MEMORIAL MONDAY'S MET

Memorial Day in the United States today so if you're sitting around a TV or teletheatre, take in some good racing - including the MET MILE. Lots of tracks and graded stakes races today.

WILD AND CRAZY GUY

Eccentric earns 98 Beyer

No we’re not necessarily talking about ECCENTRIC or his trainer, ROGER ATTFIELD, who combined to win the Connaught Cup –Grade 3 yesterday at Woodbine over yielding grass.

The Most Welcome gelding powered through the stretch very late to get past a tough AS EXPECTED, the lone front runner who ran seemingly the race of his life to hold for 2nd.

Eccentric is owned by Gary Tanaka.

“This is a very versatile horse. I didn't care whether (the Connaught)

stayed on the turf or if it came off. He likes a bit of give in the

ground. I think that's why he likes the Polytrack too," said Attfield.

The Connaught Cup was Eccentric's second start of 2007. On April 26, he

finished ninth in the Ben Ali over Keeneland's Polytrack.

"I ran a short horse at Keeneland," said Attfield. "I was quite

confident coming into this race. He's a very nice horse."

Eccentric has won 11 of 35 starts and has earned over $634,000.

For Attfield, it was his 2^nd graded stakes score in less than a week (Palladio in the Eclipse last Monday).

NEW LOOK FOR STAR

The TORONTO STAR has a new look to its Scoreboard pages starting today and entries and results are going to look different.

If you have any comments – you can email Mike Simpson the sport editor – msimpson@thestar.ca

The winning margins have seemed to have disappeared from the charts and the 7 column layout is no doubt arranged to save space.

HOLY WATERWORKS BATMAN!

Woodbine Sunday

The Polytrack is gooey and sticky with its new batch of wax but also warm and lively – thus the times at 'ole Woodbine are getting pretty darn quick.

The Colebrook daughter and father team of John and Ashlee Brnjas took the first race with TALKEN TALL, a Kentucky bred by young sire Talk Is Money. Sunny Singh made a successful return to Woodbine riding with the score.

A colt to tab from that race – WHEREINEEDTOBE by the budding stallion sensation Full Mandate (okay, it’s early but he is going to be a good one I think) was terribly green throughout the 4 ½ furlongs but had some late run for Marilyn McMullen (co-owner, trainer).

Scott Fairlie and jockey Michelle Rainford are still winning – this time it was the 2^nd race with the long striding GREAT BLUE, who rallied wide to win the $40,000 claiming race in 1:16 4/5 for 6 ½ furlongs.

Front running GROWLING led all the way to win the 3^rd race for the red-hot EURICO ROSE DA SILVA, who rode the filly for owner/trainer Barb Minshall – also the breeder of the filly.

The skies started to get dark when GET RICH QUICK won a turf allowance race to start the Pick 4. PIN OAK STABLE owns the grey Kentucky-bred by Seeking the Gold, MALCOLM PIERCE trains and EMMA-JAYNE WILSON rode. That race went nice for Get Rich Quick (2 to 1) as there was a hot pace duel between ad very eager GUILLAUME TELL (coming off a layoff of about 2 years) and YOUNG DOM.

Apprentice MATT MOORE won the next two races – putting the Pick 4 in disarray.

Reinbird Stables’ 5-year-old maiden mare EMIRATE SILK flew through the stretch up a gaping path along the inside to win for $11,500 claiming for trainer Kathy Ranford.

The mare is by deceased stallion Elajjud out of Woven, by Thirty Six Red.

And when the skies opened with a heavy rainstorm, Moore steered ARDEN BELLE to a win in an allowance race (2 other than) in race 6 for the Salt and Pepper Stakes and trainer Ron Sadler.

Arden Belle is by Dance Brightly out of Bow Bells Reef (Virginia Rapids) and she was bred by Eugene Melnyk. She was originally a $5,000 (approximate in US dollars) yearling purchase by Bob Ross and Dave Hughes.

The filly raced without shoes last year but apparently had her running shoes on yesterday (fractions of 21 4/4, 44 3/5 set by Very Much So helped her rally).

Polytrack started to pool up along the outside of the track but seemed to go through in the racing part of the surface and the times got quicker.

Front running WHISPER LOUDLY won the 7^th for $25K fillies while ACADEMIST had a good rally but got going far too late and was 2^nd.

Whisper Loudly is owned by Gemini Farm and F. Panza. Ralph Biamonte trains and Tyler Pizarro was the winning ride.

Following the Connaught, the last 2 sprints on the card were won by closers.

Daryl Ezra won again with SON SARRIA (Ontario-bred by Maria’s Mon) who got by a staggering FIGHT THE STORM who went in 22 and 44 1/5 early in the race.

And the Morgan Firestone, trainer Ian Black team took another win as they collected the finale, an A level maiden allowance with layoff colt BACKGAMMON (Perigee Moon-Katebryne by Geiger Counter), who was a stunning 11 to 1 on the odds board.

The time of 1:09 4/5 was faster than Arden Belle’s 1:10 3/5 in race 6 (77 Beyer Figure) but Backgammon may have had a faster track and thus the Beyer gang assigned him only a 73 Beyer.

Two notes from that good race – SILVER COIN (Partner’s Hero) had a bad start from the gate for Goldmart Farms but was flying past rivals through the stretch.

FULL OF RUN was unfortunately just that. The Ontario-bred by Atticus was steadied and checked for most of the first 3 furlongs of the 6 furlong race, lacked room, charged up the rail to battle for the lead and then hung.

Very messy trip – should be a winner next time out.

A KID, A LOVER

DESPERADO KID, an Ontario-bred by Bianconi-Tripp Trial by Skip Trial) won an allowance race at Pimlico yesterday over 5 furlongs on grass.

The 6yo gelding was bred by Lucille Wakefield, was a $4,300 (US) Canadian yearling buy by Tony Bowling and Bobby Dodd, a $110,000 2yo purchase and he’s won 5 of 21 starts and $99,000. The owner is Wags Nags Stable, which used to race at Woodbine.

Daniel Smucker’s homebred ALL STAR LOVER won a 5 furlong turf sprint at River Downs yesterday with a 79 Beyer Figure. The Friendly Lover gelding has been racing in the U.S. since late last year. He’s won 5 of 57 races and $396,000.

BEER ANYONE?

Stronach Stables’ MILWAUKEE BREW sired his first winner on the weekend with BREWTIFUL GIRL (clever).

The filly is Florida-bred but her dam, REGAL CONSORT, is a Woodbine winner out of Lucania and a half-sister to recent winner FLASHY CONSORT, owned by Scott Abbott.

Saturday is Plate Trial day and the new THOROUGHBLOG POLL will ask your opinion of the race - as soon as we get some entries finalized.