Papa's Golden Boy, Ima Happy Cat wire their respective stakes

Speed dominated both stakes races at Emerald Downs on Thursday evening.

Most impressive was Papa’s Golden Boy, who posted a rapid final time of 1:07.71 in the $50,000 Budweiser for 3-year-olds and up at six furlongs.

Ima Happy Cat was never threatened after opening a clear lead in the $50,000 Hastings for fillies and mares. Her final tine for six furlongs was a snappy 1:08.50.

Both horses were ridden by Julien Couton.

Papa’s Golden Boy broke like a rocket from the rail and held a 2 1/2-length advantage over the odds-on favorite Baja Sur after posting a half-mile time of 44.21 seconds. He was four lengths clear at the eighth pole, with a winning margin over Baja Sur of 2 3/4 lengths. Take Charge Deputy finished third after chasing the leaders the whole way.

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“He is such a cool horse to ride,” said Couton. “I was just a passenger.”

A 5-year-old son of Harbor the Gold, Papa’s Golden Boy is trained by Vince Gibson. He races for Gary and Deborah Lusk, Jeff Lusk, and Peyton Lusk.

In the Hastings, Ima Happy Cat cruised to a 2 1/4-length victory over Squan’s Kingdom, who rallied from fifth. Killarney Lass came from a stalking position to finish third.

Ima Happy Cat is trained by Dan Markle. The 6-year-old California-bred daughter of Smiling Tiger is owned by Tim and Sue Spooner.