JAMBALAYA!!

JAMBALAYA!

There are so many awesome racehorses in action these days and how cool is it that JAMBALAYA, Canada’s turf darling, is one of them? Benefiting from a dream trip under Javiar Castellano, 8 to 5 Jambalaya reeled in a pair of pacesetters inside the ¼ pole in the Grade 3 Pan American Handicap yesterday, scooted away to a big lead and then held off Hotstufandthensome to win by just over a length.
His Beyer Figure was a 99.
“He’s a very easy horse to train. He’ll go back to Ocala to unwind and then head up to Canada,” said Catherine Day Phillips, trainer and co-owner with her family’s Kingfield Farms. It was the 7th win in 18 starts fro the Langfuhr – Muskrat Suzie (Vice Regent) gelding and his earnings are up to $889,000.
The often subdued Woodbine turf club came alive with clapping and cheers when the gelding got to the finish line in front for the second time this year.
Now, let’s see if we can muster up a big-time showdown with last year’s champion grasser SKY CONQUEROR, who had a workout at Keeneland yesterday.

VALE MAKES NICE MOVE, WOLF ON THE PROWL

Eugene Melnyk’s Ontario-bred INDIAN VALE (A.P. Indy – Marley Vale, Forty Niner) came off a long layoff and despite missing her prep race, led from start to finish in the Next Move ‘Cap at Aqueduct yesterday to win for the 6th time in 8 career starts.Tabbed two years back as one of the Melnyk’s most impressive prospects by farm manager Phil Hronec, Indian Vale was coming off an injury that wiped out her 2006 campaign.
She earned a 99 Beyer Figure.

Stronach Stable’s promising 3-year-old colt MOUNTAIN WOLF ‘won’ his maiden 3rd time out in his career yesterday at Gulfstream but an over-exaggerated move out of a jackpot in mid-stretch caused him to push a rival out of the way and he was disqualified and placed third. The El Prado-Lucky Marty, Fortunate Prospect colt is still green but a serious Plate candidate. He was bought back for $80,000 from the Adena Springs 2yo sale last year.
Oh yes, his Beyer Figure was 84.

SOME GOOD, SOME NOT SO GOOD

Lots of news and reviews from opening day at Woodbine which was part of a wild day of racing action. Whether you were at home on the couch, at a teletheatre or the track, the racing began early and was fast and furious. I was spinning by the time SCAT DADDY powered away in the Florida Derby (and I happened to think that CHELOKEE, trained by Michael (Barbaro) Matz might have been a lot closer had he not lost his path in mid-stretch).
Scat Daddy put up a 98 Beyer Figure.
Woodbine’s facility was busting with people although handle on the day dipped a bit to $2.7 million.
Hard to believe that on the very first day of the meeting, two horses got loose and 2 were scratched at the gate from the last event, a problem that cropped up numerous times in 2006.
THOROUGHBLOG readers and racegoers are apparently not too happy with Woodbine’s Polytrack. Watching on television, it appears as if the horses were running through snow. Chantal Sutherland said yesterday that it was very soft and that she loved the surface, but certainly the aesthetics are of concern and horses simply had trouble closing any ground. Yes, the surface is sticking to the top of the railings too.
Not much can be done yet but when the weather gets warmer, more wax will be added, jelly cable will be added and hopefully, the kickback will disappear.
Thanks for your comments on Woodbine’s opening day, keep them coming!

Opening day numbers:

Races - 10,

bet, $2.7 million,

temperature, was it even 40 degrees F?,

2-time winners, Josie Carroll, Emile Ramsammy, David Clark.

Number of winners that were winter-raced - 4

Number of winners that led from start to finish - 6

Average number of winners picked on top in newspapers, program by us folks- 1, ouch.

Heard on the go.. "I don't like 5 furlong races!" said trainer Dave Cotey in mid afternnon, not long before PREACHERS LADY, whom he co-owns and trains, darted away to a big lead in the last race and won at 10 to 1.

THOROUGHBLOG learned yesterday that Plate hopeful EASTERMAN is sidelined and will miss the Plate. Trainer Mike DePaulo reported yesterday that the colt had to go to the farm in a disappointing turn of events. DePaulo trainee SHILLELAGH SLEW is on his way back from Florida.
Endnote: Vibank’s Beyer Figure from his win in the Jacques Carter prep was an 85.

JUST DESERT

Thanks again to the gang at horses-races.net who sent over the links from their site of all the World Cup night races with some juicy pictures and write-ups. Good stuff – click here to go their World Cup opening page coverage…
http://www.horse-races.net/library/dubai07-results.htm

HERE AND THERE

A.P. Arrow became A.P. Indy’s 99th stakes winner in the SKIP AWAY Stakes at Gulfstream yesterday – a wild finish in which it appeared as if any number of horses were going to pass the half-brother to Geri. In that mix was Canadian champion PALLADIO, who was beaten just 1 ½ lengths…Canadian-bred WANNA RUNNER (El Corredor), last year’s Plate favourite trained by Bob Baffert, has re-surfaced as he is working regularly now on the west coast.