ROCKIN

DERBY PREP - AP photo of GAYEGO'S WORK at CHURCHILL yesterday...



106 BEYER FOR HARLEM ROCKER Faster than most American 3yos....where will he race next??
Trainers and owners with Queen's Plate prospects for 2008 are hoping they never see Canadian-bred HARLEM ROCKER.
The grey Macho Uno colt (Macho Uno sired the winner of the Derby Trial yesterday too, Macho Again) romped in the 4-horse Withers Stakes and ran fast, 106 Beyer Figure in his 3rd win from 3 starts.
"He's never been 2 turns yet," said Sid Attard yesterday, who trains Kesagami, the Coronation Futurity winner from last year.
True, the colt has only won at one-mile twice and a sprint and his pedigree on his dam's side is strictly sprinting.
No official word has come from anyone about the colt's next start - the Plate Trial and then the Plate are mentioned but since HARLEM ROCKER ran a 106, faster than the 3yo's in the Kentucky Derby other than Big Brown, it would not be surprising if he went to the Preakness/

CANADIAN CHAMPION KODIAK KOWBOY (not Canadian-bred) was a gritty 2nd in the Derby Trial yesterday before Macho Again.
Turf War, trained by mark Casse and ridden by Pat Husbands, was a lethargic second-last.


STAKES SCORE A BREWIN Ginger brew surges to head of Oaks class.

Canadian-breds are kicking butt everywhere.
And Stronach Stables are thriving too -it has the faves for the PLATE AND OAKS!
GINGER BREW, a Canadian-bred 3yo filly by Milwaukee Brew-Croal Necklace, Conquistador Cielo, won the CALDER OAKS at Calder yesterday, worth $200,000.
Trained by Brian Lynch, the chestnut miss won by 1 1/4 lengths and ran 1 1/8 miles on the grass in 1:47.24
It was her 2nd win in 5 races.
Her Beyer Figure was 93.
Ginger Brew was bought back for $65,000 at the Adena 2yo sale last year.

Stronach Stable's got a maiden win out of its regally bred filly BE GLORIOUS (Red Bullet-Primarily, by Lord At War (Arg),a half-sister CITRONNADE (G1, $864,205), WHISKEY WISDOM (G3, $452,824),POETICALLY ($561,158) and PRIMALY ($378,770) at Hollywood yesterday.


EXCERPT - from the SUN-SENTINEL

No one could watch the Calder races at Woodbine yesterday...

Simulcasting curtailed

A dispute between Calder and horsemen resulted in a severely curtailed betting menu Saturday, a situation that could continue indefinitely. Horsemen in Kentucky, Delaware, Maryland and Ohio denied permission to allow their races to be simulcast into Florida, a right granted them by the Interstate Horse Racing Act. Among the cards blacked out was opening day at Churchill Downs. This leaves next week's Kentucky Derby and Oaks simulcasts under a cloud.

The action follows South Florida horsemen denying Calder, which opened Monday, permission to send its races out of state. About 90 percent of the total handle comes from out-of-state simulcast sites. As a result, Calder had instituted a 30 percent cut in purses, effective today.

At issue nationwide is the percentage of wagers made over the phone and Internet that will go to purses. Currently, horsemen get about 25 percent. They are demanding approximately 33 percent.




WOODBINE SATURDAY.. ALL THE RIGHT MOVES
LEGAL MOVE proved he is the best sprinter in Ontario with another decisive score. The Bold Executive colt, a $30,704 yearling purchase by Woodford Racing, paired up 96 Beyer Figures with his score in yesterday's Jacques Cartier Stakes, scordching 6 furlongs in 1:08.63, just 7/100 off the track record.
On a windy day and on a fast Polytrack, Legal Move had a new rider in Simon Husbands, brother of Patrick (who rode at Churchill Downs yesterday) but that didn't matter.
The Gardiner Farms bred 4yo rallied in the stretch as he did when he won the prep and
edged a game Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk by 1 3/4 lengths.
The latter chased from the rail all the way after a bad start and stayed on well.
Ballado Dancer and Sail From Seattle fried each other in the pace duel and slipped back.
"It's been a long time since I won a stakes race," said Husbands, who does a lot of work nowadays with his brother and trainer Mark Casse.
"He's a nice horse and worked great coming into the prep," said Husbands, who won his first added-money race since 2005, when he partnered Sophia's Prince to victory in the Shepperton Stakes. "I was just a passenger."
"So far things have gone really well for this horse," said assistant conditioner Ricky Griffith. "He has turned into man. He's not very tall, but he's very stout, like a pit bull. The horse came here from Florida in great shape. He came here ready to run."
It was thought the colt would not race yesterday and instead wait for the May 10 New Providence Stakes.
Legal Move returned $7.90, $4.20, $3.40, combining with Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk($7.70, $4.70) for a $76.70 exactor. Sail From Seattle ($4.20) rounded out a $368.90 triactor.


It was a good day for trainer NOEL RANDALL won won races 6 and 7 on the card for 2 differeent owners.
Randall made a shrewd claim with DOUBLE COLICO on April 18 as the 4yo colt was offered for $32,000 by Steve Asmussen, won with a 95 Beyer and then doubled up yesterday for $60,000.
He ran an 85 Beyer yesterday in his 5 1/2 furlong win in 1:03.
Winston Penny owns.

Albert Sanges owns CAPITAL OFFENSE, a Florida bred 3yo who looked good winning his maiden for $47,500 yesterday. The Arrested colt, claimed for $40,000 form his debut from trainer Mark Casse, was making his 2nd start of the season.


OTHER RACES AND STUFF...

Trainer ALEC FEHR and owner Terry Hamilton dished out $62,500 for Victoria Bay at Gulfstream earlier this month and she won back almost all of that yesterday in her allowance score. It was the Northern Afleet filly's first outing on anything but grass.

BOMARC won race 2 in front running fashion under Eurico Da Silva for Richard McMaster, Gemini Farm and trainer Ralph Biamonte. The gelding won his finale in December and doubled up for $20K yesterday. He's by Lite the Fuse.

A super strtech duel in race 3, an allowance event for fillies and mares, resulted in UNREAL ROCKET slowly wearing down BEAR BULLET TOO at the end of 7 furlongs.
The Rocket, who earned an 83 Beyer yesterday for 7 furlongs in 1:22 and change, was winning for the 6th time in 26 starts.
She is an Illinois bred by Unreal Zeal and Red Johnson trains for MES Stable.

MOON RUCKUS won his maiden for Rocco d'Alimonte and Frank Annechinni IN RACE 4. The Perigee Moon 4yo who races with his head high,was a bit erratic yesterday, leaping and jumping a bit on the turn and he seemed reluctant to go past the leader in deep stretch but finally did.

He was bred by Warren and Kate Byrne in Ontario.

MIKE DOYLE came close to winning 2 of the last 3 races. He dropped in SHE CAN'T WAIT to win the 8th for Duar Racing and himself but eaton Hall's TOBAR came up 1/2 a length short in the last race for maidens.
Tobar could not catch up to TORCHY KINSHASA, from the hot Audre Cappuccitti barn, who was dropping from $32K to $9,500 for his season debut. He is a homebred by Kinshasa.

MORT HARDY's HYDETHETREASURE won the 9th with a long, sustained rally through the stretch to get past a very tough U R ENERGY. Hydethetreasure is an Ontario bred by Bold 'n Flashy out of Cherokee Treasure, bred by Bill Graham.


TODAY AT WOODBINE LAST DAY AS A BUG FOR TYLER PIZARRO
Today is the last day as an apprentice rider for Tyler Pizarro.
The rider has a handful of mounts today and will begin his career as a journeyman on Wednesday, the first wed. card of the season.
Friday is the last day as a bug rider for DEAN DEVERELL.

Today's card is much better than yesterday's and the FURY STAKES, a restricted event for 3yo fillies foal in Ontario, could be a step for some to the Woodbine Oaks in June.

SHILLA HAS HER TOUGHEST TEST YET. The Marquetry filly, owned and bred by Brian Cullen, won the La Voyageuse in her season debut with a 78 Beyer Figure, a low number for the class.
Today she meets undefeated GLORIOUSLY, a very fast, headstrong gal by Indian Charlie who is 2 for 2 and won at Keeneland last time with an 85 Beyer Figure.
That gal figures to get softened up by DOWD CHAPEL, 1 for 1 in her career thanks to a score at Oaklawn with a 91 Beyer Figure.
The race should set up nicely for SHILLA with perhaps the Florida trained WIND IN MY WINGS picking up some pieces.


PEPPER IS SALTY FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS.. New Mexico horse wins 16th consecutive race

FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — Peppers Pride became the sixth thoroughbred ever to win 16 straight races with a two-length victory on Saturday.

The 5-year-old, New Mexico-bred mare ran the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:17 at SunRay Park to take the $75,000 Russell and Helen Foutz Distaff Handicap.

A daughter of Desert God, Peppers Pride joined Citation, Cigar, Mister Frisky, Hallowed Dreams and Got Country Grip as the only other horses in North America to win 16 races in a row with a saddled jockey.

"I don't know what intangibles it takes for an athlete to be great," trainer Joel Marr said in the winner's circle. "But whatever that is, she has it."

Jockey Carlos Madeira has been aboard Peppers Pride for each of the 16 victories.

"It was kind of a rough trip," Madeira said after Saturday's race in which Peppers Pride was the favorite. "But once she settled down and got away from that horse on the turn, she settled beautifully on the fence and she was going very well at that point."

Peppers Pride outraced Bossy Bush in the final 100 yards to increase her lifetime earnings to more than $861,000 for owner Joseph Allen.

Marr said he didn't want to commit to what race Peppers Pride will run in next, when she will attempt to break the all-time record with 17 consecutive wins.

At Oklahoma City in April, Got Country Grip lost by a head in the 5-year-old Oklahoma-bred gelding's bid for a record-setting 17th straight win.

Peppers Pride has faced only New Mexico-bred competition and has yet to travel out of state during the record streak.

"If it was so easy to do, then there would be a hundred horses with the record," Marr said.
Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.




KENTUCKY DERBY NEWS.... Excerpt from...Jennie Rees COLUMN WHY THEY CAN WIN AND WHY THEY CAN'T
By Jennie Rees • jrees@courier-journal.com • April 27, 2008 It's the ultimate in looking at the world through rose-colored glasses…

Three days before entries are taken Wednesday for Saturday's 134th Kentucky Derby, the owners of 30 horses remain willing to pay $50,000 in entry fees -- plus probably at least that much for tickets, hotels and bad mint juleps -- for the right to come away with only a $150 keepsake saddle towel if their horse finishes up the track at Churchill Downs.

But the owners -- and even a lot of the trainers -- believe their horses have the ability to wear the garland of roses. Here we help them make their cases why they can win -- tempered with a dose of reality why they can't.
Pyro

Why: He is classy, bred for the distance, has more stalking speed if needed than some think, is 1 for 1 at Churchill and never has run poorly on dirt. Throw out his Polytrack Blue Grass.

Why not: No horse in modern times has finished 10th in his final prep and won the Derby. He has not improved his speed figures at age 3 the way typical Derby winners do.
Proud Spell

Why: She's wonderfully consistent, is by a Derby runner-up (Proud Citizen), and this is not a strong bunch of colts.

Why not: These colts are better than their reputations. No filly has won the Derby without previously racing against the boys. No Derby winner has won without first racing at 11/8 miles since Middleground in 1950. She's most likely running in the Oaks anyway.
Tale of Ekati

Why: How many times have we seen the horse that a jockey doesn't pick (Edgar Prado chose Adriano instead) win the Derby? Barclay Tagg knows a Derby horse when he sees one. His 2- and 3-year-old form is the type that captures the roses.

Why not: He's not fast enough. The Wood finish was dreadfully slow.

Colonel John

Why: His Santa Anita Derby was one of the most impressive pre.....

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