EAST VS.WEST!!

Welcome to a beautiful Saturday in Toronto and the highly anticipated Maple Leaf Stakes (read more below).

Thoroughblog would like to thank those who have commented in recent days about various topics - PAROSE (an explanation to questions regarding his death will be found under his post from a few days ago), QUEEN'S PLATE ON T.V., and even CONDITION BOOKS ON THE WEB.

Please check out the cool ads (AND LINKS THAT GO WITH THEM) from WEATHER WARNING, LEGAL JOUSTING and ASCOT STUD. A lot of work goes into promoting these horses to Canadians.

Thanks to those who have supported THOROUGHBLOG (only a few more posts until number 500!!!)

MONEY MONEY MONEY

FRIDAY AT WOODBINE

The first Pick 3 paid over $2,000 and that was with the very logical Reade Baker entry winning RACE 1, a maiden allowance for 2yo fillies.

Baker sent out BEAR LAHAINA to win her debut despite breaking more than a length behind the field. The filly sprinted clear and lasted to win, yet another well prepared beginner for the stable.

The Bear Stable’s filly is by Silver Deputy out of Lahaina Lady by Affirmed and is a Kentucky-bred. She worked very quickly for a 2yo sale in March, from which she was bought for $100,000.

There was a common thread between the winners of races 2 and 3 – both were coming out of the URN maiden win for $32,000.

URN (Cat Thief), a 2yo Quebec-bred, won the 2nd race as a longshot and then the 5th place finisher from his race, MYSTAMY, won the 3rd race for $32K maiden claiming at 40 to 1.

Mystamy is by Randy Regent and is a Colebrook Farms homebred baby.

Watch for DROP OF HENNESSY next time, he came from far behind and was running faster than anyone at the finish.

RACE 4 went to the class dropping SEASIDE LINKS, a once promising 3yo who was in for claiming ($40,000) for the first time; The Street Cry gelding was adding blinkers for Woodford Racing and trainer Mark Casse and returning to sprinting. He may have been well worth the claiming price.

RACE 7 – SAMARCOS finally won his maiden in his 24^th attempt (another interesting angle at this time of year is to bet these types who have been in too high all season and are dropping in class).

The grey BARABADOS-BRED by Arranged (by With Approval) won with the drop to $25,000 yesterday, powering past CHARMING COUNTRY (how could he have been 19 to 1 ??) TO WIN FOR Mike Wright owner/trainer.

The HEMPEL family’s IFBUYAMYBEWHEN is a super filly who has a wild stretch kick. The Kiridashi gal, bred by the Hempel’s, c ame from last to win the allowance 8^th race for fillies and mares, non-winners of 1 other than.

It was her 3^rd win of the year for trainer Earl Barnett.

CREEKSIDE CAFÉ got away with a loose lead early in the 9^th race for allowance fillies and mares (Ontario-sired) and won at 25 to 1. She was an overlay since she was simply annihilated in a pace duel in a previous start. She figured on Beyers and was getting her favourite rider, Martin Ramirez, back on board. Nice purchase for a partnership that includes folks from Gardiner Farms. She is by Trajectory.

And Ontario sired POWER OF ATTORNEY cut back to a sprint distance and won a maiden allowance in the finale with blinkers on. The 4yo Crown Attorney gelding was bred,owned and is trained by Henry Palecki.

OH CANADA!

MONASHEE RACES TODAY!

Woodbine gals, New York gals versus MONASHEE!

It is by far the biggest story in racing of the weekend and certainly the biggest story at Woodbine since the Canadian International.

The arrival of Monashee at Woodbine for today’s MAPLE LEAF STAKES has been covered by the Daily Racing Form’s JAY HOVDEY, ESPN’s BILL FINLEY and countless others who cover this game for a living.

It probably would have been a super vehicle to market for Woodbine for get some folks out to see the great, quirky, grey mare (how about those ear muffs she wears??)

MONASHEE, as mentioned here this week, is facing an uphill climb in the 1 ¼ mile Maple Leaf in her Woodbine Polytrack debut against some graded stakes calibre mares.

She’s a free-running type but has a jockey change to Justin Stein, who has not ridden her in years.

But 11 straight wins are 11 straight wins and she has won many of them under a guzzle-hold,who who knows how fast she can run.

(Those who pinpoint her Beyer Figures should know she was never asked to run in some of those races)

The competition today will come from Woodbine gals ARDEN BELLE (taking a step up to open company), LIKE A GEM (turfer) and the upwardly mobile TELL IT AS IT IS (turf to Poly).

From south of the border. Dangerous shipper guy GRAHAM MOTION has Todd Kabel up on CRYPTOQUIP who just ran a 95 Beyer Figure in a 9 furlong race in Ohio. Turf runners DANCING BAND and I’M IN LOVE have distance issues.

Our longshot play is WOW ME FREE, very short in the Beyer Figure department but perhaps coming up to a peak effort. She was not disgraced in the CCA Oaks behind Octave.

Congrats to the folks in the race office who put together big cards today and tomorrow - 21 races- with big fields and some interesting events.

KEENELAND NOTES

Our friends NICOLE AND ALLEN ABBOTT (Equilease Stable) are proud to announce that they have sold their wonderful stakes winning mare SUMMER GIRLFRIEND for $180,000.
Nicole reports that the mare is headed to Australia.
The Abbotts are genuine racing and horse lovers who have been supporters of the local industry for years. THOROUGHBLOG wishes them the best of luck in the future.
To read Nicole's letter, see the post below (Grey Days).