Lady Vivien turned in a strong late rally and edged Royal Moses by a head in the $19,950 Les Schwab Purse for older fillies and mares Saturday at Emerald Downs.
With a perfectly timed ride by David G. Lopez, Lady Vivien ran 6 ½ furlongs in 1:14.79 and paid $11.20, $3.80 and $3.20. Larry Ross is the trainer for owner/breeder Oak Crest Farm LLC (Jack & Theresa Hodge).
Royal Moses, ridden by Javier Matias, rallied to the lead past mid-stretch but couldn’t withstand Lady Vivien. Royal Moses paid $4.60 and $4.20.
The Gang and I, with Rocco Bowen riding, finished third and paid $4.40. Vickie’slilsecret, the early leader, faded to finish fourth, and Carrabelle Harbor, the 4-to-5 betting favorite, dropped back early and was eased in the stretch.
A 4-year-old Kentucky-bred by Posse-Guinevere, Lady Vivien has blossomed at Emerald Downs. She is 3-3-2 in eight starts at Emerald Downs, and has an overall mark of 3-3-3 in 13 starts with earnings of $56,949. Guinevere was Emerald Downs’ Top Older Filly or Mare in 1998 and Washington champion Older Filly or Mare in 1999.
NOTES: Lopez, Eliska Kubinova and Rocco Bowen rode two winners each on the 10-race card*Kenai King ($35.20) ran the fastest 4½ furlongs of the meet, :51.21, while winning a $17,850 maiden special weight race for 2-year-old colts and geldings. Trained by Doris Harwood for Bar C Racing Stables, Kenai King is a Washington-bred by Harbor the Gold-Kirkela*Another Harbor the Gold progeny, 7-year-old gelding Wowie Maui ($9.60) turned on the jets in race seven*setting fractions of :21.79, :43.66 and :55.56*and scored a five-length victory in 1:08.41 for six furlongs. Owned and bred by David Breiwick and trained by Joe Toye, Wowie Maui is 4-3-0 in 10 career starts at Emerald Downs*Belt ($3.60) scored an easy victory in the $17,850 maiden optional claimer for 3-year-olds and up, rolling to a 5 ¼-length win under Juan Gutierrez for trainer Tom Wenzel and owner Ron Crockett Inc. A 3-year-old Washington-bred gelding by Cahill Road-La Mariah, Belt ran 6 ½ furlongs in 1:15.03* Ourshanghai Express ($5) notched a gate-to-wire victory under Kubinova in race three and Charles Essex moved past Dan Kenney into 15th place on the track’s all-time training list with 232 wins. Essex and Kubinova are a combined 6-for-21 at the meet and 15-for-57 (27 percent) together the last two seasons at Emerald Downs*The eighth Quarter Horse race of the meet opened the Saturday card, with Snowbound Superchick ($8.60) running 400 yards in :20.15 and scoring a 1 ¼-length victory under Leonel Camacho-Flores for owner/trainer Adrian Quinones. Runner-up J Mancuso had won four straight races, including a head victory in last year’s $15,000 Pfizer Emerald Starter Allowance Challenge Stakes*Washington-bred 3-year-old filly Madame Pele, stakes-placed twice last year at Emerald Downs, was victorious Saturday in a $26,000 maiden special weight race at Pleasanton. Lloyd Mason trains the Salt Lake filly for owners Zach & Beth Correa of Enumclaw.
