The winning strategy for Class Included in the $65,000 Washington Oaks at Emerald Downs on Saturday was hatched in the paddock by trainers and jockey minutes before the race.
They also had a backup plan, but it wasn't needed. Kay and Bryson Cooper, assistants to trainer Jim Penney, huddled with the jockeys of their two horses in the race, Leslie Mawing on Class Included and Leonel Camacho-Flores on The Gang and I. They figured Elusive Noise would push Carrabelle Harbor for the lead. But that was the job of The Gang and I in case the speed duel didn't happen.
It did. Elusive Noise and Carrabelle Harbor battled for the lead from the start, with the two Penney-trained horses as many as 6 lengths behind. At the top of the stretch, Class Included pushed up to the lead, then held off Playful Argument by a neck.
Soul in One was third, and The Gang and I took fourth. Elusive Noise and Carrabelle Harbor faded to sixth and seventh.
Class Included, the favorite, paid $3.80 to win and ran the 1-1/8 miles in 1 minute, 50.76 seconds.
The seven local 3-year-old fillies in the race were no strangers to each other. Carrabelle Harbor, Class Included and Elusive Noise each had a win in the three $50,000 stakes leading up to the top race in the division.
"I didn't want to be overconfident because you have to really respect Elusive Noise and Carrabelle Harbor," Mawing said. "I knew those two would show speed. I asked my horse to pull back a little bit before the first turn, and she relaxed right away. ... I just waited."
They also had a backup plan, but it wasn't needed. Kay and Bryson Cooper, assistants to trainer Jim Penney, huddled with the jockeys of their two horses in the race, Leslie Mawing on Class Included and Leonel Camacho-Flores on The Gang and I. They figured Elusive Noise would push Carrabelle Harbor for the lead. But that was the job of The Gang and I in case the speed duel didn't happen.
It did. Elusive Noise and Carrabelle Harbor battled for the lead from the start, with the two Penney-trained horses as many as 6 lengths behind. At the top of the stretch, Class Included pushed up to the lead, then held off Playful Argument by a neck.
Soul in One was third, and The Gang and I took fourth. Elusive Noise and Carrabelle Harbor faded to sixth and seventh.
Class Included, the favorite, paid $3.80 to win and ran the 1-1/8 miles in 1 minute, 50.76 seconds.
The seven local 3-year-old fillies in the race were no strangers to each other. Carrabelle Harbor, Class Included and Elusive Noise each had a win in the three $50,000 stakes leading up to the top race in the division.
"I didn't want to be overconfident because you have to really respect Elusive Noise and Carrabelle Harbor," Mawing said. "I knew those two would show speed. I asked my horse to pull back a little bit before the first turn, and she relaxed right away. ... I just waited."
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