TRUE PATRIOT LOVE

Day one of three this long weekend and it is also holiday-like in the U.S. since Independence Day is next week. Lots of stakes action everywhere. Enjoy.

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MADAM BUTTERFLY AND MORE

FRIDAY’S WOODBINE NOTE

Bombs away on Freaky Friday! It never fails, that day of the week seems to be the goofiest for results. And the PICK 7 carries over again – up to $67,000 now.

Big favourites like SHE AIN’T BLUFFIN in race 2, the first race of the Pick 7, lost at 3 to 5, SHE’S INDY MONEY lost at odds-on in the Dance Smartly prep, so did RIVER ROCK MOMBO from the apparently now beatable Terry Jordan stable.

Meanwhile the cleverly named Bold Executive gelding FUDGETHEBOTTOMLINE won a close photo in race 1, an Ontario sired allowance for $66,800. That was the 3^rd win in 10 starts for the Gail Wood-bred 3yo who is owned and trained by Laurie Silvera. He’s won $180,000.

And if anyone ever disputes that there is not such a thing as a bridesmaid horse, watch BOLD COMMENT in this race, or in an of his races for that matter.

Seemingly on his way to a long overdue win, the Bold Executive fellow pinned his ears as the going got tough in the late stages and when Fudgie came back on, he relinquished ever so slightly. It was the 10^th runner-up placing in his 16^th start. He, he’s won over $225,000 but it’s fascinating to watch him.

SHE AIN’T BLUFFIN, previously undefeated and brought up from Florida by Les Frost, was done in by the cheap speed of QUICK EMOTIONS, who has been stopping in each race since she won her maiden. The same tactics were used again, she was sent – with no chance mind you – and she stopped but ruined the favourite in the process.

George Fass kissed his winning filly MISS RUDY PANTS (Bold Executive) on the head in the winner’s circle after she strolled past She Ain’t Bluffin.

SCARLET BUTTERFLY was too strong for She’s Indy Money in the Dance Smartly prep and the Theatrical – Himmingbird Red filly from Sam-Son Farms won by almost a length. The Dance Smartly Stakes is supposed to be the season debut of Horse of the Year ARRAVALE.

GONE TRAJECTORY, owned by Morgan Firestone and ridden by Emma Wilson of MIKE FOX fame, was well prepared by his trainer DAVID BELL to win his season debut in race 7, an Ontario sired allowance race. The Trajectory gelding is out of Just Elated..

Other notes: BILL THARRENOS claimed a horse for COLEBROOK FARMS yesterday – RIVER ROCK MOMBO.

WOODBINE LIVE!

More comments

Courtesy Standardbred Canada..

In a bold statement, Toronto City councillor Rob Ford has said that the proposed Woodbine Live! expansion will turn Rexdale around.

"It's going to make Rexdale the new Rosedale of Toronto," the councillor was quoted as saying in an article on mirror-guardian.com.

On Tuesday, June 26, the Woodbine Entertainment Group's rezoning application for its proposed Woodbine Live! expansion was recommended by the Etobicoke/York Community Council for further approval by the Toronto Council, which is scheduled look at the issue on July 16 and 17.

"This is the best application we've ever had to vote on in my 20-year career," praised Ward 11 councillor Frances Nunziata.

WEG has teamed with Baltimore-based developer, The Cordish Company, for the Woodbine Live! project. Cordish vice president Blake Cordish stated that the company has numbers to prove they can make districts boom.

"Atlantic City had a troubled history in the last 20 years with gambling and problems with its downtown," Cordish said. "We opened our first phase there, and entered into an agreement for second and third phases which are opening now. Baltimore inner harbour had a derelict downtown and lacked life. Twenty five years later, it's the No. 1 tax base and the No. 1 employer in Baltimore."

From the papers..

The Happy Handicapper /By Bob Summers

Fournier finally finds the top

FORT ERIE, Ont. — It’s taken Mark Fournier half a lifetime to get there, but if you look at the Fort Erie Race Track trainer standings this morning, his name is right on top.

With 10 wins, eight seconds, three thirds and earnings of $80,637 from 35 starts, the 36-year-old Fournier is off to the fastest Fort Erie start he’s had since going on his own in 2002.

“I don’t know if I can keep up this pace. I hope I do,” Fournier told the Happy Handicapper one recent morning when the trainer was still basking in the glow of Tuesday’s two-winner afternoon.

That pair shot Fournier into a tie with Toronto-based Scott Fairlie, who also has 10 wins (in 14 starts). Fournier’s name is listed first because he is the money leader after the first quarter of the season.

“He’s on fire,” Fournier said of Fairlie. “He’s going to stop, too, but he keeps coming down with those shooters.”

Fournier, a native of Welland, Ont., has been a regular on the Fort Erie backstretch for 18 years, since he started cleaning stalls and walking hots for his cousin, trainer Lyle Morden.

“I was a fan as a kid, then ‘Butch’ [Morden] was involved in it, and he kind of took me in, helped me out,” Fournier said. “I got started with him.”

Since then, Fournier has worked for several trainers and, he says, learned a lot from all of them. He has about 25 horses and seven employees.

“Twenty-five is a lot for me. It’s more than enough for me,” he said.

Fournier’s rise got a big boost from a horse named Major Zee, a “fast, fast” sprinter who won five races at the Fort in 2003 and three more in 2004, including the Parnitha Stakes.

Fournier said his success with Major Zee caught the attention of Bruno Schickedanz, the Toronto businessman who owns about 400 horses racing at several tracks. Schickedanz is the Fort’s perennial leading owner and two years ago asked Fournier to take a few of his horses.

“He called me because of Major Zee because he had him as a young horse. . . . I got him and he hadn’t won in two years, and I won five with him,” Fournier said.

“I took eight horses for Bruno in July or August 2005. . . . Last year I had 15 and this year 20 or 25.”

After spending the winter with a string of Schickedanz horses at Sam Houston Park in Texas, Fournier handles all of Schickedanz’s Fort Erie stock.

“He’s happy. Last winter we went to Sam Houston with about 30 horses and won 14 races down there. We really did good, and it kind of snowballed. . . .We went and we got lucky. We did better than I thought we would . . . and Bruno ended up being leading owner,” Fournier said.

All of Fournier’s winners this year have been claiming horses, running for price tags of between $4,000 and $7,500.

The class of the barn seems to be Wolvspa, a 10-year-old gelding who won Tuesday’s feature race over 1 1/16 miles of grass under jockey Chris Griffith.

“He has a lot of class and likes the grass,” Fournier said of the grandson of Roberto, the 1972 English Derby winner.

He’s also high on Holy Triumph, his only two-time winner this year (“He’s really come around. . . .His confidence has really boomed up.”) and In Love In Seattle (“She’s won at Woodbine and I think she’s going to be OK. I’m looking for better things for her”).

Fournier’s go-to rider is Kris Robinson, who’s ridden five of his winners. Eldridge Lindsay has three winners and Griffith has a pair.

Russian Hand, an 8-year-old gelding who was Fournier’s other Tuesday winner, was ridden by Roderick Dacosta, a jockey Fournier employed because “he gets along with [Russian Hand]. . . . He’s a hard horse to ride.”

Russian Hand “lays on horses,” Fournier said. “He wants to knock them over. He’s got his number taken down twice at Woodbine.”

While Fournier is enjoying the moment, he cautions potential bettors that “I don’t know if I can keep up with this pace.”

But he hopes to continue, at least in the near future.

“I’ve got to take advantage of it because you know how it goes when it doesn’t go good,” he said.

Now for some horses to watch. In the last two weeks, Fournier had four horses run second and another finish third (Very Clever Beau, Fire the Firm, Dazzling Beauty, Philly Express and Cabriolass).

“They’re all going to come back and be in legit spots,” he said. “Hopefully, they can jump up and we can get lucky next time we run again with them.”

ACHIEVING A STAKES WIN

Today at Woodbine

It is unclear why the ACHIEVEMENT STAKES got its name. There was a handicap horse named Achhievement that raced in Canada and other places.

But the race also used to be at the end of the racing season so perhaps it was named simply because it would be an achievement to win it after a long year (notes courtesy of the Canadian Racing Hall of Fame).

The first winner of the Achievment in 1953 was CHAIN REACTION. He was 4 to 5 for the 1 1/16 mile race worth $5,000. He won easily and added that win to his long list of stakes scores – the Breeders, Quebec Queen’s Plate, Prince of Wales, Durham Cup, Canadian Derby, plus stakes in western Canada. Chain Reaction was a true iron horse.

Today the race is for Ontario-foaled 3yo’s at 6 furlongs. A nice soft little spot for some guys with DANCER’S BAJAN looking very solid for the 3 Sons stable and trainer Robert Tiller.