When
Noosa Beach overcame a slow start to win the $50,000 Budweiser
Handicap yesterday at Emerald Downs it did not exactly create a wave
of excitement throughout the general racing public. Perhaps it should
have. Noosa Beach is one serious racehorse.
Despite
carrying a Budweiser record of 125 pounds, and despite missing the
break, Noosa Beach was able to reach the lead at the top of the
stretch. From there he quickly repelled a two-prong challenge and
cruised to the Emerald Downs finish line, winning by 3 1/2 lengths.
You can count his jockey among the many believers of Noosa Beach.
“He
broke a little slow today, but it was just one of those situations
where the horse wasn’t standing perfectly in the gate,” jockey
Gallyn Mitchell said. “He’s such a talented horse that he just
picked up his feet and started running. … I was happy to be in the
lead on the inside entering the stretch. If he’s on the inside,
nobody will get by him. He’s running with the best horses on the
grounds, and he’s just toying with them.”
A
Washington-bred by Harbor the Gold, the five-year-old gelding has now
won ten stakes races at the Suburban Seattle racetrack. That figure
ties the record set by Handy N Bold. With the July 24 Mount Rainier
Handicap, and then the Grade 3 Longacres Mile in August on his summer
agenda, Noosa Beach does not figure to share the record for long.
While
a repeat victory in the Longacres Mile would prove noteworthy, the
connections of the Seattle superstar have bigger plans in mind for
Noosa Beach. A trip to Kentucky for the 2011 Breeders' Cup is being
strongly considered. Owner Jeff Harwood said he would pay the $25,000
nomination fee needed to keep Noosa Beach eligible for the Breeders’
Cup by the July 1 deadline. Lofty dreams? Maybe, but maybe not. Let's
consider just how good this horse is.
With
the win on Sunday, Noosa Beach has won six consecutive stakes races
and is only one neck defeat away from being perfect in ten stars over
the past two years for trainer Doris Harwood. Noosa Beach now has a
remarkable career record of 19-13-3-2. A real hometown hero, 17 of
races have come at Emerald Downs, including 12 wins. It would be a
bit of a mistake though to assume that he would not be winning away
from his Pacific Northwest. Last year's Longacres Mile is evidence of
that.
In
the 2010 edition of the historic race, Noosa Beach easily handled a
solid field that included 2nd place finisher, Jersey Town.
A few months later, Jersey Town made a strong statement on the class
of Noosa Beach when he won the Grade 1 Cigar Mile in New York.
Considering
how Noosa Beach treated Jersey Town in Seattle, there should be
little doubt that this is one horse racing fans should know more
about … today!