SATURDAY NEWS

(UPDATE)DAVE, FRANK AND ROBERT’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE

Robert Tiller has been on a roll before but the beginning of 2007 has been something special for the veteran trainer.

Tiller, who has won three races on two occasions early in the Woodbine meeting, told Daily Racing Form that he would have preferred that his stakes winning gelding DAVE THE KNAVE have a race before today’s New Providence Stakes.

“I probably would have preferred to see him run before this," Tiller said."We've been nursing him for this race. He's in good order, and should run good, but he's a horse that has had a lot of issues during his career.We had to stop with him a bit this spring, and got him back a month later., Tiller told Bill Tallon of the DRF.

Well, you know you’re going good when you make such a statement and your equine star wins anyway.

The remarkably consistent Dave the Knave, owned by Tiller and Frank DiGiulio Jr., mowed down Marco Be Good in the final strides to win the New Providence by half a length. A troubled BOLD THING, trained by Shelley Fitzgerald was a fast closing third and would have surely been closer had he not had to swerve out in mid-stretch.

Favoured MAIN EXECUTIVE was sixth.

It was the 8^th win in 18 starts for the son of Whiskey Wisdom-Braverelle (thus a half-brother to Tiller and DiGiulio’s multiple stakes winner Forever Grand, who has since gone to western Canada to the chuckwagon races.)

DESOUZA TRAIN CONTINUES, EZRA WINS 2

She had not raced in 1 year and 10 months (!!) and showed just 3 workouts on her page, but NODAGAIN BLONDIE won her maiden handily yesterday in Woodbine’s 8^th race for $25,000 claiming for trainer Norm DeSouza, his 6^th win of the season (from just 13 starters)

Emma-Jayne Wilson rode the 5-year-old mare by Ascot Knight out of Palace Chill (The Minstrel).

Fort Erie trainer DARYL EZRA won with 2 second-time starters yesterday in consecutive races. SMILING JORDAN, who won the Puss N Boots Stakes last year at Fort Erie, and was claimed for just $8,000 by Ezra and Stephen Chesney last December, won for $19,000 claiming after a dull season debut at a sprint distance.

Stretching out to his preferred distance, Smiling Jordan (Ontario-bred by Accelerator) won for the 8^th time in his career.

In the next race, SON SARRIA, a Knob Hill Farms cast-off and a 5-year-old mare who had not yet won her maiden, won her 2^nd start of the year after a dull season debut on May 2 when stretching out from 5 ½ furlongs to 7 furlongs; The Maria’s Mon-Ennisbeg mare was ridden by Cory Clark.

Many surprise winners popped up on the weak Friday card.

Trainer Tim Regan had MADAM EXECUTIVE very ready off the December-May layoff to win for $10,000 claiming (non-winners of 2), reeling in Bright Engagement, who looked like a sure winner in deep stretch, to win by a length.

Knob Hill got a win in race 2 when SIWA (Alydeed) led from start to finish in the featured allowance event for Ontario sired mares.

BILL THARRENOS got his first winner of the year as he saddled SURE STAR to win the 3^rd race for maiden $16,000 fillies and trainer FRANZ CREAN also won his first race of the year with BROCKPORT, who won a close photo to win his maiden in his 19^th attempt.

Poor tactics with GOLDMART FLASH in the 7^th race cost that one a win as he dueled hard on the pace with Mint Prospect and that set the race up for a stalking EAST FACE.

Goldmart Flash was ridden by Michelle Rainford, who usually rides for the Scott Fairlie barn – which trains Mint Prospect.

Mark Casse unleashed a nice first-time starter in the last race when SAIL CLOTH (Mizzen Mast Kentucky-bred( won her debut over Sam-Son Farms’ Dynamite Eyes.

MAKER AIMS ‘DANZIG’ TO TRIAL

Trainer Becky Maker told THOROUGHBLOG yesterday that if It’s a Danzig (Danzig-Dake, Gulch) has emerged well from his maiden score (83 Beyer Figure) at Churchill Downs 2 days ago, he will venture to Woodbine for the Plate Trial Stakes, and then the Plate.

Maker trains the attractive colt, bred by Gus Schickedanz, for Stan Fulton, who bought the horse as a yearling for $500,000.

NEW PROVIDENCE SALUTES PROVINCE

Ontario-bred older sprinters are the highlight today at Woodbine in the New Providence Stakes named, named for our Canadian Triple Crown winner(race 6)and hotshot sprinter MAIN EXECUTIVE could be favoured since he won the race last year and posted a 100 career best Beyer Figure in his final start of 2006 – the Kennedy Road Stakes.

The Bruno Bros. homebred 5-year-old gelding will be ridden by Todd Kabel.

Main Executive lost his first start of 2006 and those that could upset the speedster today include New York invader EXECUTIVE CHOICE (by Birdonthewire) who has raced 3 times at Woodbine in the past and was 2^nd beaten only a neck to Arch Hall in the Sir Barton Stakes last November.

Executive Choice was 4^th on April 20 in an allowance/optional claiming race at Aqueduct for trainer Bruce Levine.

Last year’s Shepperton Stakes winner DAVE THE KNAVE is in the field for red-hot trainer Robert Tiller. The leggy gelding is making his season debut and he won first time out in 2006.

Tiller, incidentally, has horses in 4 races on today’s card but rival ABRAHAM KATRYAN has horses in 5 races.

Lots of good betting races on the card which kicks off with a 4 ½ furlong 2-year-old filly race that features Jim and Alice Sapara’s Seeking the Gold-Willow Bunch miss Alvena, who debuts as an entry with Punnichy (by the hot sire Mizzen Mast), who was 5^th in her debut at 2 furlongs.

CANADIAN-BRED WATCH

Breeder YVONNA SCHWABE has 2 homebreds in action – LEFTY LEI, a full brother to stakes winner WANNA RUNNER (El Corredor-Shebandowana) is in race 1 at Monmouth today, a maiden allowance. The colt has been second once in three career starts for trainer Alan Seewald.

DAAHER (Awesome Again-Irish Cherry) is in the 4^th at Belmont today, a maiden allowance. The colt had a poor start in his only outing at a sprint distance and finished 8^th.

EASTERN CROWN is in race 5 at Belmont at 9 to 2. The 7-year-old Lit de Justice-Eastern Star grey gelding won his last race for $25,000 claiming with an 82 Beyer Figure.

Four-year-old HOT SUNRISE (El Corredor-Festive Native), bred by Haras du Chevrillard, is in the 10^th at Churchill today, an allowance race. The colt has won once in his career and earned an 80 Beyer Figure.

Trainer Joe Orseno has Canadian-bred REATA’S ROCKET in the Lone Star Derby at 1 1/8 miles – the colt’s prep for the June 24 Queen’s Plate.

Orseno also has SLAM BAMMY, a Canadian-bred, in the 5 ½ furlong Decathalon Stakes at Monmouth Park.

And over at PERCY WARNER, in Tennessee, a special hurdle, steeplechase card includes a couple of old Canadian-breds.

REGAL AGAIN (Regal Classic-Majestic Missy), bred by Peter Chiodo and raced by Sam-Son Farms at Woodbine, is in a 3 mile hurdle allowance as a 9-year-old. In 2003, Regal Again won 6 of 9 hurdle races.

And SUMMERSVILLE, bred by Beclawat Farm (Williamstown-Sudden Profit) is in a Grade 1 hurdle at 3 miles. The 9-year-old gelding won a hurdle race in March, his first win since 2004 when he won by 10 lengths at Woodbine for trainer Nick DeToro.