JUNE 28
A lot of cool people were born on this day....(tee hee)
Okay, so WOODBINE invites fans to come and say hello and get an autograph from EMMA-JAYNE WILSON this SATURDAY from 11:30 to 12:30 on the 2nd floor of the grandstand.
Hey, and stay around and bet some races too! Lots of other stars of the game equine and human will be there to see!
No racing today as we head into the long Canada day weekend. Monday's turf showdown of Grade 1 winners Jambalaya and Sky Conqueror is certainly the highlight of the weekend.
WOODBINE LIVE! MOVES FORWARD
COURTESY STANDARDBRED
The massive Woodbine Live! project set for Rexdale, Ont., took a big step forward yesterday.
Etobicoke/York Community Council Administrator Glenda Jagai today confirmed with Trot Insider that the Woodbine Entertainment Group's rezoning application for its proposed Woodbine Live! expansion has been recommended by the Etobicoke/York Community Council for further approval.
"[On Tuesday] the Etobicoke/York Community Council recommended the Woodbine Entertainment Group's rezoning application for approval," said Jagai. "Now the application will have to go to City of
WEG's proposed $350 million Woodbine Live! expansion would see an 81 hectare plot of land at Woodbine Racetrack in Rexdale, Ontario developed into a multi-dimensional entertainment destination with a hotel, multi-purpose live performance hall, cinemas, entertainment/retail venues and a new 20,000 square foot WEGZ Stadium Bar.
WINDY WEDNESDAY
A blustery and very steamy night as the rain was getting set to move in and everyone can rest this afternoon as there is no racing.
The featured event of the night was a 6 ½ turf dash – an allowance/optional claiming race for $80,000.
The chunky Rahy horse ZETETIC rallied between horses from off the hot pace to win but in the meantime, knocked MORADO and Emma-Jayne Wilson sideways (
The other grass race of the night was a $66,000 maiden allowance at 9 furlongs won by the impeccably bred but very cantankerous miss CORAL BEACH. A $1.5million A.P. Indy filly out of Seebe by Danzig, Coral beach came from well off a hot pace and grabbed the lead in mid-stretch before holding off Ellrubineire (trained by Malcom Pierce) who drew in from the also eligible list.
Sam-Son’s Forever Red was third.
Coral Beach is owned by Skara Glen Stable and W. S. Farish and trained by Mark Casse.
Trainer Robert Tiller’s class dropping WILD DIAMOND put away speedster Sunnyside’s Legacy and won his maiden for $16,000 in race 5. The owner is Maverick Stable. The gelding is Bold Executive out of Wildcard Coyote.
A lovely ride by Emile Ramsammy on SPIRIT TO RUN gave that light grey a long overdue win for $9,500 claiming. The gelding had to have a shoe adjustment before the race, was heavily bet and then was lightly used during the early part of the 7 furlong race before he took off.
Ramsammy and winning trainer Ross Armata spoke after the race. The former said he relaxed nicely on the lead. The latter said one of his shoes was halfway off and that his horse is an “idiot” and that he “runs scared”.
EMMA-JAYNE WILSON is riding possessed these days and her finishing power and determination not to give up in the late stages reminds this writer of
And the PICK 7, yes, the Pick 7, carried over again and SILVER
The SCORE show on Wednesday nights can often be a super way to learn about this great game as trainers and riders sometimes talk frankly about things.
As one reader commented this week it would be interesting to more interviews with owners rather than jockeys and trainers. The owners buy the horses and pay the bills so let’s give them some credit and maybe get them to talk others into coming into the game.
How about some fans too? Maybe they can talk about cashing a ticket?
MIKE HEADED TO
Trainer IAN BLACK told THOROUGHBLOG yesterday that Mike Fox was quite sharp yesterday morning and is in good order. A trip to the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Prince of Wales at
The Prince of Wales is slightly shorter at 1 3/16 miles and will be run over a traditional dirt course, something that Mike knows little about.
Black said he wants to work the colt over the track before the race.
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
A query as to why the DAILY RACING FORM went to Racing Post ratings for European races, putting the Timeform ratings aside is a good one. Will have to ask around about that one. I liked the Timeform ratings a lot, they have been a standard for judging
(Comment from yesterday accidentally deleted..)
Anon 12:35
Keep making excuses. Thats what this industry does best.
that is the best way to make things better. no matter how you want to spin it. An event with the history of the Queen's Plate going from 350,000 to 100,000 in one year is ugly and is unexceptable when it is telecast on the biggest sports network in the country.
but you go on pretending like everything is hunky dory. That is alway the best way to make sure things get better.
posted by Jen Morrison @ 6:25 AM
19 Comments:
At 9:34 AM,
Anonymous said…
Emma doing an autograph session at Woodbine. Brilliant. Sell her to the people that already like the sport and know who she is. man, with her new found popularity, they are going to need all kinds of extra security. I mean, did you see the hordes of people out there last night to watch her ride? The crush of media was just insane.
4 days later and it is a big resounding...Emma Who?
At 9:51 AM,
Anonymous said…
Anon 9.34.
While you are to a certain extent accurate in what you say, I really don't see the point in being so cynical.
If WEG didn't organize some sort of promotion for Emma, would you also have been critical of that?
I'm sure WEG believe they are doing much to promote the racing here, many would suggest it's mis-directed, or not enough. All a matter of opinion.
Perhaps you could step up to the plate and suggest some constructive ideas that WEG could consider and maybe they can budget them into future promotions.
At 10:06 AM,
Anonymous said…
I suggest ideas everyday but Jen refuses to post them because she doesn't like to be disagreed with. You know, to her racing is doing just great.
What is with everyone calling me cynical. After looking at the ratings and the fact that nobody cares about the Queens Plate anymore, it is not being cynical it is just being realistic. You horsey people should really try living in the land of reality for just one day.
At 11:13 AM,
Anonymous said…
Did Emma claim foul yesterday, or was it just a stewards claim. I knew there was going to be an inquiry as soon as I saw the race, but I wonder why Emma wouldn't have claimed foul. Intimidation? Does it have to with her pay check on Plate day?
Anyway, I just wrote a post on HOW TO SAVE HORSE RACING. Feel free to check it out.
At 12:05 PM,
Anonymous said…
Happy Birthday Jen! Hope you have a good one! I think its cool that Emma is doing an autograph session this Saturday. Looks like I will have to leave a bit earlier to go to Woodbine.
At 1:11 PM,
Anonymous said…
hey maybe the television ratings were down. maybe no o0ne wanted to watch the plate or maybe people wanted to see it live. jen could you please publish the handle figures including the on-track handle please. and to all those cynics, please stop coming to the track we don't need you.
At 1:53 PM,
Anonymous said…
Anon 10:06 - here's the thing - we ARE living in the land of reality...we know that this sport and this game isn't what it USED to be but the fact of the matter is - it isn't dead yet and you seem to be purposely trying to dig its grave!
Horse racing in Ontario has been in much more dire circumstances in the past and it always battled through due to the persistence and perseverence of the people involved with this great sport.
You obviously aren't one of those people because you seem hell-bent on saying goodbye to it rather than it being here at all! (Plus the fact you referenced "you horsey people" - so it makes me wonder why you're even on this blog to talk about the sport at all if you aren't a "horsey person").
There's no "spin" going on with the number of viewers of the Queen's Plate this year....sure they were down - that's a fact. But its also a fact that the numbers weren't great at all for most sports all weekend for crying out loud (not when you compare them to all sports on the air the same weekend as the plate last year). I've heard the most viewers the CBC ever used to get in the past when they were broadcasting the race was about 500,000 - and that was when the Queen was at the race (so you know at least a third of the audience was watching for her). So the 109k viewers this year is only a 5th of an audience from 15 years ago. Sure its not what it was last year, but there was also only 8 horses this year compared to 13 stories...way less stories for people to be interested!
There is no "spinning" going on...its the reality this sport now has to deal with and most of us here on this blog are dealing with it with a positive attitude as opposed to yours.
Based on the way you speak about racing I'm guessing that when the Barbaro incident happened you would've liked to see him put down right there on the racetrack instead of people trying to find solutions to help him? Sure in the end unfortunately Barbaro met his ultimate demise, but he is but one horse where horse racing in Ontario is a much bigger beast than that.
At 4:06 PM,
Anonymous said…
Anonymous 10:06 a.m.
I see you are addressing your comments to "you horsey people", meaning you are not. If that's the case, why do you care what happens withing our industry. Why don't you just ride - oops, drive -off into the sunset instead of bothering yourself with all that's wrong with racing?
At 4:43 PM,
Anonymous said…
All I can say is, in the past my comments have always been posted and they haven't always been complimentary of WEG. Perhaps you should try again in response to this.
Regarding Emma-Jayne and her achievement, perhaps WEG could even take it a step further. A Ladies Night, where a selected number of women are invited to Woodbine to spend the evening with the female jockeys that ride here. Wine them and dine them, give them an enjoyable evening with women that are successful and competitive in what is perceived to be a male dominated sport.
Keep their menfolk well away.
100 women will spread the word better than a lot of advertising and will be far more direct. It could be made a regular event. As the Japanese have found out for themselves, where the ladies are, the men will follow.
Wednesday evenings should be bulging at the seams with corporate people, it doesn't appear to be.
This sport is laden with excitement and emotion, so there is something missing, or wrong with its presentation and promotion.
The comment on owners is spot on. Watching the jockey interview, it told us nothing and for a new casual viewer, even less. If they were to interview an excited owner, whose horse had just won a $25,000 claimer, the quality to the viewer (and racing) would be far more. Capture the emotion and the thrill of it all, let Joe the plumber tell anybody who will listen that it feels good and now they are off to have a riotous party and celebrate.
I can make the comparison with Europe and even though I would have to pay $20 minimum to get onto a racecourse, I know for certain which my choice would be. Here it is so clinical, almost like a production line of racing with very little atmosphere.
Some things cannot be incorporated here, roaming around rows of bookmakers seeking out better odds at a fixed price for instance, is fun in itself, but all adds to the event.
Something like the Cheltenham Festival is the epitome of racing enthusiasm, if WEG could even capture a part of that, they would have accomplished something.
It has a fair coverage on TV, both terrestrial and subscription and the newspapers have a greater coverage than here. Like them or loathe them, (more often the latter), the presenters can be loud and controversial. Derek Thompson is......Derek Thompson and John McCrirrick (I think you know him as Mutton Chops)is arrogant, obnoxious and rude, but you can ask many individuals at random in the street and they would probably identify him with racing.
I don't follow hockey, but I know who Don Cherry is. Racing has nobody like that, nobody who will stand up and say it as it is, nobody to ask a controversial question.
There are many small parts that can be worked on to help this tremendous sport, none will be the answer alone, but together in the jigsaw, they will go a long way. As long as there is somebody there with the enthusiasm to put the pieces together that is.
At 4:55 PM,
Anonymous said…
It's great to see that Emma will be doing an autograph signing at Woodbine on Saturday. Details on the Woodbine website
http://www.woodbineentertainment.com/ojcdis.asp?SEC=TBN&ST=FRESH&NOTE=DIS
It is also good to see people standing up for the sport and not letting anon get away with his negative comments and bashing of the Sport of Kings! Although TSN numbers were down, there was an increase numbers on track and no strike this QP (which probably forced a lot of people to watch it at home last year).
At 6:38 PM,
Anonymous said…
Emma, most likely did not wish to claim foul against Malcolm Pierce, the winner, as it is a stable that she rides for. Finishing third would only have moved her up to second place if they disqualify the winner. The pay difference is miniscule(from third to second), compared to the repercusion of taking a shot at a stable she rides for. The person who suffers is Sid Attard, his owners and the public.
At 8:02 PM,
Anonymous said…
Hi Jen
CanGamble's article is a serious and thorough examination of both gambling at Woodbine and the options available for the serious handicapper. I must applaud his analysis and concur with his conclusion that the 10% takeout is the most viable option for invigorating economic activity at the Woodbine Plant. Otherwise, hell, we're all BetFair players now!
TuxedoMac
At 10:29 PM,
Anonymous said…
Many Happy Returns, Jen! Thanks for your blog and all of the work that you've put into it.
At 10:03 AM,
Anonymous said…
Anon 1:53
you said "Racing in Ontario has been in much more dire circumstances but has always pulled through"
If only every struggling business could be propped up by Slot Revenue no business would ever die.
Take away the slots...bye bye racing. And if you think the government is going to keep proping racing up, with all the other pressures out there, you are deffinetly living in a dream world.
You horsey people have to come up with ways to help this sport survive on its own. Stop getting so mad at me all the time for speaking the truth.
At 10:04 AM,
Anonymous said…
"all you cycnics please stop coming to the track...WE DON'T NEED YOU"
LOL
judging by the Plate ratings...many people have listened to your advice...you are a marketing genius.
At 10:06 AM,
Anonymous said…
Anon 1:53
that Barbaro comment was stupid but for the record,...I didn't shed a tear. I had Bernardini to win!!!
At 3:09 PM,
Anonymous said…
Anon 10:03 - you say "stop getting so mad at me all the time for speaking the truth".
#1 - this is YOUR perception of the truth only....not THE truth.
& #2 - Based on the fact that you say "you horsey people have to come up with ways to help this sport survive on its own" leads me (and obviously others based on their comments as well) to believe that you are not much involved in this sport - so answer this question - why do you care to inundate this blog with negative comments about our game? Every "solution" someone mentions, every idea someone comes up with you seem to shoot down as though you in fact WANT and DESIRE seeing this sport go under.
Are you some disgruntled bettor that can't handicap if your life depended on it, lost a ton of money and now you're bitter at the sport that took you down?
Let's count how many ractracks ACROSS NORTH AMERICA are putting slots in in hopes that they can boost their business a bit....are you saying that ALL of these tracks should find OTHER ways to help the sport survive and if they don't - good riddance to them? If you are saying that - answer the question as to why you believe racing shutting down in certain jurisdictions is better than propping it up with things like slot and government help? There has to be a reason you believe this - I'm sure most of the "horsey people" here would like to know why you believe that!
And if you think the government is going to let this game go under and let THAT many people lose jobs then YOU are living in a dream world. This industry has a MASSIVE job rate and if one government let this game go down and allowed that many people to unemployed - they wouldn't be in power very long because a huge rise in unemployment like that - REGARDLESS of what industry the jobs are in - they'd be gone.
By the way - obviously the Barbaro comment wasn't stupid because you say you "didn't shed a tear. I had Bernadini to win!!" which tells us all you care about is making money any way any how...there's more to this game than just that.
At 7:56 PM,
Anonymous said…
As for Emma not claiming foul that opened up A other angle.
In my opinion the Woodbine stewards are very very lienent on horses performances in regard to form in winning races compared to past performances.
Still good track to bet class races in Canada.
Bob BC
At 9:43 PM,
Anonymous said…
BTW Anon 10:03 as a patron of this sport as both an owner and a handicapper I would bet that your Government "props" up your ass in the form of unemployment payments each month. Those in glass houses...
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