FEEL THE LOVE

You love horse racing when you get tingles watching happy people who don't have many horses win a stakes race in an upset. The Jones family and trainer Earl Barnett took the Lady Angela yesterday with You Will Love Me, a buy back at auction...

A new poll for the PLATE TRIAL is coming up this week, stay tuned...and Woodbine's QUEEN'S PLATE BATTLE ROYAL is on tap again for Wednesday night on the THE SCORE.

THEY LOVE HER

And one bettor loves the Pick 7

Bill Jones owns and bred YOU WILL LOVE ME, a daughter of local sire One Way Love from the mare Trinnon and the scene after the filly upset the Lady Angela Stakes yesterday at Woodbine was one of joy and giddiness.

Trainer Earl Barnett was over the moon along with the Jones family after You Will Love Me received a super ride from Eurico Rosa da Silva to hold off a fast closing BELLICOSE BELLE and Emma Jayne Wilson to win the 7 furlong race for Ontario-sired 3yo fillies.

Trinnon, by Anshan, is also the dam of the team’s top grey mare GREAT AUNTEE, a multiple winner, and stakes placed WINE AND SPIRITS.

The second dam, AUNT ARCTIC, is the dam of top Canadian stakes winner NO MALICE.

You could have bought You Will Love Me in 2005 at the local yearling sale – she was bought back for just over $10,000 US.

The C. Scott Abbott and trainer Mike Doyle continued their roll yesterday with the fleet FLASHY CONSORT (Bold n’ Flashy) who won an Ontario-sired allowance race in her second start of the year. The homebred out of Lucania (Balzac) led all the way for her 2^nd win in 13 starts She held off a closing Sassy Star from Hindmarsh Farms to win by 2 ½ lengths.

Another track record fell at Woodbine when 2yo firster SUMMUS (Graeme Hall-Dif a Dot, Rubiano) won her debut for Tony Bowling and trainer Nancy Triola in the first race.

The Florida-bred, a full sister to a 2yo winner and daughter a stakes winning, debut winning mare, overhauled $500,000 purchase Sarcasm late in the 4 ½ furlong race to win in 52 2/5

BANKER’S STREET, who ran a 900 Beyer Figure in her season debut at 6 ½ furlongs in allowance company only to come back with a parltry 58 in the Fury when badly beaten, romped yesterday in race 2, a claiming event for $80,000 fillies. Big forms reversals have been happening frequently at Woodbine of late.

How about the claim of the year so far? Owner/trainer LES FROST, who had such a good winter at Mountaineer and Charles Town but has been blanked in 7 starts this season at Woodbine, picke dup BEYOND ASCOT for $10,000 on May 9 and then sent him out to win his grass debut for $37,500 yesterday. The gelding is by Ascot Knight out of the Geiger Counter mare Road Beyond.

Edenvale Stables’ CAROLUS MAGNUS finally won his maiden in his 13^th start yesterday for maiden allowance colts at the B level. The Mutakddim gelding has been 2^nd or 3^rd 9 times in 12 starts for trainer Robert Tiller and had gone through a litany of jockeys. Apprentice Tyler Pizarro got the gelding up to win yesterday by more than 3 lengths.

One bettor at a Woodbine teletheatre somewhere in southern Ontario was the only winner of the Pick 7 that got up to just over $200,000 after betting closed before the 2^nd race yesterday. And with just 2 horses in the last leg and one who was never in the race, how crazy was it to watch the other, SEHGAL, the Mac Benson first timer, to get up in the final jumps to win in the nick of time? Excitement at its best.

TODAY AT WOODBINE

The Connaught Cup, Grade 3, is the first turf stakes race of the Woodbine season, and while none of the big shooters showed up – Jambalaya, Sky Conqueror, Brilliant, etc. – the field of locals is a very competitive one.

Sam-Sons’ FRENCH BERET is the lukewarm 3 to 1 morning line choice but the favourite could be any one of the entrants.

The Connaught was named for the Duke and Duchess of Connaught, who, in 1912, were the first members of the Royal Family to attend a King’s (Queen’s ) Plate and present the certificate for the 50 guineas.

One famous winner of the Connaught was Triple Crown winner SIR BARTON, in 1919 – oh yes – he won it FIVE times.

The race has had a sporadic history as it was not run for some 20 years in the 1930s through 50s.

The turf might be a tad on the giving side but has certainly favoured speed and stalkers so far this season.

The nest best race on the card is the finale when maiden allowance colts go 6 furlongs. TRUE RESURGENCE is overdue to win his maiden but Ian Black trainee BACKGAMMON goes for a hot stable.