BIG GUNS, BULLET BABIES

A quiet Tuesday morning and what's this? The weather is starting to finally warm up again?
KEENELAND racing is simply the best anywhere during any year and it will be interesting to see how the Woodbine horses do on its sizzling fast Polytrack (which has that elusive ingredient called jelly cable) and then on Woodbine's much slower Poly.
How fast is Keeneland's Poly? Check out the note below on the 2yo gallop show there yesterday.


MARCHFIELD BACK AT WOODBINE

Queen’s Plate hopeful MARCHFIELD (A.P. Indy-Pico Teneriffe, Red Ransom) has arrived at Woodbine to Mark Casse’s Canadian string that is overseen by Ricky Griffith.
Marchfield, a maiden, has not raced since bleeding through Lasix in a race at Gulfstream more than a month ago and has not had a workout according to Casse.
The trainer said he expects the colt to work soon and said he still has hopes that the colt is Plate bound.
Case also reported that Canadian-bred SEALY HILL, the Bourbonette Stakes winner, is going to work at Keeneland tomorrow as she prepares for the Kentucky Oaks.


WORLD RECORD TIME FOR 2YO SALE

A YANKEE GENTLEMAN colt and a LEMON DROP KID (hip 44) filly scorched two furlongs in :20 1/5 at the first gallop show for the Keeneland April 2yo sale yesterday over the very fast Polytrack surface at the Lexington track.
The time was said by Keeneland sales officials to be a world record for a 2yo sale.
A Mineshaft filly worked one furlong in 9 3/5 to tie a world record.
Appropriately, the colt is out of the mare Truly Something, a winning Well Decorated mare who has produced 4 winners including the stakes placed Whitney Tower gelding Radiata.
This is the first crop of Yankee Gentleman. The colt was a $165,000 weanling.
The Lemon Drop Kid filly is out of stakes winner and Grade 1 placed High Heeled Hope, the dam of stakes placed Highgate Park. She was a $73,000 yearling purchase.
There are 6 Canadian-breds catalogued for the April 17 sale including a Fusaichi Pegasus colt out of multiple Canadian stakes winner One More Breeze, the dam of Dr. Kashnikow. That colt was a $45,000 buy-back last year as a yearling.
The track was said to be very safe although many horsepeople will tell you when race times, workout times are that fast, perhaps it’s not all that good for the horse.
Some comments are in this story…
http://www.kentucky.com/302/story/38451.html

NYRA NEWS
Empire (incl. WEG) proposal today

Empire Racing Associates, which includes Woodbine Entertainment, is on tap to present its case to operate New York racing to a state committee. NYRA’s current franchine expires on Dec. 31. Empire Racing Associates are scheduled to discuss its proposal at 10 a.m.
“Home Grown. World Class” is Empire Racing’s motto (see its website http://www.empireracingny.com/) and the group is backed by the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association.
Empire is said by some scribes to be the third favourite to be awarded the franchise behind NYRA (to retain) and Excelsior.

WORKOUT PATROL

I was considering offering up the horses who worked in the fog on March 25 at Woodbine but when I saw the list of 207 horses (only 9 had times), I changed my mind.
Let’s just say that this list should have been printed somewhere (Woodbine program for instance) with the horses listed alphabetically.

Queen's Plate contender IT'S A DANZIG zoomed 5 furlongs in 58 2/5 over the Keeneland superhighway yesterday and is nearing his 3yo debut. The Danzig colt (you probably could have guess that from his unoriginal name) was a $500,000 yearling purchase from Gus Schickedanz and he raced twice at 2 last year showing some ability.

KEENELAND STUFF
Woodbine Oaks fillies up

A litany of Canadian-breds race tomorrow (see yesterday’s post for the news) and Thursday is no different.
Two Canadian-bred gals, Woodbine Oaks contenders, are in the tough Stonerside Beaumont Stakes (Gr2) including Woodbine stakes winner PALACE PIER (Out of Place-La Belle Danse, Beau Genius), owned and bred by Bill Sorokolit and trained by Darwin Banach, has not raced in 2007.

STREET SOUNDS (Street Cry-Rare Opportunity, Danzig Connection) is also making her 3yo debut for trainer Michael (Barbaro) Matz. Bred by Anderson Farms and Rod Ferguson, the filly was a $400,000 yearling purchase and she won the Selima Stakes on grass last year at Laurel with an 82 Beyer Figure.

WELCOME AGAIN (El Prado), who is on the HOT CANADIAN-BRED LIST on this site (at right) will try and bounce back to his super 2007 debut outing in an allowance/optional claiming race – the 7th event. Also in the race is the durable Canadian-bred dude SIDCUP (Running Stag).
Promising maiden filly YONG MUSICIAN (a Manitoba bred by Yonaguska) is in race 4.

MORE DERBY BIZ

HARD SPUN will not race in the Blue Grass, which is looking like a 6 horse field right now, and may not even race in the Kentucky Derby. The Danzig colt will train at Churchill and his trainer Larry Jones will decide if the horse can handle the surface.

The gang over at About Horse Racing (this is their shot of Nobiz Like Shoiz) have some cool photos and notes from the WOOD MEMORIAL last weekend. Click on their link on my sidebar to the right.