Slew's Tiz Whiz collared Papa's Golden Boy in the final strides and scored a 2 ¾-length victory in Sunday's 87th running of the $150,000 Longacres Mile at Emerald Downs in Auburn, Wash.
In winning the Northwest's most historic race, Slew's Tiz Whiz ran a mile in 1:34.46 and paid $8.80, $5, and $3.40. Jose Zunino authored a picture-perfect ride on the winner, saving ground virtually every step of the way to record his first Longacres Mile victory. Tom Wenzel, saddling his second Mile winner, is the winning trainer for owner K D Thoroughbreds, nom de course for Darlyne Krieg of Oak Harbor, Wash.
Slew's Tiz Whiz is the first Washington-bred since Stryker Phd in 2015 to win the Mile. The 4-year-old bay gelding by Slew's Tiznow–Ros's Girl was bred by Karl Krieg, Darlyne's husband, who passed from cancer in 2019.
Breaking from the No. 1 post-position, Slew's Tiz raced in mid-pack as Papa's Golden Boy led through fractions of :22.70, :45.17, and 1:08.97. Papa's Golden Boy led by three past mid-stretch, running seven furlongs in 1:21.56, but Slew's Tiz Whiz had begun inhaling horses into the stretch, sweeping past Top Executive in mid-stretch and then collaring Papa's Golden Boy for the track's top prize.
“We were a little lucky going into the first turn, but everything worked out great,” Zunino said. “He wanted to go at the quarter-pole, so I let him go, and he was the best.”
Slew's Tiz Whiz has now won three straight, scoring in a six-furlong allowance and the 6 ½-furlong Governor's Stakes, in which he also caught Papa's Golden Boy late to prevail.
“The allowance race was good and the last two races have been superb,” Wenzel said. “This horse is such an overachiever.”
Slew's Tiz Whiz earned $82,500 and is 6-1-1 in 13 career starts with earnings of $170,707.
Papa's Golden Boy, breaking from the No. 12 post under Kevin Radke, nearly carried his tremendous speed over a distance of ground for trainer Vince Gibson and owner Lusk Racing. The 6-year-old Washington-bred son of Harbor the Gold earned $30,000 and is 7-5-0 from 22 career starts with earnings of $201,096. Off at odds of 11 to 1, Papa's Golden Boy paid $11.20 and $7.80.
Five Star General, ridden by Leslie Mawing, rallied to finish third, 1 ½ lengths back of Papa's Golden Boy, and paid $7 to show. The 6-year-old full horse by Distorted Humor also made Longacres Mile history by joining Stryker Phd as the only horses to finish in the top three in three consecutive Miles.
Five Star General ran second to Anothertwistafate in 2020, third to Background in 2021, and third to Slew's Tiz Whiz in 2022.
Top Executive, a slight 3 to 1 betting favorite over Slew's Tiz Whiz, finished fourth under Evin Roman. The 2021 Emerald Downs Horse of the Meeting chased Papa's Golden Boy from second most of the way before weakening slightly in the stretch.
Background, bidding to become only the fourth back-to-back Mile winner, finished fifth, a neck back of Top Executive, while Southern California shipper Majestic Eagle finished sixth. Torpedo Away, Spittin Image, Unmachable, Kingmeister, Hard to Deny, and Huge Bigly completed the order of finish.
The Mile restored some sense of normalcy after wild upsets in the Washington Oaks, Emerald Distaff, and Muckleshoot Derby in which the $2 win prices were $45, $49, and $115.60. The $0.50 all stakes Pick 4 paid a track record $67,847.05 to one winning ticket.
NOTES: Total mutuel handle was $3,205,784 on a 10-race card–second largest in track history exceeded only by $3,250,016 on the 2011 Longacres Mile card. The largest handle in state history is $3,339,087 on Sept. 21, 1992, the final day in Longacres history. . .You're the Cause at $115.60 in the Muckleshoot Derby produced the second biggest $2 win price in Emerald Downs stakes history, topped only by No Giveaway's $122 windfall in the 2005 Longacres Mile. . .The $1 daily double from Zippin Sevenz ($49) to You're the Cause paid a track record $3,268.90. . .Complicate ($13.20) scored in the $40,000 John Parker Racing Purse, which pretty much was a Longacres Mile consolation race for 3-year-olds and up. Ridden by Jose Zunino, 4-year-old Complicate ran a mile in 1:35.77 for trainer Ken Person and owner Missed the Boat Stable. . . Red Noon Rising ($4.60) won the Mark Kaufman Memorial Purse honoring the longtime publicity director at Longacres who passed away in 1995 and whom the Emerald Downs' media center was named after. . .Alex Cruz, Kevin Radke, and Zunino rode two winners each Sunday. . .Tom Wenzel and Jeff Metz led trainers with two wins apiece. . .Live racing resumes Friday with first post 7 p.m. and features a $28,927 carryover in the $0.50 Pick 5.
The post Washington-Bred Slew’s Tiz Whiz Takes Longacres Mile appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
