DRAW!

UPDATE - 4:53 P.M. THURSDAY

A big crowd gathered at the trackside tent for the post position draw for the Canadian International today at Woodbine. The field for the E.P. Taylor, a $1 million race for fillies and mares, was also announced.
Rain started to fall at Woodbine by 4 p.m. but there was a scheduled race on turf this afternoon (more on today's races tomorrow morning).
Getting a lot of attention at the draw today was the SKY CONQUEROR camp, the best Canadian hope in the Grade 1 race whose sire won the race too.
The Bill Sorokolit homebred is trying to get back to form after 2 subpar outings. His trainer DARWIN BANACH will discuss the race and his horse Saturday morning on the 2nd floor of the grandstand at a free seminar.
The E P Taylor is a super race too (as is the Nearctic Stakes and virtually all the other 8 races on the 121-horse card. BARANCELLA has a fan (read comment below).


POSTS FOR CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL

Field for the 70th running of the Pattison Canadian International  to be run Sunday, October 21, 2007 For three-year-olds and up; Grade 1; One and one-half miles; E.P. Taylor Turf Course (post time - 4:05 p.m. Sunday)  PP/HORSE (Weight)/Owner/Trainer/Jockey/Odds  1/Marsh Side (126 lbs.)/Robert Evans/Michael Dickinson/Emma-Jayne Wilson/30-1  2/Oracle West (126 lbs.)/Kenny Geemooi/Michael de Kock/John Murtagh/10-1  3/Windward Islands (119 lbs.)/Sam-Son Farm/Mark Frostad /Todd Kabel/20-1  4/Sky Conqueror (126 lbs.)/William Sorokolit/Darwin Banach/Javier Castellano/4-1  5/Stream Of Gold (126 lbs.)/Zabeel Racing International/Kiaran McLaughlin/Eddie Castro/15-1  6/Irish Wells (126 lbs.)/Berend Van Dalfsen/Francois Rohaut/Olivier Peslier/8-1  7/Honolulu (119 lbs.)/Derrick Smith, Michael Tabor & Mrs. J. Magnier/Aidan O'Brien/Mick Kinane/10-1  8/Cloudy's Knight (126 lbs.)/SJ Stables LLC/Frank Kirby/Ramsey Zimmerman/12-1  9/Ask (126 lbs.)/Patrick Fahey/Sir Michael Stoute/Ryan Moore/6-1  10/Linda's Lad (126 lbs.)/Sean Mulryan/Eddie Kenneally/John Velazquez/30-1  11/Sunriver (126 lbs.)/Aaron and Marie Jones/Todd Pletcher/Garrett Gomez/8-1  12/Quijano (126 lbs.)/Stiftung Gestut Fahrhof/Peter Schiergen/Andrasch Starke/3-1  Probable Favourites: Quijano - Sky Conqueror - Ask  Total Purse $2,000,000 Winner to receive  $1,200,000 2nd $400,000 3rd $220,000 4th $120,000 5th $60,000 

E.P.TAYLOR STAKES $1 MILLION, post time 2:59;  1 1/4 miles; turf  1 ELLE RUNAWAY (Eddie Castro) 20-1 2 THE NIAGARA QUEEN (Emma Jayne Wilson) 30-1 3 SEALY HILL (Patrick Husbands)6-1 4 MRS. LINDSAY (John Murtagh) 2-1 5 FOUR SINS (Kinane) 4-1 6 SANS SOUCI ISLAND (Mike Smith) 30-1 7 SAFARI QUEEN (Velazquez) 9-2 8 ESSENTIAL EDGE (Jono Jones) 15-1 9 HOSTESS (Channing Hill) 12-1 10 BARANCELLA (J Castellano) 6-1  A good to yielding course will help the Euro's, although not so much  the little FOUR SINS, her connections say the firmer the better. BARANCELLA has been 4th and 2nd in this race - might be her time to win. Canadian-bred SEALY HILL can do a lot for her case for champion  3yo filly with a good effort. 

(Above) Gritty CLOUDY'S KNIGHT is named for the weather coming up in Toronto. He won the SKY CLASSIC STAKES and will be a longshot contender for the Canadian International on Sunday (photo courtesy horse-races.net)

Big rain today could mean squishy grass for the big race. FRI GUY is latest no-show.

Post positions will be drawn today for the 70^th CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL, the 1 ½ mile Grade 1 race for $2 million on Sunday at Woodbine.

A field of 12 is set and favoritism on the day of the race could be a battle between top German gelding QUIJIANO (12 wins in 15 races), Canadian champion SKY CONQUEROR and rising star ASK, perhaps even French Group 2 winner IRISH WELLS.

Yesterday, FRI GUY was withdrawn from the race and he is pre-entered in the Breeders’ Cup Turf.

The E.P. Taylor Stakes rarely received much press but MRS. LINDSAY is a Group 1 winner who has come into town from France for the race and is likely to be favoured. American turf stars BARANCELLA and Canadian star SEALY HILL are also expected to line up.

The prospects of rain today and tomorrow may ensure a good to yielding grass but most of the Europeans yesterday morning raved over the condition of the course.

The folks who accompanied HONOLULU were marveling at their colt’s appetite yesterday morning. The delicate, lean colt, a son of Montjeu, is a listed winner who was 3^rd to Ask in the Cumberland Lodge Stakes last time out.

Honolulu’s owner, Mrs. John Magnier, used to own Ask.

IRISH WELLS’s sire POLIGLOTE ran in the International a few years back. He finished 15^th. It’s likely his son will do a whole lot better this year.

No problem with speed in this race with SUNRIVER and STREAM OF GOLD being close to the pace from the outset and perhaps one of the Euro’s – maybe IRISH WELLS pressing.

See the prospective field in yesterday's post.

SIGN OF THINGS TO COME?

WOODBINE WEDNESDAY NIGHT

SKY CONQUEROR’S big brother BALLERINA’S HALO was a winner last night on a foggy, mild evening that featured a weak racing card of mostly low claiming events.

The Bill Sorokolit 7yo was one of 3 winners on the night for jockey Chantal Sutherland, who steered her victors close to the good inside paths on the Polytrack.

Ballerina’s Halo was winning for the 4^th time in 27 starts and won for $11,500 claiming.

Tough on the selectors again as coming up with some of last night’s winners was difficult.

Trainer Mike DePaulo has started a roll and won the first race with the maiden filly KRZ EXEC, who led throughout the 1 mile and 70 yards in the maiden allowance. She’s a Bold Executive filly and a three-quarter sister to millionaire Krz Ruckus. Dino Luciani picked up his 6^th win of the Woodbine season on the filly.

The 3-3 Daily Double was completed by favoured REACHFORTHEHEAVENS, winning her maiden for $25K for 2yo fillies. She’s by Pulpit out of Reach, a Dynaformer mare.

Emma-Jayne Wilson had a couple of super rides on the night to encourage a couple of reluctant fellows to do well. She took over on COLONIAL RUCKUS in race 3 and he was 2^nd at long odds and in race 4, guided D BOLD RULER to his maiden score after 13 previous tries and 6 top three placings. The Bold Executive gelding had already bamked over $100,000 and he won a maiden allowance last night.

Trainer JANET BEDFORD won her first race of the meeting with the light grey GLADIATOR AT DAWN who inhaled the faltering speed of Goldmart Flash to win for the 3^rd time in his life in his 19^th start. The race for $10K claiming.

DISFUNCTION is undefeated in 2 starts and was very brave to win on the lead last night in race 6 for $40K after a maiden score for $20K. He was locked in a tough pace duel with and then held off the closers to win in 1:10.

Daily Racing Form’s RON GIERKINK and his father William, won the 7^th race with their homebred STAR BUNNY for $12,500 claiming. It was the Cat’s at Home gelding’s 2^nd win in 8 starts.

And, if the horse you want to bet on was pulled up in its last race – perhaps you shouldn’t worry about it. It is the time of the year that horses with form like PIKER’S HOPE (8^th race) pop up.

The Pikepass gelding had not raced since he was pulled up as a favourite in late August. He came back with the drop from $20K to $12,500 and rallied up the rail to win his maiden last night under Sutherland for owner Uri Fishman and partners.

(A reader has already submitted a comment about the last race last evening....see below)

BREEDERS' CUP - CANADIAN CONNECTIONS

Three Woodbine-based horses head to Breeders' Cup

(courtesy Woodbine Entertainment)

TORONTO, October 17, 2007 - The speedy Bear Now, Clearly Foxy and
Arravale, Canada's reigning Horse of the Year, plus eight other runners
with Canadian connections, will compete at the Breeders' Cup World
Thoroughbred Championships, set for Monmouth Park, in Oceanport, New
Jersey on Saturday, October 26 and 27.

Bear Now, Bear Stables Ltd.'s outstanding three-year-old Tiznow filly,
is entered in Saturday's $2 million Distaff event. The dark bay, who
has dominated Woodbine opposition winning three stakes at home and the
Grade 2 Cotillion Stakes at Philadelphia Park last time out, is trained by
Reade Baker. Woodbine jockey Jerry Baird is expected to get the call.

Charles LaLoggia's undefeated Clearly Foxy will compete in Saturday's
$2 million Juvenile Fillies race after two excellent wins, including
the Grade 3 Natalma, over the Woodbine turf. The bay Volponi filly is
trained by Mark Casse.

Robert Costigan's Arravale will also compete on Saturday's Breeders'
Cup card, earning a spot in the $2 million Filly and Mare Turf event.
Mac Benson trains the Canada's reigning champion Thoroughbred, who won
two Grade 1 events in 2006. She is winless in 2007.

Final entries will be drawn on Tuesday, October 23.

Complete pre-entry fields and updates are available at
www.breederscup.com. Further details about the Canadian horses are
available at www.woodbineentertainment.com.

Canadian content in the Breeders' Cup:

FRIDAY

1. FILLY AND MARE SPRINT
Maryfield (Canadian-bred by Mike Carroll, Guelph, Ontario and John
Harvey Jr.)


2. JUVENILE TURF
(none)


3. DIRT MILE
(none)


SATURDAY

4. JUVENILE FILLIES
Clearly Foxy (Canadian-based at Woodbine, trained by Mark Casse of
Toronto)


5. JUVENILE
Overextended (Canadian-owned by John P. Reddam, a native of Windsor,
Ontario)

Tale of Ekati (Canadian-owned by Charles Fipke, a native of Edmonton,
Alberta)


6. FILLY AND MARE TURF
Arravale (Canadian-owned by Robert Costigan, of Vancouver, B.C.,
trained by Mac Benson of Nobleton, Ontario)


7. SPRINT
(none)


8. MILE

Host (Canadian-owned by Melnyk Racing Stables (Eugene Melnyk) of
Toronto)

Silent Name (co-Canadian owned by Stronach Stables (Frank Stronach) of
Aurora, Ontario)


9. DISTAFF
Bear Now (owned by Bear Stables (Danny Dion) of Edmonton, Alberta,
trained by Reade Baker of Toronto, to be ridden by Jerry Baird of
Toronto)

Ginger Punch (Canadian owned by Stronach Stables (Frank Stronach) of
Aurora, Ontario)

Indian Vale (Canadian-owned and bred by Melnyk Racing Stables (Eugene
Melnyk) of Toronto)


10. TURF
Red Rocks (Canadian-owned by John P. Reddam, a native of Windsor,
Ontario)


11. CLASSIC
(none)


ELIZABETH SNUBBED

Only five Canadian-bred 2yo fillies were entered in the biggest
race for juvenile fillies, the PRINCESS ELIZABETH STAKES, Saturday at Woodbine.
The $250,000 race at 1 1/16 miles has just two winners in the field, 3 maidens and
a whole lot of money up for a very weak group.

Mrs. Began (Jump Start) - stakes placed maiden
Reverently (Pulpit) - placed
Satin Slippers (E Dubai) - won maiden, disqualified
Afleets Charm (A Fleets Dancer) - won maiden for $40,000 claiming
Victory Romance (Slew City Slew) - 2nd Mazarine Stakes-G3 with 77 Beyer Figure

WILSON TO HONG KONG

from the South China Morning Post...

The Cathay Pacific International Jockeys Championship will feature a female rider for the first time, after Canadian Emma-Jayne Wilson was invited to participate at Happy Valley on December 5.

Wilson, 26, has been in horse sports most of her life but has only been race riding for three years.

In 2005 she rode the winners of US$6.3 million, breaking the record for winners in a season at Woodbine racecourse with 175 victories from 1,096 rides. In the process, she became the first apprentice to win the jockeys' championship at Woodbine in its 50-year racing history.