SING ONE SONG

POP-IN: DENIS OF CORK is in the Derby field....photo by EquisportPhotos.com (see Derby pics at www.horse-races.net)







FIRST WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT WOODBINE

Woodbine opens up for a 4th day of racing a week tomorrow night with the first Wednesday evening.
The eight races have an average field size of about 10 horses per race.

The popular SCORE TV show will be on plus the contest to pick winners in conjunction with the SCORE, WOODBINE ENTERTAINMENT and RACINGWORLD TECHNOLOGY.

Release...

Get ready for another exciting 123racing competition season! The first competition of the year will be held on Wednesday, April 30th.

This year we've expanded our offerings to include TWO weekly competitions, each with $1000 in cash prizes to be won - that's $2000 in prizes up for grabs each and every week!

The Wednesday night competitions will again focus on the exciting race action of the Woodbine Thoroughbred races. Our NEW Monday competitions will revolve around the exhilarating Mohawk Standardbred races.

Your log-in information from last year's competitions will allow you to enter the competitions again this year. Simply click on the "LOGIN" button and enter your e-mail address and password. If you've forgotten your password you can click on the "Forgot your password?" link and you will be sent instructions regarding how to reset your password.

You can enter your picks for the first competition of the season starting on Monday, April 27th. Make sure that you enter your picks before the first race of the competition, which is set to go off at 6:45pm ET on Wednesday, April 30th. Wednesday night contests will be held on races 2-7 and Monday nights will be held on races 1-5.

Be sure to monitor your progress in the weekly competitions on the interactive Leaderboard at TheScore.123racing.ca and be sure to watch Race Night on The Score every Monday night from 7-9pm and Wednesday night from 7-10pm for live updates on the competition.

Invite your family and friends to play with you and enjoy the excitement of the 123racing competitions every Monday and Wednesday until October 2008.

Enter at...http://thescore.123racing.ca/


The featured race is an allowance, race 2, for Ontario sired fillies and mares,, non-winners of 2. MISS JUICEY, 2nd in her season debut, is a heavy 8 to 5 morning line favourite.


COMING UP AT WOODBINE
KENTUCKY DERBY ON SATURDAY -
QUEENSTON STAKES FOR PLATE HORSES


Saturday is a big day at Woodbine with the Kentucky Derby simulcast plus the QUEENSTON STAKES, the next major step to the QUEEN'S PLATE for the Canadian-bred 3yo's.
STUCK IN TRAFFIC (Kiridashi) is expected to try and give trainer Nick Gonzalez his 5th (!) stakes win of the meeting.
Stuck in Traffic will square off with arch rival Not Bourbon - they ran 1-2 in the Achievement earlier this month.
Not Bourbon and Stuck in Traffic will meet up with KESAGAMI, the Coronation Futurity winner who will have Jim McAleney aboard for the 7 furlong Queenston.
Other possibilities include several from trainer Mark Casse including Took the Time and East End Tap.

Also Saturday - a free seminar focussing on the Kentucky Derby and the Woodbine races will begin at 11 a.m. on the 2nd floor grandstand, east end.
Assistant to Steve Asmussen, STEVE FLINT, is expected to be the guest.



DENIS AND BOB ARE IN THE DERBY

Padua Stables' BEHINDATTHEBAR and the filly PROUD SPELL will not be enterd in Saturday's Kentucky Derby so DENIS OF CORK and BOB BLACK JACK (blinkers on) will compete.



DERBY STARTERS WITH SOME BEYER FIGURE COMMENTS


Here are some notes about each possible Derby starter and the editor's view on his/her Beyer Figure strength..

PYRO - Simple - if he hated Polytrack at Keeneland, he runs a 102-105 Beyer, good enough to win.

TALE OF EKATI - Canadian-owned colt is improving but see him only topping 98 at best

COLONEL JOHN - Sizzling workout of 57 4/5 aside, he had a top of 95 last time, could continue to go forward but I wouldn't predict it would be much higher than 98

GAYEGO - Topped at 103 last time in Ark. Derby, bettering 2 starts before when he ran a 102...lots of explosive moves in his form...102 range

BIG BROWN - a pair of 106's, he's the Beyer boss. Camp is very confident, but can you bet this speedball at 10 furlongs with the big crowd and hope he does not regress at all from the paired top?

DENIS OF CORK - Drew in yesterday. Easy to see he would bounce off the 96 in the Southwest when dull with the 88 in the Illinois Derby. Bounces back to 95-97

VISIONAIRE (photo above, from equisportPhotos.com)- My LONGSHOT special. Bounces back to 98 in Gotham and moves forward perhaps - 100 Beyer works.

BIG TRUCK - Topped with the 93 in the Tampa Bay Derby, flopped on Poly in Blue Grass. Runs a 90 or so.

BOB BLACK JACK - Gets blinkers so who knows what he will do - he once ran a 20 4/5 first 2 furlongs - will he bury Big Brown early? He could run a mid to high 90.

SMOOTH AIR - A nice 2nd in the Florida Derby - spiked a temperature this week. Tab him for a 98..distance may be tricky.

COOL COAL MAN - Like Pyro etc., Polytrack may have been a bummer for him last time, he had a 92 and 98 before that. Could bounce back - 100 Beyer.

ANAK NAKAL - Topped at 87 last time behind Tale of Ekati, no.

EIGHT BELLES - The filly who has a top of 100 from 4 races ago and then is back on her way with a 91 and 99 last time. 100 for sure.

Z HUMOR - cycled up to a 94 last time...96 is tops

MONBA - bounced back in the Blue Grass with 92...not much higher

COURT VISION - matched previous top with a 90 in Wood Memorial,improving a bit - 95 predicted.

Z FORTUNE - Surged with new top of 102 last time. Comes down to 99-100

ADRIANO - Topped at 92 last time on the Polytrack at Turfway. 95 perhaps.

RECAPTURETHEGLORY - had an easy ride on the pace in Ill. Derby and posted top of 102. Can't see that happening again.

COWBOY CAL - Steady front runner - 93 predicted.


EARLY LIST OF JEN'S CONTENDERS:

PYRO, BIG BROWN, GAYEGO, COOL COAL MAN, EIGHT BELLES, and fringers TALE OF EKATI, SMOOTH AIR....

But there are a few days left to change picks!



SHE'LL BE THERE WITH 'BELLE'S ON
Filly EIGHT BELLES in Derby from the CHICAGO TRIBUNE
NEIL MILBERT

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Larry Jones says his wife and assistant trainer, Cindy, is giving Eight Belles pep talks.

"My wife keeps having these talks with her and telling her anything a man can do she can do better," said the trainer, holding court in front of Barn 43 on the Churchill Downs backstretch with tongue tucked in cheek.

Saturday afternoon, the filly Eight Belles will try to get the best of 19 male opponents in the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby.

She will be only the 39th filly to compete in America’s most coveted race and she will attempt to become the fourth winner, joining Regret (1915), Genuine Risk (1980) and Winning Colors (1988) in an elite sorority.

For a while, it appeared Jones would have a pair of queens in the Derby, with Proud Spell joining Eight Belles.

But on Monday, he said Proud Spell is going to run against fillies in Friday’s Kentucky Oaks, while "Eight Belles will enter both races but more than likely go to the Derby."

Hall of Fame trainer LeRoy Jolley, who prefaced Genuine Risk’s victory in the Derby with a 1975 triumph with the colt Foolish Pleasure, believes Eight Belles physically fits the profile of a Derby winner.

"LeRoy came over to our barn to look at both fillies," Jones said. "He looked at Eight Belles and he told me: ‘Run her! She fits.’

"LeRoy said she’s definitely a lot bigger than Genuine Risk was. I also got to speak to (Hall of Fame trainer) Wayne Lukas about Winning Colors. He doesn’t think Eight Belles is as large as Winning Colors but he said she’s close. The only suggestion Wayne had was to try her one time against the boys before the Derby."

But, unlike Winning Colors, Genuine Risk and Regret, Eight Belles, will be facing male foes for the first time in the Derby. A winner of all four of her starts this year, she has a nine-race career of five victories, two seconds and a third.

"Eight Belles would be the favorite in the Oaks, and now Proud Spell (who has four wins, two places and a show in seven starts) will be the favorite," Jones said. "I think it might be just as hard for her to try to beat Proud Spell as it will be to try to beat the boys.

read more...http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/other_sports/horse_racing/view.bg?articleid=1090494
© 2008, Chicago Tribune. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.




ENTRIES TO BE DRAWN TODAY FOR KENTUCKY OAKS
A field of 11 is expected to race for $500,000..
A to the Croft, Calvin Borel;
Absolutely Cindy, Brian Hernandez Jr.;
Awesome Chic, Robby Albarado;
Bsharpsonata, Eric Camacho;
Country Star, Rafael Bejarano;
Golden Doc A, Kent Desormeaux;
Proud Spell, Gabriel Saez;
Elusive Lady, Eibar Coa;
Rasierra, Jamie Theriot;
Little Belle, Rajiv Maragh;
Pure Clan, Edgar Prado.


BARBARO'S BIRTHDAY

CALL TO ACTION...
(from alexbrownracing.com)

On April 29, Barbaro’s birthday, there will be a national effort to urge Congress to support the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, to stop American horses being transported to Canada and Mexico where they are being slaughtered for human consumption.

While the Humane Society of the United States focuses on targeted grassroots outreach to certain individual members of Congress, HSUS has asked us to take a special part in this effort which will be to focus our energy on the biggest impediment to this essential legislation being passed in the Senate—Larry Craig, who has put a hold on the bill.

We are calling on our members (FOB's) to bombard Senator Craig’s office with phone calls on April 29 urging him to allow S. 311 to move forward. If enough people participate, we could shut down his phone lines for the day in a massive show of force, demonstrating just how many people support the bill he is undemocratically blocking.

Today, April 29, please call Senator Craig’s office at 202-224-2752 and tell the aide answering the phone: “I’m calling to ask that Senator Craig allow S. 311, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, to move forward.”

Debra and Shelley - Americans Against Horse Slaughter