Emerald Downs | Horse Racing Free Tips

Jockey Akifumi Kato Celebrates 50 Years Of Winners On His 69th Birthday

Veteran reinsman Akifumi Kato celebrated a unique milestone on Thursday at Turf Paradise in Phoenix, Ariz., the afternoon of his 69th birthday. Kato won the day's fifth race aboard She's A Lady Griz, trained by his daughter, Kaylyn Kato, marking the 50th consecutive year the jockey has recorded a victory in the saddle.

Kato, son of a Japanese jockey turned trainer, was born in Osaka, Japan in 1952. His first winner came at the Ferndale Fair in California, but he rode primarily at Playfair in Spokane, Wash., where he was the all-time leader with 1,104 victories, including two riding titles and four victories in the Playfair Mile.

Kato is the only active jockey to have won a race at the four major Washington tracks past and present—Longacres, Playfair, Yakima Meadows and Emerald Downs.

Kato has won a total of 2,034 races from 19,982 starts, according to Equibase, earning $6,359,385.

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Northwest Star Barkley Retired To El Dorado Farms In Washington

Barkley, one of the top runners at Emerald Downs over the past half-decade, has been retired from racing, and he will enter stud at El Dorado Farms in Enumclaw, Wash., for the 2021 breeding season. He will stand for an advertised fee of $2,000.

The 7-year-old son of Munnings retires with 10 wins in 20 starts for earnings of $368,425.

Barkley won his first six career starts – three of them in stakes competition – and he never finished worse than fourth until his final start. His career highlight came in the Grade 3 Longacres Mile Handicap in 2018, when he drew off in the stretch to win by 1 1/2 lengths.

Barkley was trained by Howard Belvoir for owner Rising Star Stable.

Bred in Kentucky by Candy Meadows, Barkley is the first foal out of the unraced Medaglia d'Oro mare Numero d'Oro, who has since had a Frosted colt bring $250,000 as a yearling in 2019, and a Practical Joke colt bring $525,000 earlier this year. His second dam is the multiple Grade 2-placed stakes winner Numero Uno.

El Dorado Farms will offer a discount to breeders booking multiple mares to Barkley.

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Dutton Voted 2020’s Horse Of The Meet At Emerald Downs

Dutton, undefeated in three starts including two stakes, was voted the 2020 Emerald Downs Horse of the Meeting.

Trained by Howard Belvoir and ridden by Jennifer Whitaker, Dutton notched victories in the Gottstein Futurity and WTBOA Lads Stakes and finished the campaign three for three with a meet-leading $71,500 for Rising Star Stable VIII.

A Washington-bred by Noosito, Dutton debuted Aug. 27 with an overwhelming 9-length victory in the WTBOA Lads at 6 ½ furlongs, followed by a 14-length triumph against allowance foes at 6 furlongs. In the Gottstein, Dutton was racing head and head with Coastal Kid when the latter ducked out sharply, allowing Dutton to cruise home by 2 ¼ lengths in 1:43.15 for a mile and one-sixteenth.

In addition to Horse of the Meeting, Dutton was honored as the meet's Top Washington-Bred. He is the 16th Washington-bred in 25 seasons to win Horse of the Meeting and joins Name for Norm (1996) as the only 2-year-olds to win the honor.

Alittlelesstalk and Unmachable also received votes for Horse of the Meeting and Top Washington-Bred. In fact, all three finished with two stakes wins and an allowance victory on their resumes.

Alittlelesstalk (4-3-1-0-$63,550) won races short and long, dominating the Emerald Distaff and prevailing in the Washington Cup Filly and Mare Stakes along with an early-season allowance dash. A daughter of 2004 Washington Horse of the Year Demon Warlock trained by Roddina Barrett, Alittlelesstalk was unanimously voted Top Older Filly or Mare. In 2019 she was voted Top 3-Year-Old Filly, and her overall Emerald Downs' record s 7-4-0 in 14 starts for owners Tim Floyd, Kelly Dougan and Barrett.

Unmachable (5-3-1-1-$65,225) also was versatile, winning the Seattle Slew Stakes at 6 ½ furlongs and Muckleshoot Tribal Classic vs. older horses at a mile and one-sixteenth. Trained by Jack McCartney for owner Tawnja Elison, the son of Macho Uno was voted Top 3-Year-Old Male.

Trainer Frank Lucarelli and owners Chad Christensen & Josh McKee enjoyed a smashing season with Elliott Bay, voted Top Older Horse and Top Sprinter, and Time for Gold, voted Top 2-Year-Old Filly for dominating victories in the Angie C Stakes and Barbara Shinpoch Stakes.

Daffodil Sweet, trained by Chris Stenslie and owned by Jody Peetz and Steve Shimizu, scored three victories including a score in the Coca-Cola Stakes and was voted Top 3-Year-Old Filly.

Omache Kid, the only horse to win four races, was voted Top Claimer.

Alex Cruz captured the riding title with 72 wins, 20 more than runner-up Juan Gutierrez, capping his inaugural Emerald Downs' season with five wins on closing night. Cruz also rode at least one winner the final 25 days of the season (Aug. 6 to Oct. 29).

Lucarelli won his second straight training title and seventh overall while Christensen, his main client, repeated as the track's leading owner. Lucarelli saddled 42 winners in 38 days while Christensen, who raced horses in partnership with McKee, topped the owners' standings with 24 wins.

Gutierrez was voted Top Riding Achievement for overtaking Gallyn Mitchell as Emerald Downs' all-time leading jockey. Historic victory No. 1,420 came aboard 5-year-old mare Stay in Grace on Oct. 14.

The Longacres Mile, in which the Blaine Wright-trained Anothertwistafate returned from a 16-month layoff to dominate by 4 ¼-lengths, was voted Race of the Meeting.

Nick Lowe was the leading Quarter Horse trainer for a second consecutive season and swept all three stakes Aug. 20.

Trainers Jorge Rosales and Sharon Ross received the Martin Durkan Award for leadership, cooperation and sportsmanship, while Cerapio Figueroa was voted the Lindy Award by his fellow riders for accomplishment and sportsmanship throughout the meeting.

Other awards included Stephanie Fiorito being named 2020 Exercise Rider of the Year and Taylor Brady being chosen as Jockeys Valet of the Year.

Harbor the Gold was the leading stallion for the seventh straight year and ninth in the last 10, and surpassed Slewdledo as Emerald Downs' all-time leading sire.

Emerald Downs 2020 Season Honors
Horse of the Meeting: Dutton (WA)
Top Washington-bred: Dutton
Top Older Horse: Elliott Bay (WA)
Top Sprinter: Elliott Bay (WA)
Top Older Filly or Mare: Alittlelesstalk (WA)
Top 3-Year-Old Male: Unmachable (WA)
Top 3-Year-Old Filly: Daffodil Sweet (CA)
Top 2-Year-Old Male: Dutton (WA)
Top 2-Year-Old Filly: Time for Gold (WA)
Top Claimer: Omache Kid (WA)
Race of the Meeting: Longacres Mile
Leading Jockey Wins: Alex Cruz (72)
Leading Jockey Stakes Wins: Juan Gutierrez (4), Eddie Martinez (4)
Leading Trainer: Frank Lucarelli (42)
Leading Trainer Stakes Wins: Frank Lucarelli (5)
Leading Owner: Chad & Josh (24)
Leading Horse Wins: Omache Kid (4)
Leading Horse Stakes Wins: Alittlelesstalk (2), Dutton (2), Time for Gold (2), Unmachable (2)
Leading QH Trainer Wins: Nick Lowe (3)
Top Riding Achievement: Juan Gutierrez becomes No. 1 all-time
Top Training Achievement: Frank Lucarelli wins second straight title and seventh overall, also leading stakes trainer
Leading Apprentice: Joree Scriver (4)
Durkan Award: Sharon Ross, Jose Rosales
Lindy Award: Cerapio Figueroa
Jockeys Valet of the Year: Taylor Brady
Exercise Rider of the Year: Stephanie Fiorito
Leading Sire Wins: Harbor the Gold (38)

Emerald Downs Horse of the Meeting
2020-Dutton (WA)
2019-Anyportinastorm (FL)
2018-Sippin Fire (WA)
2017-Mach One Rules (WA)
2016-O B Harbor (ORE)
2015-Stryker Phd (WA)
2014-Stryker Phd (WA)
2013-Herbie D (BC)
2012-Class Included (KY)
2011-Noosa Beach (WA)
2010-Noosa Beach (WA)
2009-Assessment (KY)
2008-Wasserman (WA)
2007-The Great Face (WA)
2006-Flamethrowintexan (FL)
2005-No Giveaway (WA)
2004-Demon Warlock (WA)
2003-Youcan'ttakeme (WA)
2002-Flying Notes (KY)
2001-Makors Mark (WA)
2000-Edneator (WA)
1999-No Curfew (WA)
1998-Wild Wonder (KY)
1997-Kid Katabatic (BC)
1996-Name for Norm (WA)

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Emerald Downs Concludes 2020 Season With Record Average Daily Handle

Emerald Downs concluded its 38-day 2020 racing season with record average daily handle. The track's 25th season was conducted with strict COVID protocols and without spectators.

Daily wagering averaged $1,796,475, a 61 percent increase over last year's average. Most of the wagering came from internet and mobile site customers located throughout the United States and Canada.

Track president Phil Ziegler reported there were no positive COVID cases: “We want to thank all our stakeholders for working together safely. We had unprecedented challenges not only at the track but in all aspects of our lives. We were the first professional sport to return in the state of Washington and through everyone's efforts we were able to put on a healthy and successful meet.”

Good health was not limited to the human participants. Over the 391 races conducted there were zero catastrophic breakdowns from the 2,895 starters.

On the track accomplishments included trainer Blaine Wright winning his first Longacres Mile with Anothertwistafate, Frank Lucarelli winning his 7th training title with 42 wins and Alex Cruz taking the jockey title with 72 wins in his first season at Emerald Downs.

2020 Season Timeline

• Barn area and training begins February 1. Opening Day scheduled for April 18.

• Stay at Home order issued on March 16. Only essential workers permitted in stable area as training and horse care continued. Opening Day delayed indefinitely.

• Approvals to run live racing (and other professional sports) posted by Governor's office on June 5.

• Washington Horse Racing Commission approves revised dates. Opening Day set for June 24 with racing Wednesdays and Thursdays without fans.

• June 24 – Opening Day. Horse Racing becomes the first professional sport to return in Washington.

• Longacres Mile is run on Thursday September 10th marking the first weekday running and the first time run under the lights.

• The 38 Day Race Meet concludes on Thursday, October 29.

Emerald Downs is located right off Highway 167 in Auburn, WA.

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