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IT’S HIS TOWN

STONETOWN wins first stakes on YEARLING SALES DAY, Edenwold vanned off

There was quite a buzz at the track and sales pavilion yesterday at Woodbine. It was yearling sales stakes day and the turf club and it’s balcony during the races was full, the crowd was large and horses got cheered.

After the races, Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society’s JULIE COULTER was excited about the number of folks looking at yearlings on the weekend and those who came over for a pre-race cocktail event.

STONETOWN is the new star on the block with his front running score in the Elgin Stakes on yearling Sales Stakes day at Woodbine. The 4yo gelding by the late Elajjud out if Pretoria, by Great Gladiator skipped away to a clear lead in 24 1/5, 48 and 1:12 1/5 and held off a rallying Ever So Free, who was just claimed from his last race by Love 2 Win Stable.

Queen’s Plate winner EDENWOLD, making his first start since February, was a shocking 5th and never looked comfortable in the race. He was vanned off after walking onto it on his own power.

Stonetown was offered at auction by Dr. John Brown’s Spring Farm but was bought back for $13,207 US. The gelding races for Spring Farm and Racing Canada Inc.

He’s the 7th foal of Pretoria, who won the Nandi Stakes.

His time of 1:43 4/5 was an 89 Beyer Figure.

The chestnut has won 4 consecutive races.

ARDEN BELLE scored a steady win at .20 - 1 in the Algoma versus just 4 rivals (London Snow was scratched), edging clear of Dance to My Tune by ¾ of a length in a shockingly slow 1:45 3/5, which translated into a 71 Beyer Figure, far below her previous numbers of 86 and 91.

The Dance Brightly Ontario-bred is out of Bells Bow Reef and was bred by Eugene Melnyk.

Salt and Pepper Stables’ representative Bob Ross was on hand to accept the Algoma trophy.

Ross said he and his partner, Dave Hughes, visited the Windfields Farm consignment three years ago and picked her out of a large group of yearlings.

"They had about 15 horses. When they brought her out, she stood out

over all of those horses," said Ross.

The pair paid $5,809 US for the filly.

Ross said his filly has formed a strong bond with rider Matt Moore,

with whom she has now won six Polytrack events at Woodbine. "She's done

everything for him every race. I don't know what could stop her, with

him riding her. I don't know if there is anything."

DON’S FOLLY looked very professional as he won his 2nd race in his 3rd career start in the SIMCOE, for 2yo colts. Owner Don Cole bid just on the son of Tethra – Bold Below, by Bold Ruckus at the yearling sale last year. He bought him for $40,666 (US).

He’s the 4th foal of the mare and second winner. The mare was a winner and is a full sister to stakes winner Bad Hat, who was trained by Mike DePaulo, the trainer of Don’s Folly.

The Cole family were loud and boisterous as the colt wore down Takes to Make Stables’ DRUNKEN LOVE in deep stretch.

There is a ½ brother, hip 176, to Don’s Folly in the sale today. That one is by Tenpins and is consigned by Willow Ridge.

R and G Group bred Don’s Folly.

His 1:23 1/5 clocking for 7 furlongs was a 78 Beyer Figure.

LAKE SECRET has been a dream horse for Fran Scala and her brother in law,trainer Vito Armata. An $11,000 (US) yearling purchase four years ago, the gelding has worked hard in the upper claiming ranks and then romped in his first stakes win in the Kenora yesterday.

He’s by Greenwood Lake – Freecielo and there is a sibling to Lake Secret in the preferred session of the sale on Saturday.

Lake Secret ran a lifetime best Beyer Figure of 97 with his 1:09 1/5 clocking.

He was offered for $19,000 claiming last fall.

Dancer’s Bajan rallied for 2nd as the lone 3yo in the race and 9-year-old Crease Infraction was 3rd.

It was easy for SIMPLE SISTER in the MUSKOKA STAKES and trainer Albert Schembri was ecstatic in the winner’s circle, thanking those who “gave him a chance” with a good horse.

Simple Sister won her maiden by 8 lengths after 2 previous drab outings. She was then 3rd in the Ontario Debutante Stakes.

Her Beyer in the Muskoka was 72.

A $65,000 buy-back at the sale, breeder Wynnwood Farm kept the filly and she now races for No Comprende Racing.

Simple Sister is by the red-hot sire Compadre out of Aerwyn by Bold Executive. She is a full sister to Kabul, a stakes placed winner of $765,000 and recent winner Calina.

MY IMPERIAL DANCER, a flashy 5yo gelding, won his first stakes for Joe Stritzl and trainer Norm McKnight, when he powered down the turf course to win the Halton over Full of Run, who led late.

The My Imperial Slew – Regent’s Pride gelding was an $18,252 yearling purchase by Stritzl from the Windfields consignment for breeder Jim Belanger.

The gelding raced just once in 2006 and has been a lightly raced runner. He earned a 90 Beyer Figure for the Halton win (one mile in 1:34 4/5).

OTHER RACES

Openwood Farms’ SWINTON won his grass debut for trainer Earl Barnett, the latest local ‘wizard of the weeds’ (You Will Love Me, Herluf, Ifbutmaybewhen etc.). Regular Barnett rider Eurico Rosa da Silva was on board. Swinton is by Perigee Moon, who had only one other turf debut winner before Swinton. The mare, Pirate Brat, is an ace turf mare (and dam of turf debut winner Herluf).

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JOCKEY AT HASTINGS RULED OFF

Read this note from the Vancouver Sun's Dennis Feser...

Jockey Pedro Alvarado, the leading rider in four of the last five years, has been suspended indefinitely by the board of stewards as a result of an incident prior to the sixth race on Sunday at Hastings. Alvarado jumped off his horse, Louder, as they approached 11/16-mile gate, and left the grounds through the works yard. In their ruling, the stewards said Alvarado has been "suspended and denied the privileges of the grounds pending the outcome of the investigation." The stewards met with Alvarado Monday morning but refused to discuss the "incident," deferring to Sam Hawkins, the director of racing for the B.C. Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch. "Alvarado has been suspended for allegedly violating the rules of racing," said Hawkins. "We are not prepared to say any more at this time."

QUIJANO TO WOODBINE FOR INTERNATIONAL

Alan Shuback of the Daily Racing Form reports on Quijano’s win in Germany on Sunday and his expected trip to Woodbine…

Some horses just have a nose for the finish line. On Sunday at Baden-Baden, Quijano proved again that he is one of them as he held off the brave Adlerflug to win the Group 1, $340,000 Grosser Preis von Baden.

Trained by Peter Schiergen, Quijano prevailed by a neck under Andrasch Starke. In winning the late duel with Adlerflug, the German Derby winner and 2-1 favorite, Quijano ran the 1 1/2 miles on good ground in 2:28.19 at 5.90-1. Longshot Egerton was third, 3 1/2 lengths behind the runner-up, with British invaders Youmzain fourth and Mountain High eighth. The defending champ, Prince Flori, was seventh.

After a fifth-place finish in his March 2005 debut, Quijano won 10 races in a row, winning his maiden in a 1 5/16-mile Hannover allowance, then winning five handicaps and a listed race in Germany before landing a pair of handicaps and the Group 3 Dubai City of Gold at Nad Al Sheba. Just seventh in the Dubai Sheema Classic and 10 th in the Grand Prix de Vichy, he won the listed Ittlingen-Pokal at Cologne on August 5 and is now 12 of 15 lifetime for earnings of $594,296.

Schiergen will bypass the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe with the 5-year-old Quijano and head instead for the Canadian International at Woodbine on Oct. 21. Trainer Jens Hirschberger will not run Adlerflug again season this but will keep him in training next year.