Exington shortens to a sprint for new connections

In August 2024, a 2-year-old filly named Exington made her debut at Kentucky Downs, pocketing $17,000 for a third-place finish in a maiden turf sprint with a $170,000 purse.

On Friday night at Emerald Downs, Exington will break from the outside in a conditioned $25,000 claiming race with a purse of $16,500. The disparity between the 4-year-old’s roots and her current situation is not lost on trainer Francisco Rodriguez, who, along with owner Alan Peterson, claimed Exington for $10,000 out of an April 25 win – the second of her career – at Santa Anita.

“I know the purses aren’t the same, but we’ll run her here,” Rodriguez said. “The owner didn’t want to run her back for $10K.”

The claim was the fifth of Exington’s 16-race career, one that’s taken her to tracks in Kentucky, Canada, Louisiana, Southern California, and now Washington. She’s raced on dirt, synthetic, and turf, and both of her wins came in one-mile routes.

Exington is 0 for 4 in sprints, which didn’t distress Rodriguez as he prepared her for this six-furlong race.

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“I think she can sprint,” said Rodriguez, who has 14 horses at Emerald and another 10 stabled at Los Alamitos in Southern California. “She’s been working lights-out. Worse comes to worse, we can put her back routing.”

Rodriguez began his training career racing in Northern California before that circuit fell by the wayside. He would love to see its resurrection but is not optimistic due to the current lack of horses and horsemen that remain in the area.

He’s off to a nice start at Emerald this year and saddled two winners this past weekend to run his record to 11-3-0-3 for the meet. He does well with horses first off the claim, winning at a 30 percent clip, and his 25 percent strike rate going route to sprint is equally respectable.

Friday’s race, which attracted seven fillies and mares, is up for grabs. Exington, who will be ridden by Karlo Lopez, has done her best work sitting close to, but not on, the lead, which is exactly the scenario Rodriguez envisions this time out.

“I think she can be right on top of them, probably two to three lengths off, and come and get them,” he said.

The two entrants with wins at six furlongs are Annika’s Song, a Canadian import who finished second in her Emerald debut on May 24, and Swift Caro, who hails from Tom Wenzel’s elite barn and has shown an ability to win from on or just off the lead.

Maximum Sparkle, also trained by Wenzel, is a 4-year-old stalker who romped to an 8 1/4-length victory at 5 1/2 furlongs on May 9, earning a 63 Beyer Speed Figure, the second-best last-out number in the field, one point shy of Exington’s 64.

Of the two 3-year-olds in the lineup, Mimi Kai looks overmatched, while Alluring Valentine is, well, alluring, having won two straight races by a combined 12 1/4 lengths to open her 2026 campaign.

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