JOYEUSE PACQUE

(Our friends Cindy and Tex were in Florence, Kentucky yesterday and grabbed some nice shots of all the winners and runners. These are of Canadian bred MAREN'S MEADOW...the latest Graded Stakes winning Canadian-bred!, visit www.horse-races.net for more)

MEADOW IS A STAR!!

Okay, she loves Polytrack, Woodbine in future

Canadian-bred MAREN’S MEADOW, bred in Ontario by Ted Burnett’s Josham Farms, won yesterday’s Grade 2 Bourbonette Oaks at Turfway Park. The bay filly by Meadowlake-Gold Liaka by Yukon was winning her first stakes race and competing for the first time on Polytrack.

Her Beyer Figure was 78. She moved into the HOT CANADIAN BRED LIST on THOROUGHBLOG.

Owned by River Ridge Ranch, Maren’s Meadow tracked the speed of Love Buzz and Lovers Spat, moved to the lead inside the quarter-pole and then held off the closers.

She is trained by Larry Jones of Hard Spun and Proud Spell fame.

Maren’s Meadow is a half-sister to Canadian stakes winners CHAMUL and GOLDEN PATH plus multiple winners MAGNA CARTA and DAKOTA FREEWAY.

The 3^rd dam is COOL MOOD, the foundation mare for Kinghaven Farms who is responsible for WITH APPROVAL and others.

If you remember this filly from last year, she was the victim of a sponging incident and had to have surgery to remove a sponge that was put up her nose at Delaware.

To read more about the plans for Ms. Meadow, read JENNIE REES’ piece below…..

Lane’s End Rush

The regally bred ADRIANO bounced back from a drab outing in the Fountain of Youth (is COOL COAL MAN really this good?) to win the LANE’S END STAKES (G2) yesterday on a big card of racing at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky.

His Beyer Figure for the time of 1:50 1/5 was 92.

A big speed duel developed early in the 1 1/8 mile race between Duke of de Buque and Rich Young Ruler but then those two tried to slow things down and the field all of a sudden got bunched up.

Suddenly, horses were coming from everywhere and ADRIANO (A.P. Indy-Gold Canyon, Mr. Prospector) was pouncing on them leaders while 4 wide. He surged to the lead around the turn and held off chasing bids by HALO NAJIB and MEDJOOL to win, geared down mind you, by 2 ½ lengths.

The colt is owned and bred by Courtlandt Farm and trained by Graham Motion. He is the 2^nd foal of the winning mare. The family includes Preakness Stakes winner BET TWICE.

He’s also the 111^th stakes winner for A.P. Indy.

Before the race, Motion said the colt is not likely a Kentucky Derby runner because he does not seem to like traditional dirt…wonder if they will change their minds anyway?

Trainer MARK CASSE had mixed results on the day. TURF WAR was a drab 8^th in the Lane’s End and pretty much has gone the wrong way since his Delta Jackpot win last year (and that 96 Beyer Figure just could not have been true).

In the BOURBONETTE, the Casse trainee CLEARLY FOXY clearly bobbled coming out of the gate and was last early on and she got farther behind as the race progressed. She was beaten more than 43 lengths while eased. Let’s hope she did not injure herself in the race.

Better news came in the RUSHAWAY STAKES for 3yo’s when MINER’S CLAIM ran strongly to just miss winning by a long neck to the very good BIG GLEN (Cactus Ridge). Previiously undefeated in 2 starts at Woodbine, the Kentucky bred Mineshaft colt was on a loose line on the lead in the 1 1/16 mile race going very slow fractions of 24.66 and 49 and change. He fought off several challengers but then had Big Glen come up the rail into the stretch and he fought that one bravely but missed. It was his first race of the year.

The winning Beyer Figure was 82.

Big Glen was a $10,000 KEENELAND SEPTEMBER sale yearling but note he is raced by his breeder John T L Jones.

BOURBONETTE RE-CAP

FROM LOUISVILLE COURIER-JOURNAL

By Jennie Rees • jrees@courier-journal.com • March 23, 2008

FLORENCE, Ky. -- Trainer Larry Jones, who won last year's Lane's End with Hard Spun, returned this year to take yesterday's $150,000, Grade III Bourbonette Oaks with Maren's Meadow on the undercard at Turfway Park.

Maren's Meadow's 1¼-length victory over local star Valentine Fever gave Jones yet another graded-stakes-winning 3-year-old filly. He also trains Grade II Fair Grounds Oaks winner Proud Spell and Grade III Honeybee winner Eight Belles, both among the favorites for the Kentucky Oaks.

Maren's Meadow also has the distinction of being one of the first horses publicly identified in a "sponging" incident in years. After she finished third as the odds-on favorite in an Oct. 16 allowance race at Delaware Park, the stable noticed mucous draining from her nostrils. Surgery discovered a sponge instead of the feared tumor.

Sponging has a long and sordid history in racing. It involves someone trying to "stop" a horse from winning by sneaking into the barn and stuffing a sponge up its nasal passages to hinder breathing. There was a rash of highly publicized cases in Kentucky about a decade ago, but no arrests were ever made and there have been no incidents in the state since. But there was a recent case in Florida involving a stakes horse.

"Since we started putting her around two turns, she's been a different horse," Jones said. "She had the bad luck (with the sponging), but she's over all that. … We'll probably keep her here through the Black-Eyed Susan (at Pimlico on Preakness Eve) and look at going to Woodbine after that with her. We'll probably stay away from our other two who are on the Kentucky Oaks path."

Maren's Meadow, an Ontario-bred daughter of Meadowlake ridden by Gabriel Saez, settled just off the hip of pacesetter Love Bug through tepid fractions of 24.18 and 47.69 seconds. She had the lead after six furlongs in a pedestrian 1:12.27 and finished the mile in 1:38.15.

Favored A to the Croft, who last year was second in two Grade I races but was making her first 2008 start, was third, 1½ lengths behind Valentine Fever.

Maren's Meadow paid $15.60 to win and is 3-2-1 in eight races, earning $177,225 for owner Sandra Rasmussen.

LANE’S END RE-CAP

IS DERBY IN ADRIANO’S FUTURE?

By Jennie Rees • jrees@courier-journal.com • March 23, 2008

FLORENCE, Ky. -- With Adriano winning Turfway Park's $500,000 Lane's End Stakes by 21/2 lengths over favored Halo Najib yesterday on Polytrack, we might have gotten a good test of just how strong the allure of the Kentucky Derby is.

Last week, trainer Graham Motion -- believing Adriano proved himself a grass horse by running poorly in Gulfstream's Fountain of Youth in his first start on dirt -- called attempting the Kentucky Derby "unlikely at this point, but never say never."

But with the Grade II victory, before a crowd of 18,680, Adriano picked up $291,400 in earnings and all but assured himself a spot in the Derby field should Motion and owner Donald Adam decide to enter the colt. And with his huge loping stride, Adriano looked like he might relish the Derby's 11/4-mile distance.

Motion couldn't make the winner's circle yesterday because he had to rush to catch a flight. But asked of the Derby possibilities by a Turfway publicist who caught him on his cell phone, the trainer said, "I think we all agree that he's probably more of a turf horse. … The horse showed that on his day he can be brilliant."

Adam demurred as well.

"I have enormous respect for Graham's ability as a trainer," he said. "This is not on the dirt (like Churchill Downs has), so I just think we'd have to think long and hard whether that would make sense for him. Because the worst thing in the world is if we were to do that, and he would do very poorly, it may set him back. We think there are a lot of very nice races to be run this year. We'll make that decision as a team."

While the syndicate headed by Bill Farish -- who runs race sponsor Lane's End Farm in Versailles with his father, Will -- finished eighth with Turf War, the younger Farish was extremely happy to present the trophy to Adam. After all, the winning owner boards a select broodmare band at Lane's End, where Adriano was born and raised. He's also by Lane's End's star stallion A.P. Indy.

Those close ties made the victory -- which Adam called his biggest with a colt -- even more special. Adam, a retired banker who lives in suburban Houston, said the farm sent him a picture of Adriano as a baby, calling him "one of the most special foals we've had on the farm in many years."

Still, Adam had reason to be concerned yesterday, as the first 10 races were all won by horses who were on or right near the lead. However, nine of those were sprints. He was happy to see Big Glen win the 11th race -- the 11/16-mile Rushaway Stakes -- from midpack.

"That held a little more hope, and I thought the extra distance would help," Adam said. "But (jockey Edgar Prado) had the horse so much more on the pace than historically he has run. … He's got an enormous stride, and once he starts moving, he eats up a lot of ground."

Prado had Adriano in fourth early, ranging to the lead on the outside on the far turn and in control the rest of the way as he covered 11/8 miles in 1:50.20. He paid $11.60 to win as the third choice in the field of 11.

Prado rode Adriano for the first time, but he had been impressed with how the colt won a Jan. 11 turf allowance race at Gulfstream Park.

"I know horses who like the turf often handle Polytrack very well," he said. "I wanted to be in a tracking position, and I was very happy almost every step of the way."

Halo Najib ran well while encountering trouble as he closed from seventh under Kent Desormeaux, edging California invader Medjool for second, with Racecar Rhapsody fourth.

"He had a rough trip around the turn, but I was real pleased with his effort," trainer Dale Romans said of Halo Najib. "… They were bouncing him around on both sides, but he responded when (Desormeaux) called on him. He just didn't get there."

Adriano now is 3-1-0 in seven starts, earning $394,100. Motion started Adriano out on grass last summer simply because he wanted 11/16-mile instead of six-furlong races. The colt did not run on dirt until the Fountain of Youth, which he lost by 17 lengths.

"Days like this make up for the lean years," Adam said.

Motion said Keeneland's 11/16-mile Coolmore Lexington Stakes on Polytrack could be Adriano's next start. Trainer Kenny McPeek said Racecard Rhapsody, who was making his first start in 31/2 months, is also headed that way.

COOL N COLLECTIVE CLAIMED

11-year-old COOL N COLLECTIVE was 3^rd in a 5 horse field at Aqueduct yesterday for $10,000 and was claimed again, this time by Finish Line Farms and trained Osvaldo Rojas.

The Canadian-bred is a stakes winner.

BEAR GLADIATOR, a Canadian-bred by Golden Missile-Great Beauty by Great Gladiator, won an allowance race at Mountaineer yesterday. The grey 4yo is owned by David Haney and he was bred by Adena Springs.

(Meanwhile, his 3yo ½ brother by Awesome Again, SMOKE TRAIL, won his maiden at Hawthorne yesterday. That one is an Adena Springs Kentucky bred.)

At Laurel, BLENIEM (Graeme Hall-Tea Leaf, Tejano) won a $7,500 claiming race for Melnyk Stable and trainer Layne Giliforte. He’s a 4yo Ontario bred.

Canadian owned RICHARD LISTER is winning races everywhere..he won a $10,000 claiming race at Laurel with NOTORIOUS ROGUE, an old timer who has raced at Woodbine.

CASTLE PEAK FARM and JUSTIN NIXON, both Canadian-based, won at Laurel as well – with DEACON GREY, a Kentucky bred by Pulpit out of Horns Gray. The race was a $10,000 claiming event.

Owners JIM AND ALICE SAPARA and trainer JOSIE CARROLL won the Gulf Coast Stakes at Delta Downs yesterday with GOOD AND LUCKY, a Wild Rush gelding. The Florida-bred was winning for the 6^th time in 13 career starts and he earned $60,000 for the score.

Canadian-bred 3yo fillies are god and plentiful right now. On FRIDAY, the John Harvey Jr, bred DOWD CHAPEL won her career debut at Oaklawn Park by a length. The Stormy Atlantic-Queen’s Code, Lost Code filly was a $55,000 yearling purchase at Keeneland and she is trained by Kelly Von Hemel.

**GULFSTREAM WAS CANCELLED AFTER RACE 6 - due to rain, no word on the SHIRLEY JONES STAKES yet.

**TODAY..HANDSOME BLUE tries to up his Queen's Plate status...

DAME JUDI’S HORSE SMOKES

Oscar winning actor JUDI DENCH is a racehorse owner and her horse SMOKEY OAKEY won the opener at Doncaster yesterday…

Read more from the BBC..

Smokey Oakey takes Lincoln spoils

The four-year-old, part-owned by Oscar-winning actress Dame Judi Dench, put in an impressive display to win by just over a length.

Under Jimmy Quinn, he made a late challenge on the stand side after the 21-strong field split into two groups.

He overhauled his stablemate Babodana before getting past Blythe Knight, who had opted for the far side.

It was a second win in the race for trainer Mark Tompkins, who is from Yorkshire but is now based at Newmarket, after Babodana's victory in 2004.

It was also a second Lincoln success for Quinn, who won the race in 1992 on High Low for William Haggas.

"Dame Judi is in Scotland but she's watching and she'll be very pleased," said Tompkins afterwards.

"She takes a real interest and is a very keen owner. It's a great result for everyone in the yard because it has been a long winter.

NOT A HAPPY EASTER STORY

All I can say to this is..what in the world has gone wrong with some racehorse folks?

CAPPUCINO KID, a half-brother to MEDAGLIA D’ORO, bred by Joyce and Albert Bell, won his career debut for the Bells in 2000 and won several nice purses for them along the way. He eventually landed in low and high claiming races, bopped all around from barn to barn (he was once claimed 4 times in 5 races) before he landed in a $2,500 claiming race last year somewhere at a fair in California.

(he won $244,000 in his career and is 10-years-old)

Now he’s in a feedlot…..

find our more about the Kid....

http://sosequines.com/horses.html

WAITING FOR BIG BROWN

The Florida Derby is coming up and Canadian eyes will be on COOL GATOR, the Queen’s Plate favourite, while everyone else will be watching the undefeated speedball BIG BROWN (Boundary).

JOHN PRICCI caught up with the Big Brown team recently….

By John Pricci

NBCSports.com contributor

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. - Anyone who has spent time around Rick Dutrow probably would agree his disposition is described best with one word: unflappable. He doesn’t rattle easily, has an easy way of moving about and answers questions in matter-of-fact style, like he‘s been there, done it.

So, will he allow his first Kentucky Derby get the better of him, is there any anxiety about the pressure cooker he’s about to enter, will it alter the confidence he has in his training program?

That would be no, no and no.

Read the rest..http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/23750104/