STORMIN

Morning! Thanks to readers who supply information for people through this site.
Yesterday, a reader said construction at Woodbine may play a role in work on Polytrack currently. Those asking about the movie ALL HAT, can find answers to that in recent posts (it's out on DVD shortly).

A query about a horse comes from a reader in NEW YORK about a horse named KEEVA, trained by Mike Newell. If anyone knows the whereabouts of this horse or has contact information for Mike, let THOROUGHBLOG know.

The post MARCHING IN has a minor dispute going on between folks who talk about takeout etc...

New additions to THOROUGHBRED BLOGGERS ALLIANCE include the folks who are making the movie about GIRL JOCKEYS and the gang who made FIRST SATURDAY IN MAY (see the preview of the movie on my sidebar at the bottom). To check all the other good Bloggers from around the world, see the TBA DROPDOWN MENU.

BIG BROWN!

104 Beyer Figure

Okay, it’s not like me to get on a bandwagon of a horse after a couple of easy wins against average competition but it was hard not to get a tingle watching BIG BROWN yesterday at Woodbine.

Poor DEPUTIFORMER, the Queen’s Plate hopeful who made his 2008 debut against this monster. Actually, the Deputi did okay. He looked good on post parade briefly, got a bit sweaty, had lots of bandages on, fell too far back in the early stages and put in a mild run to be 3^rd, beaten about 14 lengths. His Beyer was 77.

Meanwhile, a big, brown Boundary monster named BIG BROWN, dragged Kent Desormeaux to the lead on the turn, went very wide off the turn and then drew off under a hold.

The colt was purchased privately by IEAH Stables (co-owner is Paul Pompa Jr.) last year after a big debut win and he is trained by Richard Dutrow Jr.

The trainer said to Daily Racing Form that the colt had problem feet last year and has been pointed to grass races but since winning yesterday, he is headed to the Blue Grass Stakes.

Bred in Kentucky by Monticule, the colt was a $60,000 yearling, a $190,000 2yo in training purchase and is 2 for 2 in his career.

Check out this YOUTUBE replay from yesterday…(THANKS TO PARTYMANNERS)

ASSORTED STUFF..

YESTERDAY/TODAY and COMING UP

MIDDLE BAY (With Approval-Little Bay) is 8-years-old, he’s fast and he always gets sweaty before his races, even if it’s cold.

Now, it’s tough to watch TURFWAY PARK, the track looks bad with all that stuff flying up and the coverage is dismal. But what about MIDDLE BAY winning yesterday

Mike Friedman is his owner now and Randy Faulkner is his 9^th trainer.

The Eugene Melnyk-bred ran for $4,000 claiming in his first start after Fort Erie last summer – at Thistledown (he won) and he won again yesterday at Turfway for $8,000 with a 71 Beyer Figure.

Hope this 13 time winner (in 40 starts) stays well.

Trainer LORNE RICHARDS, who won a race as owner with K.K. Sangara last week at Gulfstream (Reade Baker trained) claimed a horse as an owner yesterday under trainer JULIA CAREY. He claimed ICE SKATING for $25,000 from a 5 furlong race.

Queen’s Plate hopefuls SLIGOVITZ and NIAGARA THUNDER compete in the 6^th race at Gulfstream today – a 1 1/8 mile maiden allowance. Trainer Brian Lynch told THOROUGHBLOG that Stronach Stables’ SLIGOVITZ (Sligo Bay) seemed to not like getting dirt in his face in his last start when he declined a lot from a previous 85 Beyer Figure effort.

TOMORROW, the red-hot Ontario bred NYUK NYUK NYUK gets a gut check – he jumps from claiming races to the RICHTER SCALE HANDICAP (Grade 2) at Gulfstream and meets up with the fast COMMENTATOR not to mention others.

COOL GATOR, one of the favourites for the June 22 QUEEN’S PLATE, is being pointed to the FLORIDA DERBY at Gulfstream.

Trainer MARK CASSE worked a whole band of girls at OCALA TRAINING CENTRE yesterday including last year’s 2yo filly stars OFFICER CHERRIE (1:03.20), LICKETY LEMON (1:02), CLEARLY FOXY (59.80) , SIX PACK SAMMY (100.20), NITE IN ROME (1:01.20) and older stakes fillies QUIET ACTION (100.80) and SPRUNG 1:02.40.

TORONTO STAR REPORT:

RACETRACKS BATTLE INTERNET BETTING

Ottawa told to scratch Internet betting, or let the track owners play

Mar 06, 2008 04:30 AM

Madhavi Acharya-Tom Yew
Business Reporter

Owners of horse-racing tracks are telling Ottawa to either stamp out illegal online gambling in Canada or change legislation to allow them greater access to this billion-dollar industry.

Liberal MP Roy Cullen, whose Etobicoke North riding includes Toronto's Woodbine Racetrack, said yesterday he plans to introduce a private members' bill that would require financial institutions and credit card companies to block Internet betting transactions.

Current laws prohibit all forms of Internet gambling in Canada, with three exceptions: lotteries in provinces that allow online ticket sales; bettors who have telephone accounts at horse-racing tracks; and private bets between individuals.

But horse-track racing companies say those laws are not being enforced.

They point to offshore operators – including some 400 poker and sports-betting sites operating from the Kahnawake reserve, just south of Montreal.

Track owners say that while they add to local employment and pay taxes, they labour under myriad restrictions. Most important, they are allowed to take online bets only in their local areas even as offshore operators can take all sorts of sporting bets from anywhere without supporting the industry.

"It's having a severe impact on our business," said Jane Holmes, vice-president of corporate affairs for Woodbine Entertainment Group, which estimates it has lost about $200 million to other sites.

"They take a lower commission on the bet because they don't have infrastructure costs and pay purses. How many jobs are they creating here? None," Holmes said. "If we tried to do what they're doing, we would lose our licences. It provides them with an unfair competitive advantage."

Cullen said he has met with law enforcement officials but they tell him the issue is a low priority.

"Woodbine Racetrack is in my riding, I work with them a lot and they create economic activity and jobs in Etobicoke North. And when they tell me their market share is being eroded because there are players in the game that are operating illegally but no one is doing anything about it, I stand up and listen," Cullen said.

By some estimates, the Internet gambling industry will be worth $28 billion (U.S.) in 2010, up from $18 billion in 2007.

Federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson has said that he plans to look into the issue.

"Following recent concerns surrounding Internet gambling in Canada, the minister has asked his officials to examine whether the enforcement of the Criminal Code provisions could be assisted with other measures. Our office has also indicated to stakeholders that we are willing to listen to their suggestions as to how we could best address this issue," Genevieve Breton, the minister's director of communications, said in an email yesterday.

In the summer of 2007, a joint federal-provincial working group was created to look at Internet gambling. The committee has yet to report back to the justice ministers.

The Mohawks of Kahnawake consider themselves a sovereign nation and say Canadian laws prohibiting online gambling do not apply to them.

Joe Delaronde, spokesperson for the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake, said the council sent a letter to the government outlining its Internet plans nine years ago, but never received a response.

"If they really want to come to some sort of resolution on this, the best idea would be to contact our grand chief and talk about it. We're very open to discussion."

He doubts the federal government would try to shut down the Kahnawake sites. "It would be very unwise of the government. This operation is taking place in our jurisdiction."

Delaronde said that the council is indifferent to changes in legislation that would allow horse-racing tracks to expand into all sports betting online. "If the Canadian government changes their laws and allows that, it's free enterprise, it's a competitive market."

In 2006, the U.S. made it illegal to use a credit card issued by a U.S. bank to pay for online gambling transactions.

STUTZ BEARCAT 1975-2008

Sam-Son Farms’ reports that its Florida-bred stakes winner from the late 1970s and early 1980’s, STUTZ BEARCAT was recently euthanized after a paddock accident at the age of 33.

Yep, 33, now that’s old for a horse.

Ole STUTZ won 23 of 86 races and $271,181 including the Nearctic, Vigil, Highlander (twice), Fair Play and Bold Venture Stakes.

Sam-Son has a big collection of retirees with the most recent one being Horse of the Year SOARING FREE, who lives in Ocala, Florida.

CHAMPION CLOUDY’S KNIGHT IN TRAINING

DAILY RACING FORM reports that champion turf male in Canada, Cloudy’s Knight, is in light training at Hawthorne Park with trainer Frank Kirby.

Kirby said the gelding is headed to Woodbine for summer and fall races including the CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL, which is now part of the ‘Win and You’re IN’ Breeders’ Cup program.

CANADIAN TRAINERS DOING WELL

LEADING TRAINERS AT FAIR GROUNDS

Steven M. Asmussen 269 74 52 30 $2,700,109

Cody Autrey 166 45 30 17 $780,045

Thomas M. Amoss 142 36 23 22 $1,000,665

W. Bret Calhoun 130 35 22 25 $945,130

Patrick Mouton 173 28 30 25 $968,143

Albert M. Stall, Jr. 107 20 18 15 $644,485

Andrew Leggio, Jr. 65 14 8 11 $523,729

Dallas Stewart 87 13 12 9 $523,890

Malcolm Pierce 49 13 2 5 $478,680

AT LAUREL PARK – trainer LAYNE GILIFORTE is 5 for 13 at the meeting while JUSTIN NIXON is 4 for 26

AT MOUNTAINEER, MARK FOURNIER is 6 for 21, tied for 2^nd at the meeting and one behind the leader. STACEY COOPER IS 3 FOR 13

From BLOOD-HORSE:

Robert Bone Named to TOC Board

Owner raced millionaire Choctaw Nation

(sold him to Dubai, gelding just sold for $6K overseas, see yesterday's post)

Robert Bone has been appointed to the board of directors of the Thoroughbred Owners of California.

“We are very pleased to welcome Bob,” said Marsha Naify, TOC board chair . “He has great energy and enthusiasm for the sport and, with his vast experience as a claiming owner, will provide a unique perspective to the board.”

Bone became an owner in 1990 and currently has more than 50 racehorses in California. Among the top horses he has campaigned are Captain Squire, Desert Boom, Bluesthestandard and Choctaw Nation. He was voted Owner of the Year by the TOC membership three consecutive times from 2003-05.

A graduate of the State University of New York in Oswego, Bone owns four automobile dealerships in the Sacramento area. He resides in Shingle Springs, Calif. with his wife, Lisa, and two sons.

“Since my background is primarily in the claiming game, I have many ideas to make racing better for claiming owners and trainers,” said Bone. “And as a horse player all my adult life, I would like to give a gambler’s perspective on many issues, as it is the gambling dollar that drives our industry.”

Bone fills a vacant board position that expires June 30, 2008.

MEET FORT ERIE’S OWNER..

YITZHAK TSHUVA

NO. 307 ON THE World’s Billionaires as denoted on www.forbes.com

Net Worth: $3.5 billion

Fortune: self made

The low-key real estate and energy mogul spends most of his time in New York City, home of the iconic Plaza Hotel that he bought in 2005 for $675 million and refurbished under the direction of his designer daughter, Gal. The building, now part condo, reopened in October, its 100th birthday, with a spectacular party punctuated by fireworks and a duet of "My Way" performed with Paul Anka. (Tshuva maintains a residence in the Plaza.) Plans are already under way to extend the Plaza brand to Las Vegas, Europe and the Far East. Via Elad Holdings (named after his son, the 27-year-old heir apparent), Tshuva also owns a vast portfolio of residential buildings in North America and Europe. In Israel his publicly traded Delek operates 232 gas stations, and has interests in insurance, car dealerships and cable television.