BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES

That will be most of us tomorrow when a huge snowstorm hits Ontario, to go hand-in-hand with the sub-zero temps. Ouch.

Oh well, lots of racing action to cozy up to this weekend with DAAHER at Gulfstream on Saturday on a super card of racing and another big card at Santa Anita - the Strub.

NO STOOGE

CANADIAN-BRED GELDING POSTS 103 BEYER YESTERDAY

Just when you thought that NYUK NYUK NYUK’S win at Gulfstream earlier
 this month, with the 100 Beyer Figure, was huge, the gelding jumped up
rom $35,000 claiming to $62,500 yesterday, won and posted a 103 Beyer, the best of his life.

The Mutakkdim Canadian-bred out of May Time, is owned by Tucci Stables
and trained by Tino Attard.

He scorched 6 ½ furlongs in 1:15.29.

The gelding is 2 for 2 in Florida and certainly in the best form of his career.
He was bred by Gord and Elizabeth Lickrish.

QUEEN’S PLATE WATCH- SLIGOVITZ on Saturday

Still early but there are some Canadian-bred 3yo’s lurking out there.

Updating CAFÉ TORTONI’s 2nd place finish in the Golden Gate stake
last weekend – he got a Beyer Figure of 72, on the low side.

On SATURDAY, Stronach Stable’s promising 2yo Ontario bred
SLIGOVITZ (Sligo Bay-Ms Deep Pockets) will try to win his maiden
in a 9 furlong event. He comes off a big 85 Beyer Figure effort at Calder.

CAT BUSINESS

FACE THE CAT (Tale of the Cat) won a 3yo allowance at Gulfstream yesterday
with a 93 Beyer Figure. He is trained by Curlin’s former trainer Helen Pitts.

Face the Cat is a ½ brother to former Woodbine runner BEAR CHARACTER.

NOT GOOD, NOT BETTER

Canadian-bred TH GOOD GET BETTER caused a melee at Gulfstream in the
 finale yesterday. The second-time starter by Fast n Royal was battling for the
 lead into the stretch in the grass race when he suddenly went through the fence ,
fell and caused a mess.

Incredibly, the one fellow who had the most trouble behind him was a youngster
 named OH MY GOD.

OTHER STUFF  - CANADIAN-BRED DOUBLE AT LAUREL

BEAR GLADIATOR (Golden Missile-Great Beauty by Great Gladiator) won
his maiden at Laurel yesterday for $20,000 claiming. The Ontario-bred won the 5 ½ furlong
race under a mild hand ride for owner David Haney.

GREGSON (Silver Deputy-Early Blaze) won the 2nd race for trainer Scott Lake
for $10,000 claiming. The 7yo with tons of back class was claimed by Bella Cavello Stable.

Canadian trainer LAYNE GILIFORTE also won the Laurel card with the
Kentucky bred WALRONDS (Smart Strike) for $10,000 claiming for owner and breeder Eugene Melnyk.

DAAHER AND THE DONN

Donn H. (G1)

1 1/8 Miles | Open | 4 Year Olds And Up Stakes | Purse: $500,000

Post #	Horse	Jockey	Weight	Claim Price	Equip.	Med.
1	Wood Be Willing	Lezcano J	115			L
2	Spring At Last	Coa E M	119			L
3	Dr Googles Boogles	Desormeaux K J	115			L
4	Daaher	Luzzi M J	120			L
5	A. P. Arrow	Dominguez R	119			L
6	Fairbanks	Velazquez J R	116			L
7	Kiss the Kid	Castro E	115			L
8	Brass Hat	Martinez W	118			L
9	Einstein (BRZ)	Prado E S	119			L

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FRESHMAN SIRE DRAFT 

Rick P sent in his Sire Picks for the contest (which closes March 1, 2008).

For specs on the contest, see recent posts or do a search up top..

Prizes for the top 2 finishers will be something along the lines of a Woodbine clothing item and something else from Woodbine’s awesome gift shop…stay tuned.

Jen,

Here you go:

Strong Hope

Speightown

Smarty Jones

Medagila D'oro

Lion Heart

Candy Ride

Chapel Royal

Omega Code

Friends Lake

Action This Day

BLOOD-BOILING

Only read this guy's column about BARBARO in the LA Times if you have a sense of humor (??) or you just want to get really mad. This guy wrote a nasty one about the horse last year when he passed away and this is one really sad columnist.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-simers31jan31,1,4857708.column

PLUNGING

Welcome to late January in Ontario and Jan. 30 is traditionally the coldest day of the year according to stats - it was 9 degrees at bed time last night (48 F approx) and shortly it will be -20C with the wind chill. Power lines are down, trees are down, don't wear a skirt!

In two weeks the horses starts shipping into Woodbine - if you missed latest news, the Ontario Racing Commission made a big moave last week declaring thay any horse that tests positive for a Class 1, 2 or 3 drug is barred 90 days.

As reported yesterday, Barbaro's ashes will indeed be buried at Churchill Downs (read more below).

Coming up, Canadian-bred DAAHER in Saturday's DONN HANDICAP at Gulfstream Park!

I would like to invite my favourite commenter from last week to send me an e-mail today instead of sending messages under the label of Anonymous....

Curlin passes on the Donn (www.timesunion.com)

(Canadian-bred Daaher looms favourite)

By TIM WILKIN, Staff writer

A year ago the racing world was awaiting the 2007 debut of Horse of the Year Invasor in the Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park.

The 2008 Donn will be run Saturday at Gulfstream, but there is no Horse of the Year running. Curlin, who won the coveted award last week, is expected to run this year, but his first race won't be the Donn, the biggest race for older horses on the Gulfstream calendar.

The 1 1/8 -mile Grade I Donn still shapes up as a neat betting race. Three Grade I winners -- Daaher (Cigar Mile at Aqueduct in 2007), Einstein (Gulfstream Park Turf in 2006) and Brass Hat (2006 Donn) are scheduled to run.

Student Council, the Grade I Pacific Classic winner last summer, is another possibility.

Other horses pointed to the Donn's starting gate include A.P. Arrow, winner of last year's Clark Handicap, and Fairbanks, fifth in the Clark.

Dr. Googles Boogles, sixth in the Hal's Hope on Jan. 6 at Gulfstream, also is being pointed to the Donn. So are Spring at Last, who won an allowance race Dec. 26 at Santa Anita, and Kiss the Kid, fourth in the Grade III Canadian Turf Handicap on Jan. 17 at Gulfstream.

"It looks like a decent bunch will be in there," said Einstein's trainer, Helen Pitts.

Spa harness racing resumes Friday Saratoga Gaming and Raceway will open its harness racing season Friday night with the first of 168 live racing cards.

Racing will be held Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons during February. The matinee racing will have a post time of 12:45 p.m.

There will also be a Presidents Day matinee on Feb. 18.

Fortunes, the trackside restaurant, will be open every Sunday for a brunch buffet from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

In May, Thursday night racing will be added to the schedule.

Barn banter:

Jockey Edgar Prado is eight races shy of hitting 6,000 for his career. He will become the 16th jockey in history to reach the magic number. He has three mounts on today's card at Gulfstream Park. ... Trainer Nick Zito's barn is full of 3-year-olds who could make this spring's Triple Crown series a busy one for the Hall of Famer. War Pass, last year's champion 2-year-old, is still waiting to make his '08 debut, as is Anak Nakal, the winner of last year's Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes. Zito will send out two more 3-year-olds, Stevil and Web Gem, in the eighth race today at Gulfstream. He has already won races in Florida with 3-year-olds Bordeaux Bandit, Fierce Wind, Da'Tara and Cool Coal Man.

Tale of Ekati, fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile last fall, worked five furlongs Sunday at the Palm Meadows Training Center in 1:02. ... Laurel Park in Maryland has changed its racing days for the final seven weeks of of the meet. Live racing will be offered Thursdays through Sundays instead of Wednesdays through Saturdays. The final day of the meet will be Sunday, April 13. Tim Wilkin can be reached at 454-5415 or by e-mail at twilkin@timesunion.com.

DAY 3 DUBAI RACING CARNIVAL

Check out the races from Dubai on HPI TV tomorrow morning and if you are looking to bet some of them, here is an analysis from Pat Cummings at Racing Dispatch on the events tomorrow.

http://www.racingdispatch.com/DispatchFeatures/DIRC_Night_3_Analysis/

Past performances for the Dubai races can be found here…

http://www.churchilldowns.com/news/racing_news/DUB%201.31.08.pdf

PADDING YOUR BANKROLL feature on website

Looking for some more information and hints on tracks racing right now as he wait for the April opening of Woodbine?

The site BetUSA.com offers a Pick 3, Pick 4 play section on its site plus a Wednesday track bias report from various circuits. Check it out at ….

---

http://www.betus.com/sports-betting/Bet_on_Horse_Racing_Trends_Padding_Your_Bankroll-8737.aspx

TODAY/YESTERDAY/TOMORROW

NYUK NYUK NYUK (Mutakkdim) jumps up to $62,500 claiming at Gulfstream today for Tucci Stables off his win for $35,000 and that 100 Beyer Figure, matching his career best from 3 years ago.

The suddenly rejuvenated 7yo gelding is in Florida with trainer Tino Attard

CAT’S GOT WIND (Cat’s At Home-Link of Liberty by Opening Verse) won the 1^st race at Mountaineer last night for Bart Baird. The 4yo gelding won for $5,000 claiming and is an Ontario bred, bred by Against the Wind.

Tomorrow, several Canadian-breds on the Gulfstream card including the undefeated but delicate KAPAZUNDER. The Giant’s Causeway-Purple Princess 5yo is 2 for 2 but those races were separated by more than one year. He won his debut at Woodbine in August 2006 but broke down in the race (vanned off). He returned Dec 29 of 2007 at Calder and won at 9 to 2. He is owned by Stronach Stables.

Stronach Stables also race its promising Ontario-bred maiden filly MONEY MY HONEY (Red Bullet) on the card.

Barbaro's Ashes Going to Churchill Downs

Associated Press

By WILL GRAVES – 15 hours ago

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The image of Barbaro blazing down the stretch at Churchill Downs, all four hooves off the ground as the powerful bay colt crushed the field in the 2006 Kentucky Derby, is seared in Roy Jackson's memory.

It's the way Jackson prefers to think of Barbaro, whose thunderous surge left a field of 19 fellow 3-year-olds in his wake and whose courage after a breakdown at the Preakness two weeks later made him an icon.

When it came time to decide how best to honor the horse, who was euthanized on Jan. 29, 2007 from complications of the breakdown, there was only one place Roy Jackson and wife Gretchen felt Barbaro would feel at home: a short gallop from the site of his greatest triumph.

Barbaro's ashes and a bronze statue will be placed in front of an entrance gate at Churchill Downs sometime in 2009. The Jacksons announced plans for the memorial on the one-year anniversary of Barbaro's death, a day they called one of the most difficult of their lives.

Yet there was no sadness on Tuesday, only relief and joy.

The Jacksons agonized for months on where to place his ashes, which are currently in a closet in the family's Pennsylvania home. Ultimately, they chose place a where the public that inundated Barbaro's stall at the New Bolton Center in Kennett Square, Pa., with get-well cards, candy and gifts during his rehabilitation could pay tribute whenever they wanted.

"After the Derby and then when he got injured, he really became America's horse," Roy Jackson said. "We sort of felt an obligation that his remains and statue be erected some place where the general public could pay their respects."

As spectacular as the colt's career was — his 6 1/2-length win in the Derby was the widest margin of victory in 60 years — it was Barbaro's battle to survive following the breakdown that made him an emotional touchstone for so many.

"His accomplishments as a racehorse are certainly rivaled by the courage and resolve he displayed after his injury," Churchill Downs president Steve Sexton said.

The Jacksons say they continue to be amazed at the outpouring of support for Barbaro, much of it from non-racing fans who were captivated by images of him wincing on the track at Pimlico Race Course following the injury and his heroic attempts to deal with the myriad of setbacks that ultimately proved too much.

"I don't think any of us know how widespread the interest was," Roy Jackson said. "We've gotten a tremendous amount of response and we continue on almost a daily basis to get some correspondence and very articulate art on what he meant."

As painful as Barbaro's battle was, the Jacksons say it was not in vain. His plight drew attention to the laminitis, an often-fatal hoof disease that Barbaro contracted in both rear hooves before his death.

More than $2.7 million has been raised for the Laminitis Research Fund. The laminitis initiative will foster training programs and studies for new treatments of equine diseases. The fund includes a $7,000 donation received Monday from the Fans of Barbaro, a group of people spread across the country who met over the internet in support of the colt.

It's a fund that grows a little bit each day. Jennifer Campbell of Louisville stuffed $20 into a donation box for the fund on Tuesday while the Jacksons autographed pictures of jockey Edgar Prado urging Barbaro across the finish line at the Derby.

"You just see how they persevered under those circumstances, and how the horse persevered," said Campbell, who was wearing a green Barbaro hat. "He's an inspiration and I think it's great that they chose to share him with us."

The Jacksons have also helped raise $1.3 million for the Barbaro Fund at New Bolton. The money will go toward expansion of the George D. Widener Large Animal Hospital, and the purchase of equipment like a new operating table and recovery raft.

Tuesday, however, was about remembering the horse who captivated the nation.

Pictures of Barbaro from both his racing career and his rehabilitation at the large animal hospital at New Bolton flashed above a stage before the Jacksons spoke. The Jacksons smiled while watching a short film featuring local schoolchildren talking about Barbaro and showing pictures they drew of the horse following his injury.

Barbaro will be the first Kentucky Derby winner to be buried on the grounds at Churchill Downs. Four previous winners — Sunny's Halo, Carry Back, Swaps and Broker's Tip — are interred at the Kentucky Derby Museum, which is adjacent to the track.

Being placed outside the gate means fans will be able to visit the memorial without having to go inside the museum or the track itself. It will be accessible at all times.

"There was a sense of wanting to make the correct decision," Gretchen Jackson said. "It took a heck of a long time ... but we're relieved that we're moving forward."

GIVING BACK

One year ago this morning - 10:30 - BARBARO was euthanized after a long battle following his breakdown in the 2006 Preakness Stakes.
It is a day for EVERYONE who gets a paycheck from horse racing to remember who the stars REALLY are in this game. (Photo by Cindy-Pearson-Dulay)

REMEMBERING BARBARO

FROM ALEXBROWNRACING.COM and

FRIENDS OF BARBARO

Posted January 29, 2008

Update 3025: A year ago today, January 29, 2007, a heroic Barbaro lost his fight for life. We can all remember where we were when we received the tragic news. For me, I was driving back to Fair Hill to meet someone when I received a call.

What I was not so prepared for was the tremendous work that has continued in recognition of a horse who stood for everything we aspire. At 10:30 am today, Eastern Time, we are holding a vigil. Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, please at that time spare some thoughts for a great racehorse and an inspiration for us all to continue his legacy.

At 10:00 am eastern time there will be a press conference held at Churchill Downs hosted by the Jacksons. This conference appears to be to announce the burial site and memorial for Barbaro: A lasting peace for Barbaro, excerpt:

The Jacksons are going to commission the statue and loan it to Churchill Downs as part of the official Barbaro Memorial Site. The site will be free and accessible to the public 24 hours a day. The Jacksons considered several options for Barbaro's ashes before deciding on Churchill.

"Churchill was where he had his most memorable race," Gretchen Jackson said yesterday. "It will be accessible to all the people who loved him so much. It was hard to wrestle with, but it's just the right place. And Churchill has been great with all this."

Today will see some added Barbaro press coverage, and some of that focus is also on Barbaro's legacy. The following are two examples:

Barbaro's Legacy: A year after death, horse lives on as a vital Web symbol., excerpt:

The "Fans of Barbaro," as they call themselves, have helped save more than 1,900 horses from slaughter by donating more than $800,000, said Alex Brown, an exercise rider who administers the Web site, which is located at www.alexbrownracing.com. Each week, horse rescuers go on his site and ask for donations to help save horses.

Barbaro's spirit carries on one year after his death, excerpt:

"I think it has been absolutely remarkable that so many of the Fans of Barbaro participate in horse rescue," Gretchen Jackson said. "Isn't that absolutely remarkable; just a real grassroots movement that has accomplished something, made some changes. It's excellent; if we could just get the [anti-slaughter] bill through Congress it would be even more remarkable."

WORKING SMOOTHLY

DISFUNCTION WINS, POSTS 98 BEYER, FOR CANADA AT GULFSTREAM

British Columbia-bred DISFUNCTION (Vying Victor-Summers Prospect, by Gold Crest) provided Woodbine trainer JULIA CAREY with her first win at Gulfstream Park when the 4yo gelding won a $42,000 allowance race yesterday.

Bred by Bob Cheema and owned by JMJ Stable and Weila Ya, the gelding battled on the lead from the rail and edged clear to win the 6 furlong race in 1:09.72.

His Beyer Figure of 98 was easily the best of his brief career.

Disfunction has won 3 of 5 starts and he won his career debut for $20,000 claiming at Woodbine.

He is the 7^th foal of the winning mare. Summers Prospect, a half sister to Grade 3 stakes winner Grey tobe Free, has a winning 3yo named Summer House.

OTHER STUFF

BLONDE EXECUTIVE FOALS

Bruno Bros.’a champion sprinter of 2004, BLONDE EXECUTIVE, foaled a chestnut Langfuhr filly on Jan. 25 at Windfields Farm in Oshawa, Ontario.

It is the Bold Executive mare’s second foal.

KODIAK KOWBOY, Canada’s champion 2yo colt of 2007, worked four furlongs at Fair Grounds yesterday in 50 4/5, breezing.

KENTUCKY DERBY

JENNIE REES AT COURIER-JOURNAL OFFERS BIG LIST OF 3YO’S TO WATCH

(includes Mark Casse and Reade Baker trainees)

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080127/SPORTS08/80127004/1037

TRINIDAD RACING OFFICIAL STARTS HORSE RETIREMENT HOME

An excerpt from Newsday in Trinidad and Tobago regarding Friday racing, a new sports bar at Arima Race Club and the club’s president Robert AJ Smith..

Better still, and more pleasing to turfites is Smith’s plan to start a benevolent fund, not only for the money but to have a location where top class equine performers can be retired.

He said he found it disheartening to see these former great horses including Derby winners just end up pulling a cart.

And Smith said he intends to set aside a section of his sports bar for a sort of Hall Of Fame, remembering ex-trainers, owners and grooms.

FRESHEN UP!
THOROUGHBLOG'S FRESHMAN SIRE DRAFT CONTEST!

CLOSING DATE MOVED TO MARCH 1, NOT MARCH 31!!!

Okay, think you know your breeding? There are about 90 FIRST CROP SIRES listed in the BLOOD-HORSE SIRE BOOK (stallions with their first crop of 2yo's racing this year).
THOROUGHBLOG invites you to send a list of 10 stallions (it can be through the Comment section of the Blog - it's easy to sign up, no strings! - or you can send it to me via email but all entries will be published so that there is a record of everyone's picks - therefore, no ANONYMOUS names!!) and collect points through the year.
A prize for the top 2 finishes will be offered - I have to figure out what it will be in the next few weeks.

ANYWAY - the points will be on a scale like this (I hope to have someone keep records of this frequently so that we can post standings along the way)

A WINNER - 1 POINT
ANY EXTRA WIN - 1 POINT
STAKES WIN - 3 POINTS
GRADE 3 STAKE - 5 POINTS
GRADE 2 STAKE - 7 POINTS
GRADE 1 - 10 POINTS

I will make the deadline for entries MARCH 1, 2008....JUST BEFORE WOODBINE STARTS and around the time Delta Downs and other places are getting ready to race 2yo's.

Who are the first year sires this year? Some of them include BIRDSTONE, CANDY RIDE, LION HEART, MEDAGLIA D'ORO, PERFECT SOUL, OLMODAVOR, READ THE FOOTNOTES, SMARTY JONES, SPEIGHTSTOWN, STRONG HOPE, TAPIT, TOCCET and Canada's own TOMAHAWK.

So get studying!!! You can send in your entry any time...

ROAMING

Tons of stuff to report today including confirmation that EMMA-JAYNE WILSON is headed to Hong Kong to ride until April. The initial report was on yesterday's post and today (below) there is a link to the story that appeared in the TORONTO STAR.

CANADIANS are in the news again - an owner could have a Derby colt and a colt won a Grade 3 yesterday at Gulfstream.

Friends over at RACING DISPATCH have re-vamped the website and service for news and it is a must-see. Head over to the dispatch at http://www.racingdispatch.com/

BUFFALO MAN LATEST CANADIAN-BRED STAR

Wins GRADE 3 Appleton at Gulfstream for Rick Pitino and partners

94 BEYER FIGURE (photo from www.horse-races.net, Vanessa Ng)

BUFFALO MAN, once on the Kentucky Derby trail, could be a star on the grass based on his 2nd attempt on the surface yesterday, The El Prado-Perfect Six, Saratoga Six is the 4th foal of the mare, a stakes winner. He was a $190,000 Adena Springs 2yo purchase.

HERE’S A RECAP FROM THE MIAMI HERALD…

BY FRANK CARLSON

Cam Gambolati sent out Buffalo Man to win the $125,000, one-mile Appleton Handicap on the turf Sunday at Gulfstream.

Ridden by Edgar Prado, Buffalo Man sat behind the early speed of Jet Propulsion before making his move midstretch. Prado and Buffalo Man pulled away to a half-length victory in 1:34.86. Elusive Fort closed late for second and Jet Propulsion held on for third.

''We had a great rider and a perfect trip,'' Gambolati said. ``He always trained good on the dirt and was doing well when he came back from an injury to finish second in the Wild Again [Aqueduct, Nov. 1], but then he displaced [his palate] in the Discovery [Handicap]. We got down to Palm Meadows and got to work him on the turf. He handled it so well and went so smooth. It didn't take a rocket scientist to go to turf with him.

``I'd say we'll stay with the turf with him now.''

Buffalo Man, owned by Ol Memorial Stable and C.E. Glasscock, was the 3-1 favorite in the 10-horse field, and paid $8.80, $4 and $3.

Other stuff from yesterday

FAIRWELL MADRID, a 6yo Ontario bred by Sefapiano out of I’m Selective, Mi Silecto, won for the 11th time in 37 starts yesterday at Fair Grounds when she got her favourite surface (muddy) and won the $50,000 claiming event.

Once a $3,500 claimer, the mare has been under the radar as one of the most honest Ontario gals in recent years. She won the Jersey Lily Stakes at Sam Houston last spring. Donna McCullough was the owner and trainer (after Goldmart Farms) in Ontario but the mare was recently moved to Driver Racing LLC and trainer Cody Autrey.

Fairwell Madrid was bred by Mervyn Kirby.

The second part of the Late Double at Fair Grounds was won by Eugene Melnyk’s SEAMANS VILLAGE (whose brother PALMERS just won his maiden there too). The Maria’s Mon gelding won for $12,500 claiming over maidens and was claimed. Pat Husbands rode and Mark Casse was the trainer.

Incidentally, PALMERS, a Queen’s Plate hopeful, received a 79 Beyer Figure when he won last week.

SINGING ROCK, an Ontario bred by El Prado-Black Icon,Mining, bred by Adena Springs, won a $32,000 claiming race on turf at Gulfstream yesterday. The 4yo grey colt was winning for the 2nd time in 15 starts for owner Florence Patitucci. Second in the race was the Roger Attfield trainee KRUSHCHEV, a Kentucky bred by Langfuhr.

Trainer BARBARA BAIRD PIRIE claimed JUMP TO THE FRONT, a first time starter, in the next-to-last last race at Gulfstream yesterday and the Jump Start filly won the $12,500 maiden claimer. The new owner is Russell Tanz.

At MOUNTAINEER, Ontario bred SILVER SUNDEH (Eh-Miss Chateau by Miswaki) won the first race for $5,000 maiden claiming for Carol Langley. The mare could be the first winner for her sire.

ABLO, the 2005 Prince of Wales winner, won a $5,000 starter allowance at Mountaineer for trainer Jose Lopez. It was the first race off the claim for Ablo (Lite the Fuse). The chart caller said the gelding would “dig deep” to win. He earned a 78 Beyer Figure.

On the QUEEN'S PLATE TRAIL is GIQUERE, a sensational debut winner last fall at Woodbine. The Mike DePaulo trainee had his first 3yo workout yesterday at Gulfstream - 3 furlongs in :37. A stablemate, champion SHILLELAGH SLEW, worked in 36 4/5.

CANADIAN DICK BONNYCASTLE'S COLT HEADED TO DERBY?

Yankee Bravo rides into Kentucky Derby picture

(and Canadian-bred CAFE TORTONI is a good 2nd)

Larry Stumes, Special to The Chronicle

El Gato Malo dominated the $75,000 Gold Rush Stakes on Dec. 15 at Golden Gate Fields, then romped in the Grade 2, $150,000 San Rafael Stakes on Jan. 12 at Santa Anita to remain undefeated and put himself into the Kentucky Derby picture.

Not to be outdone, Yankee Bravo weaved his way through a 12-horse field to win the $150,000 California Derby on Sunday at Golden Gate Fields - remaining undefeated and putting the Kentucky Derby on the minds of his handlers.

"He's a baby, but he's got a lot of potential, a lot of class," said jockey Alex Solis, who has ridden in 14 Kentucky Derbies and finished second three times. "He's got a lot of room for improvement, and that's a big advantage. With the turn of foot he has, he can overcome trouble, and he's going to need that kind of run if he gets to the Kentucky Derby."

Yankee Bravo started Sunday's 11/16-mile race in last place, with Solis maneuvering him to the rail for the run around the first turn.

"I wanted to drop in and save some ground, and I knew he'd be in the back of the bus," Solis said. "After a quarter-mile, I knew the pace was slow, so I wanted to get a little better position."

Yankee Bravo advanced to within striking distance of leaders Victory Pete, Robscarvic and Capture the Call down the backstretch even though he was still eighth going into the second turn.

"Then it was just a matter of time and picking someone to follow," Solis said.

Yankee Bravo followed Café Tortoni toward the leaders on the turn but both horses had to wait for an opening to continue advancing. Yankee Bravo moved around Café Tortoni at the top of the stretch, then accelerated to the outside.

"I saw a little opening, and I said, 'This is my chance,' " Solis said. "As soon as he leveled off, he came running. I didn't have to ask him for very much."

Café Tortoni had to wait a little longer to find his opening but didn't have quite the kick Yankee Bravo had and finished 1 length behind him in second place. A very game Victory Pete finished a head behind Café Tortoni in third.

Yankee Bravo finished in 1:44.57 after running the final five-sixteenths of a mile in an excellent 29.70 and paid $5.20 to win as the 8-to-5 favorite.

The 3-year-old Kentucky-bred colt sold for $17,000 as a yearling and was sent to England, where he won his debut by 6 lengths going 5 furlongs on grass in a cheap maiden event.

Richard Duggan saw a tape of the race and was impressed enough to send it to trainer Patrick Gallagher - a transplanted Irishman based in Southern California. Gallagher also was impressed, and Duggan put together a partnership with Richard Bonnycastle of Harlequin Ranches, David Bienstock and Chuck Winner to buy Yankee Bravo.

Yankee Bravo won the $79,850 Eddie Logan Stakes on grass Dec. 29 at Santa Anita prior to trying Golden Gate Fields' Tapeta Footings synthetic surface in the California Derby.

"We wanted to try him on synthetic, and the timing of the race was good," Gallagher said. "This track was advertised as grass horses being able to handle it."

Nominated to the Triple Crown, Yankee Bravo will learn if he is truly worthy by running next in one of the prep races for the April 5 Santa Anita Derby. The Grade 3, $200,000 Sham Stakes on March 1 is the most likely.

"You don't think about that when you buy a horse like this; you just hope he wins some races," Gallagher said. "But he's got a chance to be that kind of horse."

Briefly: Santa Anita canceled racing Sunday - the sixth cancellation of the season - after more rain fell on its troubled Cushion Track synthetic surface. Today's program previously was canceled, and racing will resume Thursday. Track President Ron Charles said that, weather permitting, new material would be added to the track beginning Feb. 4 that should alleviate drainage problems.

Larry Stumes is a freelance writer. You can e-mail him at scare0103@aol.com.

This article appeared on page C - 7 of the San Francisco Chronicle

WILSON ‘AMAZED’ AT HONG KONG OPPORTUNITY

As reported yesterday, Emma-Jayne Wilson is headed east – far east. One of Woodbine’s top jocks has been granted a license to ride in Hong Kong and she leaves Tuesday.

The story appears in the TORONTO STAR today…

http://www.thestar.com/Sports/article/297980

FROM NATIONAL POST (Saturday)

Horse lobby presses for slaughter ban

Cruelty Cited; Horses flood into Canada after U.S. practice ends

Mary Vallis, National Post Published: Saturday, January 26, 2008

The once-booming business of killing horses in the United States died last year after court cases effectively shut down the country's last three abattoirs.

Thousands of unwanted horses are now crossing the border into Canada, where six federally licensed horse-slaughter plants cut and process the animals.

Most of the meat is then sent to Europe and Japan, where horse sashimi is considered a delicacy.

Activists are now lobbying for a national ban on the practice in Canada.

It is a tense issue. The activists, supported by such celebrities as Bo Derek and Willie Nelson, say they have the interests of horse lovers and gentle companion animals at heart.

Slaughter plant owners in Canada, on the other hand, bristle at suggestions their practices are unethical and are wary of attempts to draw the horsemeat business into the public eye.

They argue the international market for horsemeat is good business and creates valuable jobs.

"These people have a lot of money and a lot of time, and they create a lot of trouble," said Ken Piller, president of Natural Valley Meats in Saskatchewan.

"We're a plant. We just cut and process. To us, that's our job. If it's a chicken, or a turkey, or a horse, or a bison, or a cow, that's what we do."

To proponents of the slaughter ban, killing horses for meat is different than slaughtering cows for beef, partly because of people's emotional attachment to the species.

"It's a grey area where people might consider them livestock, but in actual fact, they're not livestock," says Shelley Grainger, a director with the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition.

"They're companion animals, they're support animals, they go to the Olympics. Policemen ride them to protect us," Ms. Grainger says.

"They're a symbol of nobility and so many other things that livestock just aren't."

Actress and horse enthusiast Bo Derek supports the group's call for a Canadian ban, saying Canada is long overdue in changing its animal cruelty laws.

"These same horses that we saved in one respect, a lot of them are ending up here and that only increases their suffering because the distances are further and the conditions that they are transported in are really horrendous," Ms. Derek said in Vancouver last week.

Federal statistics show that the number of horses driven across the border for slaughter jumped 37% in 2007, a surge animal activists say is directly linked to their success in shutting down the industry in the United States.

In total, 30,000 horses crossed the border last year bound for slaughter at those plants.

While the remaining horse abattoirs in the United States are closed [one in Illinois and two in Texas], another slaughterhouse could still legally open in any state that has not banned the slaughter of horses.

As a result, the Humane Society of the United States is pushing the Democratic-led Congress to pass the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, which would ban horse slaughter for human consumption nationwide.

That same legislation would also prohibit the export of horses for slaughter to Canada or Mexico.

Ed Whitfield, a Republican congressman from Kentucky who has been leading the fight for the ban in the United States, said horses taken to slaughter were stolen and taken to auction, where they were purchased by meat marketers.

"If it were not for a group of 50 or 60 killer buyers, this business wouldn't even exist," Mr. Whitfield said.

Horsemeat is a relatively small but thriving industry in Canada. While considered taboo in most of Canada, some meat is sold in Quebec.

Most of the horsemeat processed in Canada is shipped overseas, where it is considered

gourmet fare.

According to Statistics Canada, nearly $70-million worth of horsemeat was shipped to Canada's top 10 export countries in 2007, an increase of 20% over 2006. (The biggest buyers were France, Japan and Switzerland).

With a boom in the number of horses coming across the border, activists in Canada fear more plants are preparing to process the influx.

When horses reach a slaughterhouse, they are usually stunned with a captive bolt pistol that delivers a blow to the brain, and then bled to death.

Veterinarians working with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) inspect all horses delivered to slaughterhouses both before and after their deaths.

Natural Valley Farms, a beef facility in southern Saskatchewan, recovered from layoffs last year by processing horsemeat bound for the European Union.

The company now employs about 155 hourly workers.

Mr. Piller spoke reluctantly about his company's decision to process meat because he says it will bring a "flurry" of new attacks, but he stressed that his company adheres to federal guidelines.

"In Canada, trust me, there is no way in heck you could ever not do it right," he said.

Even some horse lovers recognize slaughter as a necessity. Equine Canada, the governing body for equestrian sports, released a statement yesterday saying it realizes the processing of horses "provides a humane alternative to allowing the horses to continue a life of discomfort and pain, inadequate care or abandonment."

Indeed, Dr. Temple Grandin, a professor of animal science at Colorado State University, says the closure of slaughterhouses in the United States has led to the abandonment of horses, and a fate "worse than slaughter" by being shipped out of the United States.

Her primary concern is not the horses exported to Canada for slaughter, but rather the 300% increase in horses in southern states shipped to Mexico.

"My worst nightmare has happened," Dr. Grandin said. "People go, 'Ick, I don't want to eat horses.' But what they weren't thinking about were worse fates than slaughter."

mvallis@nationalpost.com

FAST MILLIONS

UPDATE!! EMMA-JAYNE WILSON GETS HONG KONG LICENSE

Champion jockey EMMA-JAYNE WILSON has been granted a license from the Hong Kong Jockey Club and will leave Tuesday to ride at Sha Tin and Happy Valley racecourses beginning Feb.2.
Wilson, who is currently riding at Fair Grounds, rode in the Cathay Pacific Jockey Challenge in December and made a good impression.
Here is a story (slightly out of date now) from the South China Morning News...


Canadian rider Emma-Jayne Wilson may be called upon this week to alleviate the lightweight jockey shortage and become the first expatriate female jockey to be granted a club jockey licence in Hong Kong.

With suspensions cutting a swathe through the riding ranks, the Jockey Club is concerned at the shortage of lightweights available in the immediate future.

Sources say club officials, who were highly impressed with Wilson when she rode at Happy Valley in the Cathay Pacific International Jockeys Championship last month, see the Canadian as a solution.

The timing would be suitable for the 26-year-old as she is the leading rider at Woodbine track in Toronto, where temperatures are below freezing and the track is in recess for winter until racing begins anew in April.

She has been finding gainful employment nonetheless in the warmer south of the United States, based at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, and also competing in Miami, where she contested Group races last night.

On Friday evening, Wilson missed out on Canadian racing's biggest accolade when she was voted second in the Sovereign Awards jockey of the year there, but would get the chance to break totally new ground if granted a licence here.

American Julie Krone is the only foreign female jockey to have ridden winners in Hong Kong, landing two at the Ladies Purse meeting in October 1994.

But none has secured a contract to ride on a regular basis.

Wilson won plenty of admirers with her presentation and manner during the Happy Valley series, not to mention her narrow second on the generally difficult Vincere during the racetrack action.

FIGHT CLUB - Ginger Punch won her SUNSHINE MILLIONS race as expected yesterday - she paid $2.60. She won in front of her owner, Frank Stronach, who appears in a big feature story in Florida today (see below). GINGER PUNCH is out of the Canadian bred mare NAPPELON, a daughter of the Bold Ruckus stallion Bold Revenue. (phooto courtesy of EquisportPhotos.com through www.horse-races.net)

109 BEYER FOR THE PUNCH and ‘BLACK JACK’

from the PALM BEACH POST..

"Ginger Punch wins for Gulfstream owner"

BY HAL HABIB

HALLANDALE BEACH — The winning owner had no trouble finding the winner's circle and no trouble grasping what the victory meant.

Frank Stronach runs Gulfstream Park and came up with the idea for the Sunshine Millions six years ago, so it was only fitting that Stronach's Ginger Punch lived up to her billing as a 1-5 favorite Saturday by cruising to a 63/4-length victory in the $500,000 Sunshine Millions Distaff.

It was Stronach's first victory in the series, which figured. His week began with Ginger Punch being named the top older female horse for 2007, giving Stronach his seventh Eclipse Award.

Just about everything else went Stronach's way Saturday. The eight-race series, pitting Florida-breds vs. California-breds, went off without a hitch after several days of rain jeopardized Santa Anita's four-race share of the action. The track's maintenance crew removed 2 inches of the wet top layer of Cushion Track and added some of the original synthetic material.

In California, Bill Mott's Go Between captured the featured $1 million Sunshine Millions Classic, paying $12 to win. Florida trainer Edward Plesa's entries of Electrify and Gottcha Gold finished eighth and ninth, respectively. The highlight of the Santa Anita races came when Dearest Trickski won the Filly and Mare Sprint and her time of 1:07.66 set a world record for 6 furlongs.

The Gulfstream crowd also saw Benny the Bull win the $300,000 Sprint, followed by American County taking the $250,000 Oaks, giving jockey Edgar Prado two victories in the first two events.

Gulfstream's final event was the $500,000 Turf, and when War Monger hit the wire, it gave Mott three wins on the day. Mott also trains Quite a Bride, who took the Filly and Mare Turf at Santa Anita. "You imagine days like this," Mott said.

Stronach did when he created the Sunshine Millions, even though he believes Ginger Punch's race marked the first time he even entered one of the races.

"Racing needs superstars," Stronach said. "Racing needs great events. And I think we can do so much better yet in the Sunshine Millions to really make it a great event. Eventually I look down the road where Maryland runs against Texas and so on. It's got to be more exciting."

Ginger Punch was exhilarating enough when she broke poorly out of the gate but took the lead coming out of the turn in the 11/8-mile race for fillies and mares 4 years old and up.

"When I came to the turn, I saw my horse wanted to explode," jockey Rafael Bejarano said. "Good feeling."

Stronach thought so, regardless of any desire to protect his home turf as chairman of Magna Entertainment, Gulfstream's parent company.

"I think to win a race, anyplace, anywhere, it's a thrill," Stronach said.

It had been a busy few minutes for the track owner. He escorted around guest Donald Trump, whose presence drew a crowd of about 50 fans trailing his moves. Trump Towers sponsored the Oaks, allowing The Donald a trip to the winner's circle to honor American County.

"I love coming to the races, more so than anything else," Trump said. "I love it that much."

Stronach was just glad that he and trainer Bobby Frankel decided to keep Ginger Punch on the track rather than retire her, as they did Sugar Shake.

"I was debating it with Bobby," Stronach said. In the end, "We said, 'It would be nice to keep one.' "

Benny the Bull won the 6-furlong sprint over 41/2 lengths over Santana Strings for trainer Rick Dutrow, who couldn't believe his horse ran so well so close to the front.

"I can't explain it," Dutrow said. "It's not anything that I've changed his training in any kind of way."

Noteworthy: Florida breds won seven of the eight races and outpointed California 58-14. ... Bob Black Jack was California's lone winner, taking the $250,000 Dash.

SANTA ANITA SPEEDWAY

Scrape scrape scrape….2 inches comes off, 2 seconds come off

3YO CALIFORNIA BRED RUNS 6 FURLONGS IN 1:06.53

It’s been tough what has been going on at Santa Anita with the bad Cushion track, the unfortunate weather etc. But racing horses over this surface yesterday sure looked ludicrous.

FROM THE LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS

Not just a sport of kings at Sunshine Millions

By Art Wilson, Staff Writer

ARCADIA - Thoroughbred racing is often referred to as the Sport of Kings, but you don't have to be as rich as a Saudi prince to succeed in the game.

Bob Black Jack, a $25,000 private purchase as a 2-year-old, won the $250,000 Sunshine Millions Dash on Saturday at Santa Anita. The lone California-bred winner in the eight Millions races has earned $268,925 for owners Tim Kasparoff - trainer James Kasparoff's brother - and Jeff Harmon while winning three of five starts.

Two races earlier, Dearest Trickski, a $32,000 claim at Del Mar in August, ran her victory streak to five with a 4-1/4-length win in the $300,000 Filly & Mare Sprint for trainer John Sadler while setting fractions of 20.52 and 43.39 en route to a six-furlongs clocking of 1:07.66.

The 4-year-old Proudest Romeo filly has provided owner Tom Mankiewicz a healthy profit on his investment, earning $315,000 with her past two victories alone. Overall, she's won five of six for Mankiewicz, finishing second once.

Mankiewicz also claimed Grade I winner Victory Encounter for $32,000 out of a maiden race in April 2003.

"I don't know one owner who's claimed two horses that have won the races that Tom's won," Sadler said.

Bob Black Jack, ridden by David Flores - who won his record seventh Sunshine Millions race - blazed through splits of 20.92 and 42.46 en route to running the six furlongs in 1:06.53 and scoring by 3-1/2 lengths as the 4-5 choice.

The 3-year-old Stormy Jack colt lost the lead briefly to Winsome Charm at the head of the stretch but rallied back along the rail to win his second stake of the meet. He won the $138,375 California Breeders' Champion on opening day by 6-1/4 lengths.

"Turning for home, it looked like he (Winsome Charm) was going on with it. And I'm like, `Oh no,"' said James Kasparoff, who operates a three-horse stable. "And then all of a sudden, he (Flores) shook the reins at him and really laid him down, and this horse said, `No, no, no, no, no, no. I've got way more left in the tank.'

"It's really nice to have a horse that can do that."

Dearest Trickski, also sent postward at 4-5 under jockey Mike Smith, came in off a 1-1/2-length victory in the $250,000 La Brea Stakes on Dec. 29 and has now won 9 of 13 overall, including eight of her past nine. She had been claimed for $10,000 and $12,500 previously before Mankiewicz grabbed her, and she's won four of five on synthetic surfaces.

More rain forecast

Today's nine-race card is likely to get canceled because of a storm that was expected to hit late Saturday and drop 3-to-4 inches of rain by tonight.

A rainout, coupled with Monday's and Thursday's cards that already have been canceled to enable workers to begin mixing in new materials in the Cushion Track to fix the drainage problem, would bring the meet total to eight. That would match the total number of cancellations in the track's 71-year history.

BIG BIG LOVE – MORE STUFF FROM YESTERDAY

HORSEPLAYER INTERACTIVE went ont he fritz again yesterday afternoon (2nd time this month) and no one could bet on the telephone or on the computer for a while around 2:30...

AUTOBAHN GIRL, an A.P. Indy filly out of Canadian champion SAORISE won the Marie Krantz Memorial Stakes yesterday at Fair Grounds for trainer Malcolm Pierce. Pierce, who has owned Fair Grounds in recent years, had the filly spot on to win the 1 1/16 mile race in the slop (it was originally carded for grass). The 4yo is owned by Live Oak Stud. It was her 6th win in 14 starts.

BIG LOVE BILL, a Kentucky bred by Salt Lake owned by Canada’s Donver Stable and trained by Josie Carroll, won at 23 to 1 yesterday at Fair Grounds.

In the slop, Big Love Bill stalked the pace 3 wide and then powered home by ¾ of a length under Patrick Husbands in the 6 furlong maiden allowance.

The dark bay is out of Gender Bias and was a $92,000 2yo purchase. Big Love Bill was 2nd at Woodbine in his debut at 9 to 2 and 7th in his Fair Grounds opener.

Fair Grounds had at least 2 break downs yesterday.

*LAYNE GILIFORTE won a race at Laurel Park for Eugene Melnyk. The Florida-bred EBSWORTH won the $10,000 claiming race by 14 ¼ lengths. The gelding is by Graeme Hall.

*ROVING ANGEL, a Canadian-based mare, finished last in the Nellie Morse Stakes at Laurel Park.

*A report in DAILY RACING FORM said Turfway Park was happy with its Polytrack this winter. That is good news but it sure looks bad on the television. Can horses actually run into that blizzard of surface?

*A first-time starter at TAMPA BAY DOWNS yesterday won at 40 to 1 from the 12 post. The 5yo by Hazaam, named QUESHUA had the following workouts showing:

103B Classic Mile Jan 5; 52B Classic Mile Dec 11; 38B Classic Mile Dec 3.

ELLIS TO RIDE IN JAMAICA IN 2008

The Jamaican Gleaner reports today that SHANE ELLIS, who rode 3 winners at Caymanas Park yesterday, will not return to Woodbine to ride this year. He has 10 winners in Jamaica this season and will ride there throughout the year.

GOOD FEATURE ON DERBY PREPS RUN ON SYNTHETIC..

From the Louisville-Courier Journal

Derby could be 1st dirt race for many

All California preps on synthetic tracks

By Jennie Rees

jrees@courier-journal.com

The Courier-Journal

A basic principle in handicapping race horses is never bet a horse to do something it's never done. Come the May 3 Kentucky Derby, horseplayers will have to assess those horses who have never raced on a true dirt track before going to the post at Churchill Downs.

With California's major tracks required to install synthetic surfaces by 2008, an increasing number of Derby starters won't ever have raced on dirt. Last year -- when Turfway and Keeneland offered the only Polytrack preps -- fifth-place Sedgefield was the lone Derby starter who had not raced on dirt.

The El Camino Real Derby will be California's only dirt prep for the Kentucky Derby because Bay Meadows got an exemption. Leading California horses -- including CashCall Futurity winner Into Mischief, CashCall runner-up Colonel John and unbeaten San Rafael victor El Gato Malo -- are scheduled to have all their preps on Santa Anita's Cushion Track.

"That's a huge wrinkle," East Coast-based trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said of the 134th Derby. "… How can you go bet money on a horse who has won on the turf 10 times when he's running on the dirt for the first time? Now you're talking about a horse who's been only 'poly' and is on the dirt. I certainly couldn't bet or be high on them as a trainer going in without knowing."

"It's definitely a question mark," said California trainer Bob Hess, who hopes to get Limestone Edge to the Derby. "When we're buying horses to run out here, I'm looking for a different stride and different foot configuration than I used to."

Of course, Santa Anita's new Cushion Track remains a big question mark itself because of its severe drainage problems. Five cards have been canceled since Jan. 5 in the wake of unusually heavy rain and hail. Santa Anita will try to fix the problem this week by reconstituting the surface with material made by synthetic rival Pro-Ride. But some trainers are at least starting to think about contingency plans.

The top five finishers in last year's Derby all had at least one major work over Churchill's sandy loam. Eventual winner Street Sense had his final prep over Keeneland's Polytrack, but he had raced on dirt and was stabled at Churchill.

"I think maybe Derby training might be a lot more important," said trainer Rusty Arnold, whose Breeders' Futurity winner Wicked Style was drilled in the Breeders' Cup in the slop at Monmouth Park after going 3 for 3 over Polytrack. "You're going to see horses come in early and get more than one or two works at Churchill, would be my guess."

Nick Zito, trainer of 2-year-old champion War Pass and Kentucky Jockey Club winner Anak Nakal, said he won't be prepping on a synthetic surface.

"Definitely not," he said, amending, "I see myself running at Keeneland in the Blue Grass (Stakes) if it's the only alternative, but I don't see myself doing well. First of all, we don't have any grass pedigrees."

That's a reference to the fact that many grass horses who struggle on dirt handle Polytrack.

"If they don't have any dirt form, it's going to be very difficult" to evaluate, trainer Todd Pletcher said. "You might have horses who are overachieving on the synthetics, and they show up on the dirt and they don't run well. Then you might have some horses who are flying just underneath the radar screen who are maybe getting a little piece of it (in synthetic races), and they're the ones who are going to improve the most when you get to dirt."

Others think it won't be a big deal, noting that most horses are bred for dirt. Mark Casse -- whose Woodbine division trains over Polytrack -- believes California might actually produce better Derby horses.

"You might see a truer test (in the Derby), because the true stayers -- horses who can really stay a mile and a quarter -- will be the ones who are successful on synthetic tracks going farther," he said. "No more shooting to the lead and speeding away and nobody can catch you."

HOW DID THEY DO?

Two key Derby preps were run on the synthetic surface Polytrack last year. A look at how the first three finishers fared in the Derby:

Toyota Blue Grass Stakes

(Keeneland)

Horse

Derby finish

1. Dominican

11th

2. Street Sense

1st

3. Zanjero

12th

Lane's End Stakes (Turfway)

Horse

Derby finish

1. Hard Spun

2nd

2. Sedgefield

5th

3. Joe Got Even

NR

FEATURE IN THE FORT LAUDERDALE SUN SENTINAL

FRANK STRONACH

“Gulfstream Park owner has turned passion for horses into losing proposition”

By HANAH CHO

The Horse Wizard was a hybrid of a slot machine and a live race telecast, in which images of horses instead of cherries spun on the screen. Win, and listen to the sound effects of coins dropping.

It was Frank Stronach's pet project. To the founder of Magna Entertainment Corp., the Horse Wizard took the thinking out of betting, while offering the excitement and instant gratification of casino gambling to a new generation of patrons.

But if Stronach, the owner of Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, expected others around him to embrace his enthusiasm, he didn't hear it. "I remember sitting there, and he had some test ones, and I tried them and said, 'This is really bad, Frank,'" recalled Gino Roncelli, a former Magna director.

"'Oh no, they're going to get used to this. This is going to be great,'" Roncelli remembered Stronach saying. "I said, 'Frank, this is a terrible loser.'"

Undeterred, Stronach authorized spending $15 million to $20 million to build and install Horse Wizards at Magna's major thoroughbred tracks. At Laurel Park in Laurel, Md., officials built a new room with flat-screen TVs, faux-velvet ropes and nightclub lighting to hold 36 of the slot machine look-alikes. But the device had little of the appeal of either slots or live wagering.

The result: Virtually no one played. Less than a year after the VIP debut party in January 2005, Laurel shut the Horse Wizard lounge. The machines still sit in the roped-off room.

The Horse Wizard was, in microcosm, the story of Magna Entertainment under Stronach. Fueled by the auto parts magnate's passion for horse racing, Magna's eight-year run as a public company has been marked by autocracy and misplaced risks that have disappointed even some of Stronach's allies in the fight to save horse racing, according to more than a dozen interviews with people in the industry and a review of thousands of pages of federal and state financial filings.

Magna has lost more than $400 million since 2002 and survives on infusions from Stronach personally and his other businesses, filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission show.

Read on at…

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-flzmagna0127sbjan27,0,6349095.story

I GOT SUNSHINE

STRUT THAT STUFF!
A face that everyone can love!
This little girl was one day old on THURSDAY when she stepped outside into the snow at PEDIGREE FARM near Schomberg.
This is the first foal for the millionaire stallion STRUT THE STAGE (Theatrical), who stands at Colebrook Farms. This gal is the first foal of the winning mare COUNTESS GRACE (Grey Counter).






The STRUT THE STAGE filly has a lot of chrome!

TODAY

Locals in action today include MALCOLM PIERCE, who has a litany of runners at Fair Grounds including AUTOBAHN GIRL in the MARIE KRANTZ MEMORIAL STAKES, the promising SERNEITY LAKE in race 3 and THE GREAT CARUSO in the 7^th race.

Canadian-bred IT’S A Danzig is also in race 7 for a new owner and trainer (Steve Asmussen).

At Laurel, ROVING ANGEL, for Rachel McClelland, competes in the Nellie Morse Handicap The 6yo Kentucky brede is coming off a 3^rd in the New Years Eeve Stakes at Mountaineer.

And Canadian-bred MAREN’S MEADOW is in the Dixie Belle Stakes at Oaklawn today, meeting up with the rapid RATED FEISTY.

YESTERDAY

The wild ride continues for trainer TINO ATTARD at Gulfstream. Attard, a longtime top trainer at Woodbine who has spent a lot of time helping his son Kevin rise to the top of the trainer’s standings, is having a stunning meeting.

Yesterday, ONE DREAMY CAT (a Canadian-bred by Cat’s at Home won handily for $12,500 claiming for Attard and owner Herbert Chambers). Attard previously sent out Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk to a career best 100 Beyer Figure in a win.

QUEEN'S PLATE HOPEFUL FOR MELNYK

PALMERS is on the map for the 2008 Queen's Plate with a maiden score yesterday fair Grounds. The GRAND SLAM colt won the 1 1/16 mile race on the grass but had been flirting int he 70s in Beyer Figures before that in 3 previous races, 2 on the main track. No Beyer Figure was available yet for PALMERS.

He is the 2nd foal of the SILVER DEPUTY mare Edey's Village, a 4-time winner - her first is the maiden SEAMANS VILLAGE.

ASCOT KNIGHT PENSIONED

Our former Leading Canadian Sire Ascot Knight has been retired from stud duties due to declining health after 19 seasons at stud and will be pensioned at the farm.

The 24 year old son of Danzig-Bambee T.T., by Better Bee, has sired 32 stakes winners and earners of more than $28 million, including champion Pennyhill Park(G2), Italian Derby(G1) winner Bahamian Knight, Canadian Oaks winner Plenty Of Sugar, Breeder's Stakes winner Pinafore Park and additional SWs Influent(G1), Hey Hazel(G2), Ascot Yael(G2), Reclaim(G2), Cheery Knight(G2) and Scotman(G3).

Bred in Canada by Bob Anderson, Ascot Knight was purchased by Gainsborough Farm for $1,400,000 at the Keeneland July Yearling sale in 1985. He was sent to England where he won or placed in seven of ten starts, including a victory in the Mecca Bookmaker's Scottish Derby and placings in 4 graded stakes including a second in the Matchmaker International S.(G1) before retiring to stud at Windfields for the 1989 season.

A son of leading sire of sires Danzig, Ascot Knight is a full brother to champion Petit Loup, and a half brother to champion and Canadian classic winner Bounding Away and stakes winner overreaction, and from the immediate family of major sire Clever Trick and millionaire and multiple graded SW Tenpins.

His runners have excelled on turf and are showing quite an affinity for the Woodbine Polytrack surface also. He had 2007 progeny earnings of more than $1.5 million, with over $1.1 million of that realized over synthetic surfaces.

He is also gaining a reputation as an exceptional broodmare sire, as evidenced by the $385,000 hammer price for his graded-stakes producing daughter Ascot Starre at the 2008 Keeneland January sale.
His daughters have produced 23 stakes winners of more than $16 million US at this writing, including 2007 SWs He's No Pie Eater(G1), Divine Park(G3), Suva(L), Pretoria Light and Molly's Pride and additional SWs Mula Gula(G2), Greelay's Galaxy(G2), Trail The Fox(G2), A La Reine(G3) and High Button Shoes(G3).

TEST POSITIVE? HORSE BANNED 90 DAYS

In a first of its kind in North America, the Ontario Racing Commission has implemented a rule in which any horse that tests positive for a class 1, 2 or 3 drug, will be unable to race for 90 days.

Previously, such a horse could be transferred to another trainer while the trainer is banned, but now the ORC is moving to an “owner responsibility” mandate.

A series of new rules were issued by the ORC by press release and can be found on its website.

There are other rules regarding SHOCK WAVE THERAPY, liability for trainers, horse passports etc.

http://www.ontarioracingcommission.ca/initiatives.aspx?id=439

NOTES ON THE SUNSHINE MILLIONS

SUNSHINE MILLIONS VERDCIT DUE SOON
FROM THE UNION-TRIBUNE

January 26, 2008

Santa Anita is one day short of the track record when racing was canceled for a second straight day yesterday.

Calling things off again today, when the Arcadia facility is to host four races of the Sunshine Millions, would tie the record and qualify as track President Ron Charles' worst nightmare. But the possibility exists.

Santa Anita received approximately 3½ inches of rain and approximately two inches of hail in the 48-hour period from Wednesday to yesterday morning.

It was exactly what was not needed on the drainage-deficient Cushion Track synthetic surface that forced shutting the place down Jan. 5-7.

As Charles said Thursday: “We're at the mercy of the weather.”

It was blustery with occasional showers at the storied Great Race Place near Pasadena yesterday afternoon. The forecast calls for more precipitation today, although how much and when is any meteorologist's guess.

The deadline for a go-or-no-go decision is ostensibly 10 this morning.

“Any decision we make will be in full consultation with trainers, owners, jockeys, officials and track maintenance personnel,” Charles said yesterday. “We realize that many people, including our fans and horsemen, are being inconvenienced by the uncertainty wrought by the current weather and track conditions . . .

“If we get a break in the weather, we will make every attempt to try and run.”

The Sunshine Millions consists of eight races restricted to California-or Florida-bred horses. The eight races have combined purses of $3.6 million.

Four are staged at Gulfstream Park in Florida and four at Santa Anita, on an alternating basis. Full TV coverage is to be provided by ESPNEWS (1-2 p.m. PST) and ESPN2 (2-3 PST).

All systems are go at Gulfstream. If Santa Anita has to cancel, its portion of the Sunshine Millions will be rescheduled at a later date.

Taking the optimist's approach that the show will go on on both coasts, here's a capsule look at the Sunshine Millions races, in order of occurrence.

Sprint (Gulfstream, $300,000, 6 furlongs, 11 entered, post 1:02 p.m.) – Benny the Bull was fourth in the Breeders' Cup Sprint in October, and Cobalt Blue won a non-BC sprint earlier on the same Monmouth Park program.

Filly & Mare Sprint (Santa Anita, $300,000, 6 furlongs, 10 entered, 1:14 p.m.) – Dearest Trickski has won four straight, starting in September at Del Mar.

Oaks (Gulfstream, $250,000, 6 furlongs, 11 entered, 1:35 p.m.) – Blitzing and American County come in off impressive last-out victories.

Filly & Mare Turf (Santa Anita, $500,000, 1 1/8 miles, 8 entered, 1:44 p.m.) – Nashoba's Key makes first start since career-starting seven-race win streak ended at BC Filly & Mare Turf.

Distaff (Gulfstream, $500,000, 1 1/8 miles, 12 entered, 2:02 p.m.) – Ginger Punch, Older Female Eclipse Award winner for 2007, makes 2008 debut looking to top $2 million career earnings mark.

Dash (Santa Anita, $250,000, 6 furlongs, 10 entered, 2:15 p.m.) – Georgie Boy makes first start since winning Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 7.

Turf (Gulfstream, $500,000, 1 1/8 miles, 12 entered, 2:32 p.m.) – Icy Atlantic, race runner-up to Lava Man in '07, targeted to make step up.

Classic (Santa Anita, $1 million, 1 1/8 miles, 14 entered, 2:46 p.m.) – Defending race champion McCann's Mojave facing deepest field in brief history of the event with Celtic Dreamin, Diamond Stripes and Electrify figuring as top betting favorit