August 16, 2011 | By Jon White
Emerald Downs this Sunday will stage the biggest race in the Pacific Northwest, the Longacres Mile. To Northwest racing fans, it is known simply as The Mile. I am looking forward to being at Emerald Downs to see the 2011 renewal of The Mile.
I picked Noosa Beach to win The Mile last year. He was victorious by 1 1/2 lengths for owner Jeff Harwood and trainer Doris Harwood. Noosa Beach paid $5.60.
I am picking Noosa Beach to win The Mile again this Sunday. In 2010 and 2011 combined, he is 10 for 11.
A major reason The Mile is such a special race is its rich history. With that in mind, here is a look back at various Longacres Miles from the past:
1935: In June, Joe Gottstein (who had launched Longacres Race Track two years earlier) announced the creation of the Longacres Mile. It was Gottstein’s hope the new race would help put the fledgling track near Seattle on the map. At the time, with a purse of $10,000, it was the richest mile race in the nation. At 5:10 p.m. on Aug. 24, 16 horses were sent on their way in the inaugural Longacres Mile. It remains the largest field in the race’s history. Coldwater, relegated to the mutuel field, won by a neck under 110 pounds. Biff, encumbered with top weight of 126 pounds, finished second. Joey ran third. Joey in 1976 was one of the original inductees into the Canadian Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame, along with George Royal, Nijinsky II, Northern Dancer and Sir Barton.
1936: At the time the 1936 Longacres Mile was run, it was thought a tiny 3-year-old filly by the name of Blue Boot won. The vanquished included 3-year-old male Indian Broom, who packed 129 pounds, which remains the record for highest weight ever carried in The Mile. Earlier in 1936, Indian Broom had set a world record for 1 1/8 miles at Tanforan. In 1937, Indian Broom finished third behind Rosemont and Seabiscuit in the Santa Anita Handicap. In 1938, Indian Broom won Santa Anita’s San Juan Capistrano Handicap. However, it later was discovered that the 4-year-old filly Exotude actually won the 1936 Longacres Mile. Exotude ran falsely under the name Blue Boot. Earl “Miracle Man” Beezley trained both Exotude and Blue Boot.
1938: Seabiscuit was nominated to the Longacres Mile. He was assigned 142 pounds. It’s the highest weight ever given to a Longacres Mile nominee. Seabiscuit didn’t run in The Mile, which was won by Triplane, owned by Allen Drumheller and trained by William Sims. While Drumheller did not condition Triplane, Drumheller would go on to train four winners of The Mile (Campus Fusser in 1941, Lavengro in 1942, Hank H in 1947 and Amble In in 1948). Drumheller was inducted into the Washington Racing Hall of Fame in 2003. Ralph Neves rode Triplane in the 1938 Longacres Mile. was inducted in the national Hall of Fame in 1960 and the Washington Racing Hall of Fame in 2003. Gleeman finished third in the 1938 edition of The Mile. Gleeman had won a race in New York two years earlier in which Seabiscuit ran fourth.
1940: Frances Keller not only became the first female trainer to run a horse in The Mile, she won it with 3-year-old filly Pala Squaw, the only female runner in the race. Pala Squaw, who won by 1 1/2 lengths, carried just 109 pounds and was ridden by Otto Grohs, a 19-year-old apprentice. Dandy finished second. Future national Hall of Famer Charlie Whittingham trained Dandy. Frances Keller was inducted into the Washington Racing Hall of Fame in 2006.
1941: Campus Fusser became the first Washington-bred to win The Mile.
1942: Lavengro won The Mile by two lengths as a 7-year-old. Early in, Lavengro’s career, he had defeated Lawrin, who went on to win the Kentucky Derby.
1943: The Longacres Mile was not run this one year due to World War II.
1947: Hank H. carried top weight of 125 pounds and won The Mile by a head. He also won the Washington Championship that year under a staggering 138 pounds. That remains the state record for highest weight ever carried by a winner. Turbulator is the only other horse to carry 138 pounds at a Washington track. Turbulator lost the 1970 Playfair Mile by a neck under 138 pounds.
1948: After Citation had swept the Triple Crown earlier in the year, Amble In won the Longacres Mile. Amble In became the first two-time winner of The Mile, having also captured the 1946 renewal. In the 1946 renewal, Amble In traveled one mile in 1:35 to break the track record by three-fifths of a second while winning by a record six lengths. No horse would win The Mile by more than six lengths until Sky Jack won it by 6 1/4 lengths 57 years later. There would not be another two-time winner of The Mile until Trooper Seven in 1980 and 1981.
1949: A 19-year-old apprentice by the name of Bill Shoemaker, who had won his first race that April, rode Irene’s Angel in The Mile. A filly, Irene’s Angel carried a feathery 100 pounds. Irene’s Angel finished second, a neck behind Blue Tiger, a 6-year-old Kentucky-bred gelding and 1944 Keeneland purchase by owner C.J. Sebastian.
1950: Jockey great Eddie Arcaro, who had won the Triple Crown in 1941 aboard Whirlaway and in 1948 on Citation, guided Two and Twenty to a 1 3/4-length victory in the 1950 Longacres Mile. Arcaro returned 25 years later to serve as honorary steward for The Mile. It is my great honor to have been asked by Emerald Downs to serve as the honorary steward for the 2011 Longacres Mile.
1951: Little Rollo won the Longacres Mile as an 8-year-old. No horse older than that has ever won The Mile.
1955: Bill Hartack and Bill Shoemaker were battling for the national title in wins. At the time, Longacres was one of the few tracks in the nation to race on Sundays. Hartack won The Mile on Quality Quest, plus two other races on the card. Quality Quest’s margin was a record-equaling six lengths. His final time of 1:34 2/5 broke the track record by three-fifths of a second. Hartack went on to win the first of three straight national titles in victories. He also was the nation’s top rider in wins in 1960. Hartack was inducted into the national Hall of Fame in 1959.
1956: Hula Boola, a 4-year-old filly, won The Mile by a head. Count Chic, a 3-year-old colt, ran fourth. Earlier in the year, Count Chic had finished fourth in Needles’ Kentucky Derby. Dino Lozzi, a Seattle restaurant owner, raced Count Chic. Lozzi also owned Hula Boola. No filly has won The Mile since Hula Boola.
1958: Collaborator, a 3-year-old gelding, won The Mile as the 9-5 favorite by three-quarters of a length under Don Pierce, who was inducted into the national Hall of Fame in 2010. No 3-year-old has won The Mile since Collaborator.
1959: Gigantic won the Longacres Mile as an 8-year-old. Little Rollo also won The Mile as an 8-year-old in 1951. These two are the oldest Longacres Mile winners.
1960: Find entered The Mile with career earnings of $878,376, which made him the world’s all-time second-richest gelding to Armed. Doctrinaire won by 3 1/4 lengths for trainer Warren Stute. Doctrinaire paid $10.50. Prince Cohen, with John Longden in the saddle, finished second. Find ran third as the 4-5 favorite.
1961: During the 1961 Longacres meet, Sparrow Castle won five stakes races, highlighted by his victory by a nose over Dusky Damion in The Mile. This was the first of two Longacres Mile victories for both jockey Jack Leonard and trainer Glen Williams. In 2008, Williams was inducted into the Washington Racing Hall of Fame.
1962: John Longden, the world’s winningest jockey at the time, won The Mile by 1 1/4 lengths on Harpie, who carried top weight of 125 pounds. Trainer Earl Mitchell, Willard Johnson and Desi Arnaz of “I Love Lucy” fame were partners in the ownership of Harpie. Longden had been inducted into the national Hall of Fame in 1958.
1963: Full Regalia pulled off an 11-1 upset. Mustard Plaster finished second, one length behind the winner. The next year, Mustard Plaster won the Californian at Hollywood Park.
1964: Viking Spirit and John Longden collaborated to win The Mile by 1 1/2 lengths. Favored at 7-5, Viking Spirit won in 1:34 2/5 to tie the track record. The following year, Viking Spirit won such races as the Carter Handicap at Aqueduct, Premiere Handicap (defeating Native Diver) and Californian at Hollywood Park and Bing Crosby Handicap at Del Mar.
1966: Warren Stute had won the 1960 Longacres Mile with Doctrinaire for owner Wilbur Stadelman. Six years later, Stute’s brother, Mel, sent out Aurelius II to win The Mile for the same owner. Aurelius II paid $18.70. Stadelman was inducted into the Washington Racing Hall of Fame as a breeder in 2009.
1967: This was the year I saw The Mile in person for the first time. I watched the race near the finish line while standing next to my father. I remember it being a hot, muggy day. The race started right in front of us. Kings Favor won by four lengths under John Sellers.
1969: Praise Jay, carrying 122 pounds, registered a five-length triumph. Baffle, the 8-5 favorite trained by John Longden, finished fourth under top weight of 128 pounds. Earlier in the year, Praise Jay, a 5-year-old Oregon-bred, had captured the San Antonio Handicap at Santa Anita. This was jockey Jack Leonard’s second Longacres Mile victory.
1970: Turbulator, who two weeks earlier had broken the 6 1/2-furlong world record by two-fifths of a second, was the 6-5 favorite in The Mile with Larry Pierce riding. Leaving the starting gate, one of Pierce stirrups broke into pieces. (Years later, I saw those stirrup fragments framed on the wall in the home of Marguerite Crawford, whose husband, Tom, owned, bred and trained Turbulator.) Pierce rode a portion of The Mile with both feet dangling and nearly fell off on the backstretch. Not only that, Turbulator was boxed in for the entire final quarter of a mile. Yet, remarkably, Turbulator lost by just 2 1/2 lengths while finishing fifth. It remains the most famous loss in the history of racing in the Pacific Northwest. Silver Double, who lost to Turbulator the other three times they met, won the 1970 Longacres Mile. Turbulator’s charisma was addressed in a 1973 article in The Washington Horse magazine. “If there ever was a horse that brought sheer joy and hysteria to a track and thrived on that crowd response it would be Turbulator,” the article stated.
1971: In the 1971 Longacres Mile, Titular II had a commanding three-length lead with a furlong to go. But when Titular II saw the starting gate in the infield, he propped. Pitch Out rallied under Joe Baze to win by a nose over 3-year-old Command Module. Titular II finished third. Joe Baze was inducted into the Washington Racing Hall of Fame in 2010.
1972: I was standing right near the finish line as Red Wind won by a nose at 8-1 over Briartic. Red Wind, ridden by Richard “Tex” Hollingsworth, raced along the inside rail the entire way. After getting shuffled back on the far turn, Red Wind came back on in the stretch to win in 1:34 flat, slicing two-fifth of a second off the track record. This was trainer Glen Williams’ second Longacres Mile victory. In 1975, after the death of Steven O’Donnell the previous November, Williams became the racing secretary at Longacres. To me, Briartic was a very unlucky loser in the 1972 Longacres Mile. He was fanned so wide coming into the stretch that he almost ended up on I-405. O’Donnell had assigned Briartic only 114 pounds for The Mile, which really was a gift based on the company Briartic had kept in Canada. Briartic went into The Mile off back-to-back stakes wins at Fort Erie and earlier had lost a stakes race at Woodbine by three-quarters of a length to Kennedy Road. Red Wind, who also carried 114 in the 1972 Longacres Mile, paid $19.70.
1973: Again, I was standing right near the finish line. Silver Mallet, who earlier in the year had finished third in a race at Aqueduct won by Riva Ridge, won The Mile in 1973 for trainer Jim Penney. Larry Pierce, who had experienced such bad luck with Turbulator in the 1970 Longacres Mile, rode Silver Mallet, who defeated Pataha Prince by a neck. Pataha Prince, an 8-year-old Washington-bred trained by Bobby Frankel, was coming off a win in Del Mar’s Bing Crosby Handicap in which he zipped six furlongs in 1:08 flat. Penney, who was inducted into the Washington Racing Hall of Fame in 2003, trained Pataha Prince for most of his career. Larry Pierce was inducted into the Washington Racing Hall of Fame in 2008. Pataha Prince has been voted into the Washington Racing Hall of Fame this year. Silver Mallet was the first of a record five Longacres Mile winners trained by Penney.
1976: Bobby Frankel, who just missed winning the 1973 Longacres Mile with Pataha Prince, won The Mile in 1976 with Yu Wipi, who was ridden by Sandy Hawley. Yu Wipi’s one-length triumph in The Mile came 17 days after his sire, the great Dr. Fager, had died. Hawley was inducted into the national Hall of Fame in 1992. Frankel was inducted into the national Hall of Fame in 1995.
1977: Earlier in 1977, on Feb. 19, I was visiting Santa Anita with my father. We saw Theologist win a 1 1/16-mile maiden race at Santa Anita by eight lengths. On Aug. 28, Theologist won the Longacres Mile by three-quarters of a length at 4-1 under Bryson Cooper. Theologist was a half-brother to Table Run, the 1973 Longacres Derby winner considered by many to be one of the best horses to ever race at a Pacific Northwest track. Theologist was trainer Jim Penney’s second Longacres Mile victory.
1978: Legendary jockey Bill Shoemaker, who nearly had won The Mile in 1949 as an apprentice, took the 1978 Longacres Mile aboard the Richard Mandella-trained Bad ’n Big. Shoemaker also won a race on the card with the filly Silky Steel. Sent off as the 3-5 favorite, Bad ’n Big won The Mile by three-quarters of a length in 1:34 flat to equal the track record. Shoemaker had been inducted into the national Hall of Fame in 1958.
1979: Always Gallant, ridden by 1978 Eclipse Award-winning jockey Darrel McHargue and trained by David La Croix, won The Mile as the 5-2 favorite despite packing co-top weight of 127 pounds. Tilt the Balance, who carried 119 pounds, finished second. Bad ’n Big, who like Always Gallant shouldered 127 pounds, ended up third. La Croix, who was 25 at the time, became the youngest trainer to win The Mile.
1980: Trooper Seven, who like Turbulator was one of the most popular horses ever to race in the Pacific Northwest, won the 1980 Longacres Mile by three emphatic lengths at 4-1 under Gary Baze. Two weeks prior to The Mile, the Eugene Zeren-trained Table Run colt had broken the world record for 6 1/2 furlongs. This was the first of Baze’s record five Longacres Mile victories. Trooper Seven and Gary Baze were both inducted into the Washington Racing Hall of Fame in 2003. Local fans especially appreciated Trooper Seven’s 1980 Longacres Mile victory in that it ended a streak of eight straight years in which a shipper had captured the Pacific Northwest’s most coveted prize.
1981: Trooper Seven, with a record crowd of 25,931 on hand, became the first back-to-back winner of The Mile. Carrying 126 pounds and favored at 9-5, Trooper Seven won by one length under Gary Baze accompanied by a deafening roar from the crowd. Trooper Seven, who had been raised in owner-trainer Eugene Zeren’s backyard, was immediately retired after his second Longacres Mile triumph. California invader Doonesbury, assigned top weight of 127 pounds, was pulled up shortly after the start.
1982: Pompeii Court, who held the record for one mile on the dirt at Santa Anita, won The Mile in 1982. It was jockey Sandy Hawley’s second Longacres Mile victory and the first of two for trainer Laurie Anderson. Pompeii Court, a 5-year-old Kentucky-bred, won by 1 1/2 lengths. Chinook Pass, a 3-year-old, set the pace and held on for second.
1983: Chinook Pass, the only Washington-bred Eclipse Award winner, won The Mile by a record-tying six lengths as an even-money favorite under Laffit Pincay Jr., who had been voted into the national Hall of Fame in 1975. Chinook Pass, voted the 1983 Eclipse Award as champion sprinter, never raced again following his Longacres Mile victory. Trainer Laurie Anderson had defeated Chinook Pass with Pompeii Court in the 1982 Longacres Mile. Earlier in 1983, Anderson had taken over from Bud Klokstad as Chinook Pass’ conditioner and saddled the exceptionally fast Native Born gelding to win The Mile. Chinook Pass was inducted into the Washington Racing Hall of Fame in 2003.
1984: Travelling Victor, runner-up to Chinook Pass in the 1983 Longacres Mile, won The Mile in 1984 at 2-1 under Chris Loseth. Trained by R.J. Bennett, Travelling Victor was Canada’s 1983 Horse of the Year.
1985: Chum Salmon, doing an excellent Silky Sullivan impersonation, rallied from 15 lengths behind to win going away by 1 1/2 lengths at 8-1. His final time of 1:34 tied the track record. To this day, no horse has come from farther behind to win The Mile. Gary Baze rode Chum Salmon for trainer Larry Ross.
1986: Skywalker, ridden by Laffit Pincay Jr., who had been inducted into the national Hall of Fame in 1975, flew up from Southern California to win The Mile by a neck over Bedside Promise. Skywalker was sent off as the odds-on favorite. “If Skywalker had lost as a 3-5 favorite, I felt like they might hang me from the Space Needle,” trainer Michael Whittingham said. I flew on the plane back to Southern California with Skywalker and Whittingham. Skywalker would go on to win the Grade I, $3 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita that year over Turkoman and Precisionist. Precisionist had been voted an Eclipse Award as champion sprinter of 1985. Turkoman was voted an Eclipse Award as champion older male of 1986.
1987: Judge Angelucci won the 1987 Longacres Mile with consummate ease by four lengths in 1:34 1/5 with Gary Baze riding for 74-year-old national Hall of Famer Charlie Whittingham, the oldest trainer ever to win the state’s biggest prize. When Judge Angelucci took The Mile, it had been 47 years since Whittingham had saddled a horse at Longacres. Later in 1987, Judge Angelucci finished a respectable third behind Kentucky Derby winners Ferdinand (also conditioned by Whittingham) and Alysheba in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Hollywood Park. Whittingham was inducted into the national Hall of Fame in 1974 and the Washington Racing Hall of Fame in 2004.
1988: Simply Majestic, trained by Bobby Frankel, won by 4 1/2 lengths under Russell Baze and paid $6.80. Simply Majestic ran one mile in 1:33 4/5 to tie Always Gallant’s track record. Russell Baze was inducted into the national Hall of Fame in 1999 and Washington Racing Hall of Fame in 2004. This was the first of Russell Baze’s three Longacres Mile wins and the second of Frankel’s three Longacres Mile victories.
1989: Simply Majestic became the third two-time winner of The Mile, this time winning for jockey Ron Hansen and trainer John Parisella. Simply Majestic paid $3.80. This was the first of Hansen’s two Longacres Mile victories.
1990: Trainer Marion “Million Dollar” Smith, who saddled Pitch Out to capture The Mile in 1971, won his second Longacres Mile as Snipledo led from start to finish under James Corral. Snipledo paid $15.80.
1991: The Bobby Frankel-trained California shipper Louis Cyphre, with Gary Stevens in the saddle, spoiled the hopes of many that local fan favorite Captain Condo would become the oldest winner of The Mile at the age of 9. It was Frankel’s third Longacres Mile win. Gary Stevens by then had become a star in Southern California. Earlier in his career, Stevens had won riding titles at Longacres in 1983 and 1984. Even Stevens appreciated Captain Condo’s gallant effort in the 1991 Longacres Mile at his age. “He’s what racing is all about,” Stevens said. Stevens was inducted in the national Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Washington Racing Hall of Fame in 2003.
1992: Despite chronic problems with his front feet, Bolulight won the final Longacres Mile run at Longacres. He got the job done in 1:34 to prevail by a half-length over Ibero, who earlier in the year had taken the San Antonio Handicap at Santa Anita. Ibero would go on to win the Grade I NYRA Mile at Aqueduct in 1992 and the Grade I Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park in 1993. Probably even more impressive than the effort put forth by Bolulight in the 1992 Longacres Mile was Ron Hansen’s ride. Typically, Bolulight was on or near the pace when routing. But in the Mile, Hansen thought he might get fanned extremely wide going into the clubhouse turn because of breaking from post 11. So he elected to rate Bolulight, adroitly taking him down to the inside rail immediately after the start. Bolulight was seventh early. On the far turn, Ibero raced wide while Hansen sneaked through along the inside rail. There is no question Hansen’s ride on Bolulight in the 1992 Longacres Mile ranks as one of the greatest in Northwest racing history.
1995: The third of three editions of the Longacres Mile run at Yakima Meadows. Adventuresome Love won it in 1993, Want a Winner in 1994 and L.J. Express in 1995.
1996: Under the leadership of Ron Crockett, Thoroughbred racing returned to the Seattle area in 1996 with the first meet at Emerald Downs. The Longacres Mile also returned to the Seattle area, with Southern California invader Isitingood winning it under David Flores. Bob Baffert trained Isitingood for owners Mike Pegram and Terry Henn. Isitingood paid $11.40. Two years later, Baffert and Pegram teamed up to win the Kentucky Derby with Real Quiet, who lost the Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown by a nose to Victory Gallop. Baffert was inducted into the national Hall of Fame in 2009. I was there for that inaugural Longacres Mile at Emerald Downs, having been sent there to do a seminar for the Daily Racing Form.
1997: Kid Katabatic led from start to finish, paying $14. Chris Loseth, who narrowly lost The Mile in 1986 to Skywalker, rode Kid Katabatic for trainer Shauna Van Oostdam. Hesabull finished second as the 3-10 favorite. Hesabull subsequently ran second to Elmhurst in the 1997 Breeders’ Cup Sprint.
1998: I was back at Emerald Downs on Mile Day to do another seminar for the Racing Form. I told the folks at the seminar that Wild Wonder was close to a sure thing. Why? Because if Eddie Delahoussaye was willing to get on a plane to ride Wild Wonder in The Mile, that was a huge sign the colt was going to win. Eddie D. hates flying. The Greg Gilchrist-trained Wild Wonder, a son of 1984 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Wild Again, won the 1998 Longacres Mile in 1:33 1/5 to break the track record. He paid $4 as the favorite. Delahoussaye had been inducted into the national Hall of Fame in 1993. Gilchrist would go on to train a marvelous sprinter by the name of Lost in the Fog, who was voted an Eclipse Award in 2005.
1999: Jeffrey Sengara had been in the crowd when Trooper Seven won The Mile 1981. That was the day Sengara’s dream to win The Mile was born. In 1999, Sengara’s dream came true when his Budroyale won the Longacres Mile with Garrett Gomez in the irons. Budroyale paid $9.20. Later in 1999, Budroyale finished second to Cat Thief in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. By the way, Budroyale broke the “post eight jinx” by becoming the first horse to finally win The Mile from that spot in the gate.
2000: Edneator stepped one mile in 1:33 1/5 to tie Wild Wonder’s track record while providing trainer Jim Penney with his third Longacres Mile victory. This was the first of jockey Gallyn Mitchell’s two Longacres Mile wins. Edneator paid $85.20.
2001: This was my first Longacres Mile as a commentator for the Fox Sports Northwest telecast of the race. Despite breaking from the outside post in a field of 10, Irisheyesareflying won by 2 1/2 lengths under Southern California jockey Iggy Puglisi (whose first career win had come at Playfair). Trained by John Dolan, Irisheyesareflyingpaid $7.20.
2002: I was back to do commentary for the Fox Sports Northwest telecast of The Mile. The classy Southern California-based Redattore had been sent to Emerald Downs by Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella and loomed the one to beat. However, Redattore, winner of the Grade I Eddie Read Handicap in 2001 and third in the Grade I Arlington Million that same year, was scratched from The Mile the morning of the race due to having to be treated for a temperature. Trainer Jim Penney struck again, winning The Mile with front-running Sabertooth, who paid $37.20. Nathan Chaves rode Sabertooth.
2003: This was my final Longacres Mile as a commentator for the Fox Sports Northwest telecast. Sky Jack, winner of the Grade I Hollywood Gold Cup in 2002, took The Mile in 2003. He prevailed by a record 6 1/4 lengths in a scorching 1:33 to break the track record and equal Slew of Damascus’ state record. Slew of Damascus had posted a 1:33 clocking in the 1993 Yakima Mile when he broke Turbulator’s track record that had stood since 1970. Russell Baze rode Sky Jack (a grandson of 1986 Longacres Mile winner Skywalker) for trainer Doug O’Neill. This was the second of Russell Baze’s three Longacres Mile wins. O’Neill gave me two of the shoes Sky Jack wore when he won the 2003 Longacres Mile.
2004: Russell Baze followed his 2003 win in The Mile by taking the 2004 renewal aboard Adreamisborn for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. Adreamisborn paid $10.80. This was only the second time in the history of The Mile that a jockey won it in back-to-back years with two different horses. Bobby Jennings had won The Mile in 1965 with Siempre and in 1966 with Aurelius II. Just last Friday, Hollendorfer was inducted into the national Hall of Fame.
2005: No Giveaway rallied from far back under Juan Gutierrez to win by three-quarters of a length in a shocker, paying $122. Grant Forster trained No Giveway for owner Herman Sarkowsky, whose Titular II had appeared on his way to victory in the 1971 Longacres Mile until he propped from the starting gate in the infield and finished third.
2006: Trainer Jim Penney won a record fifth Longacres Mile, breaking his tie with Allen Drumheller, who had won The Mile four times in the 1940s. Ridden by Ricky Frazier, Flamethrowintexan, named after Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan, paid $6.80.
2007: Ron Crockett, president of Emerald Downs and the person primarily responsible for the Longacres Mile’s continuation to the present day (thank you, Mr. Crockett), enjoyed the thrill of owning a Longacres Mile winner with The Great Face. Named for Crockett’s granddaughter Lauren, The Great Face was ultra game to win The Mile by a head, paying $13.40. This was the second Longacres Mile victory in three years for jockey Juan Gutierrez.
2008: Howard Belvoir trained a very good horse at Longacres in the 1970s by the name of Red Eye Express, who just wasn’t quite good enough to ever win The Longacres Mile. Red Eye Express finished last in the 1973 Longacres Mile, second to Times Rush in the 1974 renewal and fourth when Jim won the race in 1975. In 2008, Belvoir saddled Wasserman to win The Mile by a neck over True Metropolitan. Jennifer Whitaker rode Wasserman, who paid $22.40. Whitaker made history by becoming the first female jockey to win The Mile. True Metropolitan had been Canada’s champion older male in 2006 and 2007.
2009: Trainer Howard Belvoir made it back-to-back Longacres Mile victories. He won it in 2009 with Assessment, who paid $16.60. This was jockey Gallyn Mitchell’s second Longacres Mile victory. Awesome Gem finished second, with Atta Boy Roy finishing fifth after setting a rapid pace and losing a shoe on the backstretch. Awesome Gem would go on to win the Grade I Hollywood Gold Cup in 2010 and is expected to run in The Mile again this year.
2010: Noosa Beach, ridden by Ricky Frazier and trained by Doris Harwood, won by 1 1/2 lengths and paid $5.60 as the favorite. This was Frazier’s second Longacres Mile victory. Jersey Town finished second in The Mile and went on to win the Grade I Cigar Mile at Aqueduct in November. Noosa Beach, who is four for four this year, has been assigned top weight of 125 pounds for the 2011 running of the coveted Longacres Mile this Sunday.