HUNTING

In todays news...notes and loose-ends, Dubai World Cup, Florida Derby and my first Woodbine preview...

(right) J. PAUL REDDAM, a Canadian, will start GREAT HUNTER in the DUBAI WORLD CUP. (Photo by Vanessa Ng.)




NOTES CLEAN-UP

VAULCLUSE (A.P. Indy), the well regarded Canadian-bred 3yo filly who was headed to the Kentucky Oaks is likely out for the year after sustaining an injury...read yesterday's post.

KENTUCKY BEAR, who ran fast when he won his debut for Canadian owner Bear Stable, could be headed instead to the WOOD MEMORIAL..not the ILLINOIS DERBY.

Speaking of Canadian-bred 3yo fillies, thanks to the reader who noted DOWD CHAPEL'S Beyer Figure of 91. She is by Stormy Atlantic and was bred by Maryfield's co-breeder, John Harvey.

KEENELAND racing, which begins April 4, will indeed be shown on HPI TV, the website was incorrect up until today (I assume it has been fixed).

DISCUSSION about the 10% bonus money for winning Ontario-breds at Woodbine (only BEFORE they are claimed) continues to generate big discussion from folks (see commments from yesterday)

THOROUGHBLOG'S Poll, about Jockeys, has had surprising results...

5050 RACING is looking for partners for a racing syndicate with a very low buy-in amount...see the ad on the right.

I also offer a link to CHAPTERS.INDIGO, see ad on the right. Pick up the latest racing books and hot novels from Chapters and get great deals if you order On-line!

THE FRESHMAN SIRE CONTEST link is almost ready to go up...you can check your team and others...



COOL GATOR could head to KENTUCKY DERBY Big Brown get post 12 A good showing by Garland Williamson's COOL GATOR on Saturday in the Florida Derby, good enough that would get him some earnings and get him into what will be a large field, will be enough to the owner and the colt's trainer Danny Vella to consider the Kentucky Derby.
The early QUEEN'S PLATE favourite, a standout in the Plate picture right now based on his accomplishments, has an 86 Beyer Figure from his season debut when 2nd in an allowance race at Gulfstream.
He meets some bears on Saturday, however, including the much hyped BIG BROWN (Boundary), the undefeated speedster, ELYSIUM FIELDS, 2nd in the Fountain of Youth and the mystery colt TOMCITO (Street Cry) , from Peru.


10th Race - Gulfstream Park - Saturday, March 29th, 2008 1 1/8 Mile Dirt. Purse $1,000,000. Florida Derby (Grade 1). FOR THREE YEAR OLDS. (05:45 PM) (12)
PP Horse A/S M/E Jockey Trainer
1 Fierce Wind 3 C L Velasquez Cornelio H.Zito Nicholas
2 Smooth Air 3 C L Cruz Manoel R. Stutts, Jr. Bennie F.
3 Da' Tara 3 C L o Bravo Joe Zito Nicholas P.
4 Tomcito 3 C L Chavez Jorge F. Zanelli, Jr. Dante
5 Cool Gator 3 C L Castro Eddie Vella Daniel J.
6 Nistle's Crunch 3 C L bLeparoux Julien McPeek Kenneth G.
7 B B Frank 3 G L Castellano Javier Tarrant Amy
8 Elysium Fields 3 C L Coa Eibar Tagg Barclay
9 Hey Byrn 3 C L Lezcano Jose Plesa, Jr. Edward
10 Majestic Warrior 3 C L Douglas Rene R. Mott William I.
11 Face The Cat 3 C L Velazquez John R. Pletcher Todd
12 Big Brown 3 C L Desormeaux Kent J. Dutrow, Jr. Richard E.


POST 12 FOR CURLIN IN DUBAI TOO
It has been a long time since we've seen a truly international race with a good Grade 1 field have a 3 to 5 morningn line shot in it.
CURLIN could be considered one of the greatest in the last few decades should he romp Saturday in the DUBAI WORLD CUP.
You can watch and wager on the DUBAI race through the Woodbine network and HPI TV will have the feel beginning around 9:30 Saturday morning.


7th (1:30) Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (Group 1) (G1) About 1 1/4 Miles | Open | 3 Year Olds And Up Stakes | Purse: $6,000,000
Prg. # PP Horse Jockey Trainer Wt Equip. Med. ML
1 Sway Yed (KSA) Peslier O Alkahtani Saud S 126 50-1
2 Well Armed Gryder A T Harty Eoin 126 30-1
3 Happy Boy (BRZ) McEvoy K bin Suroor Saeed 126 10-1
4 Kocab (GB) Pasquier S Fabre Andre 126 30-1
5 Great Hunter Gomez G K O'Neill Doug12 Blk-On 50-1
6 Premium Tap Madrid S O Gardel Julio126Blk-On 15-1
7 Vermilion (JPN) Take Y Ishizaka Sei 8-1
8 Jalil Dettori L bin Suroor Saeed 126 6-1
9 Asiatic Boy (ARG) Murtagh J P de Kock Michael F 8-1
10 Lucky Find (SAF) Shea K de Kock Michael F 20-1
11 Gloria de Campeao (BRZ) Lemaire C P Bary Pascal F 26 30-1
12 Curlin Albarado R J Asmussen Steven M 3-5
13 A. P. Arrow Dominguez R A Pletcher Todd A 20-1



**GLOBEFORM and GULF NEWS WILL NOT BE MENTIONED IN THIS SPACE WITH REGARDS TO RACING...

Instead, here is a preview from the DUBAI RACING CLUB NEWSWIRE...

Curlin will have to break new ground and become the first horse to win the Dubai World Cup, sponsored by Emirates, from stall 12, following the Post Position Draw Ceremony tonight. Assistant trainer Scott Blasi said: “He’s done everything right since he’s been here. He’s been training well. “I think the draw is ok, because of the configuration of the race track, and he will put himself in a good position.” Jalil and Happy Boy drew eight and three and their trainer Saeed bin Suroor said: “It is certainly better than last year when Discreet Cat was drawn one. I am very happy, stall eight will suit Jalil, and Happy Boy is also well placed in stall three.” Well Armed drew stall two and trainer Eoin Harty said: “That’s fine. I’ll use it to my advantage. I think he’s the speed of the race. It’s better to be drawn inside than outside.” Asked about Curlin’s draw in 12, he added: “Even if they started Curlin on Nad Al Sheba road, I don’t think it would make much difference!” Asiatic Boy drew stall nine with Lucky Find drawn outside him in 10, and their trainer Mike De Kock said: “I would have preferred lower with Asiatic Boy (nine) but it’s ok, he’s got good gate speed.” Vermilion, fourth in the race last year, drew stall seven and his trainer Sei Ishizaka said: “We’re lucky to draw seven, which is a lucky number. I wanted to take a middle position, so we took a very good draw.” Premium Tap was second in the race last year and will aim to go one better from stall six. His trainer Julio Gardel said: “It’s a good position for the race. I hope he runs a race like he did last year.” Four winners of the Dubai World Cup have drawn stall 11, the berth of Gloria De Campeao, who has been second three times in a row at the Dubai International Racing Carnival. His trainer Pascal Bary said: “I’ve been having a lot of seconds and it would be nice to win a big one.” Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to Khalid Abdulla, owner of Kocab, who drew four and will be having his first race on this surface, said: “I don’t think we’ll be pacesetting because it’s such a high quality race. He’s been on the fibresand at Deauville, but not the dirt although he’s trained extensively on it.” Michael Paulson, son of Allen, whose colours were carried to victory in the first ever Dubai World Cup in 1996 by Cigar, was looking for lucky omens after A.P.Arrow drew stall 13. He said: “We’ve drawn 13 in the 13th year, but I hope I can be number one like Cigar.” Great Hunter drew five, and assistant trainer Leandro Mora said: “It’s fine. I know there’s going to be speed, and you don’t want to be too far back. “This track favours the first three or four horses most of the time. Hopefully we’ll be hanging in there somewhere.” Sway Yed drew gate one, the same number that Electrocutionist had won from in 2006.



FLORIDA DERBY PREVIEW from the Sun-Sentinel Plenty of intrigue around Florida Derby entrants by Tom Jicha | TV and Radio Writer

Questions always abound in the spring preps leading to the Kentucky Derby, but probably no Florida Derby ever has had the intrigue of this Saturday's renewal. A dozen were entered Wednesday and mystery surrounds several entrants, most notably Big Brown and Tomcito.

Either could be the next Curlin or Canonero II or shooting stars with reputations built against overmatched lesser foes.

The buzz is so strong on Big Brown that Gulfstream oddsmaker Chuck Streva made him the 3-1 favorite despite the fact he has had only two lifetime starts because of feet problems and he must break from the disadvantageous outside post.

The excitement surrounding Big Brown is based on the awesome nature of his two wins. He demolished maidens on the turf by more than 11 lengths in his debut this past summer at Saratoga. Quarter cracks kept him in the barn until March 5, when he returned with an almost 13-length romp in an off-the-turf allowance at Gulfstream.

Big Brown's trainer, Rick Dutrow, perennially a leader on the New York circuit, and jockey Kent Desormeaux, a two-time winner of the Kentucky Derby, each passed on going to Dubai for the rich World Cup card on Saturday to stick close to Big Brown.

Tomcito is even more of an enigma. The Irish-bred has been annihilating the best in Peru, winning four of five with his other finish a second. The unknown is how the best in Peru measure up against even the ordinary in the United States. Tomcito does have the distinction of being the only horse of his generation prepping for the spring classics who has already won not only at the mile-and-a-quarter of the Kentucky Derby but the mile-and-a-half of the Belmont. The last Kentucky Derby entrant with a mile-and-a-quarter race in his past performances was Canonero II, who ran away with the Derby and Preakness in 1971.

Tomcito's U.S. trainer, Dante Zanelli, acknowledges class is the big question mark with his colt, and said: "We have to run Saturday to see where he really stands."

Tomocito's style could be a problem. He tends to drop well back, then come on with a whirlwind finish. This isn't easy to do against top-flight competition in a big field.

And there's a third somewhat unknown quantity in Hey Byrn, 5-1 on the morning line. A Calder development, Hey Byrn has yet to win a stakes but he is perfect at Gulfstream, coming in off two allowance victories by a combined 20 lengths. However, an allowance race to a Grade 1 is a significant step up in competition.

to read more....
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/columnists/sfl-tjfladerbyadvancesbmar27,0,5230802.column



WOODBINE SET TO OPEN

The 167-day Woodbine meeting opens a week from this Saturday, April 5, and it appears as if the backstretch is slowly starting to fill up.
While many stables will stay south for a bit yet, at Keeneland for instance, the regulars are ready to go judging by the workouts and the times.
Yesterday, the track was very fast and several horses posted bizarre times (see yesterday's post)
In the coming days, THOROUGHBLOG will have some notes and quotes on the opening of the meeting.
Recently, I had a chance to sit down with Woodbine Entertainment president and chief operating officer NICK EAVES.
Among the initiatives underway this season from a physical perspective include:

*the completion of the standardbred paddock and a separate quarantine barn between the turf and main track on the clubhouse turn. This new barn will replace the standardbred barn in the parking lot, which will be removed as WOODBINE LIVE!!! construction is set to begin by the end of this year.
"The retention/quarantine barn being built will have 32 stalls," said Eaves. "The cost of the 142-stall standardbred paddock plus the quarantine barn including parking, road improvements, etc. is approximately $12 million."

*Improvements to barns Barns 27, 28 and 30, 31

* Construction of a new 14 stall thoroughbred starting gate this year which will
be ready for the '09 season

* transplanting of 10 younger willow trees to the walking ring (pieces/ limbs from the original 55 year-old treess were being blown off in storms and had begun to pose too
great a risk. Additional landscaping will be done in the walking ring prior to its use in early May.



FINAL FAIR GROUNDS LEADING TRAINERS Malcolm Pierce has a super meeting

Steven M. Asmussen 319 86 58 40 $3,475,719
Cody Autrey 195 49 31 24 $847,550
Thomas M. Amoss 168 43 28 22 $1,172,395
W. Bret Calhoun 150 41 26 25 $1,167,190
Patrick Mouton 214 38 37 30 $1,269,323
Albert M. Stall, Jr. 135 25 21 20 $928,105
Andrew Leggio, Jr. 78 16 11 13 $618,879
Malcolm Pierce 63 16 3 6 $610,950


AT LAUREL, CANADIAN GUYS DOING WELL TOO... Nixon and Giliforte busy

Scott A. Lake 137 41 26 16 $655,210
Dale Capuano 96 25 20 16 $325,480
John Rigattieri 100 21 17 14 $345,590
Ben M. Feliciano, Jr. 60 18 10 7 $246,450
A. Ferris Allen, III 92 17 14 14 $262,980
Rodney Jenkins 52 13 7 9 $236,170
Christopher W. Grove 48 10 12 8 $273,940
Howard. Wolfendale 61 9 14 13 $187,380
Michael J. Trombetta 52 9 13 8 $269,320
Karl M. Grusmark 53 9 8 9 $131,850
Justin J. Nixon 36 9 6 7 $131,220
Layne S. Giliforte 21 9 3 1 $84,750


AT MOUNTAINEER... Fournier and Cooper
Chris J. Englehart 43 12 3 5 $101,700
Penny L. Mathias 80 11 6 10 $157,834
Scooter Davis 28 10 1 5 $73,680
Jeffrey A. Radosevich 58 8 8 3 $90,958
L. Craig Cox 31 6 4 4 $61,146
Mark Fournier 21 6 4 3 $49,755
Loren G. Cox 25 5 6 1 $55,713
Stacey Cooper 19 5 4 2 $53,714
Douglas E. Shanyfelt 11 5 4 1 $55,339
Donald D. Shade 28 5 3 1 $50,169
J. Michael Baird 17 5 2 0 $48,352
Mark Maddox 19 5 1 1 $41,867
Robert J.W. Johnston 17 5 1 0 $46,017
Michael Love 19 5 0 2 $35,074


RACING DISPATCH IN DUBAI
A daily journal with nice photos from PAT CUMMINGS at the RACING DISPATCH as he enjoys his trip to the World Cup.

http://features.racingdispatch.com/the_dispatch_in_dubai_2008/



TRIVIA QUIZ!!
Who was the first racehorse to appear on the cover of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED? (and I mean not a generic shot but what horse's profile was the first to appear on the cover?)

Answer tomorrow!!!