SOPHOMORE SATURDAY
HOW GOOD IS MOM'S SON?
Stay tuned for an update today after the WOODSTOCK STAKES, the first 3yo stakes event of the Woodbine season featuring the exicting and undefeated LIKE MOM LIKE SONS and Queen's Plate eligible DANCER'S BAJAN, trained by red-hot Robert Tiller.
(Wise guys have already noted I didn't update last night as I predicted...)
INCLUDE US AT KEENELAND
Expensive Can.bred 2yo debuts
INCLUDE US (Include – April Honors, Honor Grades) loses Edgar Prado as his rider but still could be a factor in the 1 1/8 mile 6th race for maiden 3yos. Include Us, a Roger Attfield trainee and a Manitoba-bred, is a Queen’s Plate eligible.
The colt has a 2yo half-sister (by Proud Citrzen) out in Manitoba in training with BLOG friend MARTIN DREXLER.
Attfield’s ‘other’ Plate prospect, OURTIMETODANCE, who exits a much faster maiden race, is in race 10, the split of the maiden event and will wear blinkers.
Hard to believe that ITUNA is not on my HOT CANADIAN-BRED LIST after 3 consecutive wins this season. The Boston Harbor-Goodeve, Pleasant Colony mare (her 2nd dam os Sam-Son farms’ Horse of the Year RULING ANGEL) is in the Giant’s Cauesway Stakes at Keeneland today
SPIN MOVE (Mutakkdim-Body Moves, Bold Ruckus) debuts at Keeneland today in a 2yo race at 4 ½ furlongs. The filly, owned by Woodford Racing (Bill Farish et al) and trained by Mark Casse, drew the rail post in the 8 horse field but worked in :46 1/5 from the gate in her last prep.
SPIN MOVE, bred by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm in Ontario was one of the more expensive yearlings last year at $115,000.
In the same race, BLUEGRASS GIRL worked quick enough, 11 1/5, then 22 4/5 in two preps for a 2yo sale in Feb. and could be a longshot exotics play.
Also at Keeneland – LORD CARMEN (Canadian-bred by Ordway-Gregorian Winlow, Gregorian) is in a money allowance. The 6yo horse has won 5 of 26 starts and over $200,000.
MADRID, SCHICKEDANZ TOPS AT SAM
Canadian-bred FAIRWELL MADRID (Sefapiano-I’m Selective, Mi Silecto), owned and trainer by Donna McCullough, was named champion turf mare at the recently completed Sam Houston Race Park meeting in Texas. The mare won four of seven races including two stakes. ON April7, she won the Jersey Lily Stakes with an 85 Beyer Figure. She was bred by Mervyn Kirby and raced at Fort Erie last year for as little as $4,000 claiming for McCullough.
BRUNO SCHICKEDANZ was leading owner at the meeting with 14 wins. His trainer at Sam Houston was Mark Fournier.
COME SAIL AWAY
Sam-Son Farms’ homebred SALI FROM SEATTLE won his 2nd consecutive race, this time at Keeneland yesterday in an ‘about’ 7 furlong Polytrack race. It was just the second start for the Gone West – Seattle Classic, Seattle Slew 4yo since June of 2005 when he was 2nd to the fast Holy Soul. Sail from Seattle won his comeback race at Fair Grounds in a 5 ½ furlong turf dash before dueling 4 wide and edging clear to win yesterday by ½ a length. No Beyer Figure was available at the time of this writing.
Sail From Seattle is a half-brother to graded stakes winning filly HELLO SEATTLE.
WOODBINE FRIDAY
ABRAHAM KATRYAN picked up 2 wins to get close to the leading trainer, ROBERT TILLER (also a winner yesterday) on Friday’s card. The conditioner won the featured 3rd race with classy stakes winner QUICK IN DEED (Alydeed-Quick Blush, Blushing Groom), owned by Kelynack Racing Stable and bred by Kinghaven Farms.
Quick In Deed won by 2 ½ lengths in a fast :58 and earned an 88 Beyer Figure.
Katryan’s other winner was Ninela Thbrds and In Front’s DANCIN DANIEL, a 5yo gelding by Dance Brightly who zipped to a big score for $20,000 claiming (non-winners of 3 lifetime) in race 7 in 1:24 – an 85 Beyer Figure.
The Tiller locomotive continued again in race 2 with GIGI’S CHARM (Stormy Atlantic) who was making her first start for Tiller and EDENVALE FARM (see short story about this farm from Monday) since being claimed for $32,000 last fall. Gigi’s Charm won for $32,000 claiming with Corey Fraser riding.
Most winners won on the pace yesterday at Woodbine although there were some wide, stalking winners. The furthest one winner was off the pace at the first call was 4 ½ lengths.
And the last PICK 3 numbers were 1-1-1 which paid a truckload. Don’t be fooled, however, the last-race winner, SPANISH DEPUTY (War Deputy), broke from post 11.
Each race on Friday was won by a different jockey, further illustrating just how competitive that group is in 2007.
BIGGEST NON-STORY OF THE WEEK
There might be many of that fall under this category but the long, boring wait for the decision and ruling on last year’s PRINCE OF WALES STAKES (yes, the race was run last JULY) came out yesterday and as easily predicted, the appeal on the disqualification of Stronach Stables’ MALAKOFF was denied. The purse money finally goes to second-place finisher SHILLELAGH SLEW and owner David James.
The defense was that Shillelagh Slew’s rider, Dino Luciani, got his whip caught in Malakoff’s tail and that led to the latter coming in and causing interference to that rival and 2 others.
Malakoff’s jockey Todd Kabel will now serve the 3-day suspension he appealed – April 27-29.
Read more:
http://www.drf.com/news/article/84183.html
HOT SPELL BACK
Quebec-bred HOT SPELL, an impressive debut winner at Bay Meadows back in March with an 88 Beyer Figure, makes her 2nd career start at that track today in the 7th race (3:53 p.m. PST). The Salt Lake – Sizzlin Sara, Saratoga Six filly is 7 to 5 in the morning line in the 6-horse field.
Incidentally, HOT SPELL, a 3yo filly, was bred by Ferme du Bois Vert, who also bred a 4yo half-sister to Hot Spell who raced yesterday at Woodbine for $16,000 maiden claiming: ONE SWEET RIDE (Archers Bay) was 5th.
HORSEMEN PAY FOR OWN STAKES PURSES
Vancouver’s HASTINGS PARK has cut the purses on 25 stakes races this season but horsemen and others have a plan…
Read more
http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=cf0f8ce0-db06-4145-adc5-8a9c63dd02a7
WORKOUT WATCH
No news is probably not good news as far as champions CATCH THE THRILL and LEONNATUS ANTEAS go. The former had surgery last fall and has not recorded a workout (although is nominated to the Fury Stakes) this year. The latter has always been behind this year, trainer Kevin Attard said in February. He is due to arrive at Woodbine next week according to the Daily Racing Form.
DANCE WITH DOVES (A.P. Indy – first foal of Dancethruthedawn) is getting close to debuting after a 58 2/5 work from the gate at Keeneland yesterday. The Sam-Son Farm’s homebred apparently was out-worked, however, by Sam-Son’s Kentucky-bred yearling purchase STRANGE ROMANCE, who was clocked in 58 1/5.
One of the TOP CANADIAN-BREDS OF 2007, MARYFIELD (see the HOT CANADIAN-BRED LIST AT RIGHT) worked 4 furlongs in :48 at Keeneland yesterday. The Elusive Quality mare won the Distaff Handicap at Aqueduct in her last start.
BARILKO, stakes winning 2yo of last year by E DUBAI, is back as he worked :48 at Woodbine yesterday.
QUEEN’S PLATE CONTENDER JIGGS COZ worked a bullet 6 furlongs in 1:13 1/5, a good time over the Polytrack. The Cozzene homebred won the Display Stakes last year and could be a very serious Plate candidate.
She’s not Canadian-bred but this tells you how crazy fast the KEENELAND surface is – YOGI’SSPLASHPFGOLD, a California bred 2yo filly who beat the boys to win her maiden recently, worked in :45.00 for 4 furlongs yesterday. Yikes.
Stay tuned for an update today after the WOODSTOCK STAKES, the first 3yo stakes event of the Woodbine season featuring the exicting and undefeated LIKE MOM LIKE SONS and Queen's Plate eligible DANCER'S BAJAN, trained by red-hot Robert Tiller.
(Wise guys have already noted I didn't update last night as I predicted...)
INCLUDE US AT KEENELAND
Expensive Can.bred 2yo debuts
INCLUDE US (Include – April Honors, Honor Grades) loses Edgar Prado as his rider but still could be a factor in the 1 1/8 mile 6th race for maiden 3yos. Include Us, a Roger Attfield trainee and a Manitoba-bred, is a Queen’s Plate eligible.
The colt has a 2yo half-sister (by Proud Citrzen) out in Manitoba in training with BLOG friend MARTIN DREXLER.
Attfield’s ‘other’ Plate prospect, OURTIMETODANCE, who exits a much faster maiden race, is in race 10, the split of the maiden event and will wear blinkers.
Hard to believe that ITUNA is not on my HOT CANADIAN-BRED LIST after 3 consecutive wins this season. The Boston Harbor-Goodeve, Pleasant Colony mare (her 2nd dam os Sam-Son farms’ Horse of the Year RULING ANGEL) is in the Giant’s Cauesway Stakes at Keeneland today
SPIN MOVE (Mutakkdim-Body Moves, Bold Ruckus) debuts at Keeneland today in a 2yo race at 4 ½ furlongs. The filly, owned by Woodford Racing (Bill Farish et al) and trained by Mark Casse, drew the rail post in the 8 horse field but worked in :46 1/5 from the gate in her last prep.
SPIN MOVE, bred by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm in Ontario was one of the more expensive yearlings last year at $115,000.
In the same race, BLUEGRASS GIRL worked quick enough, 11 1/5, then 22 4/5 in two preps for a 2yo sale in Feb. and could be a longshot exotics play.
Also at Keeneland – LORD CARMEN (Canadian-bred by Ordway-Gregorian Winlow, Gregorian) is in a money allowance. The 6yo horse has won 5 of 26 starts and over $200,000.
MADRID, SCHICKEDANZ TOPS AT SAM
Canadian-bred FAIRWELL MADRID (Sefapiano-I’m Selective, Mi Silecto), owned and trainer by Donna McCullough, was named champion turf mare at the recently completed Sam Houston Race Park meeting in Texas. The mare won four of seven races including two stakes. ON April7, she won the Jersey Lily Stakes with an 85 Beyer Figure. She was bred by Mervyn Kirby and raced at Fort Erie last year for as little as $4,000 claiming for McCullough.
BRUNO SCHICKEDANZ was leading owner at the meeting with 14 wins. His trainer at Sam Houston was Mark Fournier.
COME SAIL AWAY
Sam-Son Farms’ homebred SALI FROM SEATTLE won his 2nd consecutive race, this time at Keeneland yesterday in an ‘about’ 7 furlong Polytrack race. It was just the second start for the Gone West – Seattle Classic, Seattle Slew 4yo since June of 2005 when he was 2nd to the fast Holy Soul. Sail from Seattle won his comeback race at Fair Grounds in a 5 ½ furlong turf dash before dueling 4 wide and edging clear to win yesterday by ½ a length. No Beyer Figure was available at the time of this writing.
Sail From Seattle is a half-brother to graded stakes winning filly HELLO SEATTLE.
WOODBINE FRIDAY
ABRAHAM KATRYAN picked up 2 wins to get close to the leading trainer, ROBERT TILLER (also a winner yesterday) on Friday’s card. The conditioner won the featured 3rd race with classy stakes winner QUICK IN DEED (Alydeed-Quick Blush, Blushing Groom), owned by Kelynack Racing Stable and bred by Kinghaven Farms.
Quick In Deed won by 2 ½ lengths in a fast :58 and earned an 88 Beyer Figure.
Katryan’s other winner was Ninela Thbrds and In Front’s DANCIN DANIEL, a 5yo gelding by Dance Brightly who zipped to a big score for $20,000 claiming (non-winners of 3 lifetime) in race 7 in 1:24 – an 85 Beyer Figure.
The Tiller locomotive continued again in race 2 with GIGI’S CHARM (Stormy Atlantic) who was making her first start for Tiller and EDENVALE FARM (see short story about this farm from Monday) since being claimed for $32,000 last fall. Gigi’s Charm won for $32,000 claiming with Corey Fraser riding.
Most winners won on the pace yesterday at Woodbine although there were some wide, stalking winners. The furthest one winner was off the pace at the first call was 4 ½ lengths.
And the last PICK 3 numbers were 1-1-1 which paid a truckload. Don’t be fooled, however, the last-race winner, SPANISH DEPUTY (War Deputy), broke from post 11.
Each race on Friday was won by a different jockey, further illustrating just how competitive that group is in 2007.
BIGGEST NON-STORY OF THE WEEK
There might be many of that fall under this category but the long, boring wait for the decision and ruling on last year’s PRINCE OF WALES STAKES (yes, the race was run last JULY) came out yesterday and as easily predicted, the appeal on the disqualification of Stronach Stables’ MALAKOFF was denied. The purse money finally goes to second-place finisher SHILLELAGH SLEW and owner David James.
The defense was that Shillelagh Slew’s rider, Dino Luciani, got his whip caught in Malakoff’s tail and that led to the latter coming in and causing interference to that rival and 2 others.
Malakoff’s jockey Todd Kabel will now serve the 3-day suspension he appealed – April 27-29.
Read more:
http://www.drf.com/news/article/84183.html
HOT SPELL BACK
Quebec-bred HOT SPELL, an impressive debut winner at Bay Meadows back in March with an 88 Beyer Figure, makes her 2nd career start at that track today in the 7th race (3:53 p.m. PST). The Salt Lake – Sizzlin Sara, Saratoga Six filly is 7 to 5 in the morning line in the 6-horse field.
Incidentally, HOT SPELL, a 3yo filly, was bred by Ferme du Bois Vert, who also bred a 4yo half-sister to Hot Spell who raced yesterday at Woodbine for $16,000 maiden claiming: ONE SWEET RIDE (Archers Bay) was 5th.
HORSEMEN PAY FOR OWN STAKES PURSES
Vancouver’s HASTINGS PARK has cut the purses on 25 stakes races this season but horsemen and others have a plan…
Read more
http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=cf0f8ce0-db06-4145-adc5-8a9c63dd02a7
WORKOUT WATCH
No news is probably not good news as far as champions CATCH THE THRILL and LEONNATUS ANTEAS go. The former had surgery last fall and has not recorded a workout (although is nominated to the Fury Stakes) this year. The latter has always been behind this year, trainer Kevin Attard said in February. He is due to arrive at Woodbine next week according to the Daily Racing Form.
DANCE WITH DOVES (A.P. Indy – first foal of Dancethruthedawn) is getting close to debuting after a 58 2/5 work from the gate at Keeneland yesterday. The Sam-Son Farm’s homebred apparently was out-worked, however, by Sam-Son’s Kentucky-bred yearling purchase STRANGE ROMANCE, who was clocked in 58 1/5.
One of the TOP CANADIAN-BREDS OF 2007, MARYFIELD (see the HOT CANADIAN-BRED LIST AT RIGHT) worked 4 furlongs in :48 at Keeneland yesterday. The Elusive Quality mare won the Distaff Handicap at Aqueduct in her last start.
BARILKO, stakes winning 2yo of last year by E DUBAI, is back as he worked :48 at Woodbine yesterday.
QUEEN’S PLATE CONTENDER JIGGS COZ worked a bullet 6 furlongs in 1:13 1/5, a good time over the Polytrack. The Cozzene homebred won the Display Stakes last year and could be a very serious Plate candidate.
She’s not Canadian-bred but this tells you how crazy fast the KEENELAND surface is – YOGI’SSPLASHPFGOLD, a California bred 2yo filly who beat the boys to win her maiden recently, worked in :45.00 for 4 furlongs yesterday. Yikes.
posted by Jen Morrison @ 7:09 AM
4 Comments:
At 8:52 AM,
Anonymous said…
Having read Friday's comments about Darryl Ezra, I must disagree. Compared to the run of the mill types employed by WEG, Ezra is a very refreshing announcer and quite observant in his descriptions. Here's hoping he will eventually get the WEG job, if not for thorobreds then for harness. Actually, especially harness, as Middleton has to be the worst in North America, and is driving a lot of people back to the casinos.
At 10:26 AM,
Anonymous said…
Thats right. Ken Middleton is the reason people are "being driven back to the casino"
Noway it would have anything to do with WEG's head in the sand attitude to drugs.
Welcome back Casie Coleman from the retention barn program....it's amazing what WEG will do when THE top trainer threatens to move her string south....all of a sudden all is well.
anyone find out the source of that pesky Aminorex yet? or the reason "some tests-NOT ALL-but some" test were flawed? Or has that just been swept under the rug like so much else?
but...yeah...it's all Ken Middleton's fault.
At 11:10 AM,
Anonymous said…
Middleton is the man!
At 3:50 PM,
Anonymous said…
Ms. Morrison,
The vast majority of Woodbine's premier races are at a mile upwards, (and almost exclusively on the turf), with the largest purse of the season going to a 12f race.
Why, with the above fact in place, do the majority of races throughout the year consist of distances of a mile or less?
As much as I like to see 'shippers' coming in for the big races, it would be nice if we could at least put up some competitive opposition on a more regular basis.
Mr. Griffiths.
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