MAKING A MOVE

Okay, font size and style is a bit wacky this morning - pardon the appearance of today's posts.

If you would like to sponsor THOROUGHBLOG - put a little ad for your service or your farm, etc. on the site, send a request through dolphin12@rogers.com.

Breeders are invited to advertise their farms or stallions. Speaking of breeders, how big is the news from the CTHS yesterday about Breeders' Awards for horses winning graded stakes elsewhere? (See release below)

AND FURTHERMORE….

I don’t like red-boarding – sometimes it is just necessary, however. (Red-boarding – i.e. explaining why a horse was easy to like or bet on in a race the day after).

How in the world FURTHERMORE was let go at 35 to 1 in that weak allowance race on turf with just 6 horses in it last night at WOODBINE is not easy to understand.

Yes, the 8-year-old horse with just 19 races to his credit, had won once – a zillion years ago.

But his Beyer Figures in the low 60’s on Polytrack put him in range of most of the others and most importantly, he was the best bred for turf in the field.

The War Deputy gelding is out of 3 time grass winner DAISY DOOLITTLE and a ½ brother to 2 grass winners.

Owned by Grey Samulak and trained by Julia Samulak. FURTHERMORE was ridden by Steve Bahen, who earlier in the day, enjoyed the festivities with the media at the QUEEN’S PLATE GOLF TOURNAMENT.

Furthermore raced 1 1/16 miles in 1:40 4/5, not far off the course record.

Speaking of records – okay, well, we’re just surmising here, MARK CASSE won his 4^th consecutive stakes race (that’s quite a feat) when LEGAL MOVE, making his first start as a 3yo, worked hard to edge Catsimile and essentially the rest of the field to win the BOLD RUCKUS STAKES at 6 furlongs on the turf for Ontario-sired runners.

It was a wild finish of the Bold Ruckus as all but one in the 9 horse field was in the photo – yes – an 8 horse photo as the winner scored by 3 /4 of a length and the rest were noses and necks apart.

LEGAL MOVE, bred by Gardiner Farms and a son of Bold Executive – Charity Country, Country Store, won two stakes last year (one with an 80 Beyer Figure) and sped the distance yesterday in 1:08 3/5 – an 80 Beyer.

It was yet another stakes win for WOODFORD RACING LLC and jockey Pat Husbands too.

PRINCE ATLANTIS joined the triple winners club for 2007 with another sweeping move to victory last night at WOODBINE. The stormy Atlantic colt won his maiden for $40,000 in April and he won a 3yo allowance race last night. He is owned by Sjb Stable Trust and trained by Norm McKnight.

And, he’s surely seen better days when he was racing in graded stakes, but FOREVER RUSH won big last time for just $9,500 claiming, was not claimed, and went over $300,000 in earnings for Kelynack Racing Stable. The Wild Rush gelding was winning for the 7^th time in his 22^nd start. He ran an 81 Beyer Figure last night.

LEGAL MOVE release from WOODBINE

TORONTO, June 13 - Legal Move returned from a six-month absence with a

stakes record performance in Wednesday's $125,000 Bold Ruckus Stakes at

Woodbine.

The three-year-old son of Bold Executive, himself a son of Bold Ruckus,

traveled six furlongs on the E.P. Taylor turf course in 1:08.79, which

is 0.10 seconds faster than Flashy Dr. Don's time in 2000.

The Bold Ruckus was Legal Move's third career stakes victory and

continued the lucrative streak being enjoyed by trainer Mark Casse and

jockey Patrick Husbands, who have now won the last four stakes 

contested

at the Toronto oval.

"It's scary," said Casse. "It's one of those times when everything

comes together. The horses are doing quite well. It was a slow year

starting off."

Finishing second in the turf event, which was restricted to

Ontario-sired three-year-olds, was Catsimile, while Fudgethebottomline

won a tight photo for third.

For Legal Move, the victory is his third from eight career starts,

elevating his career earnings to $294,350. Last year, he won last 

year's

Simcoe and Bull Page Stakes. He was also second in the Frost King and

third in the Kingarvie.

The bay colt settled just off the :23.18 and :45.49 fractions of

first-time starter Herb Is Home. Turning for home, Legal Move and

Catsimile pounced on the front-runner and dueled for the advantage.

Inside the final furlong, Legal Move edged away for the three-quarter

length tally. 

Casse, last year's Sovereign Award winner as Canada's Outstanding

Trainer, said the Woodford Racing charge was fit enough for six 

furlongs

on the turf.

"I like three quarters on the turf," said the 46-year-old conditioner.

"It equates with about five-eighths on the Poly. I felt comfortable he

was ready for that. He had surgery over the winter. He was a little

behind everybody. He's a talented horse."

Woodford Racing is a relatively new syndicate which was put together by

William Farish, Jr.

"If it wasn't for Bill (Farish, Jr.) I sure wouldn't be here," said

Casse. "I owe all of this to him. He let me go out and buy some horses

and that's what you're seeing running for the most part."

Legal Move returned $5.60, $4 and $3.20, combining with Catsimile

($8.30 and $5.30) for a $49.20 exactor. Fudgethebottomline ($6.30)

completed a triactor worth $270.60.

Further Rewards Forthcoming For Ontario Breeders

Rexdale, ON - June 12, 2007 - Well known for their lucrative Breeders Awards program worth over $2.9 million, the CTHS (Ontario Division) has taken this program one step further by rewarding breeders of Ontario-breds who excel outside of the province. In recognition of these highly talented horses, Breeders Awards will now be distributed to North American Graded Stakes outside of Ontario, within Canada and the United States.

"It's very exciting for us to be able finally to distribute awards to Ontario breeders that have not only had such great success within Ontario, but outside the province as well," said Julie Coulter, General Manager of the Ontario CTHS.

This year alone, successful Ontario-breds have included notables such as Jambalaya who captured both the Gulfstream Breeders' Cup (G1) and the Bulleit Bourbon Pan American Handicap (G3) in Florida; and Sky Conqueror who took the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (G1) at Churchill Downs in Kentucky. Other notables include Sealy Hill who won the Bourbonette Breeders' Cup (G3) at Turfway Park in Kentucky; Indian Vale who took the Next Move Handicap (G3) at the Aqueduct in New York; and Street Sounds who scored a (G2) victory in the Stonerside Beaumont Stakes at Keeneland. And the list of Ontario-bred racing accomplishments just keeps growing.

Budgeted at $100,000 through the Ontario Thoroughbred Improvement Program (TIP), awards will be issued to the breeders of Grade 1 through Grade 3 Stakes out-of-province winners at the same levels as are paid to Graded Stakes at both Woodbine and Fort Erie Racetracks. Breeders Awards for place and show horses at these levels will be issued should budgeted funds be available. All awards issued will be pro rated, with no award distribution less than $1,000. As these awards are considered Breeders Awards, they will be included in the tabulation of the cap of $75,000 to any individual breeder.

Breeders Awards are just one component of the Ontario TIP program, which has been designed to support Thoroughbred breeders in Ontario in the form of awards, bonuses and purse money worth $9.3 million. For further information, please contact the CTHS at (416) 675-3602 for visit www.cthsont.com.

The Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society (Ontario Division) is a non-profit organization representing breeders within Ontario by promoting Canadian-Bred/Ontario-Foaled Thoroughbreds, both nationally and around the world.

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS

Many questions from readers in the last day or so..

LEONNATUS ANTEAS apparently suffered from heat exhaustion after his big workout yesterday – yes it is possible it was that warm, it was already 22 C (about 76 F) in the morning and the air quality in Toronto this week has been poor. The racetrack, being in a high air traffic area beside a highway, all that much sticky and gooey air-wise. No doubt working that fast contributed too his wobbly nature after the prep.

One reader asked if I have owned horses – yes. I was involved in the claiming game for many years and owned pieces of half a dozen horses (one at a time). Among my trainers were George Bankuti and Debbie England. Four years ago I purchased a yearling in partnership with some friends but the big grey gelding never made the races and I sold my share last year. Tough game, no question.

Will ask other readers to try and reply as to why old-timer LAKEFIELD was scratched from the last race last night…

OTHER STUFF

Queen’s Plate hopeful INCLUDE US worked in 1:01 1 /5 yesterday on Polytrack at Woodbine. The Include colt is a maiden..Stakes winner TOTHEMOONANDBACK is back and worked 5 furlongs at Woodbine yesterday in 1:01…

How sad that one-time leading rider GRETA KUNTZWEILER was sentenced to 10 years in prison for methamphetamine production and trafficking in the home she shared with Bryan Beccia, the exercise rider for Monarchos…SAND SLIDER, an Ontario bred by Wild Zone- Worldly Gal, won an allowance race at Suffolk Downs yesterday, The 6yo horse has won 5 of 22 starts and has been competing in mid to low level claiming races for much of his career.

SELLING RACING

Would love to help sell racing back to the media, the mainstream media. Seeing a large number of local media at a golf tournament yesterday gets one pondering - how?

Dan Liebman of THE BLOOD HORSE has some interesting thoughts on selling racing back to the mainstream media…

http://opinions.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=39334