20. Carson’s Star, ridden by Julien Couton, finished third and paid $2.60.
Corporal Agarn, Cadenza and Where’s My Voucher completed the order of finish. Crazy Al was scratched earlier in the day.
NOTES: Leading rider Julien Couton rode two winners and leads Juan Gutierrez and Leslie Mawing 21-16 atop the standings. . .Joe Steiner also rode two winners and is fourth with 10 wins. . .Jeff Metz had two wins and leads the trainers’ standings 12-9 over Blaine Wright. . .Wright also had two wins and is on a 9-for-13 roll. . .Speaking of hot, trainer Manuel Ortiz is 3-2-0- in six starts since arriving from Turf Paradise, including a victory by Dehere Is Gone($5.80) in race seven. . . Congratulations to 88-year-old trainer H.R. Pat Mullens for his first win of the meet, as Africa Star and jockey Jorge Rosales prevailed in Saturday’s second race. Mullens has 221 career wins at Emerald Downs. . .Nationhood, off to a promising start as a sire, had two wins Saturday at Emerald Downs—Arrom Bear in the feature and Oscar’s America ($23.40) in race six. . .Lite Night, dam of Arrom Bear, now has 10 winning siblings including nine at Emerald Downs. . .Live racing continues Sunday with the $50,000 Auburn Handicap for 3-year-old colts and geldings with Gottstein Futurity winner Prime Engine the 2-to-1 morning line favorite. First post is 2 p.m.
