Red Dancer wins Saturday feature at Emerald Downs for Maple Valley residents

Red Dancer rallied for the win Saturday in the $18,000 feature race for 3-year-olds at Emerald Downs. Under a perfectly-timed ride by Juan Gutierrez, Red Dancer ran one mile in 1 minute, 36-1/5 seconds on a fast track and paid $16, $5.40 and $4. Jim Penney is the trainer for Michael and Amy Feuerborn of Maple Valley.

August 2, 2009 12:38 am

Red Dancer rallied for the win Saturday in the $18,000 feature race for 3-year-olds at Emerald Downs.

Under a perfectly-timed ride by Juan Gutierrez, Red Dancer ran one mile in 1 minute, 36-1/5 seconds on a fast track and paid $16, $5.40 and $4. Jim Penney is the trainer for Michael and Amy Feuerborn of Maple Valley.

Proud Nicholas, who set fast splits of 23, 46 1/5, 1:10 1/5 and 1:23, held gamely to finish second. With Saul Arias riding, Proud Nicholas paid $4.80 and $3.20.

Toss’m Again, Javier Matias riding, was a neck back in third and paid $7.60 to show. Roy’s Tops, the 8-5 betting favorite, gave way in the stretch and finished fifth.

A Kentucky-bred by Sky Mesa, Red Dancer has been a consistent gelding in his brief career. Purchased for $24,000 at the 2007 Washington October Yearling Sale, Red Dancer has a 2-1-1 record in four starts with earnings of $25,350. Saturday was his second race around two turns, and Red Dancer took advantage of the fast pace, angling out in the lane and surging past Proud Nicholas and Toss’m Again in the closing yards to win going away.

Penney and the Feuerborns captured the 2008 Emerald Derby with Gallon, and with Red Dancer they may have another contender for the nine-furlong event on Labor Day.

“We’ve always felt the farther, the better,” Penney said of Red Dancer.

Track Notes:

• The stewards suspended Matt Hagerty two days (Aug. 14-15) for careless riding in Thursday’s first race.

• Seth Martinez and trainer Mike Chambers teamed for victories with Delicato ($4.80) in the second race and Bocalli ($4) in the fifth. Martinez and Chambers are a combined 15-for-50 at the meet.

• Trainer Peter Axmaker, 1-for-49 at the meet before Saturday, saddled a pair of double-digit winners including $21.60 Stormy Seattle in the seventh race.

• Cassie Papineau, cover girl on the latest issue of Sports Northwest Magazine, captured the nightcap on Bruschi ($9.80) and is four wins away from tying Jennifer Whitaker’s single-season record of 47 wins by an apprentice jockey set in 2001.

• Racing continues at 2 p.m. Sunday. The eighth race is the $50,000 Seattle Slew Handicap for 3-year-olds at 1-1/16 miles. Winning Machine and Rooster City are 2-1 and 3-1, respectively on the morning line.