Always Enuff ran like a filly with a big future Saturday at Emerald Downs.
In one of the sharpest performances of the three-day-old meeting, Always Enuff debuted with an eye-catching 10-length victory in the $18,500 maiden special weight event for 3-year-old fillies.
Ridden by Eswan Flores for trainer Tm McCanna and owner Ten Broeck Farm, the daughter of Tiz Wonderful-Witchy Meeting ran 5½ furlongs in 1:04.25 and paid $9.60 to win.
Bred in Washington by Patricia Murphy and Rick and Debbie Pabst, Always Enuff sold for $77,000 at the 2015 Washington Summer Yearling & Mixed Sale, which was the second highest of 78 horses sold.
Breaking from the outside of a seven-horse field, Always Enuff showed good speed to lead through fractions of :22.62 and :46.05, shook off Gotham’s Ballerina into the lane and drew off steadily to win by double digits. Grace Bay, the 7-to-5 betting favorite, finished second and Racy Rascal finished third.
Racy Rascal, incidentally, was the $80,000 sales topper at the 2015 Washington Summer Yearling & Mixed Sale.
Notes
Jockey Rocco Bowen, trainer Charles Essex and owner Dr. Dean Essex swept Saturday’s early double with victories by Zoombadaboom ($8) and first-time starter Gazing ($8.40). … Gazing, a Harbor the Gold filly co-owned by Essex and Michael Pattison, debuted with a 2½-length victory in :59.08 for five furlongs and was claimed for $15,000 by owner Bill Sandeman and trainer Terry Gillihan. … Bowen tops the standings with five wins – two Saturday and three last Sunday. … For Tim McCanna, Always Enuff’s victory was his first of the season and track record 921st at Emerald Downs. … Frank Lucarelli ranks No. 2 with 876 EmD wins, including a victory by Hunters Vow ($4.60) in Saturday’s sixth race. … Seattle native Natasha Coddington notched her first win of the season aboard Miss Nikki J ($7.60) in race five for owner/trainer Jaqueline Smith. Coddington rode 15 winners here in 2015 but spent last summer riding at Canterbury Park. … Trainer Jack Steiner, brother of jockey Joe Steiner, enjoyed a big day at Golden Gate Fields with back-to-back winners including a one-two finish by Omdurman and Outthink’em in race three. … Live racing continues Sunday with a 10-race card at 2 p.m.
