BIG WEEK

Okay, so it's not quite DERBY WEEK yet but the field is coming together and incredibly, despite BIG BROWN looking like a heavy favourite and probable, 20 horses will be in the field - even fillies are being entered!
Canadian representation is light - TALE OF EKATI is owned by Canadian CHARLES FIPKE.

(pics: LEFT - ADRIANO might be a POLYTRACK freak only...(right) - GAYEGO, earned a big number in his Arkansas Derby win...www.horse-races.net)




DERBY CONTENDERS IN ORDER OF EARNINGS...
1 Pyro $1,020,000 13 Smooth Air $290,000
2 Proud Spell $880,000 14 Cool Coal Man $212,767
3 Tale of Ekati $738,000 15 Anak Nakal $212,216
4 Colonel John $720,000 16 Eight Belles $210,000
5 Gayego $640,000 17 Cowboy Cal $207,660
6 Big Brown $600,000 18 Visionaire $202,500
7 Z Humor $579,000 19 Big Truck $194,500
8 Monba $515,000 20 Bob Black Jack 180,000
9 Court Vision $331,872 21 Denis of Cork $165,000
10 Z Fortune $329,000 22 Halo Najib $157,996
11 Adriano $310,000 23 Indian Sun $154,000
12 Recapturetheglory $300,000 24 Tomcito $151,292



TELL ME WHO IS GOING TO WIN? The Wando Stakes that is...

Friday's card at Woodbine, the last week of 3 day racing bewfore Wednesdays are added next week, features two of the top QUEEN'S PLATE CONTENDERS, both trained by Mike DePaulo, returning to action in Canada in the new WANDO STAKES.
The overnight event,worth $110,000, honours Canada's latest Triple Crown champion, now at stud in Kentucky.
The race, a 1 1/16 mile tilt, is open to all 3yos, but many will use it as a starting point for the Plate.
The probable favourite should be DEPUTIFORMER, 3rd (albeit a long way behind) to BIG BROWN in an allowance race in his one Gulfstream race.
The son of Silver Deputy made a smashing appearance on the track that day (first time front bandages) but he lacked any early speed, made a mild bid and then hung.
If he appreciates the Polytrack as much as he does grass, considered by trainer dePaulo has his best surface, the colt should be formidable.
He has a new rider in JERRY BAIRD (Dino Luciani has apparently retired as reported here in the spring)

His stablemate GIQUERE (his namesake has not had a good spring) also raced once in Florida.
He was under a hard ride early in his outing at one mile and never really got into the race, finishing 4th. The son of Mutakkdim is to be ridden by Jono Jones.

Trainer ALEC FEHR and the Centennial Farms (Niagara) team have had a good meeting already and certainly this group is going to be big-time players in 2008.
They have 2 horses in the Wando - NIAGARA THUNDER, who loves the grass and may handle Polytrack and TACITO, a Trajectory fellow who ran well in Florida but might be better at shorter distances.

The only other Canadian bred in the field is longshot Dylan's Choice.

The Wando is the 9th race on Friday.


TOMORROW
The highly regarded Canadian-bred SHERATON PARK debuts in the last race at Keeneland for owner Eugene Melnyk...



DARONNE - 8YO GELDING WINS DEBUT...
He was at Beulah Park last month, debuted at the age of 8 (he's Ohio bred by Lac Ouimet) and he paid just $7.00...

http://www.drf.com/drfNCWeeklyHorseDisplay.do?track=beu&country=USA&raceDate=20080325&raceNo=3



OBS SALE - AFTER 2 SESSIONS

The Spring 2yo sale is underway in Ocala and on day one, BEAR STABLES paid $160,000 for a colt by Yes It's True out of Frenchglen. The colt will be trained by Reade Baker.
Harlequin Ranches paid $20,000 for a City Place filly earlier in session 1.
Yesterday a Canadian bred filly by Toccet-Hunting Jade by Jade Hunter was the second highest priced 2yo of the session. She brought $210,000 from Hal Earnhardt and will race in California with trainer Bob Baffert.



2008 ONTARIO SIRED RACING REWARDS

Rexdale, ON - April 21, 2008 -The Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society (Ontario Division) is pleased to announce an exciting new bonus program to reward racing excellence in 2008 by Ontario Sired Foals performing in Ontario.

The program will provide significant cash rewards to the breeders of the most successful Ontario Sired performers this season. "In keeping with our mandate, we are pleased to introduce a new initiative enabling us to reward our breeders for excellence on the racetracks of Ontario," says Richard Lister, Director of the CTHS of Ontario. The CTHS of Ontario is committed to finding new and innovative ways to reward excellence and encourage breeders to strive to improve the quality of our Ontario Bred and Ontario Sired Foals.

The program for 2008 will offer the following rewards to the breeder of the successful athletes:
1st PLACE $ 10,000 CASH & $ 2,000 OSS Stallion Breeding Certificate
2nd PLACE $ 5,000 CASH & $ 1,000 OSS Stallion Breeding Certificate

In addition, one Overall Champion, being the horse who accrues the most eligible earnings, shall receive an additional $ 10,000 CASH & an additional $ 2,000 OSS Breeding Certificate.

The program will be offered for the following SIX divisions only:
2 YR OLD Fillies / 2 YR OLD Males / 3 YR OLD Fillies / 3 YR OLD Males /
Fillies & Mares 4 YRS OLD & UP / Males 4 YRS OLD & UP

This is an introductory program that we hope will expand in the future to offer further divisions or categories such as Sprinters, Turf Horses, etc. All horses will be included in the general categories as outlined above. Further, please note that while a 3-year-old horse may accumulate earnings points in all eligible races, a 3-year-old is not eligible to receive an award in the 4-year-old and up category.

CTHS of Ontario Director Peter Berringer comments that, " Not only does our new program put significant cash back in the hands of our breeders, but our Ontario Sired Breeding Certificates offer an excellent incentive for our breeders to consider patronizing one of our fine Stallions standing in Ontario."

The breeding certificates will be treated like cash and redeemed by the Stallion Owners through the CTHS of Ontario when surrendered by the Named Breeder of record on the certificate as issued. The certificates will be valid for two years, thus winners this year can redeem their certificates against a mating of 2009 or 2010. The certificates are valid only toward a mating with a registered Ontario Sire as recognized by the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society of Ontario. Such Sire must be registered with and have paid all required fees to the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society (Ontario Division) for the year in which the mating occurs. Certificates are not transferable and expire after 2010. The CTHS of Ontario offers no warranties or guarantees of any kind with regard to the mating with any stallion and shall not be liable for any reimbursement should a foal not be produced within the two years permitted by the program.

"We are confident that our new incentive program will draw significant attention to the racing performance of our best Ontario Sired Athletes competing in Ontario this season," says Tim Orlando, CTHS of Ontario Marketing Chair. "We are thrilled to provide a real opportunity to put an additional $ 120,000 back in the hands of the breeders of Ontario who are the backbone of our industry."

Winners will be tabulated on a simple formula of using all monies earned in every "Black Type" qualifying race in Ontario in Calendar Year 2008. Winners shall be announced prior to December 31st, 2008 and all payments shall be issued by The Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society (Ontario Division) in January of 2009.

This program is financed by the Thoroughbred Improvement Plan (TIP) of Ontario.




CALGARY'S OUT, BUT PLAYER STILL HAS THE HORSES...
Lucky Seven Does Huselius have a racing form -- and rabbit's foot -- underneath his hockey gear? Canwest News Service; Calgary Herald Published: Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Psst. Hey, pal. Who do you like in the seventh? Seventh game, that is.

Because with Kristian Huselius coming off the biggest win of his burgeoning career in harness racing, it becomes a valid distinction.

Fresh off hitting for a $1-million payout in a harness-racing wager in his native Sweden on Saturday, the talented forward responded with his best game of the playoffs on Sunday, assisting on Owen Nolan's eventual game-winner in the first period and playing a role at both ends of the ice in Calgary's 2-0 series-tying win over San Jose.
Email to a friendEmail to a friendPrinter friendlyPrinter friendly

"I felt good," said Huselius, who'd been held to two assists and was minus-2 in the first five games of the series.

Huselius hit it big Saturday in a gambling proposition called the V75, in which punters try to pick at least five winners out of seven races at a track in Gothenburg.

Huselius is no stranger to harness racing; he owns horses in Sweden and follows the industry closely.

"I just do it once in a while," said Huselius of the wager. "I don't know [what his previous biggest payout was]; it wasn't that big, I can tell you that."

A win on Sunday and a million bucks in the bank -- it's hard to believe the weekend could have gone any better for Huselius.

"That's not bad, eh?" said Flames captain Jarome Iginla. "He's the luckiest man we know. That's pretty wild, it's hard to believe. I have a good feeling for him."

The Vancouver Province 2008


HORSEPLAYERS COALITION

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced today the formation of the Horseplayers' Coalition, a consortium of horseplayers whose common objective is to seek legislative and regulatory solutions to tax and business issues that impact racing fans and pari-mutuel racetracks.

The Horseplayers' Coalition will provide grass roots support for the NTRA's lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill. Participants can track the progress of legislation online at www.horseplayerscoalition.com, where they will also find legislative news, press releases and position papers on a variety of legislative issues. The Web site will also be the portal for Coalition members to send grass roots communications to members of Congress using stylized message points.

"Our nation's horseplayers provide the capital that fuels so much of the horse industry, and the new Horseplayers' Coalition will finally give this group a means of speaking with a unified voice in Washington, D.C.," said Alex Waldrop, President and CEO of the NTRA.

Read more...

http://www.ntra.com/hpc_index.aspx