Couldabenthewhisky best in Lads at Emerald

AUBURN, Wash. – Couldabenthewhisky won the $50,000 WTBOA Lads Stakes, and a maiden, Lady Golightly, scored a $42.40 upset in the $50,000 Barbara Shinpoch Stakes as Emerald Downs’ 2-year-old division further sorted itself out with a pair of stakes races Sunday.

Couldabenthewhisky, winning for the third time in four career starts, prevailed by a half-length over Winter Warlock in the Lads. The Bonnie Jenne trainee ran one mile in 1:38.80 and paid $11.20.

Jockey Gallyn Mitchell allowed Couldabenthewhisky to settle in the middle of the six-horse field down the backstretch before moving to engage front-runners Hayjax and Winter Warlock from the outside with a half-mile to run. Couldabenthewhisky surged to a short lead on the turn, opened a clear advantage in the final furlong and then was all-out to prevail after Winter Warlock re-rallied.

The final margin was a neck. Seattle Sniper, the 11-10 favorite, was another 1 1/4 lengths behind in third, followed by Hayjax, Gdanz Express, and Tatenator.

Couldabenthewhisky earned $24,750 for Jenne and co-owners Andy Maib, Craig Fredrickson and Stan Fredrickson, increasing his career mark to $49,373.

In the Shinpoch, Lady Golightly covered the eight furlongs in 1:37.80, a full second faster than her male counterparts in the Lads. Second and third in maiden sprints in her first two starts, she relished the longer distance, rallying from midpack to win by 3 1/2 lengths over Kids Cooler, with Carrabelle Harbor, the 1-2 favorite, a distant fourth in the five-horse field.

Ridden by apprentice Pedro Terrero, Lady Golightly earned $24,750 for trainer Tom Wenzel and co-owner William Griffin.

Terrero has ridden 54 winners at the meeting, the second-highest total by an apprentice in track history, but had been 0 for 5 in stakes before Sunday.