Touch the Sun reeled in 3-to-5 betting favorite Amazing Legacy and drew clear for a 2 1/4-length victory Friday in the featured Northwest Brewing Company Brewer’s Night Purse at Emerald Downs.
With Isaias Enriquez up for his third of four wins on the night, Touch the Sun ran one mile in 1:35.67 and paid $17, $6.40 and $4.20. Frank Lucarelli is the trainer for owner R.E.V. Racing, who claimed Touch the Sun for $7,500 last September.
A 5-year-old Washington-bred by Bertrando, Touch the Sun is 7-5-4 in 25 career starts with earnings of $69,712, including $7,563 for Friday’s win.
Touch the Sun tracked Amazing Legacy through fractions of :23.11, :45.67 and 1:09.82, moved up to take command past mid-stretch and drew clear.
Dare Me Devil, ridden by Rocco Bowen, finished with a steady rally to take second place and paid $9 and $6.80. Moment of Weakness, a 38-to-1 long shot ridden by Eliska Kubinova, finished third and paid $6.40.
Wasserman closed ground to finish fourth, while Amazing Legacy faded to fifth. Free Beer and Red Coats R Comin completed the order of finish. Jade Road was scratched.
The $1 superfecta combining the top four finishers paid $7.868.50, second highest of the season.
The four-win night pulled Enriquez within eight wins, 37-29, of Juan Gutierrez in the jockeys’ standings. Enriquez and Gutierrez are the only jockeys with four-wins on a card this season. Gutierrez accomplished the feat May 11, one of his 10 multiple-win days at the meet.
NOTES: Enriquez actually had a fifth win, but is snake-bitten when riding for trainer Neil Knapp. The combination lost another victory Friday when Salsa Boy finished first in the opener, but was disqualified and placed third for interference against third-place finisher Shame the Devil. Murray the Cop ($4) was promoted from second to first place and Shame the Devil was moved from third to second. Timely Note*ridden by Enriquez and trained by Knapp*won Sunday’s sixth race, but was DQ’d and placed second for interfering with runner-up La Capitana*Nicolas Cajun ($6) and jockey Debbie Hoonan took the first 2-year-old male race of the season in easy fashion, scoring by 3 ½ lengths in :51.50 for 4 ½ furlongs. Dave Bennett is the trainer while Hoonan has now been the winning rider in both 2-year-old races to date*Just Zoom Will Do ($4) prevailed in race four and was claimed for the fifth time in six races, David Ratko winning a two-way shake for the 4-year-old gelding*Jeff Metz opened a 17-15 lead over Chris Stenslie in the trainers’ standings, as Tribal Wish ($8) capped Enriquez’ four-win night with a triumph in the seventh race finale. Enriquez also won aboard Kissing Ruby ($10.80) in race five and Glorious Valentine ($8.40) in race three*Live racing continues Saturday with first post 2 p.m. The Belmont Stakes simulcast is between races four and five, at 3:36 p.m. (PDT).
