Tasya took the early lead and turned aside Stolen Forum late for a 4-½ length victory Thursday in the $8,700 Ashbaugh Beal Purse for 3-year-old fillies at Emerald Downs.
Nicely handled by jockey Juan Gutierrez, Tasya ran six furlongs in 1:09.79 on a fast track and paid $3.20, $2.20 and $2.10. Tom Wenzel is the trainer for Jerre Paxton’s Northwest Farms LLC.
Stolen Forum, ridden by Leslie Mawing, challenged Tasya in mid-stretch, but was unable to sustain the bid and finished second. The runner-up paid $2.80 and $2.60.
Hurry Home Honey, with Leonel Camacho-Flores riding, was two lengths farther back in third and paid $3.40.
Shumka’s Lullaby, Legendary Madame and Many Little Kisses completed the order of finish.
Taking a big drop in class, Tasya took advantage a favorable pace scenario, leading through fractions of :22.50, :45.36 and :57.38. She entered the stretch with a 2-½-length advantage, and then repelled a challenge by Stolen Forum a furlong from the wire.
Second in a pair of $25,000 optional claimers earlier in the meeting, Tasya was racing for a career-low $7,500 claiming price Thursday. The easier competition worked, and she wasn’t claimed either.
Both Wenzel and Northwest Farms are enjoying excellent meetings. Wenzel is 19-for-59 (32.2 percent) with a stakes victory and eight feature race wins. Northwest Farms is 7-2-2 in 14 starts.
NOTES: Gutierrez rode two winners and is third in the Thoroughbred standings with 61 wins. He also is No. 3 all-time with 839 wins at Emerald Downs…Gutierrez and trainer Howard Belvoir teamed with Platinum Katillac ($4.20) to win the nightcap.
Belvoir leads the Thoroughbred trainers’ standings 34-28 over Tim McCanna…McCanna saddled his 798 winner at Emerald Downs as Soul Patch ($6.20) edged Bar Room Gal by a head in the sixth race.
With nine horses entered this weekend, McCanna has a good chance to become the first trainer in track history with 800 wins.
Pedro Terrero also rode two winners Thursday.
Leading rider Leslie Mawing was blanked for only the second time in 19 days but still owns a 70-62 lead over Joe Crispin in the Thoroughbred standings.
The rugged 7-year-old mare Sicy ($6) scored her second straight victory under Terrero in the fifth race. Owned and trained by Neil Knapp, Sicy has a 10-11-2 record in 29 career starts.
Quarter Horse racing, absent since June 11, returns Sunday with a 300-yard allowance test in the opener on the 10-race card…Live racing continues Friday with first post at 6:15 p.m.
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