Horse Racing / Emerald Downs -- The Wicklow Man Keeps Surprising With Stakes Win

AUBURN - A horse-racing commoner, The Wicklow Man, shocked the equivalent of royalty yesterday by winning the biggest race of his life.

Continuing his rise from modest beginnings, The Wicklow Man reached another surprising level at Emerald Downs by capturing the $50,000 Governor's Handicap less than 15 months after owner Bill Cope and trainer Jim Nunnally claimed him for $4,000.

While shocking for the fans, who let The Wicklow Man get off at better than 22-1, the outcome seemed to be popular, perhaps because of the 6-year-old gelding's modest heritage.

Probably no one was happier than jockey Gallyn Mitchell, who has ridden The Wicklow Man at every winning stop up the class ladder - claiming races from $5,000 to $40,000 and now a stakes race considered a steppingstone to the $200,000 Longacres Mile on Aug. 23.

"This was my first stakes win this year," Mitchell said. "I knew that if I was going to get one it would be on `The Wick.' "

Mitchell did not have a lot of support for such an opinion. But, true to form, The Wicklow Man charged out of the gate first and never trailed en route to winning the 6 1/2-furlong sprint by a half length over Saylo in 1:15 1/5 - three-fifths off the track record. Find Our Star was third.

Favored Mocha Express, steadied by jockey Pedro Alvarado in traffic while going into the turn, was fifth.

"We are disappointed not to do better than we did," said Tim Harder, trainer of Mocha Express. "We got into a little bit of trouble."

Brought here from Texas to run in the Longacres Mile, Mocha Express will be nominated for Emerald Downs' richest race, Harder said. The deadline for nominations is today.

Cope said he and Nunnally are not sure about their Mile plans for The Wicklow Man, who never has raced around two turns. "It's up to Jim," Cope said. "We don't want to get him embarrassed."

Cope said that in preparing The Wicklow Man for the Governor's Handicap, Nunnally altered the horse's training to include longer gallops. After he still broke fast and held off the opposition at 6 1/2 furlongs, the question Cope and Nunnally have to ponder is whether he could do it for another 1 1/2 furlongs.

"He gives it every time," Mitchell said. "Down the backside I felt real comfortable. I knew I had some horse left when I got into the lane. . . . He doesn't leave any of it back in the barn. He gives it all to you on the racetrack."

Yesterday he rewarded his fans, paying $47.20, $15.60 and $6.80. Saylo paid $5.80 and $4.80. Find Our Star returned $3.60 to show.

The $27,500 winner's share of the purse boosted The Wicklow Man's career earnings to $76,553 and his record to 11-2-0 in 24 starts. For Cope/Nunnally he is 7-1-0 in 10 starts.

A second stakes race yesterday, the $25,000 HBPA Daycare Stakes for fillies and mares 3 years old and up, was won by Fleet Pacific.

Ridden by Antonio Castanon, Fleet Pacific led the mile distance from gate to wire, finishing in 1:35 3/5. Precious Peace, ridden by Chelsea Zupan, was second, and Just Call Me Grace was third. The favored entry of Tucumcari and Winning Agenda was fourth and fifth.

JAYWALKER FAVORED

Jaywalker, a son of former Longacres Mile and Breeders' Cup winner Skywalker, is the morning-line favorite at 5-2 for the $40,000 HBPA Handicap for 3-year-old colts and geldings today.

The British Columbia-bred colt arrived Friday from Hastings Park, where he has a 2-2-1 record in five stakes races. Hastings jockey Dave Wilson will be aboard Jaywalker, who will break from the No. 4 post.

Emerald stakes winners Ito the Hammer and I.M. Bzy also are in the 11-horse field. Ito the Hammer, a winner of three of four starts this year, is coming off an impressive triumph in the Tacoma Handicap. I.M. Bzy won the Seattle Slew Handicap.

The field, in post-position order with jockeys: 1, Spirit Dreamer, Justin Vitek; 2, Apachee Begone, Anthony Mawing; 3, Sunshine Scholar, Luis Jauregui; 4, Jaywalker, Dave Wilson; 5, Royal Alaskan, Pedro Alvarado; 6, My Constant Star, Octavio Vergara; 7, Red River Valley, David Nuesch; 8, Ito the Hammer, Vicky Aragon; 9, I.M. Bzy, Frank Gonsalves; 10, Galiano, Mike Allen; 11, Summer Prince, Chelsea Zupan.

NOTES

-- With victories aboard Edneator in the eighth race and You Slew Me in the 10th, Geoffrey Cooper was the only multiple winner among the jockeys yesterday.

-- The largest win payoff of the meeting - and third-highest in track history - occurred when Mawing rode Alibhai Basket to victory in the fourth race and returned $108.40 for a $2 bet. The Emerald record of $142 was posted by My Lady Boots on July 27, 1997. No Way To Go paid $109 in winning on Aug. 12, 1996.

-- The stewards have suspended jockey Ambrosio Ortiz for four racing days, Wednesday through Saturday, for allowing his mount, Soapy, to drift out during the stretch run of the second race Thursday. Soapy was disqualified from fourth to fifth place.

-- The group of invaders for the $200,000 Longacres Mile is expected to include Hal's Pal, a 5-year-old who placed second behind Mud Route in his most recent start, the San Diego Handicap on July 25 at Del Mar. Trainer Ben Cecil told an Emerald Downs official that the Mile "is a better option" for Hal's Pal than the $1 million Pacific Classic, Del Mar's premier race. Hal's Pal is 5-5-0 with earnings of $266,455 in 23 starts.

-- Name for Norm, a winner of six stakes races at Emerald Downs, has returned from Hastings Park and will run today in the eighth race at 1 mile. Name for Norm is 0-3-1 in six starts at Hastings.