BIG DAY FOR BETTORS!
HANDICAPPING TODAY’S BIG RACES-
PLATE FAVE AT TURFWAY
CANADIAN-BRED BOOKENDS IN DISTAFF
The Lane’s End Stakes, Grade 2, highlights a big card at the Kentucky track Turfway Park and Canadian-breds could play a major role in the results. TWILIGHT METEOR, the winterbook Plate favourite, will have to avoid a bounce in his 2nd start of the season. The confirmed stretch runner got up in the final strides to win his 2007 debut on Feb.24 at Gulfstream in a 1 1/16 mile turf race. There may be a rapid pace in the 9 furlong Lane’s End and that helps this very exciting Canadian-bred son of Smart Strike.
But the odds won’t be all that interesting and favoured HARD SPUN sure looks good too but he’ll be a low price.
I was a big fan of MENIFEE (who should have won the 1999 Kentucky Derby) so his son HIGHEST DEGREE from the rail post looks interesting as a longshot play. A one-time winner, he has some catching up to do on class and in Beyer Figures but the post is appealing and he appears to be sitting on a competitive 90 plus Beyer.
Don’t ignore the fast improving FOR YOU REPPO (El Corredor – Mystic Diplomacy, Jeblar) from the red-hot barn of trainer Helen Pitts.
Last year’s Sovereign Award winning trainer MARK CASSE has a super day in store, at least it’s that way now, let’s hope that APPROVAL RATING (Kentucky-bred in Lane’s End), SEALY HILL (Canadian-bred in Bourbonette) and/or SKIP CODE (Kentucky-bred in Rushaway) can have some luck. Casse was the leading money-winning trainer at Woodbine last year and had a furious start to the Woodbine meeting in 2006.
The Bourbonette (1 mile) also has a large field and speed should be plentiful. SEALY HILL does not show a race or workout since her 2nd place finish at Gulfstream in January but don’t be fooled – she has worked plenty in Ocala at the Breeders’ Sales track. She’s a good one but that debut outing was a bit disappointing.
Watch out for Polytrack freak OUR DANCING BABE ( a neck away from being 4 for 4 on Turfway’s quirky Poly) and another from the Pitts barn, the undefeated SILVERINYOURPOCKET.
And what about the Rushaway Stakes at 1 1 /16 miles for 3-year-olds? Lots if interesting stuff including Canadian-bred REATA’S ROCKET (Cape Canaveral-Selborne, French Deputy) who might be hard pressed to do well at the 2-turn distance. Graded stakes winner SKIP CODE was beaten 29 ½ lengths in his debut for 2007 in Ocala.
Thoroughblog is going to play PASSPORT, the turf-to-dirt colt for trainer Frank Brothers and Claiborne Farms.
MARYFIELD and CANDY BOX have the field surrounded – at least in the starting gate – in today’s Grade 3 Distaff Handicap at Aqueduct. The field is a good one for a filly and mare sprint stakes with the streaking Oprah Winney doing a lot of talking lately and check out yesterday’s Break Through Stakes at Aqueduct: Smart and Fancy has been chasing Oprah Winney in recent stakes races and then escaped to win that little added-money event in fine fashion.
Maryfield (Elusive Quality – Sly Maid, Desert Wine) is a multiple stakes winner on the west coast and was 2nd in the Seaway Stakes at Woodbine last fall. She was 4th in the Grade 1 Santa Monica 2 starts back but 7th in her latest, the Las Flores. Maryfield worked in a fabulous (?) :45 4/5 from the gate at Hollywood before setting off for New York. She will have a ton of speed to her outside (Maay Day Vow,, Magnolia Jackson, etc.).
Candy Box (Running Stag – Miners Mirage, Mining) raced at Woodbine for trainer Brian Lynch (Stronach Stables) last year and she has been a bear at Aqueduct this winter. She just won the Stormy Krissy Stakes with a 95 Beyer Figure. Her outside post may help her track the other speed rather than get involved in the fracas.
Stronach also bred another contender in the wild field, HELLO LUCKY, a Florida bred by Lucky Lionel.
The pick from this corner? VICTORINA from the Lost in the Fog team of Harry Aleo and trainer Greg Gilchrist.
Old timer COOL N COLLECTIVE, regular visitor on the HOT CANADIAN BRED list on THOROUGHBLOG, leaps up to $22,500 claiming in search of his 3rd win in start no. 4 in 2007. Re-claimed in Feb. by Ellie Schmidt and trainer Juan Serey, Cool N Collective just won for $7,500 claiming with an 86 Beyer Figure. He’s 5 to 1 on the DRF morning line. Also at 5 to 1 is Can.-bred THREE IN THE BAG, 2nd in the Plate Trial in 2005 and a 2-time winner this year for claiming. The Silver Deputy – Light Show gelding just ran a 92 Beyer Figure when winning for $25,000 claiming.
Hall of Fame trainer ROGER ATTFIELD sends out a Queen’s Plate eligible for his debut today. OURTIMETODANCE (Mark of Esteem – Now Dance, Sovereign Dancer) was bred by Richard Lister and is owned by Attfield and Bill Werner. He debuts in the 8th race at Gulfstream today.
OISTINS BAY JUMPS INTO PLATE PICTURE
TROUBLE MIKE FOX IN RETURN
Eugene Melynk’s homebred OISTINS BAY (Deputy Minister – Dante’s Mary by Boston Harbour) swept to his maiden win at Gulfstream yesterday in the rapid time of 1:09 4/5 in just his second career start and promptly snuck into the Queen’s Plate picture.
The speedy chestnut was one of just 2 colts in the 10- horse maiden race that had raced and his debut was a messy affair but he was the runner-up behind the good Street Magician.
Oistins Bay may have some work to do yet as far as conquering longer distances but
MIKE FOX made his long awaited return to action as a 3-year-old in an allowance/optional claiming race at Tampa yesterday but it was a horror run from the outset. The son of Giant’s Causeway – Alexis, Alzao “bobbled badly at the start” and then was “steadied on heels” later in the 7 furlong dirt race and wound up fourth beaten about 7 lengths. D. Morgan Firestone’s impressive looking colt was taken away from trainer Reade Baker this year and is now conditioned by Cliff Hopmans Jr., who has been a Firestone trainer in the past.
Yesterday at the Fair Grounds, Sam-Son Farms’ continue a good run as its homebred SAIL FROM SEATTLE returned from a 1 ½ year layoff to win his second career start in a 5 ½ furlong turf dash. The colt broke sharply, cleared was headed and then came back on to win in impressive fashion. The Gone West – Seattle Classic , Seattle Slew, 4-year-old colt is a half-brother to Grade 1 winner Hello Seattle and a full to the quick filly Fleet of Foot and Go Classic, the latter a good producer for Sam-Son. Trainer Mark Frostad was previously 0 for 17 with horses coming back from a layoff of over 180 days.
FORT ERIE CLOSED MOST SATURDAYS THIS SEASON
Our friend from the BUFFALO NEWS, Bob (the Happy Handicapper) previews FORT ERIE RACETRACK and it’s declining slots business and shortened racing season. Ouch.
http://www.buffalonews.com/135/story/37782.html
ANOTHER NOTE TO THE ONTARIO RACING COMMISSION
A couple of days after two trainers were fined by the California Horse Racing Bureau for not reporting their horses were first time geldings, the stewards fine SANTA ANITA RACETRACK $300 for not reporting in its PROGRAM a first time gelding.
Hello!
Trying to get this information at Woodbine is apparently impossible. The ORC needs to catch up in a big hurry here – it’s the bettors that make this game go around!
(Thoroughblog’s first note to the ORC appeared in a post earlier this week)
WORKOUT PATROL
Trainer MIKE KEOGH had a busy day yesterday at Aiken, South Carolina as he worked a litany of his promising runners including old-timer LAST ANSWER (6 furlongs in 1:16) for owner Gus Schickedanz. Keogh’s Queen’s Plate eligibles NOTHERN REPORT and GOLANI prepped (1:04 breezing) as did the promising grey colt WOODCRAFTER (a full brother to Plate winner WOODCARVER).
Catherine Day Phillips, at Ocala Training Center, worked a bunch too including Grade 1 winner JAMBALAYA, who is getting ready for next weekend’s Pan American Handicap at Gulfstream Park. The superstar prepped in 1:01 2/5.
A year ago, SEASIDE RETREAT (a Kentucky-bred) was second in the Lane’s End Stakes at Turfway Park (the race being run today for the 36th time) and took trainer Mark Casse to the Kentucky Derby. Yesterday, the gelding worked a bullet 5 furlongs at Woodbine on Polytrack and he was unplaced in his season debut at Gulfstream. Perhaps Polytrack will be a welcomed change for the finicky gelding.
RANDOM THOUGHTS...
BAY MEADOWS opened for racing in 1934 and five years later became the first track to install an electric, all-enclosed starting gate according to today’s DRF. Now the track is going to close after its owners did not get a two-year extension time to install a synthetic surface, an $8 million project it was not ready to embark on…THE QUEEN’s first trip to the Kentucky Derby will come this May and some fans of Woodbine racing know what an interesting treat this is for race day. It’s been a long, long time since the Queen’s Plate had an immediate member of the Royal family in attendance and it sure makes the day feel just a bit more special…The training times over KEENELAND’S POLYTRACK yesterday were nothing short of sizzling…Poison dart rig under gate at Happy Valley track in Hong Kong? I don’t even know what to say about that…Off topic: BLOOD DIAMOND is a super movie, hmm, maybe it should have won the Oscar? Canadian author Heather McNeil’s book LULLABIES FOR LITTLE CRIMINALS is a great read.
PLATE FAVE AT TURFWAY
CANADIAN-BRED BOOKENDS IN DISTAFF
The Lane’s End Stakes, Grade 2, highlights a big card at the Kentucky track Turfway Park and Canadian-breds could play a major role in the results. TWILIGHT METEOR, the winterbook Plate favourite, will have to avoid a bounce in his 2nd start of the season. The confirmed stretch runner got up in the final strides to win his 2007 debut on Feb.24 at Gulfstream in a 1 1/16 mile turf race. There may be a rapid pace in the 9 furlong Lane’s End and that helps this very exciting Canadian-bred son of Smart Strike.
But the odds won’t be all that interesting and favoured HARD SPUN sure looks good too but he’ll be a low price.
I was a big fan of MENIFEE (who should have won the 1999 Kentucky Derby) so his son HIGHEST DEGREE from the rail post looks interesting as a longshot play. A one-time winner, he has some catching up to do on class and in Beyer Figures but the post is appealing and he appears to be sitting on a competitive 90 plus Beyer.
Don’t ignore the fast improving FOR YOU REPPO (El Corredor – Mystic Diplomacy, Jeblar) from the red-hot barn of trainer Helen Pitts.
Last year’s Sovereign Award winning trainer MARK CASSE has a super day in store, at least it’s that way now, let’s hope that APPROVAL RATING (Kentucky-bred in Lane’s End), SEALY HILL (Canadian-bred in Bourbonette) and/or SKIP CODE (Kentucky-bred in Rushaway) can have some luck. Casse was the leading money-winning trainer at Woodbine last year and had a furious start to the Woodbine meeting in 2006.
The Bourbonette (1 mile) also has a large field and speed should be plentiful. SEALY HILL does not show a race or workout since her 2nd place finish at Gulfstream in January but don’t be fooled – she has worked plenty in Ocala at the Breeders’ Sales track. She’s a good one but that debut outing was a bit disappointing.
Watch out for Polytrack freak OUR DANCING BABE ( a neck away from being 4 for 4 on Turfway’s quirky Poly) and another from the Pitts barn, the undefeated SILVERINYOURPOCKET.
And what about the Rushaway Stakes at 1 1 /16 miles for 3-year-olds? Lots if interesting stuff including Canadian-bred REATA’S ROCKET (Cape Canaveral-Selborne, French Deputy) who might be hard pressed to do well at the 2-turn distance. Graded stakes winner SKIP CODE was beaten 29 ½ lengths in his debut for 2007 in Ocala.
Thoroughblog is going to play PASSPORT, the turf-to-dirt colt for trainer Frank Brothers and Claiborne Farms.
MARYFIELD and CANDY BOX have the field surrounded – at least in the starting gate – in today’s Grade 3 Distaff Handicap at Aqueduct. The field is a good one for a filly and mare sprint stakes with the streaking Oprah Winney doing a lot of talking lately and check out yesterday’s Break Through Stakes at Aqueduct: Smart and Fancy has been chasing Oprah Winney in recent stakes races and then escaped to win that little added-money event in fine fashion.
Maryfield (Elusive Quality – Sly Maid, Desert Wine) is a multiple stakes winner on the west coast and was 2nd in the Seaway Stakes at Woodbine last fall. She was 4th in the Grade 1 Santa Monica 2 starts back but 7th in her latest, the Las Flores. Maryfield worked in a fabulous (?) :45 4/5 from the gate at Hollywood before setting off for New York. She will have a ton of speed to her outside (Maay Day Vow,, Magnolia Jackson, etc.).
Candy Box (Running Stag – Miners Mirage, Mining) raced at Woodbine for trainer Brian Lynch (Stronach Stables) last year and she has been a bear at Aqueduct this winter. She just won the Stormy Krissy Stakes with a 95 Beyer Figure. Her outside post may help her track the other speed rather than get involved in the fracas.
Stronach also bred another contender in the wild field, HELLO LUCKY, a Florida bred by Lucky Lionel.
The pick from this corner? VICTORINA from the Lost in the Fog team of Harry Aleo and trainer Greg Gilchrist.
Old timer COOL N COLLECTIVE, regular visitor on the HOT CANADIAN BRED list on THOROUGHBLOG, leaps up to $22,500 claiming in search of his 3rd win in start no. 4 in 2007. Re-claimed in Feb. by Ellie Schmidt and trainer Juan Serey, Cool N Collective just won for $7,500 claiming with an 86 Beyer Figure. He’s 5 to 1 on the DRF morning line. Also at 5 to 1 is Can.-bred THREE IN THE BAG, 2nd in the Plate Trial in 2005 and a 2-time winner this year for claiming. The Silver Deputy – Light Show gelding just ran a 92 Beyer Figure when winning for $25,000 claiming.
Hall of Fame trainer ROGER ATTFIELD sends out a Queen’s Plate eligible for his debut today. OURTIMETODANCE (Mark of Esteem – Now Dance, Sovereign Dancer) was bred by Richard Lister and is owned by Attfield and Bill Werner. He debuts in the 8th race at Gulfstream today.
OISTINS BAY JUMPS INTO PLATE PICTURE
TROUBLE MIKE FOX IN RETURN
Eugene Melynk’s homebred OISTINS BAY (Deputy Minister – Dante’s Mary by Boston Harbour) swept to his maiden win at Gulfstream yesterday in the rapid time of 1:09 4/5 in just his second career start and promptly snuck into the Queen’s Plate picture.
The speedy chestnut was one of just 2 colts in the 10- horse maiden race that had raced and his debut was a messy affair but he was the runner-up behind the good Street Magician.
Oistins Bay may have some work to do yet as far as conquering longer distances but
MIKE FOX made his long awaited return to action as a 3-year-old in an allowance/optional claiming race at Tampa yesterday but it was a horror run from the outset. The son of Giant’s Causeway – Alexis, Alzao “bobbled badly at the start” and then was “steadied on heels” later in the 7 furlong dirt race and wound up fourth beaten about 7 lengths. D. Morgan Firestone’s impressive looking colt was taken away from trainer Reade Baker this year and is now conditioned by Cliff Hopmans Jr., who has been a Firestone trainer in the past.
Yesterday at the Fair Grounds, Sam-Son Farms’ continue a good run as its homebred SAIL FROM SEATTLE returned from a 1 ½ year layoff to win his second career start in a 5 ½ furlong turf dash. The colt broke sharply, cleared was headed and then came back on to win in impressive fashion. The Gone West – Seattle Classic , Seattle Slew, 4-year-old colt is a half-brother to Grade 1 winner Hello Seattle and a full to the quick filly Fleet of Foot and Go Classic, the latter a good producer for Sam-Son. Trainer Mark Frostad was previously 0 for 17 with horses coming back from a layoff of over 180 days.
FORT ERIE CLOSED MOST SATURDAYS THIS SEASON
Our friend from the BUFFALO NEWS, Bob (the Happy Handicapper) previews FORT ERIE RACETRACK and it’s declining slots business and shortened racing season. Ouch.
http://www.buffalonews.com/135/story/37782.html
ANOTHER NOTE TO THE ONTARIO RACING COMMISSION
A couple of days after two trainers were fined by the California Horse Racing Bureau for not reporting their horses were first time geldings, the stewards fine SANTA ANITA RACETRACK $300 for not reporting in its PROGRAM a first time gelding.
Hello!
Trying to get this information at Woodbine is apparently impossible. The ORC needs to catch up in a big hurry here – it’s the bettors that make this game go around!
(Thoroughblog’s first note to the ORC appeared in a post earlier this week)
WORKOUT PATROL
Trainer MIKE KEOGH had a busy day yesterday at Aiken, South Carolina as he worked a litany of his promising runners including old-timer LAST ANSWER (6 furlongs in 1:16) for owner Gus Schickedanz. Keogh’s Queen’s Plate eligibles NOTHERN REPORT and GOLANI prepped (1:04 breezing) as did the promising grey colt WOODCRAFTER (a full brother to Plate winner WOODCARVER).
Catherine Day Phillips, at Ocala Training Center, worked a bunch too including Grade 1 winner JAMBALAYA, who is getting ready for next weekend’s Pan American Handicap at Gulfstream Park. The superstar prepped in 1:01 2/5.
A year ago, SEASIDE RETREAT (a Kentucky-bred) was second in the Lane’s End Stakes at Turfway Park (the race being run today for the 36th time) and took trainer Mark Casse to the Kentucky Derby. Yesterday, the gelding worked a bullet 5 furlongs at Woodbine on Polytrack and he was unplaced in his season debut at Gulfstream. Perhaps Polytrack will be a welcomed change for the finicky gelding.
RANDOM THOUGHTS...
BAY MEADOWS opened for racing in 1934 and five years later became the first track to install an electric, all-enclosed starting gate according to today’s DRF. Now the track is going to close after its owners did not get a two-year extension time to install a synthetic surface, an $8 million project it was not ready to embark on…THE QUEEN’s first trip to the Kentucky Derby will come this May and some fans of Woodbine racing know what an interesting treat this is for race day. It’s been a long, long time since the Queen’s Plate had an immediate member of the Royal family in attendance and it sure makes the day feel just a bit more special…The training times over KEENELAND’S POLYTRACK yesterday were nothing short of sizzling…Poison dart rig under gate at Happy Valley track in Hong Kong? I don’t even know what to say about that…Off topic: BLOOD DIAMOND is a super movie, hmm, maybe it should have won the Oscar? Canadian author Heather McNeil’s book LULLABIES FOR LITTLE CRIMINALS is a great read.
posted by Jen Morrison @ 7:49 AM
1 Comments:
At 7:42 AM,
Anonymous said…
For the ORC:
How about identifying horses with bar shoes? I believe New York will let a horse run, but not for betting purposes, if a bar shoe isn't noted and the info published or aired prior to the start of wagering.
Ditto, a horse that is a part of an entry when the other half scratches after wagering begins.
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