For the Mirror
As expected, Wasserman cleaned up when Emerald Downs announced its list of 2008 award winners Sunday as the curtain came down on the horse-racing track’s 91-day meeting.
Wasserman was voted Horse of the Meeting, Top Washington-bred, Top Older Horse and Top Sprinter. In addition, Jennifer Whitaker, Wasserman’s regular rider, was voted Top Riding Achievement for becoming the first woman to win the $300,000 Longacres Mile, and the 73rd running of the Grade III classic was voted Race of the Meeting.
Members of the media, Emerald Downs officials and racing office personnel, voted the year-end awards.
A 6-year-old, Wasserman won five of eight starts, including a record-tying four stakes races, and ran the fastest time at four different distances. The capstone, of course, was his thrilling neck victory in the Longacres Mile. For the season, Wasserman earned $245,478 for owner/trainer Howard Belvoir — second most in track history — and now is the all-time leading earner at Emerald Downs with $422,412.
Wasserman was the second straight Washington-bred to win the Longacres Mile and Horse of the Meeting honors, following in the footsteps of The Great Face in 2007.
Trainer Tim McCanna also received multiple honors. In winning his eighth training title in 13 years, the 46-year-old Spokane native outdid himself with a record 66 wins, which was 11 better than his own previous record set in 2000 and 2003. His record-setting campaign was voted Top Training Achievement.
Seth Martinez, riding in Auburn for the first time, captured a hard-fought riding title with 122 wins, five better than two-time defending champion Ricky Frazier, whose 117 victories were most ever by a runner-up. Martinez, a 29-year-old New Mexico native, tied a track record with six victories on July 27, and he won the riding title despite missing the first 18 days of the meeting.
Gallant Son, winner of three stakes races, including a six-length triumph in the Gottstein Futurity, was the solid choice as Top Juvenile, and the colt’s owners – Chris and Dianna Randall of Bellevue – were the meet’s leading owners with 15 wins and also ranked first in earnings with $365,457.
Top Juvenile Filly honors went to Ladyledue, a Washington-bred who won both her starts — the Diane Kem and Knights Choice stakes — by a combined 12 ¾-lengths.
Doris Harwood once again led the trainers with seven stakes wins. Northwest Farms’ Shampoo, trained by Harwood, was voted Top Older Filly or Mare after a consistent season in which the filly won the Boeing Handicap.
The $100,000 Emerald Derby was another memorable race as Gallon and Thiscatsgotcharm battled head-and-head through an elongated stretch drive that included several bumps. Thiscatsgotcharm won the photo, but Gallon was awarded the victory via disqualification, and it capped a fine overall season that also included a victory in the Tacoma Handicap. Gallon was voted Top 3-Year-Old for trainer Jim Penney and owners Mike and Amy Feuerborn of Maple Valley.
Doris Konecny’s Enumclaw Girl, winner of the Irish Day Handicap and U.S. Bank Stakes, got the nod as top 3-year-old filly.
Top Claiming Horse was an extremely tough category as there were two five-time winners and a slew of four-time winners at the meet. Clair Annette, an exceptionally fast Washington-bred by Beau Genius, took down honors for trainer Connie Boslaugh and owner/breeder Nina Egbert. The 5-year-old mare lost her season debut, but that was the only time she trailed a horse all season. Clair Annette won her next four starts in gate-to-wire fashion.
Emerald Downs’ 2008 season honors:
Award Winner
Horse of the Meeting Wasserman (unanimous)
Top WA-bred Wasserman (unanimous)
Top Older Horse Wasserman (unanimous)
Top Older Filly or Mare Shampoo
Top 3-year-old Male Gallon
Top 3-year-old Filly Enumclaw Girl
Top Sprinter Wasserman
Top Claimer Clair Annette
Top Juvenile Male Gallant Son
Top Juvenile Filly Ladyledue
Race of the Meeting The Longacres Mile
Top Training Achievement Tim McCanna (66 wins-record)
Top Riding Achievement Jennifer Whitaker (Lga Mile)
Martin Durkan Award Roy Lumm
Lindy Award Travis Cunningham
Leading Rider Seth Martinez (122 wins)
Leading Trainer Tim McCanna (66 wins)
Leading Owner Chris & Dianna Randall (15 wins)
