For You My Heart wore down Tasya in the final strides for a one-length victory Saturday in the $17,600 Pierce County Employees Day Purse for 3-year-old fillies at Emerald Downs.
Urged home by jockey Javier Matias, For You My Heart ran six furlongs in 1:10.78 on a fast track and paid $8.80, $4.40 and $2.40. Vann Belvoir is the trainer for owner Coal Creek Farm, nom de course for Barbara Ratcliff of Bellevue.
A daughter of Kafwain-One for You bred in Kentucky by her owner, For You My Heart is unbeaten in two starts with earnings of $14,795. She had to call on all her reserves for the victory Saturday, chasing stable mates Tasya and Kids Kooler, as the Northwest Farms’ fillies were first and second into the lane.
Tasya was a length clear past mid-stretch, after fractions of :22.29 and :45.21, but the less experienced For You My Heart was resilient and reeled in Tasya for the triumph.
Tasya, ridden by Juan Gutierrez, was second and paid $4.60 and $2.40. The Successful Appeal filly has finished second in both starts this season, twice getting overtaken in the final yards.
Kids Kooler, the 7-10 betting favorite, was 3-¾ back in third place. Ridden by Gallyn Mitchell, Kids Kooler paid $2.10. Sunny Drive and She’s Only a Dream completed the order of finish.
NOTES: Washington-bred Atta Boy Roy finished second at odds of 13-1 in the $100,000 Aristides Handicap (G3) for older sprinters at Churchill Downs. Cash Refund ($5.20) was the winner by one length in 1:08.74 for six furlongs. Atta Boy Roy—who shares the Emerald Downs’ track and state record of 1:07 for six furlongs—earned $21,398 for finishing second, and became the eighth Washington-bred to surpass a half-million in career earnings with $511,414.
Congratulations to trainer Ryan Kenney for his first Emerald Downs victory. The son of trainer Dan Kenney achieved the milestone with first-time starter Karen’s Road Star ($5.40) for owner Seawind Stables LLC in the third race.
Not to be outdone, Dan Kenney came back in the fourth race to win with his first starter of the meeting, I Told You Twice ($3.60), a romping 5 ¼ -length winner also owned by Seawind Stables LLC…Touch the Sun ($6.40) notched the biggest margin of victory at the 24-day-old meeting while winning the seventh race by 13-¼ lengths under Joe Crispin.
Washington-bred Castinette Dancer ($4.40) captured the $50,000 Emerald Downs Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Hastings Racecourse…Crispin and Shawna Whiteside each were fined $100 for careless riding in the fourth race on Memorial Day…Live racing continues Sunday at 2:15 p.m.
