Chickasaw park returns to winner’s circle at Emerald Downs | Horse Racing

Chickasaw Park was back in familiar territory Friday evening at Emerald Downs. That would be the winner’s circle, where the 8-year-old gelding ventured for the 12th time in a remarkable career that includes a win and two seconds in the last three runnings of the Chinook Pass Sprint. With leading rider Ricky Frazier aboard, Chickasaw Park turned back Honour the West and posted a half-length victory in the $10,000 Griffin Place Purse for older horses at Emerald Downs. It was 1 ¼-lengths back to Ernie Owl, the 2-to-5 betting favorite, who settled for third-place in the field of five older horses.

July 17, 2010 1:12 am

Chickasaw Park was back in familiar territory Friday evening at Emerald Downs.

That would be the winner’s circle, where the 8-year-old gelding ventured for the 12th time in a remarkable career that includes a win and two seconds in the last three runnings of the Chinook Pass Sprint.

With leading rider Ricky Frazier aboard, Chickasaw Park turned back Honour the West and posted a half-length victory in the $10,000 Griffin Place Purse for older horses at Emerald Downs. It was 1 ¼-lengths back to Ernie Owl, the 2-to-5 betting favorite, who settled for third-place in the field of five older horses.

Chickasaw Park ran 6 ½ furlongs in 1 minute, 15 seconds on a fast track and paid $14.40, $5.20 and $2.60.

Honour the West, ridden by Kevin Krigger, dueled with the winner the length of the stretch, leading past the eighth pole, but gave way late to finish second. Honour the West paid $4.80 and $2.20.

Ernie Owl, Anne Von Rosen riding, chased Chickasaw Park and Honour the West from the opening bell, but failed to make an impact in the lane and paid $2.10 to show. The 5-year-old Kentucky-bred gelding by Tale of the Cat was claimed for $10,000 by trainer Charles Essex for owner John Chase.

Chickasaw Park has compiled a 12-11-4 mark from 49 starts with $189,929 in earnings for owners Ed Zenker, Swede Larsen and H. R. Pat Mullens. Mullens also is the trainer.

Chickasaw Park is only the 13th horse to win 12 races at Emerald Downs. He needs four more wins to equal the track record of 16 wins shared by West Seattle Boy, Bob Stories and Market Master.

News and Notes

• The top two female riders in track history both rode winners Friday evening, as Jennifer Whitaker posted an 11-to-1 victory on Cyber Bell in the sixth race and Deborah Hoonan-Trujillo posted victories aboard favorites My Thistle ($4.60) in the fourth and Polish Dollar ($3.40) in the eighth. Whitaker has 362 career wins at Emerald Downs while Hoonan-Trujillo has 285 wins. Hoonan-Trujillo is having the better 2010 meet with 23 wins to Whitaker’s nine.

• Polish Dollar became the meet’s first four-time winner with a two-length victory in the nightcap for trainer and co-owner Brad Varner. Hoonan-Trujillo has been up for all four victories on the 4-year-old Polish Gift gelding.

• Washington-bred Dianne Do, a John Roche-owned daughter of Slewdledo that began her career at Emerald Downs last summer, is 3-to-1 on the morning line in Saturday’s $75,000 California State Fair Sprint at Sacramento.

• Live racing continues Saturday with first post at 1 p.m.