RICH AND FAMOUS

(photo courtesy of Terence Dulay - horse-races.net. See note below)


First the BELMONT STAKES on ABC television and then the gut-wrenching movie RUFFIAN. Great stuff on TV for horse racing/sports fans. The BELMONT was a thriller and the movie was reasonably okay even if we all knew the ending.
The graphic nature of the movie was shocking. I would interested to know anyone else's feelings on the movie.

The biggest names in racing are at WOODBINE TODAY.....

RAGS TO RICHES

FIRST FILLY IN 100 HUNDRED YEARS TO WIN BELMONT

It was a stirring Belmont Stakes for sure, watching the cat-and-mouse game by the riders through the first part of the 1 ½ mile classic and then the duel between the filly RAGES TO RICHES and Preakness winner CURLIN. The latter never gave up after 12 furlongs but the former is something special.

Her Beyer was 106.

How fitting was it that a few hours later, ABC televised its special movie RUFFIAN worldwide.

Fun to watch trainer TODD PLETCHER watching the stretch run with his wife and clients as the filly battled hard to the wire. Not often you see or hear a lot of emotion from him, but that was great to watch.

At $1.9 million (her yearling price), RAGS TO RICHES was meant to be a good horse, and now her babies will sell for a fortune (although as the winner of the Ky. Oaks, she was going to do okay anyway).

Now where will they run her next?

My friends TERENCE AND CINDY DULAY were at the Belmont and took some fantastic shots and have written about the races on their site – Horse-Races.net. Enjoy their coverage and their photos…

http://www.horse-races.net/library/bel07-results.htm

SKY CONQUEROR TIES UP

SKY CONQUEROR was scratched from the Grade 1 Manhattan after tying up after training. Trainer DARWIN BANACH said the colt will now aim for the King Edward Gold Cup – also the next start for JAMBALAYA. Both horses have been ridden by Javier Castellano.

BIG STARS FROM YESTERDAY AT WOOBINE TODAY FOR OAKS

Will 'Sounds' be loudest?

In addition to a super field and great card of racing, more spice for today’s Oaks event at Woodbine is the presence of jockeys JOHN VELASQUEZ, RAMON DOMINGUEZ (won the Manhattan yesterday on Better Talk Now) and Garret Gomez.

Pletcher has two in the race – not sure he’ll be in town for the day after such an emotional high from the Belmont – but his fillies BELLEPLAINE and CHRISTIES TREASURE arrived yesterday.

WOODBINE’S Oaks microsite has updated all the news for the Oaks and added photos of all the horses..don’t forget to check it out..

Here are some notes on the entrants (in no particular order):

SASKAWEA has been super in her 2 starts in 2007. The Beclawat Farm (Les Perreira) homebred won the Fury Stakes after a dream trip behind a rapid pace duel and then was 2nd in the Selene against open company behind 8-length winner Bear Now (not an Oaks eligible).

Her trainer, Steve Attard, who coached Sweet Breanna to race well when 2^nd in the Oaks last year, said more than once this week that he had heard rumours that some may think his filly had worked to fast the other morning – 1:11 2/5 – but he said he isn’t worried. Indeed, this is a long, lean, sizy monster of a filly who is a beautiful specimen.

What this corner thinks would be a big test is the cramming in of the races – is three big events in four weeks too much?

BELLEPLAINE went to Laurel and Pimlico to race when opportunities were limited in New York by the time she was ready to run in April. She romped in those 2 races but had low Beyer Figures. VELASQUEZ rides and he apparently had his choice between her CHRISITIES TREASURE.

CHRISTIES TREASURE has never raced in a stakes race or on anything other than grass. She was bred by Cam Allard, was a $160,000 yearling purchase by top Ohio owner and breeder Elisabeth Alexander. She has worked like the wind over Arlington’s Polytrack.

DANCE TO MY TUNE is a little girl, a bargain yearling purchase by the good stable of Dave Cotey et al. She was 7^th in the Selene behind Saskawea.

LOVE YOU CRAZY was bought by the group of folks known as FOUR BOARD STABLE and trainer Reade Baker liked the way this leggy filly rallied in her latest at the allowance level. Needs to boost up those 74 Beyer Figures, however.

PALACE PIER

Blinkers are back on but she has fizzled in recent starts. She was 8^th in the Selene behind Saskawea (who was 2^nd).

QUIET JUNGLE Sam Son Farms homebred is improving with each start and overcame so much to win her latest with a 78 Beyer Figure. The farm has won this race 7 times.

SEALY HILL looks so much better know that RAGS TO RICHES won the Belmont. The latter beat this gal by 26 lengths in the Ky. Oaks. Can bounce back but has to prove herself at the distance.

STREET SOUNDS lost her career debut by 57 lengths and that befuddled trainer Michael Matz. Things have been much rosier since then and the filly has won three consecutive stakes races for Hidden Creek Farm.

SUVA comes in from British Columbia and she was a multiple stakes winner last year at 2; Has lower Beyer Figures than all the others but has relished the Polytrack.

OTHER STAKES TODAY AT WOODBINE

The Victoria Park Sstakes probably does not have too many years left since it is essentially a ‘nothing’ race on the stales calendar. The top Beyer Figure horse in the 1 1/8 mile race for open 3yo’s is FORBIDDEN BEAR who is racing at a route distance for the first time. The Bear is owned by the Bear Stables.

Trainer MARK CASSE has 2 in the race – SKIP CODE and APPROVAL RATING.

ALYWOW! She was Horse of the Year in Canada and she won the first stakes race ever held on the EP Taylor turf course. The race named in her honour is 6 ½ furlong turf dash for 3yo fillies.

It’s a super field with so many to choose from betting-wise. BOLDLY SEDUCTIVE comes out of the key Lady Angela Stakes (the top 2 finishers have won easy allowance races since that race).

Undefeated NATIVE LEGEND will try to keep things going in her grass debut (she’s a half-sister to garded stakes winning turfer CLASSIC STAMP and Mark Casse’s pair of QUIET ACTION and SILKY SMOOTH look good.

The babies in race 6 travel 4 ½ furlongs and we sniffed out DAZZLING DR COLOGNE – a full brother to star runner DAZZLING DR DEVIN. This is a ½ brother to 3 2yo debut winners.

CHOICE’S LEAD KEPT GROWING

(yesterday at Woodbine)

Trainer Baker buys gelding, wins stake in less than 4 weeks

When the opportunity came to trainer READE BAKER to purchase New York-vased, Ontario-sired and bred EXECUTIVE CHOICE, the Sovereign award winning trainer jumped at the chance.

The price was rumoured to be in the range of $75,000 US so Baker collected up a group of owners – Jim Aston, Peter Buzzi and Augi Onesi – worked him twice since the gelding finished 7th in the New Providence Stakes for trainer Bruce Levine and then watched lead from start to finish in the Steady Growth Stakes yesterday at Woodbine.

The purse was in excess of $125,000.

Executive Choice (Birdonthewire – Chachagua, by Dawn Quixote) was bred by Adena Springs.

The sizy 6-year-old bay gelding looked awesome when he came to Canada for the New Providence but was hard used to chase a rapid pace in that event and he understandably faded.

Yesterday, the same rider, Emile Ramsammy, again let the gelding roll, opening up a quick five length lead into the backstretch and the lead never really shrank.

“I had to hustle all the way last time but it was a sprint - and he’s really progressed since then,” said Ramsammy.

“He was worth the money, sound, healthy horse,” said Baker on the decision to buy the horse. “He came to me in great condition, I didn’t do anything with him really. He was in a speed duel last time and everyone took back today.”

Bold Finish, owned and bred by Bill Diamant, chased the winner hard and was a clear 2nd. The final time was a very sharp 1:43 3/5, just 3 /5 of a second off the track record.

He earned a lifetime best 101 Beyer Figure.

It was the 7th win in 24 starts for Executive Choice, who has been at Woodbine a few other times including last fall when he was 2nd by a neck in the Sir Barton Stakes.

PATRICK HUSBANDS WINS 4

Trainers that got off the schneid yesterday included STEVE OWENS, who has had only a handful of starters. His GOLD ZAPPER won the 1st race for $10K claiming and a solid season debut. That was jockey Patrick Husbands’ first winner of the day.

John LeBlanc Jr. scored his first win of the season with MICHAEL’S BAD BOY, a 4yo maiden who won an allowance for Ontario-sired horses at 7 furlongs on the turf.

STANLEY BARESICH pulled off the upset of the year to this point when B and B Stables and B. Mowat’s OUT OF SESSION won the last race for maiden fillies at 50 to 1 after already 3 starts, and her last pair of drab. CATHERINE O’BRIEN rode the winner. The triactor paid $82,000.

OTHER STUFF

HOLLY TIME, bred by Ontario’s YVONNA SCHWABE, won an allowance race at Monmouth yesterday for his 2^nd win in 7 career starts. The Gilded Time 4yo colt is out of Jingle Berry. He ran an 86 Beyer Figure in the 6 furlong race (1:09 3/5).

BERNARD and KAREN MCCORMACK bred two winners out of the same mare in two different provinces yesterday.

Hat Trick and Double Eagle’s BELLICOSE BELLE won an allowance race at Woodbine (coming out of the key Lady Angela Stakes) and it was the 2^nd win for the stakes placed WAR DEPUTY – VALID’S BEST LADY filly.

Out west at Stampede Park in Calgary, the 4yo filly GRAND CYPRESS (by Dr. Adagio) won a maiden race at one mile by two lengths.

EDITOR’S NOTE – THOROUGHBLOG is a personal website that has simply tried to provide a forum for news and everyone’s ideas, insights on racing in Ontario – yes, mainly WOODBINE. I am self-employed and one of contracts is morning line oddsmaker for WOODBINE. Opinions or views on this site do not reflect that of the track – it does not pay me for this site – or any of my other employers.