LUCKY WEEK?
(UPDATE) CAN.-BREDS WIN 1ST RACES AT KEE, LRL, AQU
CAMBRIDGE BELLE, bred by Streetsville’s BILL DIAMANT, won the first race at Keeneland this afternoon, a maiden allowance event at 1 1/16 miles. It was the 6th career start for the 4yo Dixie Union – Brittan Lee, Forty Niner filly who is owned by G. Watts Humphrey Jr. Cambridge Belle is a half-sister to last year’s top-priced Canadian-yearling, BRODERICK, who is now owned by Jim and Alice Sapara.
BELLEPLAINE, making just her 2nd career start for owner/breeder Eugene Melnyk and trainer Todd Pletcher, won by the proverbial ‘pole’ this afternoon at Laurel in Maryland. The A.P. Indy - Marley Vale filly did not beat anyone in the 1 1/8 mile race but was ina common gallop through the stretch while essentially being pulled up.
Belleplaine is a Woodbine Oaks eligble.
Over at Aqueduct, old-timer EASTERN CROWN won a claiming event for this 6th win in 36 career starts and first in 5 outings in 2007. He’s a 7yo by Lit de Justice – Eastern Star.
WHO WAS JACQUES CARTIER?
No doubt most people will know this answer – okay, well maybe not.
JACQUES CARTIER, for whom Saturday’s first stake at Woodbine is named, was the 16th century French explorer who essentially discovered the St. Lawrence River led to the French settlements in Canada.
This year’s Jacques Cartier is the 54th running and first on Polytrack. The record for the stakes (which has had 4 distance changes) is the 1:08.75 that Chris’s Bad Boy set in 2004.
Last year’s winner was Judith’s Wild Rush, who went on to be champion sprinter in Canada again.
The first winner of the race was BLUE SCOOTER in 1954. Blue Scooter was 2nd in the previous year’s Queen’s Plate to the top filly Canadiana. The latter won the 2nd running of the Jacques Cartier.
It is a notable sprint race even if it is the first added-money event on the calendar (hey there are not many sprint races on dirt during the year). Nearctic, Jammed Lucky, Overskate, Frost King, Play the King, Kiridashi and Wake at Noon are among the past winners.
TRIVIA – Sunday is the WHIMSICAL STAKES – who is that named for?
CHAMPION SKY CONQUEROR RETURNS
(On Friday the 13th)
Friday’s MAKER’S MARK MILE at Keeneland will be an interesting showdown between multiple Grade 1 superstar SHOWING UP and Bill Sorokolit’s SKY CONQUEROR, not to mention others in the $250,000, one-mile, turf event. Okay, so perhaps it won’t be a showdown in that sense, but it’s a good starting point for Sky Conqueror, who proved to be top-notch last year. He would prefer more distance but he has a strong stretch kick.
Unraced since a troubled 3rd in the Canadian International last fall, SKY CONQUEROR is trained by Darwin Banach, who has already had some of his layoff runners fare well at Woodbine.
Tomorrow, the Sorokolit teams’ PALACE PIER, a Woodbine Oaks contender, makes her 2007 debut in the very tough Stonerside Beaumont Stakes.
WORKOUT PATROL
Champion 3yo SHILLELAGH SLEW zoomed 6 furlongs on Polytrack yesterday in 1:13 3/5 as he gets ready for the Vigil Handicap on April 20.
Undefeated BARILKO is back on track at Woodbine as he worked a bullet 3 furlongs yesterday – 35 4/5 – on Polytrack.
Very, very fast mare CUT THE MUSTARD (nominated to Sunday’s Whimsical Stakes) popped up locally with a 4 furlong breeze in 50 1/5 for the Tucci Stable’s. The mare knows how to win races but comes off an 11th place finish in a stake at Fair Grounds last time out.
Champion WANDO’S full-sister FUHRLEEN worked a bullet 5 furlongs in 1:02 in preparation for her career debut.
T’BRED BLOGGERS NEW SITE
The THOROUGHBRED BLOGGERS ALLIANCE, a group of racing blogs that includes THOROUGHBLOG, has a new site (http://www.thoroughbredbloggersalliance.blogspot.com/) where you can check in on other news around the racing world. The group also posts a leaderboard of top North American horses of 2007. At the end of each year, the Bloggers donate money to a racehorse retirement group.
NYRA NEWS
Empire Racing’s proposal (Woodbine Entertainment is part of the group) to operate racing in New York took place yesterday. Read about it at DRF…
http://www.drf.com/news/article/83910.html
TIMELY QUESTIONS
Not sure what to make of discrepancies about fractional times, final times of races at 5 furlongs and 6 ½ this season at Woodbine. The track surely is different at the beginning of cards than it is at the end it appears and perhaps this is contributing to the confusion. I would like to watch more since we’ve only had 5 days of racing anyway.
Friday’s card at Woodbine is light again with a Daily Double of 5 horses each. Ouch.
Trainer Bob Tiller’s Queen’s Plate eligible KISSED THE GIRLS starts his season in race 8 at 5 furlongs.
CAMBRIDGE BELLE, bred by Streetsville’s BILL DIAMANT, won the first race at Keeneland this afternoon, a maiden allowance event at 1 1/16 miles. It was the 6th career start for the 4yo Dixie Union – Brittan Lee, Forty Niner filly who is owned by G. Watts Humphrey Jr. Cambridge Belle is a half-sister to last year’s top-priced Canadian-yearling, BRODERICK, who is now owned by Jim and Alice Sapara.
BELLEPLAINE, making just her 2nd career start for owner/breeder Eugene Melnyk and trainer Todd Pletcher, won by the proverbial ‘pole’ this afternoon at Laurel in Maryland. The A.P. Indy - Marley Vale filly did not beat anyone in the 1 1/8 mile race but was ina common gallop through the stretch while essentially being pulled up.
Belleplaine is a Woodbine Oaks eligble.
Over at Aqueduct, old-timer EASTERN CROWN won a claiming event for this 6th win in 36 career starts and first in 5 outings in 2007. He’s a 7yo by Lit de Justice – Eastern Star.
WHO WAS JACQUES CARTIER?
No doubt most people will know this answer – okay, well maybe not.
JACQUES CARTIER, for whom Saturday’s first stake at Woodbine is named, was the 16th century French explorer who essentially discovered the St. Lawrence River led to the French settlements in Canada.
This year’s Jacques Cartier is the 54th running and first on Polytrack. The record for the stakes (which has had 4 distance changes) is the 1:08.75 that Chris’s Bad Boy set in 2004.
Last year’s winner was Judith’s Wild Rush, who went on to be champion sprinter in Canada again.
The first winner of the race was BLUE SCOOTER in 1954. Blue Scooter was 2nd in the previous year’s Queen’s Plate to the top filly Canadiana. The latter won the 2nd running of the Jacques Cartier.
It is a notable sprint race even if it is the first added-money event on the calendar (hey there are not many sprint races on dirt during the year). Nearctic, Jammed Lucky, Overskate, Frost King, Play the King, Kiridashi and Wake at Noon are among the past winners.
TRIVIA – Sunday is the WHIMSICAL STAKES – who is that named for?
CHAMPION SKY CONQUEROR RETURNS
(On Friday the 13th)
Friday’s MAKER’S MARK MILE at Keeneland will be an interesting showdown between multiple Grade 1 superstar SHOWING UP and Bill Sorokolit’s SKY CONQUEROR, not to mention others in the $250,000, one-mile, turf event. Okay, so perhaps it won’t be a showdown in that sense, but it’s a good starting point for Sky Conqueror, who proved to be top-notch last year. He would prefer more distance but he has a strong stretch kick.
Unraced since a troubled 3rd in the Canadian International last fall, SKY CONQUEROR is trained by Darwin Banach, who has already had some of his layoff runners fare well at Woodbine.
Tomorrow, the Sorokolit teams’ PALACE PIER, a Woodbine Oaks contender, makes her 2007 debut in the very tough Stonerside Beaumont Stakes.
WORKOUT PATROL
Champion 3yo SHILLELAGH SLEW zoomed 6 furlongs on Polytrack yesterday in 1:13 3/5 as he gets ready for the Vigil Handicap on April 20.
Undefeated BARILKO is back on track at Woodbine as he worked a bullet 3 furlongs yesterday – 35 4/5 – on Polytrack.
Very, very fast mare CUT THE MUSTARD (nominated to Sunday’s Whimsical Stakes) popped up locally with a 4 furlong breeze in 50 1/5 for the Tucci Stable’s. The mare knows how to win races but comes off an 11th place finish in a stake at Fair Grounds last time out.
Champion WANDO’S full-sister FUHRLEEN worked a bullet 5 furlongs in 1:02 in preparation for her career debut.
T’BRED BLOGGERS NEW SITE
The THOROUGHBRED BLOGGERS ALLIANCE, a group of racing blogs that includes THOROUGHBLOG, has a new site (http://www.thoroughbredbloggersalliance.blogspot.com/) where you can check in on other news around the racing world. The group also posts a leaderboard of top North American horses of 2007. At the end of each year, the Bloggers donate money to a racehorse retirement group.
NYRA NEWS
Empire Racing’s proposal (Woodbine Entertainment is part of the group) to operate racing in New York took place yesterday. Read about it at DRF…
http://www.drf.com/news/article/83910.html
TIMELY QUESTIONS
Not sure what to make of discrepancies about fractional times, final times of races at 5 furlongs and 6 ½ this season at Woodbine. The track surely is different at the beginning of cards than it is at the end it appears and perhaps this is contributing to the confusion. I would like to watch more since we’ve only had 5 days of racing anyway.
Friday’s card at Woodbine is light again with a Daily Double of 5 horses each. Ouch.
Trainer Bob Tiller’s Queen’s Plate eligible KISSED THE GIRLS starts his season in race 8 at 5 furlongs.
posted by Jen Morrison @ 6:43 AM
5 Comments:
At 1:42 PM,
Anonymous said…
There is a 2 furlongs race for 2yo at Woodbine this Saturday. Was this introduced in recent years? I recall don't see 2yo race at Woodbine until May
At 2:15 PM,
Anonymous said…
TRIVIA – Sunday is the WHIMSICAL STAKES – who is that named for?
I sm pretty sure that Whimsical won the Preakness in the early 1900's.....I must say I did my home work a while back. Our filly Summer Girlfriend,owned by Allen Abbott, Equlease Racing Stable is nominated to be in the Whimsical Stakes on Sunday. GO SUMMER GO! Thanks Jen for this great web site!
At 8:11 PM,
Anonymous said…
Racing needs a superstar handicapper!!Without one,racing dies.
At 9:05 PM,
Anonymous said…
How does a sport sell it self to the young people of today, without a aspirational handicapper?
At 7:55 AM,
Anonymous said…
young people don't care about horse racing no matter how you sell it.
between, ridiculous waits between post times. Simulcast presentations that include little or no info for the "new" horseplayer. Rampant cheating in Harness racing (new bettors don't usually seperate the 2.) and the head in the sand attitude those within the game have to this cheating...
is it any surprise that young people are too smart to spend their money on this game?
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