TODAY WE DANCE

NORTHERN DANCER STAKES SHOWDOWN is today at Woodbine with 3 other big stakes but the field size is very small.

OBRIGADO is my pick to beat the big 2, SKY CONQUEROR and JAMBALAYA with a little look to MARCH SIDE for the triactor.

Thanks to THE DRAKE, who pointed out that sad incident with WILLESDEN GREEN yesterday, a homebred from Prairie Star Racing who dropped from a Keeneland maiden allowance race to claiming $5,000 yesterday and apparently broke down after finishing third.

Let’s hope that while the Ontario Racing Commission (under heavy fire these days) is finished ejecting trainers from the winner’s circle when their sons win major races, will look into horses filling races that should not be.

And by the way, if you are squeamish, don’t watch the 1^st at Fort Erie today. Many 9-year-olds in the field.

SLOWING DOWN OR PANTS DOWN?

Big money was on the line for the connections of DANCING ALLSTAR, a filly by Millennium Allstar, yesterday in the Colin Stakes. Yes, she was meeting the colts in the 6 furlong stakes race and the purse was a nice $125,000 but there were reportedly big offers on the table for the filly after her last win in the My Dear Stakes with an 88 Beyer Figure. Bigger offers were sure to come if she won the Colin (she was 9 to 5 in the morning line, 3 to 5 at post time).

And just like the My Dear, it looked over early. This is one quick filly, she just gallops and is going :22, 44 4/5 and she’s in front by half a dozen lengths.

Jockey Todd Kabel was perched up on her, just sitting still and letting the filly flaunt her stuff. It looked like a morning workout.

And then….jockey Jerry Baird knew he was on a very good 2yo too, the cute little grey BEAR HOLIDAY, and he was scrubbing on him on the turn, hoping to catch up.

Still 10 lengths in arrears turning for home while Kabel and his filly were in a dance, Bear Holiday started to see a target.

The target started to slow a bit. Bear Holiday was catching up fast, the result was obviously in doubt. Kabel went to his whip strides before the finish but it was too late. Bear Holiday had nabbed them, but it took a 5 minute photo to find out it was by a sliver.

That filly should have won the Colin, but perhaps both horse and rider were thinking it was over before it was.

SPEAKING OF A MILLENNIUM ALLSTAR…

That deceased sire’s former owner CURTIS JOSEPH, SUE LESLIE ET AL won the Ontario Jockey Club Stakes later on the card.

Here’s the Woodbine release..

Awesome Action, co-owned by National Hockey League  goaltender Curtis Joseph, scored in Saturday's $75,000 Ontario Jockey Club Stakes, at Woodbine. (editor’s note, he won the OJC for the second time in 3 years)

The seven-year-old gelding was full of run down the long E.P. Taylor

Turf Course stretch, blowing by the leaders with ease, to secure his

eighth career victory in what was his 40th lifetime start.

Sitting seventh after an opening quarter-mile in :22.53 and a half in

:44.79, a patient Robert Landry stickhandled the Ontario-bred into

position for an outside bid in early stretch. 

After striking front, Awesome Action fended off a hard-closing

Sterwins, who finished second to Edenwold in last year's Queen's Plate, by one  length. Champion Le Cinquieme Essai, making his first appearance since  a win in last August's Grade 2 Play the King Stakes, was third, another  1 ¼-lengths back.

The final time for the race over a "firm" turf was 1:20.47.

Landry, who teamed with Awesome Action to win the Ontario Jockey Club

 two years ago, was anticipating a strong performance from the horse who  is also co-owned by NHL agent Don Meehan, trainer Sue Leslie and

 Joseph's wife, Nancy.

"He ran a great race," praised Landry, of the son of 1997 Queen's Plate

 champion Awesome Again. "He's been training really well. I was pretty

 confident he'd give us a big effort today and he did."

"I'm really, really proud of this horse," added Leslie, of the veteran,

 who finished third in the turf event in 2004 and 2006. "We thought we

 had him ready in May, but he didn't get the cleanest of trips."

It was the first win since October of 2005 for Awesome Action, who has

 contested every race of his career at the Toronto oval. Last year,

 Awesome Action posted one third-place finish from eight starts.

"They always say you get better with age*just look at me," joked

 Landry.

Awesome Action returned $27.10, $10.70 and $5.20, combining with

 Sterwins ($8.20, $4.70) for a $245.10 exactor. Le Cinquieme Essai ($2.70)

 rounded out a $1,242.90 triactor.

OTHER STUFF ON SATURDAY

Trainer Mark Casse won with 2 babies – a 2^nd time starter of Charlie Laloggia’s in race 1 (nice morning line odds by me, 8 to 1…went off at 2 to 1..oops) and firster BRIARWOOD CIRCLE, by Smart Strike, in a roughly run turf dash. The babies looked a bit frightened through the stretch since the course railing was up several feet and the horses were close to the people. The winner lugged in all the way through the stretch and the 3^rd place finisher, Doneraile Gold, smashed Foolish Vow into the railing while racing greenly. (He was dq’d),

Doneraile Gem is a Kentucky bred owned by Sam-Son Farms.

The latter group did better in race 5, a maiden allowance for older horses at 1 mile on turf as SAFE LANDING (another Kentucky-bred) was up to beat SIERRA CAT (Aljabr) to win his maiden.

JUNGLE FIGHTER won the Kitten’s Joy Stakes at Colonial Downs yesterday giving the Stronach Stables homebred gelding his 6^th win in 14 starts. The gelding is trained by Justin Nixon and is an Ontario bred by Wild Rush our of Joustabout.

Jockey LAURIE GULAS won the Noble Robyn stakes at Calder yesterday on Marista in the slop. Gulas, a longtime top rider at Woodbine, recently made a comeback to riding this year.

$1 million dollar 2yo of this year, MORE HAPPY, won her maiden in her debut at Del Mar yesterday. The filly is by 1^st crop sire VINDICATION out of Canadian champion APELIA, dam of champion SOARISE.

The Stanton Stakes at Delaware yesterday went to DIAMOND FEVER, a Kentucky-bred out of Canadian stakes winner RADIANT RING, the dam of CATCH THE RING and other top runners for Sam-Son farms.

Top Winnipeg trainer MARTY DREXLER won a pile more races in the last 2 nights at Assiniboia Downs including one yesterday with Ontario breds SHADOW RUSH (his 3^rd win of the year) and CHICKENONASTICKBABY, her 2^nd win of the meeting.