SANTA, BABY!

It doesn't matter who they are or where they are...there are retired racehorses everywhere and still even more looking for homes.
As the end of another year approaches and you want to give back to our friends, the stars of the show, find a home for your horse, retire your horse or say Thank You by donating to a horse retirement group.
In Ontario, LONGRUN THOROUGHBRED RETIREMENT FOUNDATION (see link at right in links list) has a super website and all the info you need is there.
The THOROUGHBRED BLOGGERS ALLIANCE donates a healthy sum each year to OLD FRIENDS (www.oldfriendsequine.org), located in Georgetown, Kentucky.

This guy pictured is a retired racehorse who won his biggest race of his career at Woodbine.
Oh yes, he's a resident at Old Friends.
Who is he?

CANADIAN-BRED REPORT

At Mountaineer yesterday…

BLUE MOON BLONDE (Perigee Moon-I’mablondetoo, by Mogambo) won by 6 lengths for $5,000 claiming for Gaspare Garisto and trainer Don MacRae.

SWEET AFTON (Bold Executive-Cuddly Chops by Caveat), bred by Gail Wood, won for $5,000 claiming by 3 ¾ lengths.

Former Woodbine runner JET BLACK CADI won for $13,000 claiming for owner/trainer Loren Cox.

And also yesterday…

LITTLE BENTLEY (Archers Bay-Little Bay, by Miswaki) won at Philadelphia Park for owner (trainer) Scott Fairlie, whose horses are being trained by Lisa Aitchison at that track. The gelding won by 4 ½ lengths and he was bred by Eugene Melnyk.

KEENELAND JANUARY REPORT

A fresh box of sales catalogues arrived at the door yesterday, Keeneland’s January sale is a popular auction for broodmares and horses of racing age.

Some interesting notes from a local standpoint..

A feel-good note: Woodbine-based WINDINTHEVALLEY, a hard knocking mare, Florida-bred, won 8 of 52 races while competing for mid-level claiming at Woodbine and Fort Erie. Last summer she won a mini stakes at Fort Erie. She was bred this year to LIMEHOUSE and will be sold in foal to that top runner.

The dam of Canadian-bred star DAAHER plus Grade 1 winner SPUN SPUGAR is up for auction. Irish Cherry is to be sold by Hill ‘n’ Dale Sales Agency in foal to Ghostzapper. Irish Cherry was owned by Yvonna Schwabe but was sold a few years ago.

Graded stakes winner MONA ROSE (Dance Smartly Stakes 2004) is in the sale for Darby Dan, agent, in foal to Aragorn. It would be her 2^nd foal.

Canadian bred MOUNTAIN MONARCH, the granddam of stakes winning 2yo STUCK IN TRAFFIC, is to be sold in foal to Mutakkdim.

TO THE BRIM, owned by Hat Trick Stable, is in Book 2 (of 4 Books!) as a racing or broodmare prospect. She’s by Ascot Knight and from the family of STREET SOUNDS.

HOMESTEADER is to be sold by Windfields as agent. The Canadian-bred stakes winner by Pioneering is a broodmare prospect.

WINNINGEST HORSES IN 2007

Horse Name Starts 1st 2nd 3rd Earnings

Golden Hare 16 13 3 0 $136,644

Fortunate Trail 17 11 4 2 $119,240

Princess Composer 17 11 2 2 $102,475

Raving Rocket 14 10 2 0 $63,166

Soft Day 18 9 0 0 $65,0445

A bunch of horses are tied next with 8 wins including Ontario-sired PRESIDENT’S INTERN (Impeachment)

And how about the Perigee Moon filly SWEETAMYGEE? She’s won 7 of 14 races this year and, since she began her career last April for $20,000 claiming, she’s had 8 owners and trainers, dropped to $12,000 claiming and is now competing for higher claiming and allowances at Philadelphia Park. The daughter of Rhapsodize (from the family of the mare Rheintal) was bred by Amy Grant in Ontario.

SOFTEN THE BLOW - CUSHION TRACK FIXED AT SANTA ANITA?

Pick up a copy of tomorrow’s Daily Racing Form to read JAMES QUINN’S super story on the puzzles that face handicappers when Santa Anita starts up on Boxing Day (Dec. 26 for the non-Canadian folks)…

The adaptation to a circuit that now progresses from Cushion Track to Cushion Track to Polytrack to dirt to Cushion Track again has proved more troublesome than anticipated, and shippers to Southern California from Golden Gate Fields now will be exiting races on Tapeta.

Beyond the peculiarities of the newfangled surface-to-surface comparisons, Santa Anita now indulges an inexorable shift to cheaper stock, with a number of non-traditional conditions that can range from perplexing to indecipherable, such as starter allowance races for maiden-claiming $40,000 grads and lower that have never won two sprinting down the hillside turf course. Maiden juveniles turning 3 on Jan.o1, but babies still, and going long on the grass can be considered a recent staple. Claiming races at $25,000 but restricted to nonwinners of two lifetime may have no recorded history at Santa Anita, but they draw fields of 13 to 14 at Hollywood Park and will likely make an appearance in every condition book.

The new Cushion Track at Santa Anita should be anticipated as complicating for fundamentals that include speed handicapping, pace analysis, track profiles, and, notably, evaluating the 3-year-olds en route to the Kentucky Derby and other derbies.

(you can also read more on drf.com if you are a subscriber)