Sweet Nellie Brown, the lone sophomore in the field, rolled to a three-length victory Sunday in the $18,000 Washington’s Lottery Purse for older fillies and mares at Emerald Downs.
With Francisco Duran riding, Sweet Nellie Brown ran six furlongs in 1:09 4/5 on a fast track and paid $4.40, $2.80 and $2.10.
Jim Penney—now just two victories shy of 500 at Emerald Downs—is the trainer for owners James and Zola Proffitt and Joanne Covert.
Perfect Finish edged out Ghost Tree for second place in the field of five. Ridden by Jennifer Whitaker, Perfect Finish paid $3.80 and $2.20. Ghost Tree, Deborah Hoonan Trujillo riding, finished third and paid $2.10. Yonnie Creek finished fourth and Oneknightledo, the early leader, faded to finish fifth. Cliff’s Secret and We Got You Babe were scratched.
A Washington-bred by Cape Canaveral out of the Demons Begone mare Brown, Sweet Nellie Brown made an auspicious debut last year with a 17 ¼-length victory in a meet-fastest :51 for 4 ½ furlongs. Although winless in five subsequent starts—which included three seconds and a third—Sweet Nellie Brown ran well against the track’s top 3-year-old fillies.
Facing older horses Sunday, Sweet Nellie Brown stalked Oneknightledo through fractions of :22 3/5 and :45 2/5, gained the lead at the quarter-pole, drew three lengths clear into the lane, and held sway to the wire. The $9,900 first prize bumped her bankroll to $32,360.
NOTES: In one of the day’s most exciting races, 5-year-old Kentucky-bred Way Too Much ($4.20) re-rallied inside under Ricky Frazier—a move Frazier has patented at the meet—for a nose victory over Bijou Barrister, denying the latter gelding his fifth win of the season…Way too Much became the seventh four-time winner at the meeting (Noosa Beach is the only horse with five wins) and improved to 8-for-19 at Emerald Downs…The hard-hitting 8-year-old Youhadyourchance ($4) also became a four-time winner at the meet for trainer Mark Rheinford with a 1 ¼length victory under Inoel Beato in the seventh race. The Kentucky-bred gelding, now 9-for-21 at Emerald Downs, was claimed by trainer Robbie Baze for owner R B Thoroughbreds…Jockey Deborah Hoonan-Trujillo rode her 300th winner at Emerald Downs on Memories Forever ($3.60) in the 10th race. She became the 13th rider and only the second female to achieve the milestone…Beato was the lone jockey with two winners on the 10-race card…Hard Way Ten, owned by Herman Sarkowsky, finished second at 25-to-1 odds in Sunday’s $100,000 Torrey Pines Stakes for 3-year-olds fillies at Del Mar. Switch ($3.80) was the winner under Joel Rosario… Live racing continues Monday with special holiday racing on Labor Day. First post is 2 p.m.
