Lou and Diane Tice’s 5-year-old Assessment, winner of three stakes including the $300,000 Longacres Mile, was voted Emerald Downs Horse of the Meeting for the 91-day live racing season that concluded Sunday.

In winning the 74th running of the track’s marquee event, Assessment overcame the dreaded No. 12 post-position and out-finished the California millionaire, Awesome Gem, in a fast 1:33 2/5 in what was voted the 2009 Race of the Meeting. Trained by Howard Belvoir—conditioning his second successive Horse of the Meeting—Assessment compiled a 4-3-0 record in seven starts with earnings of $257,000. Ridden regularly by Gallyn Mitchell, the Kentucky-bred by Jump Start also captured the Budweiser-Emerald and Mt. Rainier Handicaps to take honors as Top Older Horse.

Voting on the 2009 season awards were a panel of media members, track officials and fans participating via email.

Roy and Ellie Schaefer’s brilliantly fast 4-year-old Atta Boy Roy was voted Top Washington-bred and Top Sprinter. The son of Tribunal broke the track and state record for six furlongs with a 1:07 clocking in the Chinook Pass Sprint on Washington Cup Day, and the colt also topped Assessment in the Governor’s Handicap at 6-½ furlongs. In The Mile, Atta Boy Roy set the fastest fractions in the history of the race—:21 4/5, 44,1:07 3/5—before finishing a close fifth to Assessment, despite losing a shoe on the backstretch.

Jon Sather’s Ladyledue was voted Top 3-Year-Old Filly after a brilliant campaign that saw her win four stakes including romps in the one-mile John and Kitty Fletcher Stakes and Irish Day Handicap. Trained by Bonnie Jenne, the Washington-bred by Slewdledo has won six stakes and two division titles at Emerald Downs—Top Juvenile Filly in 2008 and Top 3-Year-old Filly in 2009.

Trainer Doris Harwood had another exceptional campaign—tying her own track record with 12 stakes wins and establishing new marks with 21 2-year-old wins and $931,916 in earnings. Harwood, voted Top Training Achievement, conditioned Top 3-Year-Old Winning Machine, Top Older Filly or Mare Elusive Horizon and Top Juvenile Filly Knight Raider.

Fleur De Lis Stables’ Winning Machine won or placed in four stakes including a tenacious head victory in the Emerald Derby, and the game gelding did Emerald Downs proud with a victory in Sunday’s $275,000 British Columbia Derby at Hastings Racecourse. Northwest Farms’ Elusive Horizon, meanwhile, remained unbeaten around two turns with victories in the King County Handicap, Boeing Handicap (dead-heat with Holy Nova) and Emerald Distaff.

In the 2-year-old ranks, One Horse Will Do Corp. and John Holmes’ Hollywood Harbor and Fab Five Farm’s Knight Raider dominated their respective ranks and were voted Top Juvenile Male and Top Juvenile Filly. Trained by Chris Stenslie, Hollywood Harbor won three stakes by combined 12-¾ lengths while the Harwood-trained Knight Raider won three stakes by an aggregate 23-½ lengths.

Ricky Frazier dominated the jockey ranks winning 155 races—the second highest total in track history—and 11 stakes races. For the 45-year-old Arkansan, it was his fourth title in the last six years, a span in which he has won 732 races while no other rider has won 500. In the training ranks, business as usual as Tim McCanna won 63 races to capture his ninth crown in the track’s 14-year history by edging Harwood, who finished with a career-high 59 wins.

In the owners’ ranks, Keith Swagerty’s Swag Stables established a single-season record with 27 wins—including two stakes wins with homebred No Flies On Doodles. Cassie Papineau, a 22-year-old Kennewick native, rode 70 winners and shattered the single-season record by an apprentice jockey.

Top Claiming Horse was an extremely tough category as two horses won six races and another finished with five wins. Panatela, a 4-year-old Washington-bred filly by Katowice, got the nod following a campaign that saw her compile a 6-2-0 record from nine starts while racing in three different barns.

Emerald Downs’ 2009 season honors:
Award     Winner
Horse of the Meeting     Assessment (Ky)
Top WA-bred     Atta Boy Roy (Wash)
Top Older Horse     Assessment (Ky)
Top Older Filly or Mare     Elusive Horizon (Ky)
Top 3-year-old Male     Winning Machine (Ky)
Top 3-year-old Filly     Ladyledue (Wash)
Top Sprinter     Atta Boy Roy (Wash)
Top Claimer     Panatela (Wash)
Top Juvenile Male Hollywood Harbor (Wash)
Top Juvenile Filly     Knight Raider (Wash)
Race of the Meeting     The 74th Longacres Mile
Top Training Achievement     Doris Harwood
Top Riding Achievement     Ricky Frazier
Durkan Award     Charles Essex
Lindy Award Jose Zunino
Leading Rider     Ricky Frazier (155)
Leading Trainer     Tim McCanna (63)
Leading Owner     Swag Stables (27*)
Leading Apprentice     Cassie Papineau (70*)
*Track Record