MARCHING TO THE WALES

Trainer MARK CASSE told THOROUGHBLOG this week that perhaps taking MARCHFIELD away from his regular running style hurt his chances in the Queen's Plate (the A.P. Indy colt was 6th).
"I knew we were in trouble by the 5th race that day, " said Casse about the strong speed biased Polytrack surface. "So we tried to keep him closer to the pace and that didn't really work."
The colt had a wide trip, had no pace to run at and simply didn't threaten but he exited the race well and worked at Fort Erie in the interim.
"We're just going to let him run his race this time," said Casse about Sunday's Prince of Wales Stakes.
The Wales goes at 4:48 p.m.

In response to a readers question…

Polytrack comments from Robbie King Jr. at Wednesday night’s Toronto Thoroughbred Racing Club meeting focused on the kickback and how tough it has been on horses and riders. King also described the feeling that a horse would have planting their legs on the surface, the track brings the leg in and then pushes it back out (push on a fresh loaf of bread) and that is a very different feeling for horses who have been racing on tracks that are simply dirt, pound the leg down and bring it back up.

King expressed great concern for the surface, heck, it's virtually impossible to get a handle on horse's form on it this year, but agreed that it is better for the horse.

DROP THE BOMB

WOODBINE THURSDAY

Strong winds slowing horses down in the stretch and a slow surface made for slooooow times in route races for the cheaper horses and some quick times in the sprints at Woodbine yesterday.

The day kicked off with a bizarre race – a maiden $25,000 filly race around 2 turns won by 80 to 1 shot SHELBURY (owned, trained and bred by Wendy Wolff), who got he distance in 1:50 – 1 1/16 miles that is.

Shelbury is out of the gallant mare Ptermagant, a stakes winner who has produced many solid winners over the years. The sire of Shelbury, ASHBURY, stands at Wolff’s WOLFF RUN FARM in Sherkston (down by Fort Erie). Ashbury won 2 races at Fort Erie and is by Two Punch out of Chilly Hostess (from the family of that nice Windfields mare Impressive Lady (Imperial Colony et al).

Shelbury is from Ashbury’s first crop.

Most impressive on the day was NESSUM DORMA (named for an aria in a famous opera). The daughter of Robyn Dancer (by Crafty Prospector) is out of a Crafty Prospector mare. She took off from the start of the 2yo filly race for $25,000 and won by 8 lengths for Gemini Farms and C. Healy, plus trainer Ralph Biamonte.

Okay, the Beyer Figure of 45 was low but she sure looked good.

$1,000,000 yearling purchase CHIPARA won her maiden in her local 3yo debut yesterday in a 1 mile grass race. The Gone west – Candleinthedark filly, owned by Chiefswood Stable, ran a 75 Beyer Figure.

TOMMY SHANKS was 5^th, beaten more than 6 lengths, and then 13^th on turf last time in 2 starts off the year long layoff but won like a champ yesterday in a huge turnaround in form. The Florida bred by Montbrook battled on the pace and then drew off, ran 6 ½ furlongs in 1:16 4/5 and earned a career best 80 Beyer Figure.

Consecutive winners came out of the June 24 Bella Rush race to win yesterday. RENGA’S GIRL, trained by Dan Vella, won for $40K claiming in front running fashion and Audre Cappuccitti’s homebred SUNNITIME won for $20,000.

Sam-Son has grip on Toronto Cup

Daily Racing Form Saturday

By Bill Tallon

(shameless plug at the bottom of the story)

A Toronto Cup just wouldn’t seem to be a Toronto Cup without the participation of Sam-Son, Mark Frostad, and Todd Kabel.

And Saturday's running of the Toronto Cup will not disappoint on that count as Kabel and Windward Islands, who is trained by Frostad, will fly the Sam-Son colors in the 1 1/8-mile turf race for 3-year-olds.

Since the year 2000, Sam-Son and Frostad have won each of the five Toronto Cups in which they participated. Think Red began the streak in 2000 and was followed by Strut the Stage (2001), Portcullis (2002), Silver Ticket (2004), and French Beret (2006).

Kabel was aboard all of the Sam-Son winners except Portcullis, who had Slade Callaghan in the irons. Kabel also won the Toronto Cup in the non-Sam-Son years, with Mobil in 2003 and T.D. Vance in 2005.

Windward Islands is coming into the Toronto Cup off a nose defeat in a first-level allowance at 1 1/16 miles on turf here June 22.

"He's only had the one start this year, but it was a pretty decent start," said Frostad. "I think he's competitive here. Hopefully, he's tight enough."

Windward Islands won his maiden in an off-the-turf race at a mile and 70 yards and finished second in an open allowance race at 1 1/16 miles during a four-start 2-year-old campaign that ended Nov. 25.

Frostad had been looking forward to starting Windward Islands on the grass, noting that the gelding was sired by Cozzene and that his full sister Deveron finished third in a Group 1 stakes in France.

Also, Windward Islands will race with blinkers for the first time in the Toronto Cup.

"It's just to straighten him out a bit, get him a little more focused," said Frostad.

Husbands books another chopper

Last year jockey Patrick Husbands finished fifth aboard the 18-1 Cassia Heights here in the Shady Well and then hopped aboard a helicopter for a 40-minute ride Fort Erie, where he rode Royal Challenger in the Prince of Wales.

Sunday's renewal of the Shady Well, like last year's, will go as the fourth race, and Husbands and his agent, Gary Kemplen, have made similar travel arrangements.

This time, however, Husbands will be piloting the odds-on Alvena in the $125,000 Shady Well, a 5 1/2-furlong race for Ontario-foaled 2-year-old fillies.

Husbands's partner for the $500,000 Prince of Wales will be Marchfield, who finished sixth in the Queen's Plate and is 8-1 on the morning line for the six-horse Prince of Wales.

Royal Challenger to wait a bit longer

Royal Challenger was 34-1 in last year's Prince of Wales and finished a closing fourth before being moved up to third upon the disqualification of his stablemate Malakoff from first to fifth place.

This year, Royal Challenger has finished sixth in the Grade 3 Eclipse at 1 1/16 miles and a close second in the Singspiel, an open overnight stakes at 1 1/2 miles on turf.

While Royal Challenger is nominated to the Grade 2, $700,000 Northern Dancer, a 1 1/2-mile turf race for 3-year-olds and upward here July 22, his trainer, Brian Lynch, is inclined to await an easier spot.

"He's doing really well, but it would only be his third race back," said Lynch, who trains Royal Challenger for Stronach Stable. "I don't want to get too creative with him."

Lynch is looking at the $75,000 With Approval, a 1 1/8-mile overnight turf stakes for Ontario-foaled 3-year-olds and upward here Aug. 12, for Royal Challenger's next appearance.

Meanwhile, Malakoff has not raced since last year's Prince of Wales after undergoing surgery to have a chip removed from his sesamoid.

"He's in full training up at the farm right now," said Lynch at trackside here Thursday morning. "We'd decided pretty much from the word go to give him a year before we brought him back in."

Hartack to speak next Thursday

Bill Hartack, who rode Northern Dancer to victory in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Queen's Plate in his championship 1964 campaign, will be the special guest speaker here Thursday when the field is drawn for the Northern Dancer Breeders' Cup.

The loaded July 22 card also will feature the Grade 2, $300,000 Dance Smartly, a 1 1/8 mile turf race for fillies and mares; the $125,000 Ontario Matron, a 1 1/16-mile race for fillies and mares; and the Bold Venture, a 6 1/2-furlong race for 3-year-olds and upward.

Hartack, a steward in Louisiana, also will be available for a one-hour autograph session beginning at 12 p.m. here July 22 on the second floor of the grandstand.

One hour earlier, Jennifer Morrison will be joining Daily Racing Form handicapper Dan Illman for a one-hour handicapping seminar focusing on the Northern Dancer Day card.

Morrison, who is Woodbine's oddsmaker and a regular DRF contributor, also will host a one-hour backstretch tour beginning at 11 a.m. July 21.

This backstretch tour, limited to 75 people, is fully booked, but spots for the next tour on Aug. 18 can be reserved by calling (416) 675-3993, ext. 2513.

* Jockeys Chantal Sutherland and Na Somsanith will serve suspensions this coming week after their appeals of earlier rulings were denied. Sutherland will sit out Wednesday through Friday, while Somsanith's days run Wednesday through Sunday.

Courtesy of Daily Racing Form