JONES'N

Great day for jockey JONO JONES who won both stakes race at Woodbine - both very nice, patient rides.

Great day for fans of speed as a brisk wind, bouncy Polytrack and cool temps led to 3 (three) track records falling.

LEONNATUS ANTEAS, 4^th in the Super Derby in his last start, won the Grade 3 Durham Cup for the Knob Hill Stable and trainer Kevin Attard with a sweeping move from off a hot pace. A pace duel between Powerful Touch, The Carbon Unit and Bold Finish that materialized down the backstretch doomed all three but sure helped the closers.

The colt was listed as carrying 111 pounds but the corrected weight was 118 – not clearas to why, but it didn’t matter.

The Stormy Atlantic colt was winning his first stakes of the year after a championship 2yo season. The colt’s 1 1/8 mile clocking in 1:49 2/5 was a 95 Beyer Figure.

With the win, Leo should be nominated for champion 3yo colt in Canada this year,along with Mike Fox and Alezzandro,both classic winners this season. Jones said after the race he thought the colt could have won the Triple Crown had he not been injured.

Earlier, Jones and trainer Attfield’s little project named NOT BOURBON (Not Impossible – Bourbon Belle) won the Bull Page Stakes for Ontario sired 2yo colts in a track record 1:08 4/5 – an 85 Beyer Figure.

The Charles Fipke homebred has been taught to rate and slow down early and what a nice run he put in to wear down tough speedster Stuck in Traffic.

The sire is deceased.

Track record # 3 - Not many are catching to these firsters from the READE BAKER barn. Saturday, NORTHERN NETTI (A New York bred by City Zip, won her maiden like a champion in 57 flat! It was her debut and Baker had, just last week, sent out a firster by the same sire to win like a good thing. Incredibly, Northern Netti was 3 to 1..while GOLD AMI, a distant 2^nd with only a 68 Beyer Figure in her debut, was 1- 1.

Ms. Netti is owned by Jim and Susan Hill. Her Beyer Figure over the fast Poly was 74.

In that race, BLONDE HUMOR (Distorted Humor) was a fast closing 3^rd in a very impressive finish.

The less said about SHAKEY BUSINESS winning the 5^th race, probably the better. The filly was pulled up in her last race for $37,500 claiming and won easily yesterday for $20K. A rider change to Eurico Rosa Da Silva was made but that last outing was hard to take and fans can’t be happy about that change in form. Trainer Danny Yu after the race said some story about her hurting herself in the stall before the race in which she was pulled up….oookaaaaaay.

The 8^th race was a wild finish in a $62,500 allowance/opt.claimer that saw the sizzling FROMAJACK TO AKING win again, his 3^rd win in 5 starts (he lost the other two by less than a length). The 6yo Ontario-bred by Lit de Justice was claimed last fall for $20K by Sam Dipasquale and Mike Kowalski. Fun little WOLLEMI PINE was a furious 2^nd after falling far off the pace. He’s an Aljabr colt (same sire as earlier winner on the card SIERRA CAT, an impressive maiden breaker for Audre Cappuccitti).

Florida-bred JACKNOWS won for the 5^th (!!) time this year when he moved off two grass experiments and won the 10^th race for $25K claiming in a wild finish that involved 4 horses separated by half a length. The gritty Skip Trial guy obviously loves his life with John Ross and the Jam Jar folks.

Jacknows ties DASHING ADMIRAL for the most winningest horse at Woodbine with the 5 scores.

Speaking of leaders, TYLER PIZARRO sits at 102 wins while Patrick Husbands and Emma-Jayne Wilson are tied at 99…should be a fun last 2 months of the meeting!

TOUGH METEOR – other stuff, other places

Gosh, 3yo Canadian-bred TWILIGHT METEOR always shows up when he’s on the grass but he lost another close one yesterday in the Hawthorne Derby by a head. The Smart Strike fellow is one of the best Canadian-bred 3yo’s of the year but is not eligible for a Sovereign Award.

MONASHEE won her 11^th straight stakes race with a win over 3 rivals in the Ballerina at Hastings Park. She led all the way through 9 furlongs and hopefully, we will see her in the Maple Leaf, perhaps in a speed duel with Financingavailable!!

In Florida – WISE ANSWER is a freak – he got a 98 Beyer Figure yesterday for his 10 length crushing in one of those stallion stakes.He’s by turf stakes winner Wised Up.

The other race, for 2yo fillies, was won by Calico Bay (Three Wonders) while the promising Silk Ridge dueled on the pace early with a 60 to 1 shot…nice.

And then there is THE GREEN MONKEY, a floundering 4^th in his 2^nd career start yesterday and boy, announcer Tom Durkin sure lets us know what a disappointment that is…. Ouch.

From the New York Daily News…Ed Fountaine..

October 14, 2007 -- Funky Monkey! Todd Pletcher's ballyhooed $16 million colt The Green Monkey, well-beaten third at 2-5 in his long-delayed debut here Sept. 15, was even-money making his second start under John Velazquez going seven furlongs on main track. He was hustled up to take early lead, set pace pressed to his outside by 34-1 Putnam County, who ranged up, along with 17-1 Holla Bend, to bid for lead turning for home. The Green Monkey dug in, but not for long, as Giant Deputy, 11-1 after finishing second on turf last out, charged up rail under apprentice Jermaine Bridmohan to take command inside final furlong, with 2-1 Joppa Flat's, Alan Garcia up, rallying outside to finish second for the sixth race in a row. Mr. Monkey faded to fourth, beaten eight lengths.

Minutes after Barclay Tagg saddled 3-year-old filly Bit of Whimsy at Keeneland to finish full of run at 6-1 in Grade 1, $500,000 Queen Elizabeth Challenge Cup on grass, defeating favored Dreaming of Anna, Tagg's Dance Away Capote went off even-money favorite in Grade 3, $100,000 Athenia Handicap over Belmont's Widener turf course, labeled "yielding" after Thursday's heavy rain. Wrangled back off pace by Garcia, and appearing a bit rank, Dance Away Capote rallied wide around far turn to loom boldly top of stretch, but lacked explosive kick she showed winning Noble Damsel last out, just got up for third. Shug McGaughey's Criminologist, 2-1 under Velazquez, stalked pace set by Beautiful Daniele, bid for lead when Dance Away Capote made her move, took command mid-stretch, drew clear for her third straight win on grass, fifth in her last seven starts.

TEA TIME!!

Two-year-olds are on board again at Woodbine today for the 1 1/16 mile Cup & Saucer Stakes for Canadian-foaled babies.

It's a very wide open event as the proven turfers, CRYPTONITE KID, SEATTLE HILL, DEPUTIFORMER and ARMORED don't seem to be all that scary on form. The way the Reade Baker barn is going right now - how about GIANT GAMBIT for a flyer? He moved too soon in his latest and is a maiden but the Touch Gold's have been doing well on the grass.

Lots of big fields again today and the cool, grey weather may have been hitting the handle hard this week at Woodbine but there is lots of money to be made.