AND THE RACING CONTINUES

A long weekend is in the books and there were numerous spectacular performances both at Woodbine and places south.
Woodbine continues with a regular schedule this week - 5 racing days - and so far the fields are still huge.
Big action tomorrow on INDEPENDENCE DAY - July 4 - at tracks in the U.S.

A light weekend coming up stakes-wise at Woodbine - the CLARENDON and ONT.DAMSEL STAKES.

(Sorry about font-madness in recent days...how do you work these computers anyway??)

WILD AND CRAZY GUY

MONDAY AT WOODBINE

He was the only guy in the field that was not Breeders’ Cup eligible but that didn’t stop ECCENTRIC from fending off Grade 1 winners to his inside and outside to win the Grade 2, $240,800 King Edward Breeders'

Cup over Woodbine's E.P. Taylor Turf Course.

The Beyer was 101.

It was one of those wild finishes in a grass race that no one was sure who had won. The finish line is not easy to judge when you are watching Woodbine grass races – even trainer Roger Attfield, speaking after the race, intimated to owner Gary Tanaka on the phone that they had been beaten on the wire.

Here are excerpts from the WOODBINE NEWS RELEASE..

Eccentric, a six-year-old, rallied from off the pace and

spoiled the homecomings of two local Grade 1 winners, Sky Conqueror and

Jambalaya, who finished second and third, respectively.

The 1 1/8-mile score was the Gary Tanaka-owned gelding's second

straight stakes score over the Woodbine lawn as he becomes the first

horse since Slew Valley to sweep the Connaught and King Edward.

The time of the race was 1:46.83.

It appeared late-running Sky Conqueror, last year's King Edward winner,

had tagged the winner in the shadow of the wire, but Eccentric poked

his nose in front just in the nick of time.

Winning jockey David Clark wasn't certain of the result.

"I wasn't quite sure," said Clark. "I knew I had the inside horse

(Jambalaya), from the eighth-pole in. The other horse came late. I

wasn't quite sure because he was a little further out from me. He

deserved to win, he ran hard."

Attfield's first impression of the finish was more definite.

"I was late getting down for the photo because I was upstairs and I was

talking to the owner. I said, 'We just got beat.' I saw (the outrider)

leading him back so I thought I'd better come down fast."

The victory is the third stakes score for Eccentric since the North

American phase of his career began last fall. The chestnut son of Most

Welcome also won the Grade 3 Fayette over Keeneland's Polytrack on

October 28.

"God bless him. He's a lovely old horse. He's a trying horse," said

Attfield. "He runs on Polytrack, he runs on turf. I thought the turf

might be a little firm for him today, but he got it done anyway."

The British-bred has now banked $754,499 over his 36-start career.

Eccentric's victory closed out a wild weekend for Attfield, who watched

Red Birkin lose Saturday's Boiling Springs Stakes at Monmouth Park via

disqualification. On Sunday, Palladio finished third in the Dominion

Day.

"It was an interesting weekend. Going in, I said to the crew, we could

win three stakes this weekend," said Attfield.

Eccentric returned $11.60, $5.00, $2.90 and combined with Sky Conqueror

($3.10, $2.10) for a $34.80 exactor. Jambalaya ($2.20) rounded out a

triactor worth $65.60.

More...

DANCING ALLSTAR made a surprising and stirring Toronto debut as she parlayed a maiden win out at Hastings Park in Vancouver into a ridiculously easy win in the My Dear Stakes for 2yo fillies earlier on the card.

The 2yo is owned by Bob Cheema and trained by Terry Jordan, the latter who has sent a small stable of horses from B.C. and is currently winning at the meeting with a rate of over 50%.

The filly, by the late sire MILLENIUM ALLSTAR out of HIGH ON BELIEVEN out of Honor Grades, broke a bit slowly under jockey Todd Kabel but then zipped to the lead quite easily. She widened from there with Kabel perched up and not even pushing her at all.

How fast could she have gone?

She set a track record in a common gallop of 57 2/5.

Her Beyer was 88.

Steve Asmussen trainee SKY MOM, in from Kentucky where she ran a 94 Beyer Figure, was troubled second as a lugging out SARCASM caused havoc for her and others in the race.

The middle of the racing card saw the POLYTRACK suddenly turn into a speed highway (was it just a mirage?) as front runners suddenly took over the sprints starting in race 4.

That race was a maiden allowance for 2yo colts and DON’S FOLLY made a stirring debut from the rail post. The Tethra colt battled on the pace and then drew off to win and set a track record for the 5 furlongs that lasted less than an hour. His Beyer Figure would be an 87.

The mare, Bold Below, is a stakes placed daughter of the good producing mare Seventy Two Below, dam of Celcius Clay, Bad Hat and Cool Buck.

Don Collins owns Don’s Folly.

Then FIGHT THE STORM whizzed to victory in race 7, turning her form around in a big way doe Lindys Racing Stable and trainer John Charalambous.

In the 8th, BOLD AND BRAZEN went from a 10 Beyer Figure to a big win for maiden $11,500 claiming for Kelynack and Abraham Katryan.

The last 2 races were the King Eddy and a grass maiden race that went to SKIPPED BAIL, the first winner of the meeting for Chiefswood Stable and trainer Eric Coatrieux.

So,, it was not an easy long weekend to pick winners for the newspaper and program handicappers. That leads us up to a new poll that was suggested by a reader (we had to modify it a bit).

Polytrack or old dirt track? For betting purposes, what do you prefer? Does it make a difference?

Join in and place your vote.

(From the Vancouver Sun)

Spaghetti Mouse no quiet achiever

Extra distance sees gelding settle into winning stride

(Dennis Feser, Vancouver Sun)

Published: Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Two months into the current season and no one associated with Spaghetti Mouse was concerned with a second and third placing in his two starts.

The considered wisdom by his connections was all he needed was the right distance ... and, perhaps, True Metropolitan leaving town.

With more time to find his best stride Sunday afternoon at Hastings Racecourse, Spaghetti Mouse pounced on Forceful Intention on the turn home and had plenty in reserve to hold off Timeless Passion by two lengths to take the Grade III $107,850 Lieutenant Governors Handicap.

Owned by Pauline and Nick Felicella, Spaghetti Mouse covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:49 3/5 for his fifth win in six tries at the distance, including a Lieutenant Governors title in 2006.

True Metropolitan, meanwhile, the older horse of the year in Canada in 2006, was at Toronto's Woodbine on Sunday taking bows in the Grade III $200,000 Dominion Day Stakes. Trained by Terry Jordan for Bob Cheema and ridden by Todd Kabel, True Metropolitan earned $120,000 in taking the 1 1/4-mile tour in a track record 2:04 1/5 to win by a half-length.

Jockey Dave Wilson said Spaghetti Mouse indicated in his two works following a loss to Forceful Intention in the 1 1/16-mile John Longden 6000 in May, that he would be double tough across Sunday's nine furlongs.

"The extra distance just sets him up perfectly," said Wilson, who has been the regular pilot of the Archers Bay gelding since they won the B.C. Derby in 2005.

"When he stretches out he's a better horse," said trainer Ned Sams, who took over from the late Gary Demorest this spring. Demorest, who died of kidney failure shortly after the start of the current season, proved somewhat of a prophet when he said "he might have to be five years old before he becomes a racehorse." With $66,365 from Sunday's race, Spaghetti Mouse pushed his career earnings over $626,000.

And, should True Metropolitan return to Hastings for the Redekop B.C. Cup Classic, he can expect Spaghetti Mouse to be waiting for the 1 1/8 miles.

GOOD FRIDAYS: Hastings will add Friday afternoons (first post 2:25 p.m.) to its schedule beginning this week. Monday's program celebrating 118 years of thoroughbred racing included a visit by the Memorial Cup won this year by Vancouver Giants.

WILD ROSE: Montero, owned by William and James Decoursey of Vancouver, scored a minor upset in Saturday's $75,000 Wild Rose sprint at Northlands Park, leading virtually gate to wire under Quincy Welch to score by 3 3/4 lengths. A daughter of Louis Quatorze, Montero is trained locally by Barb Heads.

ARRAVALE READY TO SMOKE

As if the barn of trainer MAC BENSON is not hot enough, it is getting ready to bring over last year’s Horse of the Year ARRAVALE for Dance Smartly Stakes on July 22 – a turf festival card of racing that includes the Northern Dancer Stakes.

Arravale, owned by Bob Costigan, worked 5 furlongs in 59 3/5 yesterday.

SCORECARDS

FORT ERIE JOCKEYS:

ROBERT KING JR. 27

KRIS ROBINSON 22

CHAD BECKON 21

FORT ERIE TRAINERS:

MARK FOURNIER 12 (FOR 38)

SCOTT FAIRLIE 11 (FOR 17)

DON MACRAE 8 (FOR 35)

WOODBINE JOCKEYS:

TYLER PIZARRO (Apprentice) 42

PATRICK HUSBANDS 38

DAVID CLARK 36

WOODBINE TRAINERS:

ROBERT TILLER 27 (FOR 131)

SID ATTARD 23 (FOR 116)

ABRAHAM KATRYAN 20 (FOR 94)

JORDAN STATS

Here are some stats for B.C.’s TERRY JORDAN who is taking Woodbine by storm.

6 wins, 11 starters

TRUE METROPOLITAN (2)

DANCING ALLSTAR

FORTYNINE EXPRESS – ran an 80 Beyer Figure in Woodbine debut, previous top, 59.

THAT’S AN OUTRAGE- Class horse from California, 87 Beyer Figure in Woodbine debut, claimed for $40K from Jordan.

STEADY SMILER – Class horse, ran 85 Beyer Figure winning for $25,000

Others in stable, APRIL FOOLISH – 11 WINS IN 26 STARTS, RACING THURSDAY; SINIBIX – 2YO FILLY BY TACTICAL CAT; ALPINE GARDEN (LEMON DROP KID), FROM TRAINER FRED SEITZ; ZOUNDS, FROM TRAINER FRED SEITZ