ascot aug08
This is a single article. Click HERE to go to the main page.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

WHOLE LOT OF LEAVIN GOIN ON

The stampede is from as Ontario horses and horsepeople head south - Ocala, Miami, Boyton Beach, New Orleans, Arkansas, California, you name it.
It will be fun to follow the locals as they race all over the place this winter.
Starting today we'll try a little YEAR IN REVIEW bit, just notes from each month from a THOROUGHBLOG standpoint.
Send in your memories, thoughts, complaints!
Today's post title courtesy of a super song of Bon Jovi.


(Photo - GERRY OLGUIN celebrates aboard ABLO, 2 years ago. Lots of folks made good money with this guy....read on. Photo by www.horse-races.net)

BYE BYE ABLO (Prince of Wales winner claimed)

(YESTERDAY)

ABLO won the Prince of Wales Stakes in 2005 but won for $5,000 claiming last night at Mountaineer Park for trainer Mark Fournier and owner Bruno Schickedanz. Ablo won the Wales for Roger Attfield and Bill Werner.

The Lite the Fuse – Diablo’s Closer gelding was claimed from the win by trainer Jose Lopez.

Ontario-bred BRILLIANT MISCHIEF won at Mountaineer Park for trainer Stacey Cooper and owner Two Five Five Racing. The Royal Academy – Jolie’s Angel filly was winning for $5,000 claiming.

TODAY/COMING UP

Race 2 at Mountaineer today: the first 3 favourites are Ontario-breds, ONE WAY JUDITH, FLIRT ALERT and PITSIRIKA lead the $5,000 maiden claimer for fillies.

George Tharrenos’ FETALICIOUS, a Kentucky bred, is a 7 to 2 choice in an allowance race today for 2yo’s. The colt is trained by FETALCIOUS.


JUDITH'S WILD RUSH RE-SURFACES...

from Daily Racing Form...

(Canet brings string to New York)

After spending the last few winters in south Florida, trainer Julian Canet has decided to give New York a try and will maintain a 26-horse stable on this circuit this season. Among his horses is Judiths Wild Rush, a three-time Sovereign Award winner in Canada who has earned more than $926,000. On Wednesday, Judiths Wild Rush worked seven furlongs in 1:24.52 over Belmont's training track.

Judiths Wild Rush, 6, is now back with Canet after spending the summer and fall with Gerald Seymour.

"I get him every winter; when Woodbine closes the owner sends him to me," Canet said. "He worked very, very good."

Belmont clockers caught Judiths Wild Rush in fractions of 23.20 seconds, 34.80, 47.40, 59.20, 1:11.80, and he galloped out the mile in 1:39.20. Canet said he is pointing Judiths Wild Rush to a money allowance race here on Dec. 13.

Judiths Wild Rush finished second in an optional claiming race here in March. Since then, he lost seven consecutive races at Woodbine, run over the Polytrack.

"He really doesn't like the Polytrack and I've been telling the owner that he doesn't like Polytrack, but he's from Canada and he wants to see his good horses run up there," Canet said.

Copyright Daily Racing Form


WHAT DO YOU THINK?

The BREEDERS’ CUP added 3 more races yesterday to the Friday card – is this watering down a special event or is more, better?

Check out THOROUGHBLOG’S POLL and let me know what you think about the Breeders’ Cup expansion.

FRIDAY OCT. 24

$1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.............1 Mile, 70 yds.................... 3-year-olds and up

$1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint....7 furlongs............3 and up, fillies & mares

$1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf..........1 mile(turf)..................................2 year-olds

$1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint......... 6 1/2 furlongs (turf).................... 3-year-olds and up

$1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.....1 mile (turf)......................... 2-year-old fillies

$500,000 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Marathon................1 ½ miles.................... 3-year-olds and up

SATURDAY OCT.25

$2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies....... 1 1/16 miles......................... 2-year-old fillies

$2 million Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile..... 1 1/16 miles....... 2-year-old colts & geldings

$2 million Emirates Airline Filly & Mare Turf......... 1 1/4 miles (turf)............3 and up, fillies & mares

$2 million NetJets Breeders’ Cup Mile...................1 mile (turf).................... 3-year-olds and up

$2 million TVG Breeders’ Cup Sprint..................6 furlongs.................... 3-year-olds and up

$2 million Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Distaff..... 1 1/8 miles.................... 3-year-olds and up

$3 million John Deere Breeders’ Cup Turf........... 1 1/2 miles (turf).................... 3-year-olds and up

$5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic – Powered by Dodge.....1 1/4 miles.................... 3-year-olds and up

ANONYMOUS wrote in yesterday about Woodbine’s wagering increase for 2007, disagreeing with one reason for the increase – Polytrack.

" This track has been fraught with problems since the beginning. They are here for two reasons. Number one is the strong purse structure and number two is the weak American dollar. the influx of western trainers are attracted by purses that are probably 3 or 4 times more than what they are used to. Also ,the American owners can now race for purses already strong but even more attractive with the dollar at par or even better sometimes. If we retreat to a .75 or .85 dollar don't get caught in the line-ups to cross back over the border."

EDITOR’S NOTE – Nick Eaves did tell me that 3 reasons are the Polytrack, the strong Canadian dollar and the purse structure..all 3 combined for a big year.

From YORKREGION.COM

By: Joe Fantauzzi, Staff Writer

A Newmarket woman has been handed a 15-month sentence in connection with fraud at a King Township horse farm.

Christiane Krohn, 58, was sentenced last week after being found guilty of fraud of $5,000, York Regional Police Det. Fred Kerr said.

Between January 1999 and December 2006, the woman worked as a bookkeeper for King Haven Farms during which time police say she misappropriated $523,000 from the farm.

YEAR IN REVIEW FROM THOROUGHBLOG STANDPOINT


"When this horse was born, I was not impressed. He was big, gangly and had four legs going in each direction. He went through this gawky, awkward, terrible stage until the spring of his yearling year and then he started to correct himself and got bigger and stronger and straighter and more correct. Something I thought was a write-off started to be really good.”

-Ted Burnett (Josham Farms) speaking to the Blood-Horse about LENONNATUS ANTEAS, this year’s possible champion 3yo colt.

JANUARY 2007


BARBARO DIES – his life and death sparked a lot of attention paid to horse racing

SEALY HILL MAKES HER 3YO DEBUT - finished 2nd and went on to one of the best seasons by any Canadian horse in 2007

JUDITH’S WILD RUSH WINS NATIVE DIVER (thru DQ) - multiple Canadian champ has not done much since then, racing soon in New York

BUFFALO MAN/COOL N COLLECTIVE/WELCOME AGAIN among big Canadian-bred winners

Calgary’s HIGHFIELD STOCK FARM BUYS MARE SOLVIG - $750,000

3 Comments:

  • At 4:49 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I think the new races added by the BC, while perhaps well-meaning, are hugely misguided. The new races added this year were ok, but with the 3 more announced yesterday, this is all getting to be a bit much. Over the past decade, we have seen the BC fields decrease in quality, with more horses opting for early retirement and fewer Euros coming over for the races. Adding more races to the already buldging BC card will only water down the fields even more. The dirt mile already lured away several classic contenders; the new "dirt marathon" will likely also draw horses from the Classic field (and I have to laugh at the term "marathon;" since when was a 1 1/2 mile race ever considered a marathon? Have we bred every ounce of staminia out of this breed?). I'm sure the new turf sprint will draw runners from the Mile. Also, my fear of having too many BC races is that they're just getting too darn easy to win. With so many races and so many BC titles to hand out, a win on BC day becomes devalued. The BC is only a shadow of what it used to be, and these new races will only hurt matters, not help them. I wish the committee would have chosen to focus on improving the existing BC races, rather than compounding their problems by adding 3 more races that in the long run, are probably meaningless.

     
  • At 5:54 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Well Judiths Wild Rush cannot help but get better! what was Tennenbaum thinking letting Gerry Seymour train that horse? what did Baker ever do wrong? wasnt 2 soveriegn awards good enough? and now this year with Seymour the horse cannot win a race!

     
  • At 12:21 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    i think there should be more you win you're in races prior to the breeder's cup...and more importantly a minimum amount of horses have to be entered for it to be run...say 10 with 2 AE...small fields in races is just boring...

     

Post a Comment