MAIL DELIVERY

Zero degrees Celcius as the Woodbine card got underway last evening, the second-to-last Wednesday evening card.

Logical would be a word to describe the events last night (it was actually easy to pick winners, 4 in the Toronto Star for the 9-race card!).

What was not fun was watching the races on my favourite channel HPI TV…which was, at times, at the mercy of television camera operators who seem to be all-done for 2007.

The starting gate, before the race is underway, is a mere dot in the distance, with the camera moving in closer as the horses break from the gate. This is not a movie folks!

Also, HPI seems to have trouble with its claim information on the scroller at the bottom of the screen. The information is a good idea but let’s get it close to right? They had Nick Tortullo claiming Bear Character Too last night from race 5 (it was Nick DeToro).

While we are all “mailing it in” at this point of the season, it is curious that so many jockeys have disappeared. Jono Jones and Tyler Pizarro (after race 2) booked off last night.

Meanwhile, the DAILY DOUBLE was chalk-city with WISHART dropping in for half price and somehow holding on to win after a tough pace duel in that $20,000 claimer. The Bold Executive filly, bred by Stouffville’s own William Gierkink, was very game to hold off a charging Hip Hip Hooray and Risky Empress.

Race 2- went to BONZANZA, Farish and Seltzer’s Jump Start 2yo colt who won an allowance race with a strong, wide rally from mid-pack. The colt had a terrible trip in his latest. Watch out next year for the Broken Vow filly ESSON LAKE – she’s Kentucky bred but ran a huge race with an inside bid to get close to Bonanza last night.

Race 3 – Oh to have an Ontario-sired runner like BENT ATTORNEY – a winner now of over $155,000 in 9 races. The Crown Attorney – Dynamite Dancer, Lite the Fuse 3yo, bred by Spring Farm, won the Ontario-sired allowance for non-winners of 3 last night for her 3^rd win of her career. She is co-owned by trainer Mike Doyle and partners.

YEAR AFTER YEAR won race 4 in the same running time as Bent Attorney except that the 3yo colt was racing for $10,000 claiming. The British Columbia bred was down from $19,000 claiming for Connie Patton and led all the way under top rider Pat Husbands. He’s by Millennium Allstar.

The track was very fair as UPTON PARK rallied wide from post 13 to win his maiden for $10,000 last night for the partnership of trainer Mike Keogh, MacDonald, Kenny and O’Sullivan. The Gus Schickedanz bred won easily in his first sprint in 3 starts. He’s by Langfuhr out of Silver Taler.

It was the first win of 3 on the night for jockey Chantal Sutherland.

Race 6- It was apparent that old-timer VERY PROFESSIONAL was off form after such a great roll of 4 consecutive wins. As a prime selection on HPI TV last time, the 9-year-old faded badly and looked bad in the stretch.

The HPI TV guest selector picked the guy again last night but he faded to 9^th.

The winner was BALLEN ISLE, younger, fresher and the 2^nd winner for Sutherland.

The 7yo was bred by his owner William Sorokolit.

Race 7 – the 3^rd allowance race of the night was fillies and mares, Ontario sired, non-winners of 2. LADY MOON was the predictable winner ($5.80), getting up in the last jump over a stubborn AINT NO CURE (Ascot Knight) who set the pace. Lady Moon, by Perigee Moon, is owned and bred by Lisa Guaraldi.

More bad luck for WICKED EMER. It was the Tethra filly’s 10^th start of the year and she ran out of room while moving up the rail on the turn and she lost half a dozen lengths and any chance of finally winning in 2007.

Race 8 – VERY CLEVER BEAU got a very clever ride from Danny David to rally inside and win for $8,000 for breeder Bruno Schickedanz. The 6yo was winning for the 7^th time in his 21^st career start. He was up from Fort Erie and is unbeaten in 3 starts at 6 ½ furlongs.

Race 9 – New York bred SELINA’S MASK got a turn-back in distance which she loved and she was the 3^rd winner on the night for Sutherland and another winner for the hot Dave Cotey barn.

Re: TYLER PIZARRO query and his weight – not sure what his weight is when he rides elsewhere – it seems he’s 116 at Woodbine currently…

SOVEREIGN awards voting starts TODAY!!

Sealy Hill romps in poll

Voters across Canada have their little PIN's and passwords and will be making their selections for all the horse and human categories for the Dec. 14 Sovereign Awards starting today. The votes have to be in by Dec. 3.

THOROUGHBLOG'S POLL for HORSE OF THE YEAR tells us that SEALY HILL is a landslide winner of HORSE OF THE YEAR (23 votes to 9) over Canadian International winner CLOUDY'S KNIGHT.

OUTSTANDING BROODMARE PREVIEW

This category has been altered for 2007 – this lifetime award was previously for the dam of a 2007 stakes winner AND a previous STAKES WINNER. Now the mare only has had to produce a previous stakes placed or stakes winner other than the 2007 stakes winner or stakes placed horse.

The award this year figures to go to GLEAMING GLORY (dam of champion Ginger Gold and this year’s 2yo stakes winner KESAGAMI) or LOVER’S TALK (LOVE GROWS, BARLEY TALK, TORRID AFFAIR, WILD WHISKEY and 2007 stakes placed gal LYRICALLY), VICTORIOUS ANSWER (VICTORIOUS TRICK, LAST ANSWER) or perhaps RARE OPPORTUNITY (SILVER HIGHLIGHT, STREET SOUNDS).

There are others to choose from for sure.

Would have to think LOVER’S TALK (now in Ireland) would be the winner this year.

OUTSTANDING BROODMARE PREVIEW

This category has been altered for 2007 – this lifetime award was previously for the dam of a 2007 stakes winner AND a previous STAKES WINNER. Now the mare only has had to produce a previous stakes placed or stakes winner other than the 2007 stakes winner or stakes placed horse.

The award this year figures to go to GLEAMING GLORY (dam of champion Ginger Gold and this year’s 2yo stakes winner KESAGAMI) or LOVER’S TALK (LOVE GROWS, BARLEY TALK, TORRID AFFAIR, WILD WHISKEY and 2007 stakes placed gal LYRICALLY), VICTORIOUS ANSWER (VICTORIOUS TRICK, LAST ANSWER) or perhaps RARE OPPORTUNITY (SILVER HIGHLIGHT, STREET SOUNDS).

There are others to choose from for sure.

Would have to think LOVER’S TALK (now in Ireland) would be the winner this year.

CANADIAN PARI-MUTUEL AGENCY DOIN’ SOME TALKIN

One year later, the CPMA is ready to propose changes to its “regulatory framework”, something it has been studying since the summer of 2006.

As outlined on the Standardbred Canada website earlier this month and in The View column by Darryl Kaplan in TROT Magazine, the proposals make sense for this day-and-age.

Will anything actually happen? A dicey question for sure…

Mr. Kaplan set forth the points that were offered up by the CPMA…

(from TROT MAGAZINE)

• A repeal of “home market areas” and the ability for associations to operate anywhere they can get a provincial license – Finally racing fans won’t be manipulated like chess pieces during labour disputes (yes, prospective customers in the Belleville area are still unable to place a bet). A free market will allow the customer to demand more from their wagering providers.

• Removal of current rules that require teletheatres to offer food, washrooms, seating and television displays in order to conduct pari-mutuel betting – Could this mean horse wagering at convenience stores, gas bars, office buildings, banquet halls, hair salons and dental offices? It sure makes the possibility a lot more realistic.

• Elimination of the maximum takeout rate of 23% - Allowing market forces to rule may not seem progressive but in order for a track to offer a $1 million guaranteed jackpot, it must be able to take more money from each incremental dollar bet.

• Return of money from outstanding tickets back to the bettors – Uncashed tickets will no longer be a revenue source for tracks and horsepeople, instead filtering back through pari-mutuel pools, perhaps through jackpots or carryover bets. Some execs may see good money slipping away on this one but short of account wagering, racing’s mechanism for informing customers of refunds, disqualifications and no contests has always been weak. A long time coming but worth the wait.

• Support of a wider range of bet types – According to the CPMA, if a wager meets certain basic requirements, tracks will “only be bound by their imaginations.” In itself, reason for celebration.

Kaplan went on to say…

And the CPMA wasn’t done. They announced changes to streamline the issuance of betting permits, removed a restriction on pari-mutuel wagering within 80 kilometres of an existing facility, and gave tracks greater flexibility in the display of program information and on-track odds.

With the proposal, the CPMA relieved itself from much of the race adjudication it currently is involved in. Photo finish, video patrol and lighting requirements will now fall on provincial jurisdiction. The only area where the CPMA will get more involved is in drug surveillance, where the regulator will focus on a modern approach to issues related to the medication of race horses….

As racing and wagering progresses in the global market, it is quite possible that we’ll be back in 24 months asking the agency to consider new ideas like betting exchanges and fixed odds wagering. And at that time, with high hopes, we’ll once again hold them to their own words: “modern”, “efficient” and “quick to respond.”

Kaplan is probably right - this topic will get a lot of play in the news (see below as The Globe and Mail picked up on TROT’s story) and all us bettors can do is hope…

Woodbine chairman David Willmot says there is a long road ahead according to today’s Globe and Mail..here's an excerpt...

From: Industry hoping for rule changes

Proposals geared to meet competition

BEVERLEY SMITH (www.globeandmail.com)

November 29, 2007

...The proposals would also open up the possibility that Canadian tracks could bring in lottery-like bets, such as the V75 and V64 that are so popular in Sweden.

The V75 jackpot bet has become Europe's largest horse-racing betting pool. Punters must pick the winners of seven consecutive races at a track and the minimum wager is 10 cents, rather than $1 or $2. The V64 has a 20-cent minimum wager on six consecutive races at Sweden's famous Solvalla racetrack.

The pool for the V75 has climbed as high as $11-million (U.S.), while the V64 has gone to $25-million. Carryover pools have reached as much as $25-million. The record payoff for a V75 winning ticket is $6.5-million and $566,451 for the V64.

It's an innovative idea, particularly because gamblers have abandoned racetracks for lotteries, casinos and Internet wagering. Willmot says off-shore Internet sites can't compete with the jackpot bet because "they simply won't take the risk of booking those bets," he said. "A jackpot bet will make it more interesting for a lottery player to become interested in horse racing."

The proposals also would make it easier for bettors to sign up for telephone betting accounts.

"There are lots of things up in the air, which doesn't make planning or budgeting very easy going forward," Willmot said. "But we can only hope that it all leads to positive development."

CANADIAN-BRED WEST QUEST A DEVIL IN TASMANIA, AUS

(with files from racingandsports.au.com)

Leading Tasmanian sire West Quest totally dominated yesterday's Devonport meeting, with his progeny winning the final four races on the eight race card.

The Canadian-bred son of Gone West-Verdian, by Green Dancer served his first season back in 1997 and he has been a prolific producer of winners in recent times.

His four winners yesterday were One Way Traffic, Rosewood Quest, Mahalan and Reunification.

Coming into this week, West Quest was just outside the Top 50 on the Australian General Sires List – ahead of numerous more high profile sires, despite the majority of his progeny racing in Tasmania.

In recent years, West Quest has improved his position from 71st two years ago to 60th last season.

It is also noteworthy given that in his 10 years at stud, he has only twice covered more than 100 mares in a season.

He covered just 50 mares in 2006, which followed books of 69, 78 and 91 in the previous three years.

ADENA RETIREMENT (DOT COM!)

How is this for one of the world's all-time leading owners and breeders of racehorses? Frank Stronac and family's ADENA SPRINGS has now launched a web site in conjunction with its program to retire its racehorses and move them on to loving families.

Here's a photo of MARK ONE, who is ridden and plays in the field, long after he won graded stakes at Woodbine. There are other success stories and horses for sale etc. on the site - just visit www.adenaretirement.com

(Photo of MARK ONE from the Adena Retirement site, that's Stacie-Clark Rogers, curator of the organization, with the big grey)