Late Affair opened a big lead early and held off Daymaker late for a head victory Saturday in the $21,000 Pepsi Purse for older fillies and mares at Emerald Downs.
Ridden by Pedro Terrero, Late Affair ran 6-½ furlongs in 1:15.83 on a fast track and paid $5.60, $3.60 and $2.80. Mike Puhich is the trainer for owners Glen Todd of Surrey, British Columbia and Patrick Kinsella of Surrey, BC.
Daymaker, with Frank Fuentes riding, surged late to just miss the victory, and paid $5.20 and $2.80.
Both the winner and runner-up are based at Hastings Racecourse in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Feeling Fancy, the 3-to-2 betting favorite, was 2-¼ lengths back in third place, and paid $2.20. Dream Sweeper and Maggie’s Special completed the order of finish.
Late Affair has now won four straight races and has a 4-1-1 in six lifetime starts, with earnings of $41,117. Saturday’s victory was worth $11,550.
A 4-year-old filly by Terrell, Late Affair won three straight at Hastings by a combined 20-¾ lengths, all on the front end. And that strategy worked again as Late Affair and Terrero rocketed to a four-length lead, setting fractions of :22.84, :45.24 and 1:09.37, and held by a diminishing head.
The winning trainer and owners combine with St Liams Halo in Sunday’s $200,000 Longacres Mile (G3), Emerald Downs’ marquee event in which defending champion Noosa Beach is the early 2-to-1 favorite. St Liams Halo, the top older horse this year in Vancouver, is 10-to-1 on the morning line.
Jockeys Gallyn Mitchell and Leslie Mawing dominated Saturday’s eight-race program with a combined five winners*three by Mitchell, two by Mawing*and Mitchell has the Mile mount aboard Noosa Beach.
Frank Lucarelli led the trainers with two wins, his second double in three days, and trimmed Howard Belvoir’s lead to 44-39 in the thoroughbred trainers’ standings.
NOTES: Jockey Juan Gutierrez sat out Saturday’s races with a sore left ankle but will be able to ride Sunday when his mounts include Assessment in the $200,000 Longacres Mile (G3) and Seven Torrents in the $30,000 allowance race. Second in the Thoroughbred jockey standings with 77 wins, Gutierrez was injured at the gate Friday while the horses were loading for the sixth race*Jockey Robert Skelly received a two -day suspension*Aug. 25-26*for causing interference aboard Olympic Lights in the eighth race Aug. 14. Olympic Lights finished first but was placed fourth*West Seattle Boy had a rare off-day Saturday, finishing seventh as the 6-to-5 favorite in the fifth race. It was career start No. 100 for Emerald Downs’ all-time leader in wins with 19*Live racing continues Sunday with the 76th running of the $200,000 Longacres Mile (G3). The 10-race program is scheduled to begin at 2:15 p.m.
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