AUBURN — For a while, it seemed that Stryker Phd wasn’t all that interested in taking his place in Northwest horse racing history.
The hero of the 2014 Longacres Mile could become just the fourth two-time winner of the Northwest’s most prestigious race — the first in 20 runnings at Emerald Downs. But the big bay gelding balked as they prepared to load the gate for Sunday’s edition of the $200,000 Mile. He dug in his heels, forcing a trio of assistant starters to push and drag him the final sixteenth of a mile to the starting gate.
And for a while, Stryker Phd didn’t do much running during the race either. But that’s just his style.
The 6-year-old rallied from far back in the 11-horse field with a sweeping move on the final turn, took command in mid-stretch and held off a late charge from Sammy Mandeville to win his second straight Longacres Mile in a race that looked almost identical to his 2014 victory.
“You can just see, when he gets going around that turn, there’s no stopping him,” trainer Larry Ross said.
Stryker Phd joins previous two-time Mile winners Amble In (1946, 1948), Trooper Seven (1980-81) and Simply Majestic (1988-89), all of whom accomplished the feat when the race was run at Longacres racetrack.
“Any jockey that can win one, it’s fantastic, let alone two,” winning jockey Leslie Mawing said. “I’ve gotten two in a row.”
Trooper Seven had been the only Washington-bred repeat Mile winner until Sunday, when Stryker Phd matched his accomplishment. He has won his past seven races at Emerald Downs and hasn’t lost in Auburn since his runner-up finish in the 2013 Mile. Add in his come-from-the-clouds running style and you have the makings of a fan favorite.
There were a few anxious moments for those fans as Stryker Phd settled into ninth place early, but many in the grandstand could be heard saying the same thing as he rushed past his competitors on the turn: “Here he comes!” “I wasn’t going to change the horse’s style of running,” Mawing said. “Win or lose, he was going to run his race today.”
Under the high weight of 123 pounds, Stryker Phd ran one mile in 1:34.06 and paid $4.60, $3 and $2.40, earning $110,000 for owners Jim and Mona Hour of Bellevue. He ran his record to eight wins from 21 lifetime starts and pushed his career earnings to $485,651.
Sammy Mandeville, a California shipper ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Alex Solis, rallied strongly in deep stretch for second and paid $5.60 and $4.20. Alert Bay led into the stretch and hung on for the show, paying $3.60.
Notes: Lady Rosberg cruised to a dominating victory in the $65,000 Emerald Distaff Handicap for fillies and mares at odds-on, paying just $2.80 to win. The 5-year-old mare ran her record to eight wins from 15 starts for owner/breeder Karl Krieg of Oak Harbor.
Notes
Live racing continues at Emerald Downs through Sept. 27 every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, except for Labor Day weekend, when they will run Saturday through Monday.
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