AUBURN — Title defenses are never easy, but sometimes the true test of a champion is how they respond when the deck is stacked against them.
That was the case for Five Star General in Sunday’s Longacres Mile at Emerald Downs, and it made his victory all the sweeter for his connections, fans and the bettors who made him an even-money favorite to repeat as the winner of the Northwest’s richest horse race.
The 8-year-old, who cruised to a convincing victory in last year’s edition of the Mile, faced adversity from the start of Sunday’s race. After breaking from post position 8 in the 11-horse field, he and jockey Joe Bravo scrambled to save ground into the first turn but were still five paths wide and making hard work of it early as they navigated the oval. Accustomed to running on or near the lead, Five Star General settled in mid-pack, more than 4 lengths behind frontrunner Clovisconnection.
As they made the turn into the stretch, Five Star General swept past most of the foes who had been chasing the pace, but he had one horse left to catch. Clovisconnection, who went off as the 6-1 second choice, showed no signs of stopping and opened up a 3-length lead over his tired rivals.
That’s when Five Star General found another gear and put on a determined stretch run that etched his name among Washington’s horse racing legends. Despite expending so much energy early in the race, he found a little more with every stride in the final furlong, then put his head down on the wire just a few inches ahead of Clovisconnection. The crowd roared as he joined Amble In, Simply Majestic, Trooper Seven and Stryker Phd as the only two-time winners of the Mile. He’s only the second to pull off the feat at Emerald Downs.
With the win, Five Star General took home $82,500 of the $150,000 purse for his connections, including trainer Grant Forster and owner Ken Alhadeff of Seattle. He boosted his lifetime earnings to more than $900,000.
“The Thoroughbred is about courage, beauty, strength and power, and the will to overcome the odds,” Alhadeff said. “This horse and jockey willed this win today.”
Bravo, a veteran jockey who flew in from New Jersey to serve as Five Star General’s pilot, echoed those sentiments.
“This horse is a warrior,” he said. “He overcame everything to win today.”
Five Star General paid $4.22 to win; Clovisconnection paid $6.36 to place; and 2022 Mile winner Slew’s Tiz Whiz, who rallied to finish a length and a half behind, paid $3.44 to show.
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