'SEALY' OF APPROVAL

So many fun racing stars are in action these days - let's change the Poll and find out who you think is best..we'll start with the American guys this week.

SEALY HILL is the best 3yo in Canada, either sex, and she does it without running in a straight path.

LAWYER RON'S Beyer from his stunning Whitney yesterday is not up as of early this morning - i's probably quite big.

And if you haven't caught MEDIEVAL TIMES, do so. The horses are lovely and do many tricks, the crowd is raucous as you cheer on your 'Knight' and its an all around fun show.

More comments regarding the accident at Woodbine on Friday..

From a reader: I have one comment to make regarding the accident on
 Friday which I saw only once on HPI, my comment is that I have noticed lately
 after a horse is hit with the whip they have been tarting suddenly eith to
 the left or to the right and it seems to be happening more regularly(just
 an observation that I have noticed).
More comments on yesterday's postings.

SHE’S A WONDER

Sealy Hill ‘wins’ TRIPLE TIARA – 94 Beyer in Wonder Where

 (from Woodbine release)

 Eugene Melnyk's Sealy Hill, in her turf debut,

 easily captured the $250,000 Wonder Where Stakes, Saturday at Woodbine.

With Patrick Husbands aboard the dark bay daughter of Point Given,

 Sealy Hill settled off longshot pacesetters Play Mizzty for Me and Dash It

 Darling, through early splits of :25.19 and :47.86, then set sights on

 the leaders as the field straightened for the journey down the long

 E.P. Taylor Turf Course stretch. 

Sent off as the slight favourite, Sealy Hill, who won the Labatt

 Woodbine Oaks, first race in the Canadian Triple Tiara Series, on June 10,

 easily blew by her rivals on the far outside in the 1 1/4 mile Wonder

 Where, winning by 2 ¼-lengths in 2:02.17, over a "firm" turf.

Beclawat Stable's Saskawea, runner-up in the Oaks and fifth in the

 Bison City (second jewel in the Series) was second. Street Sounds, third in

 the Oaks and elevated to first in the Bison City, after Sealy Hill was

 judged guilty of interference in the stretch, was a half-length

 further back, in third.

*The Bison City disqualification is under appeal, so Sealy Hill still

 has a chance to become the first winner of the Triple Tiara, which was

 launched in 1999. *

"In the last race (Bison City), it was unfortunate that she got her

 number taken down," said Husbands, who recorded his first Wonder Where

 victory. "Today was a day that I was going to keep her so far away from

 everybody. I wanted to get her as relaxed as possible. When I got her to

 the outside, she was perfect." 

Jono Jones, who, along with Husbands, was involved in a spill in

 Friday's eighth race at Woodbine, was pleased after his first ride aboard

 Saskawea.

"She's a lovely horse, but she got beat by another lovely horse," said

 Jones, of the daughter of Stormy Atlantic.

The triumph was an especially sweet one for Sealy Hill's connections,

 including Casse, who watched his young star notch her fifth triumph from

 nine starts.

"I had a lot of confidence in her," said Casse. "I wasn't really

 concerned with the turf. I thought she trained the best I've ever seen her

 train in the last couple of weeks."

As to where she'll run next, Casse is pointing towards the Grade 1 turf

 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland on October 13.

"We've been waiting for a long time to get her on the grass. That's

 probably where we're going to go. If she were to be able to handle those,

 we might even think about Monmouth and the Breeders' Cup (October 27).

 If we could just get her to run straight it would make me a lot

 happier."

Bred and owned by Melnyk, Sealy Hill, who broke her maiden in her

 second start last October, finished second, by eight votes, to Catch the

 Thrill (fourth today) in last year's Sovereign Award voting for Canada's

 top-two-year-old filly honours.

In her second three-year-old start, the Ontario-bred won the Grade 3

 Bourbonette Breeders' Cup at Turfway Park, on March 24.

Sealy Hill paid $5.80, $4.30 and $2.70 across the board, combining with

 Saskawea ($8.80, $4.60) for a $42.10 exactor. Street Sounds ($2.40)

 capped a $114.10 triactor.

SIDENOTE – BOSTON TWIST, the dam of Sealy Hill, never raced on grass but as a correction to what I have stated earlier, the female family traces back to T.V. Lark, which is where this miss gets her love for turf.

MORE WOODBINE

Leading trainer ROBERT TILLER won a pair, jockey CHANTAL SUTHERLAND is on a roll, she won 2 more, and well, the decision to not disqualify MUSKWA from that race 2 days ago (when he drifted in a spooked a colt who fell and then had to be euthanized) is still being disputed by readers, fans etc.

The order of the day was set by a son of Canadian star LANGFUHR – (see Lawyer Ron’s story below). Ross McKague’s ALBARINO came back from a horrible trip to win yesterday with a nice journey in a race for $32,000 claiming.

Tiller’s first win came with class dropping SPREAD THE NEWS, a stakes winner who is game sort when he’s on the pace. He was down to $32,000 claiming yesterday. The colt was bred by George Farr.

SIMPLE SISTER was bombs away in the 2yo Ontario sired maiden allowance race in the 3^rd event. The full sister to stakes placed KABUL (Compadre – Aerwyn) won by 8 lengths for No Comprende Stables in her 3^rd start.

The Mel Lawson-bred QUENCH won again for Adele Dilschneider, who bought the Smoke Glackon Ontario bred for $435,000 as a yearling. He’s finally getting his act together for trainer Malcolm Pierce and won an allowance sprint on turf yesterday.

Tiller was back with the VERY DRY STABLES’ Corpus Magnus (79 Beyer), a Mazel Trick claiming 3yo.

The promising EL LACE won her 2^nd career start off the claim by trainer Red Johnston and owner Shale Wagman. The filly by Elajjud broke slowly in her debut and then rushed up before tiring. She was a nice winner at the maiden allowance level yesterday.

Classy stakes winner COLORFUL JUDGEMENT was a predictable winner of the 8^th, an allowance/opt. claimer and he was in the for the $62,500 tag but there were no takers for the stakes winning Diesis gelding.

How GREAT IS HARRY? Great Harry won for the third consecutive time in a $10K claimer, non-winners of 3 yesterday for Formal Racing and trainer Debbie England.

And 5yo maiden BOGIEANDBACALL, in his 25^th career start, won his maiden in the finale for trainer Frank Passero, who also owns.

SUNDAY WOODBINE

Champs square off again in Seagram

TRUE METROPOLITAN, PALLADIO and JUDITH’S WILD RUSH have had some good battles this year and the Canadian champions are at in again in the Seagram Cup today at 1 1/16 miles.

A big card is lined up for Woodbine and it’s Chinese day so the crowd will be large.

ORDER IS IN COURT

THE ‘LAWYER’, SON OF LANGFUHR IS TOPS

FROM THE TIMESUNION.COM SITE –

By Matt Graves

The bettors might have had an easier time picking a favorite in the 80th edition of the Whitney Handicap if they had any inclination that one of the 11 entrants was about to make history in Saratoga's premier stakes race for older horses.

Sent off as the second choice at 5-1, former Triple Crown contender Lawyer Ron notched the first Grade I victory of his career. He did it with a record-setting 4 /4 -length decision over pacesetting long shot Wanderin Boy in one of the most contentious renewals of the race in recent years Saturday at Saratoga Race Course.

The Todd Pletcher-trainee's final time of 1:46 /5 for the mile and an eighth shattered the track record for nine furlongs of 1:47 held jointly by Tri Jet (1974) and Pletcher's own Left Bank (2002) and also earned him an automatic berth in this fall's Breeders' Cup Classic.

It was a historical day in terms of total purse money offered by the New York Racing Association, as $2,130,000 was on the line for the 11-race card, including $1.75 million for four consecutive graded stakes.

Lawyer Ron, who had lost his past two decisions in stakes competition, drew a difficult post 11, but he got a small break when Student Council was scratched. Jockey John Velazquez did the rest, securing a stalking position early and making a powerful move away from the pack after catching Wanderin Boy near the eighth-pole.

"It ended up being post 10, but we were able to get to the first turn in good position, and that was the real key to the race for Lawyer Ron," said Pletcher, who also saddled lukewarm post-time favorite Magna Graduate (4-1) to a sixth-place finish. "Not only win it, but win it the way he did it in track-record fashion."

Wanderin Boy was a fairly late decision by trainer Nick Zito, considered a much riskier proposition than stablemate Sun King, the runner-up in this race last year to Horse of the Year Invasor.

It was Wanderin Boy who did all the running in this edition, setting swift fractions of 47 /5 for the half-mile, 1:10 /5 for six furlongs and 1:34 /5 for the mile. The 29-1 shot was dead-game to the end, holding off Diamond Stripes, another 5-1 shot, for second money from the $750,000 purse. Sun King was 10th this time in a dismal effort.

Left Bank's track record also came in the Whitney.

"Without a doubt the Whitney is historically such a great race," said Pletcher, who also won the Sanford Stakes on Thursday. "We've been fortunate to win it before. It's certainly one of the highlights of the meet. To have a horse run the way he did today was extra special."

The tote board looked like a pinball machine right up to the final flash after five horses at one time were all listed at 5-1 odds. Magna Graduate took the late money, but never really threatened. Flashy Bull, who came into the race with four consecutive victories, was victimized by an inside post and finished seventh.

REMEMBER FOZZIE BEAR?

Years ago (1986.87), FOZZIE BEAR (Bold Ruckus) burst onto the scene as a hot 2yo for trainer Tino Attard – going undefeated and causing a buzz.

The buzz got loud enough that Sesame Street folks made the owners change the colt’s name.

As Bold Revenue, the colt went on to a good career but a very modest one at stud.

Well, he’s back in the headlines as the broodmare sire of GRADE 1 winner GINGER PUNCH, the Stronach Stables’ Kentucky bred Awesome Again filly who won the Go for Wand Stakes at Saratoga yesterday by 6 lengths.

Ginger Punc’s dam is the stakes winner NAPPELON (17 wins, 70 starts, $630K), who won the Grade 2 Comely among other races after beginning her career with a stakes placing at Fort Erie.

Nappelon is out of SALLY GO GRAY, a Wise Exchange mare who resided at Jim Sabiston’s Longview Farms.

Ginger Punch is the 5^th foal of Nappelon.

AND VALERIE?

The last race at Fort Erie yesterday was won by favoured Cabo Wabo. The jockey was none other other than VALERIE THOMPSON, the leading rider at Greenwood in 1980 and the last female rider to win a title before Emma-Jayne came along.

FLEET CAROLINE, DA, DA DA

Okay, bad pun. FLEET CAROLINE, by Tejano Run out of the Ontario-based mare WYNONA was 2^nd in the Grade 2 San Clemente Stakes at Del Mar yesterday. The interest here is that the sire and dam are at the farm of Michael and Chris Blake’s Ascot Stud in Port Colbourne.

CALLER ONE, AT TEN

Caller One, a 10-year-old, won the ROCKET MAN STAKES at Calder yesterday during it’s Extreme Day. The earner of $3 million (he won the Golden Shaeen in Dubai years ago) beat the filly Rain Song, who won the 2 furlong race last year.

DREXLER CO-TOPS AT ASS. DOWNS

Marty Drexler, a trainer who began as a mutuel teller and has frequented WOODBINE for several years as a trainer and purchaser of horses, won 2 more races at the Winnipeg track last night (8 for his last 11) and is now tied for 1^st for conditioners there.

His Majesty’s Honor and Spillway won by 11 and 6 ½ lengths respectively in allowance races last night to boost his total to 21 from 67 starters.

The stakes races there last night, the NORTH DAKOTA STALLION STAKES was won by a 2yo by TRANSFERRED, an Alydeed horse who was a stakes winner at Woodbine.