LET'S SEE HOW FAR WE'VE COME

Welcome to the last week of August and we're heading into the Labour
day weekend, racing through Monday.

Monday is Yearling Sales Stakes day - 6 events for yearling grads.

The sale is on TUESDAY (select session)

Read on for stuff on last weekend, the NEW WOODBINE CONTEST etc.

Don't forget to check out other things on THOROUGHBLOG - other links,
the TOP CANADIAN-BRED LIST, The TBA's top horses in North American ratings
and products for sale like PHOTOCAFE (cool if you have pix on your computer)
and through my side business at HOME INTERIORS.

The MAKE A DONATION link is secure through PAYPAL if you want to help
out THROUGHBLOG. Also, you can advertise for reasonable rates on this site,
send me a note.

LAST ANSWER – 102 BEYER

LE CINQUIEME ESSAI 101

Returning to his top form, LAST ANSWER is still being hailed a hero after his
 upset win in Sunday’s Nijinsky Stakes.

In fact, a 1 to 5 shot went down in defeat in the race (Sky Conqueror) but the
fans didn’t seem to care, Last Answer got a big round of applause and cheers
when he came back to the winner’s circle.

It was the second stakes win and first graded stakes win for ‘Popadopolos’, as he
is affectionately known around the Gus Schickedanz/Mike Keogh barn.

He is, as his name states, the last foal of VICTORIOUS ANSWER, who has been
a top producing mare for Schickedanz through the years.

Like Last Answer who is 7-years-old, 8yo Le Cinquieme Essai is crusty veteran
was at the top of his game to win the Play the King for Bill Scott and trainer
Paul Nielsen. The old-timer ran a 101 Beyer Figure.

 Let’s have a shout-out for the trainers who care for their horses perfectly –
 like Mike Keogh and Paul Nielsen – they are winning graded races with old dudes.

ESSENTIAL EDGE, winner of the Belle Geste Stakes on Saturday over soft grass,
 ran a career best 97 Beyer Figure. She is a Storm Cat homebred for Chiefswood Farm.

BEAR HOLIDAY won the Silver Deputy Stakes with an 84 Beyer Figure to
 remain undefeated in 3 races. He’s from first year sire Harlan’s Holiday.

LADY D’WILDCAT, a debut winner on Saturday for Shyman Farms, was
 bought back for $47,000 as a yearling and $27,000 as a 2yo in training
this spring. She is by first year sire D’Wildcat and she ran a 73 Beyer Figure.

Out west, MONASHEE won her 9th consecutive race when she won the
Edmonton Distaff Stakes with an 86 Beyer Figure. An incredible mare by
Wolf Power, Monashee has never had to run really fast but she hardly ever loses.

Canadian Derby winner FOOTPRINT (Gold Case Kentucky-bred) tumbled
 off his pair of 90 plus Beyer Figures with an 84 but still won Edmont’s biggest
race over a modest group.

The handsome chestnut 3yo was a $12,000 yearling purchase and he’s won $339,000.

DAAHER – GOTTA WEAR SHADES

Canadian-bred 3yo DAAHER,who was fourth and third in the Queen’s Plate
 and Prince of Wales Stakes when invading Toronto for Shadwell Farm,
 suddenly came to life at Saratoga on Sunday when he won an allowance
 race with blinkers added by 13 ¾ lengths.

The Awesome Again – Irish Cherry colt ran a 106 Beyer Figure (!!).

The colt streaked to the lead early in the nine furlong race and was simply gone.
 He did not pull up after the race particularly well, appearing to be in some distress, although there has been no mention of this in reports this week on the colt’s smashing win.

He is a Yvonne Schwabe bred colt, a full brother to graded stakes winner
Spun Sugar and there is a 2yo half brother named A Cat Named Snipe.

MARYFIELD – GRADE 1 MISS

BREEDERS CUP FILLY & MARE SPRINT NEXT

Bred in Ontario by Mike Carroll and John Harvey Jr., Maryfield has come
a long way since she won the first race of the 2005 Woodbine meeting (April 16, 2005).

She ran a 70 Beyer Figure that day for Jim and Alice Sapara and trainer Josie Carroll.

After a modest season, she went to California with the Carroll runners and
was quickly claimed for $50,000 from her first race at Santa Anita.

She has raced 15 times since that day (she was 4thd for $50K that day) and
has traveled all over North America for trainer Doug O’Neil.

O’Neil actually dropper her in for $40K after that first race, she won with a
sudden Beyer improvement to 96 and then won the Flower Girl Stakes in her next start.

It’s been onwards and upwards for the Elusive Quality - Sly Maid, Desert Wine mare since then.

She won the Very Subtle Stakes last November on Breeders’ Cup weekend
 at Churchill Downs and took her first graded win, the Grade 3 Distaff, at Aqueduct this winter.

After trips to Churchill and Calder, Maryfield was at Saratoga for the Grade 1
Ballerina on Sunday, was 16 to 1, but wore down the leader in the last strides
to win by a nose with a 100 Beyer Figure.

The 6yo mare has earned over $726,000.

FORE!

There were 124 golfers and 37 sponsored holes at the ONTARIO FARM
MANAGERS GOLF TOURNAMENT yesterday at Kleinburg, in support
 of Community Association for Riding for the Disabled.

Tons of horsepeople showed up for a great day of golf, prizes and food and
drink from farm folks, jockeys, trainers, owners, media, etc.

The tournament was well organized by Dan Steeves, Shirley Gill and C.A.R.D.

Next charity events coming up – JOCKEY AND HARNESS DRIVER BAR B Q
 at Woodbine Sept. 11 for SHOOT FOR A CURE and AVELINO GOMEZ FOUNDATION.

3RD ANNUAL LONGRUN THOROUGHBRED RETIREMENT GALA (Motown theme)
on SEPTEMBER 28 (416-675-3993, ext. 3440).

MORE EVENTS..

STEVE CRIST/JENNIFER MORRISON SEMINAR - SEPT. 8 11 A.M.
SEMINAR SEPT. 15 WITH JERRY BAILEY SEPT. 15 11 A.M.

WEG announces new contest

PLAY FOR FREE - WIN CASH!

Woodbine Entertainment Group has announced the launch of its new free

to play weekly horse racing contest, that is as easy as one, two,

three.

Each week, participants are asked to pick the horses they think will

win each race featured on Wednesday night's Woodbine Thoroughbred race

card. Participants receive points if their horse finishes in first,

second or third, based on the actual pari-mutuel payouts they would

receive if they cashed a winning ticket. Each week the Top 3 finishers

on the leaderboard win a share of the $1,000 weekly prize pool.

To register for the weekly contests visit www.thescore.ca/fantasy and

then click on the link for the contest site. Once registered,

participants can login each week and make their selections for that

week's contest. The first contest runs on August 29th with the final

contest held on October 31st, 2007.

To further increase the interactivity of the weekly contests,

participants can watch Woodbine Thoroughbred racing Wednesday nights on

The Score between 7-10 p.m. (ET) to receive live updates on the

standings of the contest that is running that evening.

"Through our combined efforts, we have created a website that will

introduce Woodbine Thoroughbred racing to people who may have little or

no knowledge of the sport by providing a learning platform that is both

fun and easy to use," said Tracy Richards, Events & Marketing

Representative, Woodbine Entertainment Group.

The contest website was developed in conjunction with Racingworld

Technology, an innovative United Kingdom based company, specializing in

the development of online technology solutions. 

The "123racing.com" website, initially launched in New Zealand in 2006

as a free-to-play contest with daily and monthly prizes, quickly became

an international hit as players invited friends from around the world

 to

compete against them on local horse racing events. 

Racingworld Technology brought years of technological experience along

with a practical knowledge of horse racing that made them ideal

 partners

for this initiative. This new website was modeled after their

 successful

123racing.com website with modifications and enhancements that will

appeal to people who are new to the "sport of kings." 

"We are delighted to be working with Woodbine Entertainment and The

Score to offer such an innovative and exciting way to enjoy live horse

racing," said Rob Earle, CEO of Racingworld Technology Limited.

The contest site includes a high level of interactivity with a

continuously updating leaderboard and a "friends" feature that allows

participants to invite others to play and see how well their friends

 are

faring in each competition. The website also uses the innovative Trakus

technology to provide animated race replays for each race in the

contest, enabling participants to see exactly how their horse performed

throughout each race. Using its patented real-time tracking system,

Trakus brings fans amazingly close to the action.

GUT CHECK

In the aftermath of IMPERIAL EYES’ tragic breakdown at Bay Meadows (see posts from last 2 days), INDIAN FLARE also died in a sad way in the ballerina at Saratoga on Sunday.

The Juddmonte filly apparently injured herself bad enough ‘probably at the break’ according to a vet and collapsed after the race.

Trainer Bobby Frankel’s quote made the Thoroughbred Daily News today…(not for the squeamish)

“That’s something you can’t control. You can’t protect them against that. There’s no warning, it’s something that just happens.

The amazing thing is that she went a half in :44, bleeding to death.”