BIG TIME

(An exceptional photographer is SARAH K. ANDREW, who caught SUGAR SWIRL making a funny face. See her awesome shots at Rock and Racehorses...the link is on my sidebar)



SWEEEEEEET SUGAR SWIRL WINS 3RD GRADED STAKE 94 BEYER FIGURE
No issue with the weight, just her rider Javiar Castellano trying to keep Canadian-bred star SUGAR SWIRL from running over top of horses early in yesterday's SHIRLEY JONES STAKES (Grade 2).

The 5yo Touch Gold-Astrapi, Distinctive Pro mare set some kind of record with 3 graded stakes wins at the meeting and now she might get a little rest, according to the Daily Racing Form report (below).

Sugar Swirl, who carried high weight of 124 pounds, covered seven furlongs in (1:22.57) a 94 Beyer Figure.

From the DRF: "She came into this race better than the first two," said trainer Brian Lynch. "She's a big, strong filly, so carrying all that weight was not as big an issue as it might be. And just like her last two wins she settled well and rated nicely."

Lynch said he's not sure what will be next for Sugar Swirl.

"She'll get a little break because she's had three hard races this winter," said Lynch, who stables regularly at Woodbine during the summer. "We had thought about bringing her back in the Humana Distaff at Churchill Downs. I guess we'll just wait and see what Mr. Stronach wants to do."

It's hard to believe that this SUGAR SWIRL is the same gal who won that slow PRINCESS ELIZABETH Stakes in 2005 at Woodbine, 1:50 for 1 1/16 miles.

But she's a pretty good sprinter and let's hope she races throughout the year.


106 BEYER FOR BIG BROWN Jock says he runs like "a deer in the meadow"
Undefeated colt BIG BROWN ran a 106 Beyer in yesterday's Florida Derby, a bit lower than I thought it would be.
Anyway, the colt is now going to be a big favourite for the Kentucky Derby.
Interesting that yesterday was the day for trainers STEVE ASMUSSEN and RICHARD DUTROW JR. and the pair also have the top 2 horses fo rthe Derby.
The former trains PYRO.
It's all Dutrow, all Asmussen all the time.

BIG BROWN was a $60,000 yearling in October of 2006 and a $190,000 2yo purchase by Paul Pompa Jr. who sold part of the horse to IEAH last year.




COLUMN BY VIC ZEIGEL, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS...

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla.- If anybody tearing up his tickets after the Florida Derby still has any doubts, qualms, questions, complaints about Big Brown, the laughing winner, show me the guy, just show me the guy.
This one was too easy. Or is the horse that special?
The chart for the million-dollar race identified Big Brown's margin as five lengths. Was that all? It had to be more, a shoe size, 7-1/2, 8, who knows?
And look, here they come, finally, the 11 who came out of the gate the same exact day and time as the winner. Big Brown, the solid favorite, returned $5 for every deuce, a payoff that may seem like a generous price someday.
If all goes well, if he stays healthy, continues to improve, with only five weeks until the Kentucky Derby, there's no telling if we're talking about a super-horse.
Did somebody say Secretariat? Whoa, we're not quite there yet. The difficult questions about Big Brown came before the race. He was leaving from the 12 post, Outer Fort Lauderdale, for Saturday's mile and one-eighth.
For four years, 29 races, no horse coming out of the 11 or 12 has won a distance race at Gulftream.
"Big Brown might be a monster," said the Daily Racing Form's astute analyzer, "but ..." And that was it for the compliments.
The Curse of the Twelveino, he indicated, was too much to overcome. He didn't pick the horse in the first three.
And there was much more to wonder about.
When he won his first race at Saratoga last summer by 11 lengths, his owner sold a 75% share of the 2-year-old for what horse people call "a lot of money." He didn't run again, because of hoof problems, until the first week in March, six months later.
The son of Boundary - a modest sprinter, my sources tell me, but grandpa was the great Danzig - won that second race by better than 12 lengths. But he had to beat only four others, not the 11 who showed up here. He was trying this distance for the first time, always a nervous assignment for still-developing horses. And it was only 24 days between races for him.
How would he handle that? And the 12 post was telling the smart guys: not this time, sweetheart. Big Brown's supremely confident trainer, Richard Dutrow, admitted he was just the teensiest bit worried about the 12 post. "I loved being outside," Dutrow said. "It eliminated any chance of him getting into trouble. But not that far outside."
That was after the race, when he stood in the winner's circle, the sweat on his blue shirt turning it purple. Fifteen minutes earlier, at the start, Big Brown took himself very close to the early ..
read more HERE...http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2008/03/30/2008-03-30_big_brown_wins_big_at_florida_derby.html



DUBAI MAGIC

CURLIN kicked off yesterday's rush of racing with his 7 length World Cup score and now everyone wants more.
The 4yo colt, who looks likes a monster in every photo taken of him is not only by Canadian-bred SMART STRIKE but from a long line of top Canadian-bred stallions.
His dam SHERRIFF'S DEPUTY is by Deputy Minister, who is by Vice Regent.
The gang at www.horse-races.net have some super shots and quotes and news...

Dubai World Cup: http://www.horse-races.net/library/dubai08-results.htm

Dubai Sheema Classic: http://www.horse-races.net/library/dubai08-resultssc.htm



WARNING! He's the champ

WEATHER WARNING, the Manitoba Derby winner, was named champion 3-year-old in Manitoba last night at the annual awards dinner presented by the CTHS and HBPA at Assiniboia Downs.
Jack Knowlton, owner of Funny Cide, was the guest speaker.
The Storm Cat 4yo, who now stands at stud at Windfields Farm in Oshawa, is owned by Shyman Farms, which was named owner of the year.
The farms Culpepper Moon was champion older mare.
ASSINIBOIA DOWNS is celebrating its 50th year in 2008.
It has a super website at www.assiniboiadowns.com

Interested in a season to WEATHER WARNING? Foal share? Send me an email.



STUFF FROM YESTERDAY
KAPAZUNDER is a really good Stronach Stables Canadian-bred by Giant's Causeway-Purple Princess. The chestnut 5yo won an allowance at Gulfstream yesterday for fun and he's a neck away from being undefeated.
He ran a 96 Beyer yesterday.

Canadian-bred MUSTFUHR was fourth in a $32,000 claiming race yesterday at Gulfstream and was claimed from Bru-Mel Stable by Frank Calabrese. The gelding is a full brother to Jambalaya.

RUN JUSTIN RUN (Silver Ghost-Katherine of Ascot, Ascot Knight) won for $5,000 claiming at Mountaineer last night for Doug Whalen. The 5yo was bred by Dom Romeo.

HEADER FOR HOME (Tethra-Dysart Boschiella, Raised Socially) won a non-winners of 3 for $5,000 at Mountaineer for The Conglomerate. The 4yo filly (who was born the day before four years ago!) was 27 to 1. She was bred by GLEN DELAAT.

DENIS SAVARD, of CHICAGO BLACK HAWKS fame, won a race at Tampa yesterday with DRIVINGMAXANDMITZI.

Classy old horse MANNAN MCLIR won a claiming race at SANTA ANITA yesterday and he was so much the best, he almost fell down when he rallied right into the butt of another horse.


IN THE WORKS

A total of 116 horses worked 4 furlongs on Woodbine's Polytrack yesterday, one week before the season starts - the numbers of horses working has gone up a lot in the last week.

JIGGS COZ prepped at Woodbine yesterday. One of last year's better 3yo colts, the Mel Lawson owned fellow worked 4 furlongs on the fast, fast Polytrack in 48.20
The bullet for the distance was TRUE REALITY, 46.60.

The five furlong times were quick too - the 5yo claiming gelding MYSTIC MISSILE sped the trip in 58.20 as the bullet of 77.

At KEENELAND, a bunch of Mark Casse horses worked including Queen's Plate contender PALMERS (1:02.20)