AUBURN, Wash. – The events that brought Julien Couton to Emerald Downs began Sept. 6, 2014, the day he was arrested in California on charges of domestic violence against his girlfriend. Over the following six months, Couton spent 16 days in a Los Angeles jail and countless hours before the California Horse Racing Board before criminal charges were dropped this spring. By then, the damage to his reputation in Southern California, self-inflicted as it may have been, was irreparable. So, Couton, 34, said so long to Hollywood in February and hello a short while later to Auburn, the largest dot on the U.S. racing map north of San Francisco. If he was looking for a fresh start and a second chance in his new home, he certainly got them. He’s been perched atop the Emerald jockey standings since April and entered the final three days of the meeting with a 96-76 lead over runner-up Juan Gutierrez. Julien Couton, leading rider? Such a thought would have seemed far-fetched not too long ago. “It just been a blessing, I think, just the fact that I moved from my comfort zone to here and I’ve had so much support,” Couton said this week. “It’s been unbelievable. I was supposed to go back to Golden Gate, and now I’m here, and it’s been amazing professionally and mentally.” Couton wasn’t necessarily running from his past when he came north – it’s impossible to outrun a domestic-abuse allegation anyway. When he showed up in March, the Emerald Downs stewards and the Washington State Horse Racing Commission ran him through a thorough vetting process. On the backside, trainers welcomed him with open arms. “It came up at some point because I had to clear myself with the stewards and commission,” Couton said. “I wanted to be clear about what happened six months prior. With the trainers, I never had any issues or anyone mention what happened. Obviously, the criminal case and CHRB case have been dismissed. I’ve always been very confident about myself and what I could do, and we just took it from there.” Couton, with the help of agent David Singer, quickly established himself as the alpha dog in the deepest Emerald jockey colony in years. He won the first race of the meeting, one of his two victories on opening day, and by May was getting on as many horses as he wanted. With both Gutierrez and defending riding champion Leslie Mawing nipping at his heels, Couton gradually built a formidable lead in the standings. “We’d been talking, but I never had a real goal to put me in position to win the title,” Couton said. “I just came here and tried to do the best I could with what I had. We needed to work hard from Day 1, and we did. Eventually, it became possible to win the title, but I really didn’t think about it until the past couple of months or so. It’s been a good ride so far, and I’m just trying to enjoy it one day at a time. That’s the way we wanted to start – do the best we could and show people.” Couton earned grudging respect in the jockeys’ room. There were grumblings about his aggressive riding style – the stewards suspended him a couple of times – and the predictable jealousies. The new guy was winning all the races. “It’s like every other room in the nation,” Couton said. “First, everyone wanted to see the way I ride, and then when you start winning some races … the beginning of the meet was a little tense. Everyone is competitive in the jockeys’ room, and I wasn’t expecting anything but that. It’s been a good colony, and it’s been a pleasure to test myself against new people.” Couton rode nine winners last week – five on Saturday – to salt away the riding title. After the meeting ends Sunday, he’ll head to Northern California and try to reestablish himself at Golden Gate, where he’ll be reunited with agent Ron Freitas and try to put the finishing touches on a turbulent year. “It definitely makes you grow up at some point,” Couton said of his recent past. “You see how everything can go down easily. I knew from Day 1 that everything would finish up well, but it did affect me personally, and for my family, it’s been a rough time. On the other end, I’ve had a lot of support from people who knew me from Day 1 – Brice Blanc, Flavien Prat. Leonard Powell, I can never thank him enough for the help he gave me. I knew things would be okay, but it took a lot of time and patience. I think, mentally, it’s made me take account of what I want to do with my life. It’s been a blessing.”