ON DISPLAY

LANGFUHR sired his 51st stakes winner yesterday when LANG FIELD won the Citation at Hollywood Park. This photo was taken of him recently at the Lane's End open house...thanks to Flickr and sj_block..
(Uploaded on November 6, 2007
by sj_block)







A power failure threatened to halt racing at Woodbine again yesterday but things got going an hour to post and the card went off quite well - $1.8 million handle not too bad for this time of year.
Some upsets yesterday - how JAZZ NATION lost the allowance for 2yo's is a mystery. He was coasting along but then fooled everyone when he suddenly shortened stride. (More below).
Big day of racing today all over the place....enjoy!
(For those of you who write comments into the "Blog", I received one yesterday from a post in MARCH (??) and one that had profanity on it...let's try and correct these two issues folks!)

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YESTERDAY AT WOODBINE

Race 1 – Trainer Martin Drexler, seeking his first win at Woodbine after leading all trainers at Assiniboia Downs this year, looked like he had the race locked up with SHARP SHOOTER, owned by Shyman Farms. The well bred Unbridled’s Song colt, down to $20,000 claiming, was streaking along on the lead (through quite fast pace splits for the day) and holding Prized Moment at bay all the way. Even when he was starting to tire in the stretch it looked as if he would hold on – he didn’t.

Prized Moment got him right at the wire giving the win to Shale Wagman and Tina Wilcox and trainer Red Johnson. The Kentucky bred is by Pioneering.

Race 2- Trainer JOSIE CARROLL has another nice young prospect, this time in HIGHVALE (Gilded Time-No Habra Ninguna) a Kentucky bred for Donver Stables. Interestingly, the 2yo was co-bred by Carroll’s main owner, Jim Sapara. Highvale won a multi horse assault on the finish line with his late surge. He had had 2 excuses in his first 2 starts (gate) but then again, broke a bit slowly again yesterday.

Manitoba-bred FIONN (Mizzen Mast) led late but was 2^nd for Eaton Hall Farm.

Race 3- Florida-bred STAR OPERATOR (Quaker Ridge) has been a gem for Sam DiPasquale and owner Robert Pastor. The 3yo was taken over by DiPasquale this year and she has only missed a paycheck once in her 9 starts. She has climbed up from $40K claiming to non-winners of 2 other than (yesterday’s race). She led from start to finish as the heavy favourite in her win yesterday.

Race 4- Ralliers continue to do well and STEELKILT won his maiden with a very wide rally in the 7 furlong event for $40,00. The Kentucky-bred by Artax is owned by Charles Wallens and trainer by John Charalambous. Another stretch runner, Witness to All, was a longshot runner-up.

Nightmare trip for POETIC CAT who got stuck in traffic no matter where he went. One to watch for next time.

Race 5- Castle Peak Farms’ homebred WILD LEADER parlayed his maiden score into a win over non-winners of 2 for $20,000 claiming. Always close to the pace in the 6 furlong dash, he surged clear to win for trainer Justin Nixon.

Race 6 – Chalk up another winner for 1^st crop sire D’WILDCAT. His 2yo daughter Daisy Blue won her maiden in just her 2^nd start yesterday after a super debut outing in which she blew the break but rallied impressively. She was smoother yesterday and won for Mel Lawson’s Jim Dandy Stable and trainer Sid Attard. Nick Andrews is the breeder. The Ontario bred is out of the good producing mare Daisy Doolittle, by Let’s Go Blue.

The first-timer Boldcorp for Jim and Susan Hill finished 2^nd.

Race 7 – Ooops…JAZZ NATION fooled everyone yesterday and that was not too funny at .45 to 1. The City Zip colt, making his first start since his 2^nd place finish in the Favourite Trick Stakes at Monmouth Park on Breeders’ Cup weekend, was eager in the 6 furlong race but clear in the stretch and many thought he was going to win handily.

Meanwhile, Patrick Husbands was having a terrible time on Indian Joy, a debut winner by Indian Prospector who was lugging in and out and all over the place. Still, he managed to get the colt up for the win and the big upset.

Race 8 - Kingview and Cudbey Stables’ homebred NATURAL MYSTIC made good on all that early betting support she took first time out in her life earlier this month (she finished 5^th) as she moved form the rail post that she had in her debut, to post 13 but won anyway with a stalking trip. The Bold Executive – Stutz Classic (Regal Classic) filly was the 7^th Woodbine win this year for trainer Catherine Day Phillips.

Race 9 – Top Canadian stallion BOLD EXECUTIVE had another when Aromatic posted an upset in the $10,000 maiden claimer at 7 furlongs. The Frank Passero owned and trained filly was making her 18^th career start and was coming off a good effort at Fort Erie.

Race 10 – Interesting support taken by first time starter WILDANDPROSPEROUS in the finale for $12,500 maiden fillies. The Wild Event Florida bred (out of a Langfuhr mare) was only 5 to 1 from the 13 post with average workout times. She locked herself into a duel in the stretch with favoured LEMON TWINS and the pair were almost 10 lengths ahead of the rest of the field as they battled to the wire.

TODAY - EVERYWHERE

One of the best fields assembled for a 2yo race this year at Woodbine is today’s DISPLAY STAKES at 1 1/16 miles.

A win in the race would give COOL GATOR or GLOBETROTTER a chance at a Sovereign award nomination but that trophy seems destined to go to KODIAK KOWBOY, who only needed to race here twice.

The Display, however, is a super betting race (the 6^th on the card and on SUN TV channel). Cool Gator gets blinkers and that should give him more focus. Globetrotter won the Grey Stakes and has been poking around and training for trainer Graham Motion since then. Mark Casse’s pairing of TURF WAR and BRIARWOOD CIRCLE are entered off poor races but only one will race apparently.

KESAGAMI got away with a slow pace to win the Coronation Futurity earlier this month.

Trainer Dan Vella has Cool Gator and CRYPTONITE KID, the latter who makes his Polytrack debut and has a longshot chance.

Impressive maidens winners PRAIRIE FOX and YES IT’S BULL rate respect too.

READE BAKER is at Philly Park with Roger Fortier’s NOTGIVINMYLOVEAWAY in the Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes for Penn.-bed runners. The Not for Love 2yo is 15 to 1 in the morning line.

Baker has horses at Laurel today too. Craig Singer’s Ontario-bred WIND ON MY WINGS (Sligo Bay) is just 6 to 1 for the Grade 3 Selima Stakes on the turf. BEARACTOR is 8 to 1 for the Laurel Futurity on the turf.

And, as reported yesterday, several Canadian breds are in action in other big events this weekend (see yesterday’s post)

ONTARIO sires Top North American Earnings List

Ontario’s sires continue to be in the spotlight, as their progeny

maintain their dominance at the racetrack.

(from the CTHS)

Rexdale, ON – November 22, 2007 –Several sires with Ontario connections have recently found themselves at the top of the North American Earnings List, according to The Blood-Horse sire list compiled through equineline.com this past week.

Smart Strike, bred in Ontario by Sam-Son Farm, leads the pack with over $13,777,385 in progeny race earnings incurred in 2007. A son of Mr. Prospector, Smart Strike soared to the top of the list after Curlin and English Channel recorded 2007 race earnings of over $5.1 million and $2.6 million respectively. Sam-Son Farm’s homebred Strike Softly also added to the list with her earnings this year of $305,775.

Gustav Schickedanz’s Ontario-bred Langfuhr is listed fourth on the list with over $7.7 million, thanks to earnings this year from progenies such as Ontario’s Jambalaya ($979,421) and Last Answer ($226,2788). Awesome Again, bred in Ontario by Frank Stronach, followed in fifth place with earnings of over $7 million resulting from progenies such as Ginger Punch ($1,827,060) and Awesome Gem ($1,032,400). Earnings from two notable Ontario-breds: Marchfield ($371,524) and Indian Vale ($469,427), both bred by Eugene Melnyk, assisted in sire A.P. Indy’s second place ranking of over $8.8 million on the North American Earnings list.

"We're very excited about this news," explains Julie Coulter, General Manager of the Ontario CTHS. "It demonstrates just how powerful our Ontario product has become, and it validates the high turnout and selling figures we've recorded at our last few sales. Ontario is definitely coming on strong in the Thoroughbred racing industry, and we expect this province to pull ahead as the world-class choice for both yearlings and racehorses before too long."