DOLLARS AND SENSE

Thank you to BUCKIE for the comment regarding EUGENE MELYNK (see yesterday’s post and feature on Melnyk). Mr. Melnyk has indeed been very charitable in all aspects of racing and other areas.

Buckie also offers another side to the discussion on A and B maiden allowance races – citing that the B level maiden allowances can perhaps assist pedigrees.

On today's papers websites - a nice feature on Street Sense in the Globe and Mail, the Star features Barbaro's memory, the Toronto Sun has a note on the harness racing doping scandal.

HOWARD, GARDINER TO BE HONOURED

Courtesy BRISNET

The Ontario Division of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society will honor the late Jake Howard as well as Gardiner Farms Ltd at the CTHS Annual Awards Dinner at the Toronto Airport Marriott Hotel near Woodbine racetrack on June 15. Gardiner Farms will be recognized as Breeder of the Year in light of the success of ARE YOU SERIOUS (You and I), LEGAL MOVE (Bold Executive), LONDON SNOW (Trajectory), MIDNIGHT SHADOW (Trajectory) and TOP TEN LIST (Bold Executive). Howard will be posthumously awarded the Mint Julep Cup for his lifelong contribution to the horse industry in Ontario. Julie Coulter, General Manager of the Ontario CTHS, said that Howard "was an inspiration to us all." The awards dinner also comprises a cocktail reception and a silent auction, including 2008 stallion seasons for several of the province's top sires. All proceeds will benefit the LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement Society. Tickets are $79.50 each and can be purchased at the CTHS office or by contacting them at 416-675-3602.

132^ND PREAKNESS 1 3/16 miles

I’ll be sticking with my guy STREET SENSE in the Preakness since I picked him in the Derby. My analysis for the TORONTO STAR will be available in that paper tomorrow and on this site tomorrow morning.

I’ll keep the THOROUGHBLOG POLL open until tomorrow morning and see what everyone out there thinks.

If you haven’t voted – get your vote in today!

1 - Mint Slewlep... Garcia... 20-1

2 - Xchanger... Dominguez... 15-1

3 - Circular Quay... Velazquez... 8-1

4 - Curlin... Albarado... 7-2

5 - King of the Roxy... Gomez... 12-1

6 - Flying First Class... Guidry... 20-1

7 - Hard Spun... Pino... 5-2

8 - Street Sense... Borel... 7-5

9 - CP West... Prado... 20-1

WHAT WAS THE BEST QUEEN’S PLATE?

A little birdie told THOROUGHBLOG that starting next Wednesday, May 23, on THE SCORE’s Race Night on The Score program fans will be able to vote for their favourite Queen’s Plate from the last 20 years.

Called “Queen’s Plate Battle Royal”, the Woodbine-produced segment will occur each Wednesday, matching up two Plates head to head, with a 25-second stretch run, clips and animation.

There will be 5 match-ups next Wednesday, 5 more on May 30, etc. and on the Woodbine Queen’s Plate microsite, fans can folk for their favourite in each matchup.

As the results come in, the match-ups will reflect the winners and then spawn the next set of match-ups. By June 20, there will be a winner, or, a favourite Plate.

THOROUGHBLOG will provide more details as we get closer to next Wednesday – remember, you can’t vote until after the match-ups are posted on the microsite (see link at right) next Wednesday.

Everyone surely has a favourite Plate, whether it was because they won money on the race, loved the horse who won or simply loved the finish.

Get ready to join in on some Plate memory fun next Wednesday.

Note: Tomorrow, Woodbine’s racing show on SUN TV is expected to feature Martin Collins of Polytrack and his explanation of what has been done to Woodbine’s Polytrack surface this week.

Another note: Lots of good things are produced and shown through Woodbine’s television department – features, interviews, etc.

However, there are two things that I want to mention that are not really related but need to be corrected: the camera work continues to be inferior to all other North American tracks. If anyone tried to watch Wednesday night’s races on television, the camera person strayed away from the field and showed landscape several times in races and even cut off the battling leaders down to the wire in another race.

I’m picky with the next item – the horse’s names are JAMbalaya and Like MOM Like Sons. If I have to hear JUMBALAYA or Like MUM Like Sons once more…well…

MORE PLATE NEWS

JIGGS COZ, winner of the Queenston Stakes for owner/breeder Mel Lawson, worked 6 furlongs in a sharp 1:13 4/5 on Polytrack yesterday morning. The grey colt is trained by Sid Attard and he’s a son of turf miler Cozzene.

DANCER’S BAJAN, trained by Robert Tiller, was third in the Queenston and he worked 5 furlongs in 1:03 2/5.

A list of the top Plate contenders can be viewed on the Queen’s Plate microsite.

American-based Canadian-bred Plate contenders expected to invade for the Trial include IT’S A DANZIG, COBRADOR, TWILIGHT METEOR and perhaps REATA’S ROCKET.

Locally based contenders are JIGGS COZ, MARCHFIELD, MOUNTAIN WOLF, DANCER’S BAJAN, MARKDALE, INCLUDE US (in the Marine Stakes tomorrow), HIGH ACT and LEONNATUS ANTEAS.

TODAY’S RACING

Pick 7 carryover $36K, turf race might be washed out

The second day of the almost all, newly-waxed Woodbine Polytrack and Wednesday night there was a distinct inside bias but speed and closers did okay in all events.

The Pick 7 still has not been won yet this season – how could it be with all the goofy results?

The best races today come later in the card. The Nassau prep, race 6, is scheduled for one-mile on the grass – race 6 today – but the first turf race of the season might be on the Polytrack. We got a lot of rain this week.

It’s a good field anyway with stakes winner VESTREY LADY topping the field while facing hotshot EXECUTIVE FLIGHT (Bold Executive) and MISS DOROTHY, who won 5 races last year.

The 7^th race is a maiden allowance,Ontario-sired, for older gals and the 9^th and 10^th are also maiden allowance events.

The former is a 1 1/16 mile race featuring TELLITTO’EM (Pulpit), a Kentucky-bred for Dominion Bloodstock et al who figures to be a strong factor after a 4^th place finish in what should be a key race won by Marine Stakes entrant Bilbo.

Queen’s Plate eligible GHETTO SUPERSTAR is 1^st time Lasix for Stronach Stables and is looking to rebound from a disappointing debut outing in which he broke tardily and raced greenly.

THANKS

Thank you to those who corrected me when I said RED BULLET was the last Preakness winner who did not race in the Derby. Perhaps I blocked out last year’s Preakness from my mind – although I did bet Bernardini. Brain cramp!