Final furlong

Broke his maiden after a nearly 13-month layoff in a local 6 1/2-furlong claiming contest on June 18, turned in three bullet works over the Santa Anita Park training track following that race in preparation for his third lifetime start. Partnered again with jockey Martin Pedroza and installed at odds of 2-1 for the 6 1/2-furlong starter allowance, Adam Suances stalked the pacesetter through the opening half-mile from a running position along the rail, gained the advantage in midstretch and pulled away to a 1 1/4-length victory in 1:16.06.Adam Suances collected $19,140 for the effort to push his total earnings to $31,440. He was bred in California by his owner, Red Baron’s Barn, and produced by Carbon Copy (GB), a winning daughter of Pivotal (GB).A Group 1 winner in France and Grade 2 winner in the United States, Suances currently holds court at Rancho Temescal in Piru. The 12-year-old Most Welcome (GB) sire is credited with progeny earnings of $241,320 from two crops to race, led by the Grade 2-placed stakes winner Feisty Suances. — July 11, 2009 Harbor the Gold represented by runaway debut winnerHarbor the Gold solidified his status as Oregon’s current leading sire of 2-year-olds on July 10, when he became the state’s only stallion to be represented by two juvenile winners of 2009. Each of the successful starters from his 2007 foal crop won at first asking.Like his counterpart Koala Beach, who broke his maiden on June 28, the first-time starter Fisher Creek controlled the proceedings in his own five-furlong debut at Emerald Downs 12 days later. Saddled by trainer Tim McCanna and ridden by jockey Seth Martinez, the gelding grabbed an immediate lead as the 2-1 wagering favorite and carved fractions of :22.20 and :45.40 for the first half-mile of the $20,000 maiden claiming test, increasing his advantage over the hapless eight-horse field with every stride.The Washington-bred runner, who entered the race off a bullet five-furlong work at the track on July 4, reached the wire five lengths ahead of his nearest competitor in a final time of :57.40. He earned $6,572 for his owner,

Is Kentucky Derby runner-up Epicenter a cinch to win this Saturday’s 147th running of the $1.65 million Preakness Stakes at Baltimore’s Pimlico Race Course?A lot of people think so. Hence, appropriately, Epicenter has been pegged as the strong 6-5 favorite on Keith Feustle’s morning line for the 1 3/16-mile middle jewel in the sport’s Triple Crown.It is known even before the Preakness is run that there will be no Triple Crown winner this year. Rich Strike, dismissed by the bettors at 80-1 in the Kentucky Derby, registered the second-biggest upset in the race’s history. After single-handedly killing a ton of mutuel tickets at Churchill Downs on May 7, Rich Strike is skipping the Preakness to await the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes on June 11.I totally get all the love for Epicenter. Even though he did not win the 1 1/4-mile Kentucky Derby, Epicenter ran a heckuva race in defeat as the 4-1 favorite. He also received quite a heady ride by 2021 Eclipse Award-winning jockey Joel Rosario.Prior to the Kentucky Derby, Epicenter had never been farther back than third early in his six career starts. But Rosario wisely allowed Epicenter to be eighth at the finish line the first time (or a quarter-mile after the start) in the Run for the Roses. Why was that such a smart move on the part of Rosario? Because any horse closer than eighth to the ridiculously fast early pace paid the price and finished up the track. The opening quarter-mile fraction of :21.78 was the fastest in the 148-year history of the Kentucky Derby. The first half in :45.36 also was scorching.The seven horses in front of Epicenter at the first quarter would go on to finish no better than 10th. Check out where those first seven horses at the opening quarter all finished:Position at First 1/4 Finish1 202 133 104 155 186 127 17Now check out where the first seven horses across the finish line were at the first quarter:Finish Position at First Quarter1 172 83 134 155 196 207 148 99 16A furlong from the finish, it appeared that the 2022 Kentucky Derby winner was going to be either Epicenter or Zandon. Epicenter was leading by one length at that point. Zandon was second, three lengths in front of gigantic longshot Rich Strike.History was on Epicenter and Zandon’s side. That’s because by being one-two a furlong from the finish, they were where 56 of the last 59 Kentucky Derby winners prior to this year had been at that point in the race.But Rich Strike, who had been far back early in the field of 20, generated a powerful closing kick by running his final quarter in :24 and change to win by three-quarters of a length.Epicenter did everything he was supposed to do other than defeat Rich Strike. Epicenter finished second by stubbornly holding off Zandon throughout the final furlong. But instead of trainer Steve Asmussen finally getting the monkey off his back with his first Kentucky Derby victory, the Hall

When he crushed an eight-horse field at Emerald Downs on August 6 in only his third lifetime start.The 2-year-old gelding broke on top and led at every call of the 5 1/2-furlong dash, setting internal fractions of :22.40, :46 and :58.20 before he carried jockey Gallyn Mitchell across the wire in a final time of 1:04.60. In the end, his closest rival only managed to get within 6 1/2 lengths of his back heels to secure the place; it was another 5 1/2 lengths back to the third-place finisher.A front-running winner at 4 1/2 furlongs in his local June 6 career debut, Private Jettz stepped immediately into stakes company for his next start: the Northwest Stallion Strong Ruler Stakes on July 18. He did not get to the lead in that 5 1/2-furlong race, and finished an even fourth. For his third outing, he relished the drop to $12,500 claiming company and pocketed a $5,445 winner’s check for trainer Blaine Wright and owners John and Janene Maryanski, who bred the youngster in Washington.To date, Private Jettz has earned $12,465. He is the second foal out of the two-time winner Freedom in Flight, by Free At Last.Graded stakes-placed Private Gold won three races, including a pair of stakes events in Kentucky, and now stands at El Dorado Farms in Enumclaw, Washington. The 9-year-old son of Seeking the Gold has 10 winners from his first two crops of racing age. — August 6, 2009 Washington champ nabs stakes placing for Harbor the GoldThe 2008 Washington Champion 2-Year-Old Colt/Gelding Noosa Beach, a son of Oregon’s leading second-crop sire, Harbor the Gold, added to his lofty credentials on August 2 with his runner-up finish in the $50,000 Seattle Slew Handicap for sophomores at Emerald Downs. [WATCH RACE VIDEO]Racing as a homebred for owner Jeff Harwood and his wife, trainer Doris Harwood, Noosa Beach has made all eight of his career starts at the Washington oval, where he has compiled a record of four wins and three placings and a $113,125 bankroll. He has competed exclusively in stakes company since he broke his maiden by