Howmuchisit swept to the lead past mid-stretch and held on for a half-length victory Friday in the $15,100 Aegis Purse for 3-year-olds at Emerald Downs.

With Juan Gutierrez riding his third winner of the night, Howmuchisit ran six furlongs in 1 minute, 9 4/5 seconds on a fast track and paid $10.60, $6.40 and $3.40. Vann Belvoir is the trainer for owner Jerry Maggard of Yakima.

For Gutierrez, it was his second straight riding triple, and he also reached the 80-win mark for the fourth consecutive season at Emerald Downs.

Rescue Plan, who led through fractions of 21 3/5 and 44 1/5, finished second under Ricky Frazier and paid $6.20 and $3.60.

The consistent Cat On Base finished third with Kevin Krigger riding and paid $2.60. The Harbor the Gold gelding has finished first, second or third in all eight starts this year.

Blame the Jockey, the 8-to-5 betting favorite, stumbled at the start and never threatened while finishing fourth. Canadian shipper That’s Luck finished fifth and last.

Claimed for $7,500 from his April 11 debut—an eight-length victory—Howmuchisit has run three good races for his new connections, including a good third-place effort vs. the razor-sharp Tequila Gold last month.

Friday, Howmuchisit stalked in third place as Rescue Plan and Cat On Base vied for command, moved up to gain command with a furlong to run and held sway to the wire. A gray gelding by the prolific Washington sire Slewdledo, Howmuchisit has a 2-0-1 mark in four starts with earnings of $15,440.

News and Notes

In an Emerald Downs rarity, Gallyn Mitchell took off his final four mounts with a stomach ache.

Closing in on his 10th Emerald Downs training title, Tim McCanna saddled three winners and extended his lead to 59-49 over Vann Belvoir. McCanna needs eight wins in the final nine days to break his own record of 66 wins set in 2008.

Kevin Krigger improved to 24-for-97 when riding for McCanna with a gate-to-wire scores on Alfawnsoul ($5) in the fourth race and Xi Cephei ($20.60) in the sixth…New York Baby ($4.60) scored his third win of the meet in the fifth for owner Donna Tollett and trainer Bill Tollett. Tollett, incidentally, continues his fine season with 21 wins in 87 starts for a 21.8 win percentage.

Buoyed by a $28.20 selection of Poncho in the nightcap, Gary Dougherty of the Seattle Times won the inaugural Final Fridays Handicapping Contest, sponsored by the Washington HBPA.

Live racing continues Saturday with first post at 2 p.m.