GRIPPING

In today's news - one of the fastest horses in the world just went 16 for 16 last night...who is he??
(he's picture at right, a Lone Star Park photo)


No one even attempted to answered yesterday's Trivia question?? I'll leave it for another day.


Dubai is on tomorrow morning, Florida Derby later in the day


Yes, the Ontario-bred bonus is taking away from the existing purse, some commenters are not happy, some make good points.




Saturday's Dubai World Cup available at Woodbine
TORONTO, March 27 * Breeders' Cup Classic hero Curlin, who is by Canadian-bred Smart Strike, headlines Saturday's $21-million card from Nad Al Sheba racecourse in Dubai.

The top-class card of thoroughbred action includes seven races and is climaxed by the $6-million Dubai World Cup, the world's richest horse race, for which Curlin drew post 12. Longshot Great Hunter, who is owned by Windsor, Ontario-native J. Paul Reddam, drew post five in the feature.

The Dubai World Cup, now in its 12th year, annually showcases top horses, jockeys and trainers from around the globe.

Last year's Pattison Canadian International entrants, Quijano and Oracle West are slated to compete in the $5-million Dubai Sheema Classic, a turf event at about 1 1/2 miles.

Six of the seven races are available for wagering on HorsePlayer Interactive (telephone code 158), with the only exception being the Dubai Kahayla Classic, a $250,000 event for Arabian Purebreds.

The card's final four races are available for wagering at Woodbine and its teletheatres, including Mohawk and Greenwood, beginning with the Grade 1, $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen (Dubai Race 4 at SAM displays and mutual windows), scheduled for 10:55 a.m. ET.

The Shaheen is follwed by the $5-million Dubai Duty Free (Dubai Race 5 at the SAM displays and mutuel tellers) at 11:55 a.m. ET and the Dubai Sheema Classic (Dubai Race 6) at 12:40 p.m. ET. The finale, the Grade 1 Dubai World Cup (Dubai Race 7), is slated for 1:30 p.m. ET.

No advance wagering is available on Friday.

The seven-race program is worth $21.25 million (US).

The inaugural 1996 Dubai World Cup was captured by Cigar, who won his second straight Eclipse as Horse of the Year later that year.

Schedule
Race 2 - $1 million Godolphin Mile - 9:40 a.m.
Race 3 - $2 million UAE Derby - 10:15 a.m.
Race 4 - $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen - 10:55 a.m.
Race 5 - $5 million Dubai Duty Free - 11:55 a.m.
Race 6 - $5 million Dubai Sheema Classic - 12:40 p.m.
Race 7 - $6 million Dubai World Cup - 1:30 p.m.

All post times are Eastern.


HARLEM ROCKER entered
It has been a while since HARLEM ROCKER'S sizzling debut win (Feb. 14) but the grey son of Macho Uno is entered for his 2nd career start on Sunday at Gulfstream in an entry with Florida-bred BARRELING HOME.
The 8th race is a 1 mile allowance for 3yo's, non-winners of 2.
Harlem Rocker was bred by Stronach Stables and he is owned by Adena Racing Venture, a syndicate of a bunch of folks that buy into a package of Stronach horses.
The colt had a 4 week gap in his workouts but has had 3 big moves recently.
Barreling Home ran an 88 Beyer Figure when he won his maiden and the Rocker ran an 81.
He is one of the early favourites for the Queen's Plate.


GOT 16 STRAIGHT WINS AND EQUALS SETS RECORD! Paint horse Got Country Grip wins 16th straight race The Associated Press Published: March 28, 2008

OKLAHOMA CITY: As he exited the starting gate Thursday night in an allowance race at Remington Park, Got Country Grip stumbled, and for a moment, the star paint horse's connections thought all might be lost. But Got Country Grip recovered under jockey G.R. Carter and pulled away in the stretch for his 16th straight win, equaling a modern North American all-breeds record. The win tied the 5-year-old gelding with four thoroughbreds, including 1948 Triple Crown winner Citation and North America's leading money winner, Cigar, two racing greats. Hallowed Dreams and Mister Frisky also won 16 in a row. The modern world record for consecutive wins is 17, held by another thoroughbred, Hong Kong-based Silent Witness. Got Country Grip's trainer, Brandon Parum of Jones, said his unbeaten horse will try to match that mark at Remington Park on April 19. "To be in the company of those kinds of horses is pretty special," said Carter, a 22-year riding veteran. "I knew what was on the line. But no matter how much pressure you feel or no matter what's on the line, you still have to do the things you are trained to do. You've got to do all the same things you've got to do to win any race." Carter had to rely on his depth of experience during the race's initial strides, as Got Country Grip stumbled as the horse's front feet hit the ground for the first time coming out of the gate. "You've just got to ride through it and try to get them back on their feet and keep their forward momentum going," Carter said. "That's what he's good at — that forward momentum down that race track. He's a phenomenal animal. You can look at him, his demeanor and the way he carries himself. He's got it. He's something special. He knows it, too." Got Country Grip recovered sufficiently to win the $15,000 race for paints and appaloosas by three-quarter of a length over Bust N Moves, with Boy of Summer third in the seven-horse field. "The ground came out from underneath him ... but he went right on," Parum said. "It wasn't terrible, but it was enough to get a lot of horses beat." The Oklahoma-bred Got Country Grip is 16-for-16 lifetime for Parum and owner Jimmy Maddux of Weatherford, Texas, including 7-for-7 at Remington Park. He went off at 1-5 odds and covered the 350 yards in 17.701 seconds, aided by a 20 mph tail wind. "I just do the best I can with him," Parum said. He paid $2.60, $2.60 and $2.10. Bust N Moves returned $4.40 and $2.80, while Boy of Summer paid $4.20 to show. Jess Streakin, Calista Corona, Braggin Rights and Check This Treat rounded out the field. The winner's prize of $10,078 raised Got Country Grip's lifetime earnings to $257,578. The win did little initially to ease the mind of Maddux, a longtime cattle rancher. Moments after Got Country Grip crossed the finish line, he held out a shaking hand to greet a friend. "I'm still nervous. My heart's still aflutter," Maddux said. Maddux entered horse racing when he bought two horses at the suggestion of Parum in 1996. He later traded one of those horses for Got Country Grip. "When you make a trade like that, you don't have any idea that it's going to work out that good," Maddux said. "I've made a lot of trades in my life ... but I've never made a trade this good." Got Country Grip is the rare paint horse that has no spots, but he qualifies as a paint because his dam, Got A Grip, was a full paint horse. His sire, Country Quick Dash, is registered as both a quarter horse and a paint horse. Citation won 16 straight races from 1948-50. Mister Frisky, who raced in Puerto Rico before coming to the U.S., won 16 straight in 1989 and 1990 before the streak ended in the Kentucky Derby. Cigar matched the record from 1994-96 and retired with earnings of $9,999,815. Hallowed Dreams won 16 straight races in 1999 and 2000. In Europe, another thoroughbred, Ribot, went 16-for-16 in a career that spanned from 1954 to 1956. Silent Witness' streak lasted from December 2002 through April 2005. He was retired in February 2007.


DAVE CROSS JR. TODAY Sunny's Halo's trainer 25 years later
Here's an interesting story from Arkansas where Dave Cross has some horses for Ontario owner and breeder LYNNE HINDMARSH..

I have provided an excerpt and a link...

BY ROBERT YATES
HOT SPRINGS — Normally, 70-somethings migrate to Hot Springs to retire. Instead, trainer David Cross is in town to work, managing three horses at Oaklawn Park, the same winter home he had in the early 1960 s. In between, Cross, 72, reached racing’s mountaintop when Sunny’s Halo won the 1983 Kentucky Derby. Cross hit rock bottom in 2002, when he was in such dire financial straits that he sold his Kentucky Derby trophy for $ 8, 928 on eBay, the popular Internet auction site. Cross had retired from training in 2000, but said he needed cash after going broke living in Las Vegas, the country’s gambling Mecca. “Bad place for somebody like me, I’ll tell you that,” said Cross, originally from Victoria, B. C. “I had some money, but money and I don’t stay together very long. It’s the greatest place in the world to live, but it’s not good for somebody like myself.” Cross’ white Mercedes E 320 still bears a Nevada license plate — fittingly “DERBY 83” — but the trainer said he hasn’t been home in approximately 18 months. During that period, Cross has been trying to resurrect a career that began more than 50 years ago. His goal is to climb the mountain again. “If anybody told you they didn’t want to go back to the [Kentucky ] Derby, they’re crazy,” Cross said. Cross has reached the Kentucky Derby twice, finishing an unlucky sixth with Quintana in 1991 and, of course, wearing the roses in 1983 with a flashy chestnut colt named Sunny’s Halo. Wednesday marked the 25 th anniversary of Sunny’s Halo’s 3-year-old debut — an explosive 3-length victory in Oaklawn’s Rebel Handicap.
Three weeks later, Sunny’s Halo, breaking from the auxiliary starting gate...

http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Sports/221086/