Rossi Reserve loves to win races and the 3-year-old filly refused to lose Saturday at Emerald Downs.
With Leslie Mawing aboard, Rossi Reserve overhauled a loose-on-the-lead Coatofmanycolors in the final strides for a half-length victory in the $13,800 Red Hat Day at the Races feature for sophomore fillies.
Rossi Reserve ran 5-½ furlongs in 1:03.61 on a fast track, and paid $4.80, $3 and $2.40. Tom Wenzel—saddling his third winner on the eight-race card—is the trainer for owner Jerre Paxton (Northwest Farms) of Yakima.
Coatofmanycolors sprinted clear immediately, setting fractions of :21.60, :44.89 and :57.13, and she appeared headed for a gate-to-wire victory. But the Harbor the Gold filly tired just a tad, and she was unable to hold off Rossi Reserve in the closing strides. Ridden by Robert Skelly, Coatofmanycolors paid $3.60 and $2.80
It was 4-½ lengths back to Fairaway, the longest shot on the board at 8-to-1, and a $3.40 show payoff. Wings of Pegasus and Tasya completed the order of finish.
A Kentucky-bred by Eddington-Strong Credentials, Rossi Reserve is three-for-four this season and four-for-eight overall with earnings of $36,340.
Earlier on the card, Northwest Farms and Wenzel unveiled another exciting prospect as first-time starter Exclusive Diva ($6.80) survived an early pace duel with Hardbody and scampered clear for a 3-½-length victory in :57.60 for five furlongs. Also trained by Wenzel, the winner is a Kentucky-bred filly by Bernardini out of the multiple stakes-winner Puxa Saco.
Wenzel has been red-hot all meet with 16 wins in 46 starts for a 34.7 win percentage—the highest strike rate of any trainer in the top 20. Northwest Farms, meanwhile, owns or co-owns four of the top 20 money-earning horses at the meet: Elusive Noise, $51,930, 2nd; Rossi Reserve, $25,065, 8th; Rainier Ice, $20,745, 15th; and Seattle Sniper, $19,690, 18th.
Wenzel’s other victory Saturday was by first-time starter Pure Artistry ($9.20) in the second race. The 3-year-old Washington-bred by Mingun scored by 1-¾ lengths under jockey Pedro Terrero for owner-breeder Karl Krieg III.
NOTES: Juan Gutierrez rode three winners and ranks third both in the season standings with 47 wins and in all-time Emerald Downs wins with 825…Mawing rode two winners and extended his lead to 56-52 over Joe Crispin.
Trainer Chris Stenslie also had two wins including first-time starter Ferociously, a $25,000 Free At Last colt that produced the day’s biggest $2 win mutuel at $14.20. Like Wenzel, Stenslie also is enjoying a terrific meet with a 16-for-59 mark (27.1 percent).
LIve racing continues Sunday at 2:15 p.m. The nine-race card marks the half-way point of the 82-day season.
The Tim McCanna-trained Rooster City is 8-to-1 on the morning line Sunday in the $50,000 Sam J. Whiting Handicap for 3-year-olds and up on closing day at the Alameda County Fair. In Pleasanton, Calif.
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