Sunpenny and Cheeky Stone produced the meet’s third dead heat for win Saturday in the featured $18,900 Braid Clan Purse for 3-year-old fillies at Emerald Downs. Sunpenny, the early leader, and Cheeky Stone, third early, both ran one mile in 1:36.06 on a fast track. Ridden by Isaias Enriquez, Sunpenny paid $4.20, $4 and $2.60, while Cheeky Stone, ridden by Eliska Kubinova, returned $6.80, $5.20 and $2.60.
Charismata, ridden by Leslie Mawing, finished third and paid $2.40, and Timeless Pleasure and Strawberry Dawn completed the order of finish.
Sunpenny led through fractions of :25.17, :48.78, and 1:12.34, shook off Charismata in the stretch and was tagged at the wire by Cheeky Stone.
A Washington-bred by Good Reward, Sunpenny is 2-3-2 in eight starts with earnings of $39,647. Frank Lucarelli is the trainer for Z Thoroughbred Racing Partners III.
A Washington-bred by Grindstone, Cheeky Stone is 2-2-1 in 10 starts with earnings of $27,177. Larry Ross is the trainer for owners Karen and Mickey Taylor.
The dead-heat was the second in eight days and the third in a feature race this season at Emerald Downs. Tros and Nosetoagrindstone dead-heated for win in the feature on Friday, July 18, and Parkers Bluff and Songandabullet dead-heated for first on Friday, May 9.
NOTES: Javier Matias rode three winners on the nine-race card, the first riding triple since May 4, 2013 for the 42-year-old jockey. . .Eliska Kubinova also enjoyed a two-win day while Bill Tollett led the trainers with two wins. . .Sunpenny’s win pulled Lucarelli within seven wins of Jeff Metz, 38-31, in the trainers’ standings. . .Jockey Gallyn Mitchell was taken to Auburn Medical Center for X-rays on his left leg after a starting gate mishap aboard Galvin Jack before Saturday’s fourth race. The track’s all-time leading rider with 1,375 wins, the 51-year-old Mitchell is sixth with 27 wins at the 2014 meet. Mitchell is expected to ride Sunday. . .Hetty ($4.20) rolled to a 4 ½-length victory in the $14,375 sub-feature for older fillies and mares. A 4-year-old Cahill Road filly ridden by Juan Gutierrez for Jim Penney and Homestretch Farms, Hetty ran six furlongs in 1:08.13 and improved to 3-2-1 in eight lifetime starts. . .Mz Dyno ($15.80) prevailed in Saturday’s opener as trainer Alan Bozell continued his sensational 2014 season. With 12 wins in 58 starts (21%) “Boz” already has equaled his win total for last season, and his $13.40 average $2 win price is tops among trainers in the top 10. . .86-year-old trainer Arturo Arboleda notched his first win of the meet as Strong Move ($7) led gate-to-wire in the ninth race nightcap. . .Live racing continues Sunday with the $50,000 Angie C Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at six furlongs. Seeking the Light at 9-to-5 and Ethan’s Baby at 2-to-1 are the morning line favorites. The 10-race card begins at2:15 p.m.
