Jockey Chris Emigh captured four of the six stakes races on Saturday at
Hawthorne, a feat worth noting in and of itself, but the rider didn’t stop
there. In the other two stakes events on Illinois Champions Day, Emigh finished
third.
Starting off the day, Emigh guided Ben Dover Stable and Dale & Joan Everett’s
TAKE ACHANCE ON ME (American Chance) to a front-running two-length victory in
the $88,250
Chicagoland H. The seven-year-old gelding finished the six-furlong
fast dirt test for trainer Michael Trombetta in 1:10 2/5 and is now two for two
in 2005 after taking the Hoover S. at Laurel Park. Take Achance on Me now owns a
42-7-14-4 mark along with $403,031 in earnings.
Emigh and Dress for Success (Western Playboy) could never get to Paul Darjean
and Dick Milliard’s TOP KICK (Mutakddim) in the $90,950
Land of Lincoln S.,
finishing third to the Darjean-trained sophomore. Uriel Lopez was aboard the
dark bay colt, who led from gate to wire in the six-furlong test, finishing 4
1/4 lengths ahead of his nearest rival in 1:11 4/5. Top Kick broke his maiden
debut prior to Saturday’s race and now shows earnings of $68,520.
In the $91,625
Governor’s Lady H., Jim Edgar’s FIGHTING FEVER (Fit
to Fight) tracked in second under Emigh until the stretch of the six-furlong event, then
took over and pulled away to a 1 3/4-length victory. The pair stopped the clock
in 1:12, giving the Tom Dorris-trained five-year-old mare her first stakes victory
and improving her record to 29-6-6-4, $254,301.
A disqualification in the $91,500
Peach of It H. wound up giving the victory
to William Lydon, Carson Springs Farm and Christine Janks’ MS. LYDONIA (Labeeb
[GB]), who just happened to have Emigh in the saddle. The pair ran in second as
Jaguar City (Slew City Slew) set the pace and proceeded on to a 6 1/2-length
score in 1:46 3/5 for 8 1/2 furlongs. However, a stewards inquiry resulted in
the first-place finisher being disqualified from the win and placed eighth for
interference at the start that resulted in Arsen Annie clipping heels and
losing her jockey, Jesse Campbell, who avoided serious injury.
Ms. Lydonia was moved up from second to first. Trained by Janks, the dark bay four-year-old
earned an initial stakes win here while increasing her lifetime mark to 11-4-2-2
with $143,340 in earnings.
Yet another win awaited Emigh and Janks in the $94,125
Lady Hallie S. as
William Lydon, Arbaway Farms and Carson Springs’ PRETTY JENNY (Pioneering)
posted a 2 1/2-length score while going three-quarters in 1:12 4/5. The bay
sophomore miss recorded her second-straight win after taking her debut last out
and now shows $71,175 in earnings.
Jockey James Graham and Russell Reineman Stable’s HOME OF STARS (Home at
Last) managed to spoil a five-win day for Emigh by taking the $92,700
Milwaukee
Avenue H. The duo ran in fourth before finding a hole on the rail and going on
to score by 2 1/4 lengths. Trained by Frank Springer, Home of Stars finished 1
1/16 miles in 1:45 4/5 and pushed his line to 17-6-4-3, $255,146, in taking his
second stakes win.