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$200,000 LONGACRES MILE (G3) DRAWS 28 NOMINATIONS
INCLUDING AWESOME GEM, NOOSA BEACH
AUBURN, Wash. (Aug. 8, 2011) – Emerald Downs Director of
Racing Bret Anderson has released a list of 28*
nominations for the 76th running of the
$200,000 Longacres Mile (G3) on Sunday, Aug. 21.
That total represents an increase from both 2010 and
2009 when 22 and 25 horses, respectively, were nominated
to the Northwest’s most prestigious race.
The last three Mile winners—Noosa Beach, Assessment and
Wasserman—are part of a local contingent that looks to
score an unprecedented seventh straight Longacres Mile
victory.
Jeff Harwood’s Noosa Beach is undefeated this season,
the defending Longacres Mile champion, and could become
the first horse to win consecutive Miles since Emerald
Downs opened in 1996. The 5-year-old Washington-bred
gelding—14-for-20 lifetime with earnings of
$480,722—already is one of the greatest horses in state
history, ranking No. 1 all-time with 11 stakes wins at
Emerald Downs, including a powerful 1-½-length triumph
in the 2010 Mile.
Nine graded stakes winners are nominated topped by
West Point Thoroughbreds’ Awesome Gem, the hard-hitting
8-year-old Kentucky-bred whose lifetime earnings of
$2,578,270 would make him the richest runner ever to
compete in the State of Washington. Conditioned by
Southern California-based Craig Dollase, Awesome Gem is
familiar with Emerald Downs, having finished second to
Assessment as the 2.40-to1 betting favorite in the 2009
Mile. The veteran gelding continues to amass
frequent-flyer miles while racing at six different
tracks already in 2011. His most recent victory was a
one-length score in the 1-1/16-mile Lone Star Park
Handicap (G3) on Memorial Day.
Hall of Famers Bob Baffert and Jerry Hollendorfer—both
former Longacres Mile-winning trainers—are well
represented in 2011. Baffert nominated the Grade 2
winner Indian Firewater along with Spurrier, most
recently a fast-finishing third in the July 30 San Diego
Handicap (G2) at Del Mar.
Hollendorfer leads all trainers with four Mile
nominations including three imports: Dahoud (NZ), Honour
the Deputy, Our Nautique (NZ) and Whatsthescript (IRE).
Dahoud finished second twice this year in main-track
marathons at 1-½ miles—the Grade 2 San Luis Rey Handicap
at Santa Anita and the Grade 3 Cougar II Handicap at Del
Mar. Honour the Deputy is a lightly-raced 4-year-old
whose best race was a second in the Grade 3 Tokyo City
Handicap at Santa Anita, which also was run at 1-½
miles.
Australian import Our Nautique has developed into a
front-running terror while compiling a 6-3-2 record in
13 starts since joining the Hollendorfer stable last
year. The 6-year-old gelding has handled both turf and
synthetic, and scored a front running upset in the Grade
3 San Francisco Handicap at one mile on turf.
Whatsthescript has earned $994,064 in a 26-race career
that includes three graded stakes wins and third to
Goldikova in the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Mile.
Kevlar Kid, Run It and Price are all Southern
California-based runners trained by Carla Gaines, Tim
Yakteen and Howard Zucker. A 4-year-old Rock Hard Ten
gelding, Kevlar Kid has a 3-4-0 record in nine starts
and finished second in last week’s San Diego Handicap
(G2). Run It is a 5-year-old Cherokee Run horse that
upset Bold Chieftain in the 2010 Berkeley Handicap (G3)
and has run well in two recent comeback outings for
Yakteen. And Price, a 5-year-old Even the Score gelding,
has won three-of-six lifetime and gained notoriety by
winning the first race of the 2011 Del Mar meeting.
Canada, as usual, is well represented as five horses
based at Hastings Racecourse are nominated. St Liams
Halo has been the best of the bunch, winning both the
John Longden 6000 and
Lt. Governors' Handicap, and missing by a nose to Crew
Leader in the SW Randall Plate Handicap.
Jim Penney, trainer of a record five Mile winners,
nominated 2010 Oregon Horse of the Year Seven Torrents.
Trainer Tim McCanna, who will officially enter the
Washington Racing Hall of Fame the night before the
Longacres Mile, nominated Rooster City, stakes-placed
five times at Emerald Downs, and Saratoga Boot, the lone
Arkansas-bred on the list and upset winner of the 2010
Emerald Derby.
Progeny from seven states, one province and two overseas
countries are represented in the nominations. Kentucky-breds
lead the way with 12 nominations, followed by
Washington-breds with four, British Columbia-breds with
three and two apiece from Florida and New Zealand.
Slew the Man, winner of the 2010 Chinook Pass Stakes at
Emerald Downs, has run well this year in California,
Kentucky and Arkansas and just captured the 1-1/16-mile
Alamedan Handicap at Pleasanton.
Hollywood Harbor, like Noosa Beach, is a Washington-bred
gelding by Harbor the Gold and has been razor-sharp this
season for trainer Chris Stenslie. The 4-year-old most
recently zipped the meet’s fastest 6-½ furlongs,
1:13.80, while throttling allowance foes by 5-½
lengths.
Handicap weights will be announced Saturday, Aug. 13.
Entries will be taken Wednesday, Aug. 17, with high
weights preferred. The winner will receive $110,000.
*Pending late mail.
Nominations $200,000 Longacres Mile
(G3)-Sunday, Aug. 21
Nominee
Owner
Trainer
Almost Time
(5-BC) Swift Thoroughbreds
Inc. Dino Condilenios
Assessment
(7-KY) Tice Ranch
Stables Howard Belvoir
Awesome Gem
(8-KY) West Point
Thoroughbreds Craig Dollase
Cherokee Notion
(4-BC) Glen Todd & Patrick Kinsella
Troy Taylor
Crew Leader
(4-KY) Swift Thoroughbreds
Inc. Dino Condilenios
Dahoud
(5-NZ) Mrs. S.K. Johnston
Jr. Jerry Hollendorfer
Davos
(6-KY) Ron Crockett
Inc. Junior
Coffey
Don’twaitforme
(4-BC) Barry & Henrica Tyrer
Robert
VanOverschot
Hollywood Harbor
(4-WA) One Horse Will Do Corp. & Stenslie
Chris Stenslie
Honour the Deputy
(4-FLA) Barnett, Dedomenico, Hollendorfer & Todaro
Jerry Hollendorfer
Indian Firewater
(4-KY) Watson, Pegram & Weitman
Bob Baffert
J P Jammer
(5-CA) Clifford Dean
Street Karyn Seal
Kevlar Kid
(4-KY) Warren B.
Williamson
Carla Gaines
Noosa Beach
(5-WA) Jeff
Harwood
Doris Harwood
Our Minesweeper
(4-ID) David P.
Taylor Frank
Lucarelli
Our Nautique
(6-NZ) J. Hollendorfer & R. Tunnicliffe
Jerry Hollendorfer
Posse Power
(4-KY) David P. Taylor
Jr. Frank Lucarelli
Price
(5-KY) C.T. Grether
Inc. Howard
Zucker
Rooster City
(5-KY) Victor George Bahna
Jr. Tim McCanna
Run It
(5-KY) Mercedes Stables
LLC Tim Yakteen
Saratoga Boot
(4-ARK) Gary
Hughes
Tim McCanna
Seven Torrents
(4-ORE) Remmah Racing
Inc. Jim Penney
Slew the Man
(4-WA) Alan Klein & Philip Lebherz
Jeff Bonde
Spurrier
(6-KY) Arnold Zetcher
LLC Bob Baffert
St Liams Halo
(4-FLA) Glen Todd & Patrick Kinsella
Michael Puhich
Wasserman
(9-WA) Howard
Belvoir Howard
Belvoir
Whatsthescript
(7-IRE) Tommy Town Thoroughbreds
LLC Jerry Hollendorfer
Winning Machine (5-KY)
Fleur De Lis Stables
Frank Lucarelli
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