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Mr. Makah in a Shocker | |
6/19/2005
AUBURN, WASH. – Long shot Mr. Makah conjured up big race magic and came from dead last to finish first under the wire, snatching victory from world record holder Sabertooth in the $75,000 Budweiser Emerald Handicap.
The 5-year-old gelding is owned by Friendship Stable (Bonnie & Wally Jenne) and Frank McDonald and is trained by Bonnie Jenne. Going off at nearly 16 to 1, Mr. Makah thwarted the hopes of chalk players as Sabertooth went off at 80 cents on the dollar.
Breaking from the sixth post with Gary Baze in the irons, Mr. Makah settled into last place as Sabertooth and Nathan Chaves went straight to the front.
“This horse has been looking for a mile race all year,” Baze said. “If anybody had a chance to close on Sabertooth it was this horse. The whole barn has put their soul into Mr. Makah. It chokes me up they won.”
Mr. Makah sat last, remaining unfettered by a reasonable first quarter of 23 seconds and a half in an increasingly rapid 45 3/5 seconds. Quietly gaining on the rest of the field, Mr. Makah was 8 ½ lengths out when Baze began to move after three-quarters in 1:09 3/5.
“We needed Sabertooth to go fast,” Jenne said. “Fortunately it went just right.”
At the head of the lane Mr. Makah had closed the gap to three lengths and under a full, all-out ride by Baze, he prevailed in the final strides in 1:35 4/5.
“He rode the hair off that horse,” McDonald said.
Sabertooth and Chaves hung tough for second.
“A mile is a lot different race,” Chaves said of Sabertooth's run. “I would have liked to be a couple (lengths) in front rather than six. My horse got away from me on the backside.”
Mr. Makah and Washington's All-Time Leading Jockey - Gary Baze
Mr. Makah raised his lifetime record to 4-4-4 from 18 starts with $146,136 in earnings.
“Gary rode him right to the T,” Jenne said. “Our strategy was always to come from out of it. We took the goggles off him in the last race and that was a mistake, so we put them back on him here.”
Mr. Makah paid $33.40, $6.60 and $3.20.
Sabertooth returned $2.80 and $2.60 for second and R. Associate paid $4 for third.
Jenne said Mr. Makah will likely make his next appearance in the $40,000 1 1/16 mile Independence Day Handicap July 3.
“He can come back after this,” Jenne said. “After all, the race might have been a mile but he really only has to run three-eighths.”
