FOLLOW THE STREAM

ICE FISHING...The stallion GONE FISHIN frolics in the snow at Hillside Thoroughbreds this week as Ontario has been buried in the fluffy white stuff. To find out more about this beautiful horse (and his excellent race record) click on his advertisement on my site!)

LYNCH MOB – 7 for 14 at meeting (or something like that)

90 Beyer for SONG SHAN

The leased colt SONG SHAN (leased by breeder Stronach Stables) was yet another winner for the team of Stronach and trainer Brian Lynch yesterday at Calder.

Song Shan, a Golden Missile 3yo, bred in Ontario, is a half brother to Macho Uno (champion) and Awesome Again (champion). The colt led all the way to win the 7 furlong maiden race easily under Elvis Trujillo.

The colt was 2nd to the promising WRITTEN IN STONE in a maiden allowance at Woodbine in his previous race.

BAKER LOVES THE HUTCHESON

Canadian owner/trainer in big race Saturday

Saturday is the first big day of the Gulfstream meeting with the Hitcheson Stakes on tap.

Also on the card, in race 3, the Ontario bred HENNESSY EXPRESS is in a maiden allowance at nine-furlongs for trainer Nick Gonzalez. Perhaps we can start watching out for the Canadian-breds with an eye to the Queen’s Plate next June.

In Race 4 – ROCKGLEN (Bold n’ Flashy-Katebyrne) is in an allowance race as one of the contenders off a maiden score at Woodbine on Dec. 9 with an 80 Beyer Figure. He competes for Jim and Alice Sapara and trainer Josie Carroll. Also in the race is Woodbine based folks Weila Ye and Julia Carey, who will start Florida bred KAHANAMOKU (67 Beyer from his maiden score).

In race 10, Centennial Farms and trainer Alec Fehr drop the classy stakes winning 8yo COLOURFUL JUDGEMENT in for $18,000 claiming at one mile on the turf.

HUTCHESON STAKES PREVIEW

From seattlepi.com

Hutcheson Stakes first up on way to Louisville

Hallandale Beach, FL (Sports Network) - Gulfstream Park's first stakes race of 2008 for three-year-olds is set for Saturday. The $150,000 Hutcheson Stakes has attracted a field 10 colts in the seven-furlong test.

Trainer Nick Zito has the entry of Cool Coal Man and Coal Play from owner Robert LaPenta in the race. Cool Coal Man has drawn post three with Coal Play breaking from the far outside post. Cornelio Velazquez has been named to ride both horses.

Cool Coal Man has won two of five starts for $71,731, but is coming off a disappointing seventh place finish in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes last November. He was sent off at 5-2 in the seven horse field, but faded in the stretch.

Stablemate Coal Play was second to Check It Twice as the 9-10 favorite last month in the What a Pleasure. Sired by Mineshaft along with Cool Coal Man, Coal Play has earned $52,147 in three starts and one win.

LaPenta and Zito also race Breeders' Cup Juvenile champ War Pass.

Notgivinmyloveaway comes out of a victory in the Pennsylvania Nursery at Philadelphia Park, a race that Hard Spun captured as a two-year-old. Owned by Jus Luk Stable, Notgivinmyloveaway has two wins in four starts for $95,312. His first three starts were at Woodbine in Canada for trainer Reade Baker. The colt will start from post eight with jockey Edgar Prado.

Grand Minstrel, trained by Jimmy Jerkens, has drawn post two with Eibar Coa back to ride. The colt has won two of five starts for $101,350, with a win in the Capote Stakes at Aqueduct last month.

Here is the complete field for the Hutcheson in post position order: Tiz It, John Velazquez; Grand Minstrel, Eibar Coa; Cool Coal Man, Cornelio Velasquez; Halo Najib, Kent Desormeaux; Smooth Air, Manoel Cruz; Silver Edition, Rene Douglas; Big Truck, Javier Castellano; Notgivinmyloveaway, Edgar Prado; Golden Spikes, Eddie Castro and Coal Play, Cornelio.

With a post-time of 5:00 p.m. (et), the Hutcheson Stakes is the lead-off event for Gulfstream's Kentucky Derby preps. The Fountain of Youth comes up on February 24 and the Florida Derby is set for March 29. The Holy Bull Stakes on April 12 comes three weeks before the Run for the Roses.

Opening day preview of Gulfstream from Los Angeles Times

$75,000 South Beach highlights start of Gulfstream Park meet

By Bob Mieszerski, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

January 3, 2008

Gulfstream Park will begin its winter-spring meet Thursday with a nine-race card highlighted by the $75,000 South Beach.

An ungraded race for the older fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on turf, the South Beach has a full field of 12, including Mystic Soul.

Idle since finishing third in the Honeymoon Breeders' Cup Handicap on June 9 at Hollywood Park, Mystic Soul, a 4-year-old Bahri filly, will make her first start for trainer Wesley Ward, who is also scheduled to run True And True.

A winner twice in seven races on the grass, Mystic Soul, who will break from the outside in the large field, will be ridden by Jose Lezcano. She is owned by Rancho San Miguel and Turf Express.

The only horse in the field who has won over the grass at Gulfstream is Silversider, who will leave from the rail. Owned by Initially Stable and Luis Quersia and trained by Angel Medina, the 5-year-old Wekiva Springs mare is one for five on the course, but was winless in 11 races in 2007.

One of the main contenders in the South Beach is the consistent Snow Cone. A 4-year-old Cryptoclearance filly owned by breeder Charlotte Weber's Live Oak Plantation and trained by Marty Wolfson, she has been 1-2 in five of her last six. She will be ridden by Eddie Castro.

Race of the day: Monastery Scandal, an impressive winner in his first start on the turf ..

(to read more

http://www.latimes.com/sports/printedition/la-spw-insider3jan03,1,1462907.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-sports&ctrack=1&cset=true)

CHAMPION JUDITH BACK AGAIN

JUDITH’S WILD RUSH, a multiple champion in Canada who has not raced since September but surely deserved a rest after a long career to this point, is in the NATIVE DANCER STAKES at Laurel on Saturday. The gelding won the race last year through disqualification.

Judith (11 for 44 in his career) has not crossed the finish line in 1st place since June 2006. He has been trained by Scott Fairlie, Reade Baker, Gerry Seymour and Julian Canet.

Also in the race is Stronach Stables’ BARRACUDA BOY (also a Kentucky bred), trained by Justin Nixon.

TROT INSIDER GETS COMMENTS FROM WOODBINE, CAW…

Ticket Issue Leads To Comments From CAW, WEG

January 2, 2008 (courtesy Standardbred Canada)

Following an incident regarding a mistakenly-issued winning ticket, the Canadian Auto Workers Local 2007 and the Woodbine Entertainment Group today stated their respective positions on the situation.

According to a release today from CAW, on December 1 a betting clerk at WEG's Greenwood Teletheatre in Toronto mistakenly issued an incorrect ticket to a patron. The patron had asked to place a $500 bet on a number 5 horse to win, but the final ticket read number 6.

The race started before the betting clerk was able to cancel the ticket and correct the error. The patron refused to accept the incorrect ticket and refused to pay the $500 that was owed. As is common practice with Woodbine Entertainment Group it then becomes the betting clerk's responsibility to pay the outstanding $500 fee.

As it turned out, the incorrect ticket became a winning ticket paying out $7,825. Rather than allow the betting clerk to collect the winnings an employer representative confiscated the winning ticket and subsequently reimbursed the $500 fee. Woodbine refuses to turn over the full proceeds of the ticket, which was in the teller's possession.

After being contacted by Trot Insider, Jane Holmes, WEG's Vice-President, Corporate Affairs, clarified WEG's position.

"WEG manages its operations in accordance with its regulatory requirements, collective agreement articles and corporate policies," said Holmes.

"Under CPMA regulations, a teller is always responsible for his/her cash, and in this instance the teller couldn't cancel the ticket because the race had already started. Under regulations, pari-mutuel clerks cannot bet, therefore the clerk couldn't cash the ticket.

"All overages must be returned to the betting customer through an 'add in' to a future betting pool. This is exactly the action that was taken by WEG."

The CAW Local 2007 announced today that it has launched a campaign to stop what the union calls "unreasonable rules and practices" for racetrack workers held responsible for the payment of incorrect betting tickets.

Based on past practice at the racetrack, the union believes that had the ticket lost, the betting clerk would not have been reimbursed the $500.

Hemi Mitic, Assistant to the CAW National President, considers this a blatantly unfair practice for betting clerks.

"Our members are being told to foot the bill for incorrect tickets, regardless if they are responsible for the error or not, and then told that they can't share in the rewards," Mitic said. "This is a double-standard that our union simply won't stand for."

In concluding WEG's position, Holmes told Trot Insider, "WEG has first and foremost an obligation to comply with its regulatory mandate. This matter that the CAW is referring to is currently being dealt with through a grievance process."

ECLIPSE AWARD WINNING FEATURE STORY

THE WONDERFUL PRECISIONIST

http://www.posttimeusa.com/Portals/16/v34%20number%201/p72_BillMooney.pdf