CRAZY WEATHER

WEATHER WARNING wins MANITOBA DERBY
(Photo courtesy Winnipeg Sun)
Son of Storm Cat provides Toronto owner Stuart Hyman, Winnipeg trainer Martin Drexler their biggest win (read more below).

A big upset in the ROYAL NORTH STAKES (grade 3) yesterday as VESTREY LADY, under a heady ride by Emile Ramsammy, led all the way and beat heavily favoured FINANCINGAVAILABLE in the $150,000 turf dash for older mares. The latter became a millionaire with her 2^nd place finish for K K Sangara.

Ramsammy got away with a 22 4/5 first 2 furlongs and that was enough to give Vestrey Lady lots of late power. Her winning Beyer Figure was 89.

Vestrey Lady, a Kentucky bred by Vicar, is back in form as she’s now won two straight since discovering the grass again. She is owned by Harlequin Ranches and trained by Reade Baker.

WOODBINE - Monday wrap

Speaking of Baker, as the trainer was on his way to Saratoga, he collected 3 wins yesterday even if he was not certain any of them would win.

FATAL BULLET led a Red Bullet parade of 2yos in race 5,a maiden allowance as he led all the way under Jerry Baird to win his debut. For the Bear Stables. The colt had slow prep times but not as slow as those of STONE SLINGER, the “international good thing” who opened up at 7 to 5, went off at 9 to 5, but could not pass the winner. Both are Florida-bred colts.

The winner got a 65 Beyer.

Baker also won the 8^th race with the Ontario-bred Touch Gold filly LOVE YOU CRAZY (a 3yo) who needed all of the stretch run to get up and beat the tough older mare Gigi’s Charm for FOUR BOARD RACING. Miss ‘Crazy’ got a 75 Beyer.

The Mark Casse and Pat Husbands team won with yet another 2yo debut runner – this time with Charlie LaLoggia’s CLEARLY FOXY, a Kentucky-bred by Volponi out of Sermon, by Pulpit. She won the 6 furlong turf maiden allowance with a 69 Beyer Figure.

Trainer DARYL EZRA has a huge winning percentage at Woodbine, better than that at Fort Erie where he is based. His trainee SPEEDSTORM won again yesterday in a $20,000 claiming race for fillies and mares.

Leading trainer ROBERT TILLER has done amazing things with his claims and he won again with NORBROOK yesterday in her 2^nd race for the trainer. She was one of 2 winners for leading jockey Tyler Pizarro.

Norbrook reeled in the speed horses and was a predictable winner but her running time of 1:11 4/5 was just a 66 Beyer.

And the last race was a fun one – an Ontario-sired allowance on the grass at 7 furlongs. Morgan Firestone’s BACKGAMMON, who reportedly just had throat surgery, won at 3 to 1 (15 to 1 in the morning line, yikes!) over 75 to 1 shot TREE RINGS (by Compadre).

The 4^th place finisher, BEENTHRUTHEDESERT was disqualified for a bumping incident at the start.

SOMETHING BREWING

Stuart Hyman won his biggest race as an owner when his WEATHER WARNING won the Manitoba Derby yesterday at 35 to 1. The Storm Cat colt was one of 3 in the race for Hyman, who bought the trio as a package from Overbrook Farm to run in the Derby.

This one, out of the stakes class mare City Band, by Carson City, had been sprinting, not very well, but was long gone on the pace under Paul Leacock in the 9 furlong race.

Trainer Martin Drexler continues to clean up at the Downs and is hopeful that he will have horses at Woodbine this fall

Read more from Eric MacKenzie of the Winnipeg Free Press:

SINCE the sky around Assiniboia Downs was filled with nothing but grey clouds, it was only fitting that Weather Warning was in full effect for Monday's 59th running of the $100,000 Manitoba Lotteries Derby.

Jockey Paul Leacock took the 20-1 long shot to the front right out of the gate and never backed down, as Weather Warning went wire-to-wire for the shocking victory.

"I was happy to get to the half-mile pole unpressured by anyone," Leacock said. "From there, I knew I had it wrapped up. This horse has heart, and he proved it today."

The colt paid a whopping $71.00 to win, $21.70 to place and $8.30 to show.

The Shyman Farms-owned Weather Warning was followed in by Derby Trial winner Rage Till Dawn, who trailed by four lengths at the finish. Great Discovery ran third, while pre-race favourite Angel of the House rounded out the top four in the maximum 12-horse field.

Despite coming through with the unexpected win, trainer Martin Drexler said there isn't much in this business that surprises him.

"I don't get that shocked anymore, it's been that kind of year. I almost half-expected it, the way things have been going," said Drexler of his first Manitoba Derby win. "I wanted him on the lead. I knew he was a fast horse, and I knew he probably didn't want a lot of dirt in his face."

The biggest question facing Weather Warning heading into the Derby was the 1-1/8-mile distance. He hadn't raced further than six furlongs on the year, except for a 1-1/16-mile stakes race in Louisiana where he did not finish.

"He has the class to do it, it was just a matter of whether or not he could do the distance. He obviously lasted the distance today," Drexler said. "He's an immaculately bred horse. You don't get horses that are much better-bred than this one."

Weather Warning's sire, Storm Cat, is the most successful sire around in North American horse racing. Storm Cat progeny have earned over $107 million, including four Breeders' Cup championships and 150 stakes winners.

"I'm surprised this horse won," Drexler said. "I thought Great Discovery (also trained by Drexler) would run him down late." A third Drexler entry, Big Chief, finished 11th.

What wasn't a surprise was seeing Leacock atop the winning horse. The jockey from Barbados led all riders at Assiniboia Downs by winning 35 per cent of his route races (longer than six furlongs) heading into Monday's card.

"I just followed the race instructions from Marty (Drexler) and everything turned out in our favour," Leacock said.

It's the second major derby win for Leacock, who was also the winner of the 2001 United Insurance Barbados Derby.

"People say a derby is a derby, but it's really good to win it here as well, because I consider (Winnipeg) a home, too," Leacock said. "I've made a good accomplishment in both countries now."

eric.mackenzie@freepress.mb.ca

Big crowds give Derby Day a boost

* Despite the, um, weather warnings, racing fans came out in droves for Monday's races, as more than 6,000 people came through the gate at Assiniboia Downs for Derby Day.

* Not only was the attendence high, so was the wagering at a total of $475,047.75 on the day. That's a huge increase over last year, when spectators bet just short of $330,000.

* The superfecta in the main event -- picking the top four horses in the correct order -- paid out a hefty sum of $5,046.10.

* Track announcer Darren Dunn raved about the quality of the fields at Assiniboia Downs for the trio of stakes races and the Derby.

"The competition was really bolstered by the out-of-towners," Dunn said. "If we continue to bring in horses from all over like we saw, it shows the quality of the racing program here. The sky's the limit for us."

* Want to see the video of the Manitoba Derby? They're at the post on our website, www.winnipegfreepress.com

Courtesy Winnipeg Free Press

SHACANE UPSETS B C CUP CLASSIC

Millenium Allstar offspring win 2 stakes

Dennis Feser, Vancouver Sun

Published: Tuesday, August 07, 2007

They came out an estimated 8,000 strong to celebrate the B.C.-bred thoroughbred Monday afternoon at Hastings Racecourse.

They toasted relative newcomers BR Remark and Starlite Strike. They acknowledged the sophomores Suva and Ookashada. They embraced the rising stars, Remarkable Miss and Star Prospector.

And then they were stunned by Shacane, who landed one of the biggest upsets in the 13 seasons of the B.C. Cup. Rallying from last under apprentice Rocco Bowen, Shacane scored a 1/2-length victory over the closing Timeless Passion in the $107,100 Redekop Classic. Shacane, trained by Shauna Ferguson for Bellvue Oaks, returned $81.30 on a $2 win ticket as the longest-priced winner in the signature event of the B.C. Cup.

Ferguson, who won the Classic in 2000 with Kid Katabatic on his way to the B.C. Racing Hall of Fame, said the eight-year-old Shacane was definitely overlooked at the wagering windows. A winner of the Premier's as a three-year-old who was injured while later racing in California and taking 11/2 years off, he is used to facing the best. "He beat Spaghetti Mouse [the Classic favourite] in an allowance race last year," said Ferguson. "So it's not like he's not capable."

BR Remark, prepared by Brian Giesbrecht for David Hughes, Frank Iaci, Mark Witts and the Taylor and Liu families, broke his maiden at four and was making only his second stakes appearance in the Sprint. Keveh Nicholls got the call for the 23/4-length decisioning of Stole Another.

Canyon Farms' Starlite Strike, the winner of last year's Northlands Park Oaks for trainer Rob VanOverschot, rolled to a two-length win in the Distaff under Mario Gutierrez.

Leif Nordahl's Remarkable Miss, after making her career debut in the Ladnesian against the colts for Barb Heads, scored by 21/4-lengths under Gutierrez in the Debutante.

Star Prospector scored a mild 13-1 upset over Call Me Tomorrow in the Nursery. Trained by Terry Jordan and ridden by Chad Hoverson, Star Prospector was claimed by Bob Cheema for $25,000 in July.

Mike Boylan and TD Stables Ookashada (by Millenium Allstar) trained by Toni Cloutier and ridden by Pedro Alvarado, took the Stellar's Jay to join Starlite Strike as the only favourites to win on the seven-race stakes program.

The lane-length battle between Suva and Napa in the Dogwood may not have been one for the ages. But it was easily the best battle of the 10-race card and was decided by a nose. Count it as one installment in a rivalry that began last year and may not end next year.

"It's going to give me and Dino [Condilenios, trainer of Napa] something to talk about," said trainer Steven Henson. "We're on the same hockey team so there'll be a lot of kidding going back and forth."

It will also be one for Pedro Alvarado and Frank Fuentes to mull over. Alvarado and Suva took a more circuitous route, while Fuentes and the late-running Napa may have preferred more speed on the lead.

"I had a horrible trip, going four wide, but I didn't want to get her behind slow horses," said Alvarado. "When I asked her she gave me a real good kick but I was a little worried because she hadn't run for a while. That other horse went by her but then she came back like a real good horse."

"The pace was a little slow for me," said Fuentes. "We passed her down the lane, but I could see she was coming back. She [Napa] battled all the way."

B.C. CUP WINNERS

Classic: Shacane

Sprint: BR Remark

Distaff: Starlite Strike

Debutante: Remarkable Miss

Nursery: Star Prospector

Stellar's Jay: Ookashada

Dogwood: Suva

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