Stryker Phd capped Sunday’s Washington Cup XI with a sensational 3 ¼-length victory in the $50,000 Muckleshoot Tribal Classic for Washington-bred 3-year-olds and up at Emerald Downs.

For Stryker Phd, the victory was a breakthrough of sorts. The runner-up in all four open stakes races for older handicap horses at the meet, including a second to Herbie D in the $200,000 Longacres Mile last month, Stryker Phd proved beyond doubt he is the best older horse stabled at Emerald Downs.

Under regular rider Debbie Hoonan at 118 lbs, Stryker Phd took the lead from Polish Dollar into the stretch, and drew off for a powerful score in 1:40.99 for 1 1/16 miles. Margo Lloyd trains the winner for owners Jim and Mona Hour of Bellevue, WA.

The winning time is second fastest of the meet for the distance, exceeded only by Herbie D’s 1:40.52 in the Mt. Rainier Handicap in July. And the victory confirmed Stryker Phd as a bona fide talent, whose string of seconds had more to do with unfavorable pace scenarios and the presence of Herbie D than anything else.

Stryker Phd was among several outstanding performances in Washington Cup XI*which included a series of six $50,000 stakes race exclusively for Washington-bred runners. Among the highlights: a stakes victory by Chantal Sutherland-Kruse in her first mount at Emerald Downs; E Z Kitty and Chu and You both notching their third stakes wins of the meet; and a hard-fought triumph by Noosa’s Beach’s younger brother Noosito.

A 4-year-old Washington-bred gelding by Bertrando-Striking Scholar, Stryker Phd earned $25,000 to push his bankroll to $124,466. His overall record is 2-4-4 in 11 starts and the connections are considering a return to Northern California, where he broke his maiden on the turf last year.

Stryker Phd was closer to the pace than usual, some six lengths back, as Memphis Beach, chased by I Keep Saying and Polish Dollar, sailed through splits of :23.18, :46.19 and 1:09.95. Polish Dollar took the lead on the last turn, and the gallant 7-year-old gelding would finish a good second, but the race was pretty much over once Stryker Phd kicked into high gear, rallying inside his rivals into the lane.

“The first part of the race the leaders were going around wide,” Hoonan said. “The track was easy on the inside there, and then someone came in there and took my path.

“Isaias (Enriquez) had me boxed in pretty good there, but it was set up just enough to where I could get through. Stryker Phd is a dream horse for me.”

Polish Dollar, ridden by Juan Gutierrez at 122, was clearly second best and paid $3.80 and $2.40. The tough campaigner is 13-for-35 lifetime with earnings over $110,000.

Jebrica, the 3-to-2 second choice ridden by Isaias Enriquez at 124, finished third and paid $2.10. I Keep Saying finished fourth, followed by defending champion Kooky Saluki and Memphis Beach.

EZ KITTY REMAINS RAZOR-SHARP,
PREVAILS IN PEGASUS TRAINING CENTER

E Z Kitty capped a phenomenal season with a dominant 3 ¾-length victory over defending champion Cielator in the $50,000 Pegasus Training Center Stakes for older fillies and mares.

Under regular rider Anne Sanguinetti at 123 lbs, E Z Kitty ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.43 and paid $3, $2.10 and $2.10. Jeff Metz is the trainer for owners Bruce and Cass Maller of Incline Village, NV.

Cielator, the early leader ridden by ridden Ronald Richard at 121, was easily second and paid $2.40 and $2.20. It was four lengths back to Royal Moses, ridden by Javier Matias at 123, and a $2.80 show payoff.

In second place early, E Z Kitty engaged Cielator on the last turn, powered to the lead into the stretch, and drew off to the wire.

“It was a carbon copy of the (Emerald Distaff), but she was going even easier,” Sanguinetti said of E Z Kitty. “She’s very professional. The more I’ve ridden her, the more we know each other.

“I feel like she knows what I want, and I know what she wants. Kitty, she loves a fight. She wants to chase a horse. If she gets out by herself, she’s not as interested anymore because it’s easy. She wants to be in that fight, so I want a horse to follow like that.”

A 5-year-old Washington-bred by He’s Tops-Envision the Cat, E Z Kitty continues to compile a list of remarkable achievements. She has an overall record of 12-4-3 in 22 starts with earnings of $263,340, including $27,025 for Sunday’s win.

E Z Kitty is 3-2-1 in six starts at the current Emerald meet, with wins in the Pegasus Training Center Stakes, Hastings Handicap and Emerald Distaff. Honors as the track’s top older filly or Mare are a mere formality, and E Z Kitty also has a good chance to be voted Top Washington-bred.

E Z Kitty’s 2013 record, including four starts at Turf Paradise, is 5-3-2 in 10 starts and she leads all Washington-breds in yearly earnings with $165,024. She also joins Noosa Beach, Wasserman and Ladyledue and as the only multiple Washington Cup winners; E Z Kitty’s first stakes victory was in the 2011 Comcast SportsNet Stakes.

CHANTAL SUTHERLAND-KRUSE WINS EmD DEBUT
ON HE’S NOT BLUFFIN IN JIM BEAM

Jockey Chantal Sutherland-Kruse, one of Thoroughbred racing’s biggest stars, made a triumphant debut Sunday at Emerald Downs. The 37-year-old Canadian rallied He’s Not Bluffin to a three-quarter-length victory in over long shot Somewhere With You in the $50,000 Jim Beam Stakes for Washington-bred 3-year-old colts and geldings.

It was a picture-perfect ride by Sutherland-Kruse, who scored her first stakes win since her return to riding in Southern California in July. After saving grounds on both turns, she split rivals past mid-stretch and won a three-horse cavalry charge with Music of My Soul and Somewhere With You.

“I was going to go outside, but the two horses in front of me were stopping,” Sutherland-Kruse said. “Instead, I had to go between horses and my horse went through that hole really nicely and held his own. He’s a really nice horse.

“Emerald Downs is a really nice track,” she added. “The (racing) surface is amazing, so is the air quality up here. Everything is really nice here. And the fans are outrageous. They’re just awesome.”

Claimed for $25,000 last month, He’s Not Bluffin paid a quick dividend for owner Sauci Belvoir, daughter-in-law of winning trainer Howard Belvoir. A Washington-bred gelding by Raise the Bluff-Winning View, He’s Not Bluffin earned $26,180 to push his career mark to $64,056. The gelding is one of nine four-time winners at the meet, compiling a 4-0-1 record in seven starts, including three wins for trainer Jim Penney.

Somewhere With You, ridden by Juan Gutierrez, turned in a sharp effort to finish second in his Emerald Downs debut. A Del Mar maiden winner in July, Somewhere With You paid $9.60 and $3.80.

Music of My Soul, the 6-to-5 betting favorite ridden by Isaias Enriquez, was a head back in third and paid $2.40. His younger brother was a winner on Washington Cup day, as Noosito prevailed 30 minutes later in the Daily Racing Form Dennis Dodge Stakes.

NOOSITO MAKES IT HAT TRICK FOR FAMILY,
PREVAILS IN DAILY RACING FORM DENNIS DODGE

It’s almost unheard for full brothers to win the same stakes race. It might be unprecedented for three full brothers to win the same event.

But that’s what happened, though, as Noosito joined Noosa Beach (2008) and Music of My Soul (2012) as winners of the $50,000 Daily Racing Form Dennis Dodge Stakes.

With Isaias Enriquez aboard at120 lbs, Noosito edged stable mate Del Rio Harbor by a neck, running six furlongs in 1:09.34 and returning $5.40, $2.80 and $2.40. Doris Harwood, increasing her all-time track record for stakes wins to 60, is the trainer for Last Rose Stable.

By Harbor the Gold-Julia Rose, Noosito is 2-0-1 in three starts with earnings of $42,753, including a check of $25,510 for Sunday’s victory.

The victory wasn’t easy, though, as double stakes winner Del Rio Harbor*also from the Harwood barn*ding-donged with Del Rio Harbor through splits of :22.30, :45.10 and :56.85. In the end, Noosito*third to Del Rio Harbor in the WTBOA Lads*was a tad better Sunday.

“He’s a very good horse,” Enriquez said. “He tries very hard in the mornings. The first time out he won, but the second time (in the WTBOA Lads) he lost a shoe and had a tough trip.

“Today, he broke very sharp and was very comfortable. A couple guys put pressure on him early, but he was able to hold them off.”

Del Rio Harbor, ridden by Rocco Bowen at 120, paid $3.40 and $2.40. By Harbor the Gold-Bahati, Del Rio Harbor is 3-1-0 in five starts with earnings of $71,238.

It was 5 ¼ lengths back to third-place finisher Mebossman, ridden by David G. Lopez at 118, and a $3.20 show payoff.

UNBEATEN CHU AND YOU DOMNATES NW FARM STAKES

In the day’s biggest rout, Michael and Amy Feuerborn’s cat-quick Chu and You drew off for a seven-length victory in the $50,000 Northwest Farms Stakes for Washington-bred 2-year-old fillies.

Ridden by Juan Gutierrez at 119 lbs, Chu and You ran six furlongs in 1:09.42 and paid $3.60, $2.60 and $2.10. Robbie Baze trains the winner, who has yet to trail a horse at any point in her four career races.

A Washington-bred by You and I-Bronze Charmer, Chu and You earned $25,000 to push her ledger to 4-4-0-0-$84,249. And with easy victories in the Northwest Farms, Angie C and Barbara Shinpoch to her credit, Chu and You is a lock to win honors as the meet’s Top 2-Year-Old Filly.

Sprinting clear in the opening strides, Chu and You opened a commanding advantage while setting fractions of :21.94, :44.74 and :56.78. She was five lengths clear into the stretch, and widened her advantage to the wire.

“It’s too easy because she does almost everything for you,” Gutierrez said. “She made me work less. She’s really too good. I don’t know what else I can say, she does everything right. She’s all professional.”

Sunpenny, ridden by David G. Lopez at 119, rallied from seventh to finish second and returned $5.80 and $4. Belladiva, ridden by Leonel Camacho-Flores at 119, held on well for third and paid $5.80.

MADAME PELE ROMPS IN COMCAST SPORTS NET

Zach & Beth Correa’s Madame Pele rallied from slightly off the pace and scored a convincing 3 ½-length victory in the $50,000 Comcast SportsNet Stakes for Washington-bred 3-year-old fillies.

Ridden by Juan Gutierrez at 118 lbs*his second WA Cup winner on the card*Madame Pele ran one mile in 1:35.69 and paid $6, $3.80 and $2.80. Jim Penney is the trainer.

A Washington-bred 3-year-old filly by Salt Lake-Striking Scholar, Madame Pele is a half-sister to Muckleshoot Tribal Classic winner Stryker Phd. She has a 2-3-3 record in 10 starts overall, and earned $25,000 to push her bankroll to $70,167,

Madame Pele was runner-up top Roveing Patrol in the 2012 Northwest Farms Stakes and spent this summer in Northern California, winning a maiden special weight at Pleasanton in July.

“She went down to California and came back today to the Washington Cup ready to win,” Gutierrez said. “She was pulling me on the outside, and I told myself not to choke her, but save her for the last stretch. She did the rest.”

Say Say, a 7-to-1 shot ridden by Sutherland-Kruse, was easily second best and paid $6.80 and $5.60. The runner-up effort gave Chantal a 1-1-0 mark in two mounts in her visit to Emerald Downs.

Holy Dazzle was 5 ½ lengths back in third and paid $6.20, and 7-to-5 favorite Beautranda finished fourth.

NOTES: Metz saddled three winners on the 10-race card and leapfrogged past two-time defending champion Frank Lucarelli into a 38-37 lead atop the trainers’ standings*Sanguinetti rode all three Metz winners and is 25-for-129 this season riding for Metz. All three wins were route races and Sanguinetti is clicking at a 32.5 win percentage in two-turn races*Gutierrez and Enriquez each rode two winners, and defending champion Gutierrez leads Enriquez 93-90 in the jockeys’ race with nine days left in the meeting*Gutierrez’ wins were both WA Cup events, Comcast SportsNet on Madame Pele and Northwest Farms Stakes on Chu and You, and he leads all riders with 14 Washington Cup wins. Ricky Frazier is second with nine WA Cup victories*Harwood and Penney had one WA Cup win each and remain tied atop the all-time Washington Cup trainers’ standings at seven wins each. Howard Belvoir, who also had a win Sunday, is third with seven WA Cup wins*Sunday’s total handle of $1,360,947 was up 68.2 percent from last year’s WA Cup*He’s Not Bluffin, Chu and You and Five Times all became four time winners at the meet Sunday, upping the total to nine horses tied for most wins at the meet*Oldtimers Vision ($2.80) prevailed in the opener with $14,289 of $16,320 wagered in the show pool. Historic Calumet Farm bred the 2-year-old Pollard’s Vision gelding in Kentucky*E Z Kitty accounted for $37,223 of $44,698 wagered to show in the Pegasus Training Center Stakes*Live racing resumes Friday with first post 6:45 p.m.