ONE FOR THE MONEY

WOODBINE WEDNESDAY NIGHT

MAC IS BACK, TURF TO POLY, CLOSERS AND MORE CLOSERS

JIM MCALENEY’S return to the races (and his 38th birthday!) - after more than 9 months away (6 months nursing a broken leg) - was spoiled in the final strides of 2 races that he rode last night. Still, a good comeback for the Mac.

In race 4 his mount PORT RENFREW could not hold on to win for $40,000 claiming – his first race since April.
The winner was the very keen gelding PRIMERIC PRINCE, a $7,000 yearling purchase who is 2 for 3 in his career now for Goldmart Farm and trainer Sid Attard. Emma- Jayne Wilson gave the gelding a nifty ride to save ground on the turn in last place while close up, and then split horses late to nab Port Renfrew.

Primeric Prince is by that good Polytrack sire Cateinus.

It was Wilson who nipped McAleney again in race 7 when PRINCESS GEMMA ended a super night for owner/trainer (and breeder) MARKO MESIC when she won a maiden allowance for $60,000. ‘Gemma’, a 3yo by the well bred Ontario stallion Kinshasa, had a beautiful trip in the 7 furlong race, in the back early, 3 wide advance on the turn, and got the jump on McAleney on River Barrow, the heavy favourite.

Wilson drifted out on Gemma in what appeared to be some good race-riding and after an inquiry, she was left up.

Bombs away in RACE 2 on the grass at 1 3/8 miles as GETAWAY CANDIDATE, by Sky Classic, won at 44 to 1 for his first ever grass win in his 5th attempt. A winner of 4 races last year who had been close in one of his 4 races this year, all on Polytrack, simply chased the runaway front runner, Crackenthorpe, who was very rank and opened up some 8 lengths during the race, and then took over into the stretch while the others scrambled.

Centennial Farms Niagara and trainer Alec Fehr claimed the gelding last year for $20,000. Yesterday’s race was for $47,500 claiming.

Alec Fehr said he was confident he would win the race.

“He’s been training very good, he’s very good right now and I’ve been hoping to get him back on the grass. I should have put him on the there a long time ago.”

He also gave the fans watching the show a tip about his other entrant on the night - telling viewers that PRECIOUS AS JADE, his 2nd time starter in race 7 got a piece of grass in her eye in her debut and could not open her eye for a couple of days.

We had to wait a few races to see how that one did (she was not a factor)

A lethal combination in the high claiming ranks at Woodbine is CASTLE HEIGHTS and jockey EMILE RAMSAMMY. The latter was back aboard Marko Mesic’s sleek gelding and won the 3rd race, an allowance race at 7 furlongs on the turf.

The Ontario-bred is yet another winner from the breeding program of Eugene Melnyk, who is certainly one of the front runners for breeder of the year in Canada.

Castle Heights was winning for the first time in his 3rd race in 2007 and the 8th time in his 32nd start. He’s by Cobra King.

Good information before race 5 when John LeBlanc Jr told Sandy Hawley that indeed, FIX BAYONETS was still wearing a bar shoe on one foot (“a quarter crack that just won’t go away”), something that was not recorded in any publications for the fans. Bar shoes, first-time geldings, these things still can not/are not provided with any reliability to bettors.

Fix Bayonets ran a winning race too but was edged at the wire by another one closing on the outside, PURDY BOY, an Ontario-bred by Lucky Lionel who shipped in from Fort Erie for trainer Edward Freeman and owner Heather Garret. Five horses were separated by one length at the finish of that $10,000 claiming race.

Fort Erie jock Cory Clark, now 4 for 9 at Woodbine, rode the winner. It was the PURDY BOY’S first win on Polytrack and first win at Woodbine. He had been beaten a neck and a nose in his last 2 starts at Fort Erie on the grass. Grass to Poly!

LeBlanc came right back in race 6 however and this time, had some good luck. His trainee DAME ELIZA, who he has kept on the grass for the entire 2007 season, moved to Polytrack (grass to Poly!) and led through the stretch and almost held on to win the $73,500 allowance. The one who caught her, IFBUTMAYBEWHEN, ridden by Eurico Rosa da Silva, won in the last jump but was disqualified to last because she drifted out off the last turn and interfered with rivals. One filly in that mess, LIL MISS MISCHIEF was severely checked and had to pulled up.

Ifbutmaybewhen had a good trip saving ground in the back of the back before her miscue and then made a huge recovery from the smash-up to “win”.

Dame Eliza, an Archers Bay mare bred by her owner Chris Fung, now has 3 wins in 27 starts. She was ‘blinkers off’ for the 1 1/16 mile Ontario-sired allowance. Sam-Son’s MOON PATH, the favourite, was also squeezed and bumped in the incident and had an excuse.

And Naomi Simpson's homebred ON MATERNITY LEAVE (it's a gelding) won his maiden in the finale for trainer Victor Ramos. He's a 4yo gelding by Ascot Knight.

FORT ERIE GETTING PROVINCIAL HELP?

(STORY OR FROM NIAGARA FALLS REVIEW)

Fort Erie racetrack needs provincial help: Mayor

'Short-term solution' sought to ensure long-term success, investment in track

RAY SPITERI / Review Staff Writer

Proponents of a $300-million plan to rejuvenate the Fort Erie Race Track say they have the ear of the province, but that a commitment from the government is needed by the end of the month to ensure the town hosts live racing in 2008.

"We need a short-term solution to get us over the hump next year," said Mayor Doug Martin, moments after concluding a meeting Wednesday with a number of stakeholders interested in breathing new life into the struggling racetrack property.

"We think we have a solution. We think we will eventually have a buy-in from the province and we think we can make it work."

But while the province seem generally supportive of the development project in the long run, the town needs the government to provide it with a "short-term financial solution," said Martin.

The Ontario Racing Commission has accelerated the deadline for horsemen to file their race dates and times for the 2008 season to Aug. 31, from October in previous years, he said.

"We need a commitment from the province by the end of the month to ensure that we will have live racing in Fort Erie next year with a minimum number of dates we have this year and even preferably what we had a few years ago."

Slot revenue, profit margins and patrons to the facility are down significantly due to increased competition from gambling parlours on both sides of the border, as well as border-crossing uncertainties and the soaring value of the Canadian dollar.

In 2001, purses in Fort Erie came in at $20.1 million, while so far this year, the figures stand at $10.3 million. The projected number for 2008 is $8.8 million. Live racing dates have dropped to 84, from 108 back in 2001, according to a report by The Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association of Ontario, which had a presence at Wednesday's meeting at town hall.

"The amount of dollars coming in for the horsemen is not enough to provide the number of dates necessary to make the track attractive for next season," said Martin, adding there is a considerable threat of the town's horse population relocating to competing sites due to decreasing purse monies and race dates if the situation doesn't change quickly.

The town and its Economic Development and Tourism Corporation have met on different occasions with representatives from Nordic gaming and El-Ad Group (Canada) Inc., the company that owns the century-old border oval, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming corporation and members of the provincial government.

Together, they discussed a proposal to build a 350-room hotel, a massive entertainment complex and a 2,500-unit timeshare/condo development on the existing racetrack property.

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming corporation is the provincial agency that manages the racetrack slots. The Fort Erie Race Track is owned by Nordic gaming, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of El-Ad Group (Canada) Inc.

Project proponents have argued the company needs a long-term commitment from the government to keep slot machines in town and to also change the formula for how revenues and expenses from the facility are divided.

"We're asking them to look ... at the expenses that are incurred from the operation of the facility because right now the owner is responsible for all costs, including the track, the back stretch, the ambulance (and) the feed mill," said Martin.

Jim Thibert, general manager of the Fort Erie Economic Development and Tourism Corporation, said the current revenue-sharing model divides revenue between the province, which gets 70 per cent, the horsemen, which gets 10 per cent, the landowner and track, which gets 10 per cent and the town, which gets 3.5 per cent.

"While everyone knows the competition is going up and the revenues are going down, there is a threshold. The horsemen's prize structure and for Nordic, the value they get, is all associated with operating costs.

"They are actually paying to race and Nordic is paying to keep the doors open. You can't keep that up for very long. You're in business to make money, not lose money."

Martin and Thibert met with members of Nordic and El-Ad, as well as representatives from MPP Kim Craitor and provincial minister of tourism Jim Bradley's office Wednesday.

Back in June, a similar meeting was held in town, but it also included conversations with senior officials from the gaming corporation, who have yet to approve the proposal. During the meeting, the corporation offered to help further refine the El-Ad proposal and lend the agency's expertise in concept development and branding.

"The province needs a project like we have offered through El-Ad, which brings another $300 million worth of investment and new product into the market place," said Thibert.

"Were saying, if you help the horsemen stop losing money for the next two years, then the Nordic and El-Ad project will go ahead."

Niagara Falls MPP Kim Craitor could not be reached for comment Wednesday evening.

SKY CLASSIC/JOE HIRSCH NEXT FOR JAMBALAYA

Jambalaya, the winner of the Arlington Million last weekend, is likely going to have a little rest before getting one more start before the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Monmouth Park in October.

Catherine Day Phillips said the 5yo gelding could race in the Sky Classic Stakes at Woodbine or the Joe Hirsch Invitational at Belmont, both races at the end of next month.

VERY HAPPY

MORE HAPPY, a Kentucky-bred 2YO filly by Vindication out of Canadian star APELIA (by Cool Victor) led all the way to win the Adirondack Stakes at Saratoga yesterday.