$50,000 U.S. BANK STAKES FEATURES NO CONSTRAINTS AUBURN, Wash. – The hottest connections at the track – jockey Ricky Frazier and trainer Tim McCanna – take aim at another victory in the $50,000 U.S. Bank Stakes for 3-year-old fillies Saturday at Emerald Downs. Frazier will ride the McCanna-trained No Constraints in the six-furlong U.S. Bank Stakes, the first stop for the sophomore fillies on the road to the $100,000 Washington Oaks on Aug. 16. No Constraints won three races and two stakes at Emerald Downs last year, and later was named champion Washington-Bred 2-year-old filly of 2007. Owned and bred by Dunn Bar Ranch, the speedy daughter of Katowice has won three-of-five starts and $55,775. Frazier and McCanna, meanwhile, continue to dominate the jockey and trainer standings. Winner of three of the last four riding titles, Frazier owns a 12-8 lead on Juan Gutierrez in the jockeys’ race, and seven-time leading trainer McCanna has won 11 of 36 starts (31 percent) and has a three-win lead on Howard Belvoir. Frazier and McCanna combined for 31 wins last year including No Constraints’ victories in the Knights Choice and Diane Kem Stakes, and they’re already 7-for-21 together in 2008. No Constraints drew the rail post in the field of seven. Owner Gorge Todaro captured last year’s Washington Oaks with Rivoltella and appears to have another bullet for the division this year in Startjumpin Marnie. A recent $50,000 claim by Todaro and trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, the Kentucky-Bred filly by Jump Start has won two straight allowance races for her new connections and she lures Bay Area-rider Kyle Kaenel for the ride. Trainer Doris Harwood saddled Shampoo to win last year’s U.S. Bank Stakes and she could make it two straight with Northwest Farms’ Elusive Horizon, who ran the fastest five furlongs by a 2-year-old filly – :56 4/5 – in track history last September. Al Benton owned one of the state’s great sophomore fillies – Belle of Rainier in 1982— and has a sharp 3-year-old filly prospect in Let Me Get My Hat. Also by Katowice, Let Me Get My Hat came off the bench for a 7 ¾-length allowance victory for trainer Howard Belvoir last month. The U.S. Bank Stakes is race nine on a 10-race card with 2 p.m. first post. Below is the complete field for the 13^th running of the U.S. Bank Stakes: Post Horse Jockey Trainer 1 No Constraints Ricky Frazier Tim McCanna 2 Enumclaw Girl Gallyn Mitchell Rosie Simkins 3 Elusive Horizon Juan Gutierrez Doris Harwood 4 Startjumpin Marnie Kyle Kaenel Jerry Hollendorfer 5 Let Me Get My Hat Jennifer Whitaker Howard Belvoir 6 Sunningdale Gary Baze Terry Gillihan 7 Jasmine’s Melody Kevin Radke Aubrey Villyard NATIONHOOD PREVAILS IN EXCITING SEATTLE ’CAP, STILL PERFECT AT EMERALD AUBURN, Wash (May 4, 2008) – Nationhood held off stable-mate Chhaya Dance and earned a narrow victory Sunday in a blanket finish of the $50,000 Seattle Handicap for older horses at Emerald Downs. With Ricky Frazier aboard at 120 pounds, Nationhood finished a neck in front of Chhaya Dance in the 70^th running of the six-furlong Seattle. Bound to Be M V P held on doggedly to finish third, a neck behind Chhaya Dance. Nationhood, the 6-5 wagering favorite, ran six furlongs in 1:08 2/5 and paid $4.40, $3 and $2.60. Chhaya Dance, ridden by Gary Baze, returned $4.80 and $3, while Bound to Be M V P, Kevin Radke riding,m paid $3.80 for show. Mike Chambers trains Nationhood and Chhaya Dance, both of whom were coming off victories at Turf Paradise, where Chambers won with 82 of 202 starters—an incredible 41 percent wins. Nationhood stalked Bound to Be M V P and Garbu’s Tab, who contested the pace through fractional times of :21 4/5 and :44 2/5, and then wore down the leaders past mid-stretch to gain a short advantage. The race was far from over, though, as Chhaya Dance rallied into contention and Bound to Be M V P dug in from the inside. “He was facing some tough contention,” said Frazier, the leading rider at the meet with 12 wins. “At the sixteenth pole I wasn’t sure he would get there. But he dug in when I needed him to run and he came through strong at the end.” Nationhood has a 7-4-2 record from 18 starts and is four-for-four at Emerald Downs. A 6-year-old Kentucky-Bred by Cherokee Run, Nationhood won three high-priced claiming events here last year, but Chambers said it was difficult for him to choose Nationhood over Chhaya Dance. “I was hoping for a dead-heat. They’re both capable horses,” Chambers said. Chambers added he hopes to keep Nationhood and Chhaya Dance on the road to the $300,000 Longacres Mile in August. “(The Mile’s) always in the back of your mind,” he said. NOTES: Kevin Radke rode three winners and is one of three jockeys tied for third with seven wins…Nick Lowe and Robbie Baze led the trainers with two wins each….Racing resumes Friday with first post at 6 p.m. SEATTLE HANDICAP QUOTES $50,000 GUARANTEED, 6 FURLONGS RICKY FRAZIER, NATIONHOOD, Winner: “He came ready to run today. He warmed up really well and I had him sitting exactly where I wanted him during the early part of the race. However, he was facing some tough competition, and at the sixteenth pole I wasn’t sure he would get there. But he dug in when I needed him to run and he came through strong at the end.” JENNIFER WHITAKER, WASSERMAN, Fourth: “I had him in good position as he likes to sit down in the back. However, the front runners didn’t stop, and he had too much ground to make up at the end.” GARY BAZE, CHHAYA DANCE, Second: “He had a pretty good trip even though he got pushed out a little at the beginning. He got to running at the end but just couldn’t get up, but he ran a good race.” Notes: This was Mike Chambers’ first stakes win at Emerald downs since Swank won the 1996 Independence Day Handicap. Chambers finished second in the 1997 Longacres Mile with Hesabull, who also was runner-up in the 1997 Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Chambers, 61, just completed a dream season at Turf Paradise. Although winless with three starters Sunday (closing day) at the Phoenix-area track, he finished the meet with 82 wins from 202 starts (41 percent) and was second to Keith Bennett (87 wins) in the trainers’ standings. One of Chambers’ starters Sunday at Turf Paradise was Cleard for Action, who finished second in the 1 7/8 mile Hasta La Vista Handicap….Nationhood is owned by Cander Racing—Brad and Lisa Cassidy of Kirkland and Del and Nancy Anderson, also of Kirkland News and Notes: Sunday, May 4 Sophomores renew rivalry in Auburn Stakes on May 11 One might expect Margo’s Gift to be a standout in the 3-year-old stakes division this season at Emerald Downs. After all, the Polish Gift gelding was the talk of the town last year with a campaign that netted five wins from seven starts, a nationally significant stakes victory at Monmouth Park, honors as champion Washington-Bred 2-year-old and over $243,000 in purses for owner Elttaes Stable. So, assuming Margo’s Gift makes a smooth transition into his 3-year-old season, the 2008 season should be a coronation, right? Wrong! The folks over at the Jim Penney barn are quick to remind that Gallon finished ahead of Margo’s Gift all three times they met last year (including the Premio Esmeralda, in which Gallon was disqualified from first for interference). In fact, Gallon had a fine campaign of his own last year for Penney and owners Michael and Amy Feuerborn. The Victory Gallop gelding won the WTBA lads, was second in the Gottstein Futurity, won an allowance race on turf at Bay Meadows, and finished fourth to Colonel John in the Real Quiet Stakes at Hollywood Park. Margo’s Gift and Gallon are both scheduled to make their 2008 debuts in the $50,000 Auburn Stakes at six furlongs on Sunday, May 11. Both had recent scorching drills at Emerald Downs, Margo’s Gift a bullet :59 3/5 on Friday, and Gallon a bullet :58 4/5 from the gate last Wednesday. Also nominated to the Auburn are Bobby Rar Rar, Dat’s Dream, Easy Going Cecil, Fear No Evil, Never Benched, No Boundaries, One Quick Brew and Tritum. Gallon and Margo’s Gift, of course, will attract, the bulk of the wagering support, but Bryson Cooper says it isn’t a two-horse race. According to Cooper, Penney’s son-in-law and assistant trainer, the Auburn is a one-horse race. Says Cooper: “We’ll comb our hair, brush our teeth and get ready for the winner’s circle picture.” U.S. Bank stakes kicks off weekend stakes double-header Last year, the U.S. Bank Stakes provided trainer Doris Harwood with the first of what would be a record 12 stakes victories in one season. Shampoo did the honors, winning the first of her record-tying four stakes wins in 2007.