FRESH FACES

BELLE RINGING

Champion Financingavailable bounces back

ARDEN BELLE just looks like one very happy filly. She pranced and danced all over the paddock and the track yesterday and went out and won the Belle Mahone Stakes at odds-on for her 2^nd stakes win of the season and 5^th win in her last 8 starts.

The Dance Brightly mare is owned by Salt and Pepper Stable and trainer by Ron Sadler. Matt More, an apprentice rode. And Sadler and Moore had a lot more to say after the race than they did after the filly won the Sweet Briar Too Stakes last month and seem to be getting more comfortable in the limelight.

The filly was a $5,809 yearling purchase (US) by Bob Ross and Dave Hughes and was prepared by the late Donnie Campbell before he passed away.

Eugene Melnyk bred the daughter of Bow Bells Reef, who has one other foal with a name, Bell Point, an unraced 3yo.

Arden Belle ran an 86 Beyer Figure.

FINANCINGAVAILABLE made a good recovery from what was seemingly a very unsettling outing last time when 2^nd in the Royal North Stakes. The connections of the 6yo champion and millionaire seemed to be quite shaken up when the mare came back from her 2^nd place finish in the Royal North with a cut from the whip. Jockey Todd Kabel, who was subbing for injured Jim McAleney, was not on board as McAleney is back and yesterday, after only 13 days to recover from this cut, won the Victoriana for the second consecutive year with a 90 Beyer Figure. It was the grey Kiridashi mare’s 14^th win in 25 starts. She is owned by KK Sangara and trained by Lorne Richards.

A fresh COUSIN SALLY, (With Approval Ontario-bred) came off a layoff of almost 7 weeks to win her 3^rd race in her 8^th start in race 1 for $32,000 claiming. She blew the start but had a rapid pace to chase and she rallied up the rail to win for co-owner/trainer Gary Aimonetti.

Bold n’ Flashy’s stakes placed daughter BOLDLY SEDUCTIVE dropped out of a series of 4 consecutive stakes races and won an Ontario-sired allowance race for fillies and mares (race 2) for trainer and co-owner Roger Attfield (Plus Mickey and Phyllis Canino and William Werner). The filly was bred by Hedgestone Management and had a new rider in Chantal Sutherland.

There’s not many folks at the track busier than the stewards and they disqualified XALER from race 3 and placed him behind MONEY PLAYER (7^th) as the latter had to check when moving into tight traffic that included Xaler. The official winner was HELLO CITY, giving Robert Tiller a needed win as he continues to battle for top trainer (by wins). Hello City was making just his 2^nd start of the season and was dropping from $37,500 to $19,000 claiming.

Sea Wall’s first time starting son WOOTZ STEEL ran to his workouts and won his debut at the maiden allowance level for Ontario-sired older guys in race 5. He ran a 78 Beyer Figure and looked pretty good winning for Amulet Racing and trainer Danny O’Callaghan.

The Natalma prep went to the scary-good LICKETY LEMON (2 for 2) a Kentucky bred by Lemon Drop Kid who beat little yesterday in the 7 furlong turf race but looked good for Charlie LaLoggia and trainer Mark Casse. She ran an 80 Beyer Figure.

Ms. Lemon was bought back as a yearling for $22,000 and for $79,000 as a 2yo in training.

Trainer GREG DE GANNES and jockey Eurico Rosa Da Silva have been on roll of late. They combined to win with longshot FORIDDEN IMAGE in a turf race for $40K claiming yesterday, even though the filly just won her maiden for $20,000 on Polytrack , had been blanked in 4 previous grass outings and was meeting a heavily favoured Mark Casse runner, Extra Bases. Didn’t matter, the Forbidden Apple gal led all the way.

BORN TO BE is born to be a good one. And after workouts that said she was just that (she had been beating workmates in gate preps), the $475,000 yearling purchase by A P Indy – Susan Powter, thus a half to super sprinter Joey Franco won under a handride by Emma Jayne Wilson (3 wins yesterday) and ran a 73 Beyer Figure. The 2yo is owned by Chiefswood Stable. Curiously, the filly paid $12.00 to win as an overlay.

On SATURDAY, the Mark Casse- Pat Husbands juggernaut continued with wins with 2yo TURF WAR (Dixie Union) in his 2^nd start, OFFICER CHERRIE in the Ont. Debutante over the speedy but light-winded Dancing Allstar and SIMPLY STYLISH in the 7^th for $50,000 claiming. The latter is an Ontario-bred by Stormy Atlantic – Ruby Shoes for Woodford Racing.

FEELING PINK

You just don’t have a sense of humour if you can’t laugh at what happened at FORT ERIE yesterday in the RAINBOW CONNECTIONS STAKES, worth $125,000.

The race was in the news a few days earlier when the draw for post positions was done and trainer Bill MacKinnon, whose Flashy Pink was one of the front running entrants for the 5 furlongs turf race, was in a mix-up with jock agent Scott Lane, who represents Robbie King Jr.

King Jr was allegedly named on Flashy Pink as well as Top Ten List (last year’s winner) so Lane picked ‘List at the draw, sending the two men into a war of words.

FLASHY PINK led all the way to win as a longshot for MacKinnon, who made a fuss about not getting King and Top Ten List was outrun after being the choice of King.

Both parties must feel pretty silly today. Can’t we all just get along?

SLOWING LAVA

Action at Del Mar yesterday should be mentioned because of the PACFIC CLASSIC and DEL MAR MILE, the latter race which could give the WOODBINE MILE some entrants.

The Del Mar Mile featured a solid pace and a very fast late pace too ( a shade over :23) and New Zealand-bred CROSSING THE LINE flew widest through the stretch with a bit better late kick than BECRUX (Bee-crucks? Bee-crue?), who won last year’s Woodbine Mile.

THE PACIFIC CLASSIC? Well, of course to mane, it was another party for LAVA MAN, the best horse California has seen in years, but what about that new Polytrack at Del Mar? The winner in the modest field was 23 to 1 shot STUDENT COUNCIL, who ran the 1 ¼ miles in a lethargic 2:07 1/5. But the improving 5yo is a Polytrack specialist (he won on Turfway and Keeneland Poly’s) and a real road warrior as he’s been to numerous different tracks. Yes, his class was suspect but with just 20 races and improving form, the horse (in the care of Vladamir Cerin for the first time) had room for improvement. The horse is by Kingmambo out of a Kris S. mare.

Lava Man finished 6^th.

OTHER STUFF

Champion older horse of last year TRUE METROPLITAN held on for dear life to win the Westerner Stakes at Northlands Park yesterday at .45 to 1. The gelding had lost his previous race in the Seagram Cup at Woodbine and has been looking vulnerable this year.

But the Proud and True gelding won with a 98 Beyer yesterday in that neck-victory.

And a shout out to the maiden winner at Hastings Park yesterday, MORRISON won his maiden in his 3^rd career start for David Milburn.

ANSWERS/COMMENTS

One reader asked my opinion about the stewards at Woodbine (see comments from yesterday) although I have made notes about this in the last few weeks.

The stewards have been unusually busy in the last couple of months - partically due to biazarre riding tactics by jockeys and partially because it appears they are under the gun to scrutinize more closely. Not all decisions, disqualifications or non-dq's are going to be deemed by fans as correct, and not all of them moves lately could be construed as correct. But not all were incorrect.

And fans do not just complain because we had a bet.

Consistency is what fans seem to want and that has been lacking. A horse runs off badly in post parade, the horse should be scratched immediately.

No bettors, no racing. And what a nice touch this weekend that the reasons for the inquiries and dq's are now being explained through the track announcer. While the guys have not handled the scrutiny from fans and readers here very well, the effort for a clean game is there.

And here is the re-cap from the Rainbow Connection Stakes at Fort Erie yesterday (still giggling)..

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/story/144857.html

Tomorrow - some nice pics from a backstretch visit supplied by reader Rebecca Mottin.