Include’s Proud Emma game in first stakes victory

Proud Emma dueled to a dead-heat victory in the Tranquility S. on Friday Del Mar to give the 4-year-old daughter of Include her first stakes win. 

With Friday’s win, Proud Emma now has won 5 of 13 starts and earned $236,158 for the partnership of Gem Inc., Tom Kagele, and Steven Tartaglione. 

Proud Emma was last of five at the break in the one-mile race, with Message immediately going to the lead. Message led the field through six furlongs in 1:11.62 with Proud Emma narrowing the margin coming into the stretch. The duo was inseparable for the stretch run and at the wire, finishing the distance in 1:37.27 on a fast main track.

“My filly’s head was on the way up and his way on the way down,” Proud Emma’s jockey Mike Smith said. 

Proud Emma was bred in Kentucky by Brereton C. Jones from the Proud Citizen mare Debutante Dreamer. 

Include is the sire of 89 lifetime stakes horses that have earned nearly $51 million.