Jeff Harwood’s Noosa Beach, winner of a single-season record five stakes including the 75th running of the $250,000 Longacres Mile Grade 3, was unanimously voted Horse of the Meeting at Emerald Downs’ 90-day meeting that concluded Sunday.
A 4-year-old Washington-bred gelding by Harbor the Gold, Noosa Beach led in overall wins (six), stakes wins (five) and earnings ($225,930). The versatile gelding won at distances ranging from 5 ½ furlongs to 1 1/8 miles, and the 2 ¾-length victory in the Sept. 12 Muckleshoot Tribal Classic made Noosa Beach the first horse in track history to win five stakes in one season.
In becoming the fourth straight Washington-bred to win Horse of the Meeting, Noosa Beach also was voted Top Washington-bred, Top Older Horse and Top Sprinter—tying the record of four division honors set by Wasserman in 2008. Also, trainer Doris Harwood was voted Top Training Achievement for the exceptional development of the dark bay or brown gelding, and the Aug. 22 Longacres Mile was voted Race of the Meeting.
Noosa Beach finished the season 6-1-0 in seven starts, the lone defeat a neck decision to 2009 Horse of the Meeting Assessment in the Governor’s Handicap.
Nina Egbert’s 7-year-old Clair Annette capped a brilliant career by being voted Top Older Filly or Mare. Trained by Connie Bouslaugh, the 7-year-old Washington-bred by Beau Genius won two stakes and finished third in two others. It was the second title for Clair Annette, voted Top Claimer in 2008.
Gary Hughes’ Arkansas-bred Saratoga Boot got the nod as Top 3-Year-Old following a campaign highlighted by a 4 ¼-length romp in the $75,000 Emerald Derby. And Michael & Amy Feuerborn’s Sis’s Sis capped a dramatically improved season by being honored as Top 3-Year-old Filly. The Washington-bred daughter of Cahill Road began the season with a victory in the claiming ranks, and concluded it as the only sophomore filly to win multiple stakes—scoring in the Irish Day Handicap and defeating Washington Oaks winner Zenovit in the John & Kitty Fletcher Stakes on Washington Cup Day.
In the Top Juvenile Male category, Couldabenthewhisky—owned by Craig & Stan Fredrickson, Andy Maib and trainer Bonnie Jenne—was voted the champion after winning three stakes races including the $75,00 Gottstein Futurity. Another offspring of Harbor the Gold, Couldabenthewhisky also tied the track record of four wins by a 2-year-old.
Lady Golightly took honors as Top Juvenile Filly for trainer Tom Wenzel and owners Melissa Wenzel and Terry and Mary Lou Griffin. The Washington-bred daughter of Matty G won the Diane Kem Stakes and Barbara Shinpoch Stakes by a combined 12 lengths.
Frazier dominated the jockey ranks winning 114 races and 10 stakes races. For the 46-year-old Arkansan, it was his fifth title in the last six years; a span in which he has won 844 races while no other rider has won 600. Frazier also notched his second Longacres Mile victory as the regular rider on Noosa Beach.
In the training ranks, it was business as usual as Tim McCanna captured his 10th crown in the track’s 15-year history by a 63-56 margin over Vann Belvoir. McCanna also trained Top 3-Year-Old Saratoga Boot and finished second in the Longacres Mile with Charles Fipke’s Jersey Town.
In the owners’ ranks, Howard Belvoir—runner-up the last two years—captured the title by a 17-16 mark over Ron Crockett, Inc. It was a fine season all-around for Belvoir, who also finished fifth in the trainers’ standings with 44 wins and was voted the Martin Durkan Award by the racing office for leadership, cooperation, sportsmanship and excellence on and off the track.
Top Claiming Horse was an extremely tough category as no less than 10 horses won at least four races— not to mention 11-year-old West Seattle Boy who won three races and became the track’s all-time leader with 18 wins. Classielyte, a 5-year-old California-bred gelding by Memo, earned honors on closing day with a 2 ¼-length triumph in the Ashbaugh Claiming Challenge. Classielyte finished 5-1-0 in six starts, winning three times for owner Gene Gustafson and trainer Frank Lucarelli, and twice for owners Paul and Lori Heist and trainer Jim Penney.
Emerald Downs 2010 season honors
Award Winner
Horse of the Meet Noosa Beach (Wash.)
Top WA-bred Noosa Beach (Wash.)
Top Older Horse Noosa Beach (Wash.)
Top Sprinter Noosa Beach (Wash.)
Top Older Filly or Mare Clair Annette (Wash.)
Top 3-year-old Male Saratoga Boot (Ark.)
Top 3-year-old Filly Sis’s Sis (Wash.)
Top Juvenile Male Couldabenthewhisky (Wash)
Top Juvenile Filly Lady Golightly (Wash.)
Top Claimer Classielyte (Wash.)
Race of the Meet 75th Longacres Mile
Top Training Achievement Doris Harwood
Top Riding Achievement Ricky Frazier
Durkan Award Howard Belvoir
Lindy Award Gallyn Mitchell
Leading Rider Ricky Frazier (114 wins)
Leading Trainer Tim McCanna (63 wins)
Leading Owner Howard Belvoir (17 wins)
Leading Apprentice Pedro Terrero (65 wins)
