SOMETHING BREWING

52RD WOODBINE OAKS, presented by Budweiser
A field of 11 is currently being projected for the Woodbine Oaks, the biggest race for Canadian-bred 3yo fillies, to be run Sunday at 9 furlongs on Woodbine's Polytrack.

GINGER BREW and her regular rider JAVIAR CASTELLANO figure to be heavily bet for the Stronach Stables thanks to her Calder Oaks win and her versatility (she has won on Polytrack).

Trainer Brian Lynch has purposely freshened Ginger Brew for the Oaks and even mentioned that he would love to see the filly in the Queen's Plate (she is not currently eligible and would have to be supplemented) since she is good at long distances.

One maiden, Northern Kraze, may be entered.

Stakes winners AUTHENICAT, ANNE'S PURSE and SHILLA add to an interesting field.




Horse/Owner/Trainer/Jockey
Anne's Purse/Big C Little C Stable/Earl Barnett/Eurico Rosa da Silva
(Porto Foricos-Blue Spanish Eyes, Regal Classic, bred by Big C Little C)

Authenicat/Vinery LLC/Josie Carroll/Indefinite
(D'Wildcat-Authentic Deed, Alydeed, bred by Gail Wood)

Ginger Brew/Stronach Stables Inc./Brian Lynch/Javier Castellano
(Milwaukee Brew-Coral Necklace, Conquistador Cielo bred by Adena Springs)

Initforreal/Rowbotham, Lindskog, MacKinnon, Richer & Boogmans/Arthur
Silvera/Constant Montpellier

(Real Quiet-Favored One, by Son of Briartic,bred by Richard Lister)

Lady d'Wildcat/Shyman Farm/Steve Roberts/Emma-Jayne Wilson
(D'Wildcat-Avenue's Lady, Avenue of Flags, bred by Shyman Farm)

Money My Honey/Stronach Stables Inc./Brian Lynch/Indefinite
(Red Bullet-Collect the Cash, Dynaformer, bred by Adena Springs)

Nicki Knew/Knob Hill Stable/Kevin Attard/Jono Jones
(Tethra-Panteccaria, San Romano bred by Knob Hill Stables)

Northern Kraze/Anderson Farms and Partner/Mark Frostad/Chantal
Sutherland
(Aljabr-Baraha, Dayjur bred by Anderson Farms)

Shilla/Victura Farm/Nick Gonzalez/David Clark
(Marquetry-Papoose, bred by Brian Cullen)

Sugar Bay/Augustin Stable/Mac Benson/Corey Fraser
(Syncline-Otra Vez by Rahy, bred by Augustin Stable)

Victory Romance/Donver Stable/Josie Carroll/Emile Ramsammy
(Slew City Slew-Moonbeam Dancing, Dance Brightly, bred by Donver Stable, Alberta)


INITFORREAL TO GIVE OAKS A GO

Former claimer, Initforreal, is getting good at the right time, so she
gets a chance at Sunday's big prize, the $300,000 winner's share of the
Woodbine Oaks, presented by Budweiser purse.

After breaking her maiden at the $32,000 level last year, trainer
Arthur Silvera has steadily moved her up the class ladder. Her fifth in
the Fury Stakes in her seasonal debut prompted a start in the Grade 3
Selene Stakes, where she third, beaten a length at 53-1.

"She came into the (Selene) nice and relaxed," he said. "When she
geared up at the three-eighths pole, I was saying to myself, 'Here it
is, she's going to finish 1-2-3.' It's just a shame she ran out of real
estate."

The bay daughter of Real Quiet, who has one win, one second and one
third in nine career starts, will get another sixteenth of a mile to
show her stuff in the Oaks.

Constant Montpellier, the only race rider she has partnered with, gets
the call.

Initforreal was bred by Richard Lister in Ontario.


CLIFF FLETCHER, SPECIAL GUEST FOR WOODBINE OAKS DRAW

Cliff Fletcher, interim general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, is
the special guest drawmaster for the Woodbine Oaks, presented by
Budweiser draw, on Thursday, June 5 at WEGZ Stadium Bar.


SUGAR BAY worked in 59.60 yesterday on the Polytrack at Woodbine as she prepares for the Oaks on Sunday.
The filly is by George Strawbridge's own stallion SYNCLINE (Danzig-Annie Edge) and out of OTRA VEZ, a Rahy mare that Strawbridge sold for $7,500 at auction 2 years ago.
The mare now resides at Stonehaven Farm in Port Perry Ontario and is owned by Cecil Pring.




COMMON PROBLEM AT RACETRACKS...

PUMP UP YOUR STARS AND YOUR RACES....!!


JERRY BOSSERT has it right in the New York Daily News.

Marketing needs to be utilized better, maybe a bit more by tracks.

Woodbine has it's own big race on SUNDAY,
the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks, presented by Budweiser,
and the horses and jocks should be highlighted in any
marketing for this race.


BY JERRY BOSSERT DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER Sunday, June 1st 2008, 7:30 PM

This week should be different at Belmont Park. Unfortunately, it doesn't feel that way.

Instead of having a grand weeklong celebration for the Belmont and Big Brown's run at the final leg of the Triple Crown, momentum will be doused as the track remains dark Monday and Tuesday.

The schedule works for any other week. It doesn't for this one.

The visual push for the race on the track seems nonexistent.

The billboard usually on the Belt Parkway promoting the Belmont Stakes is gone this year. It's been a fixture for as long as I've been coming out to watch the race.

It's also impossible to understand how ESPN has post position draw shows for the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness - both races are shown on NBC - and the Belmont draw only merits a spot on ESPNEWS, while ESPN on ABC will televise the race.

There are no signs or banners about the Belmont Stakes as you enter the track, just a big banner promoting the New York Racing Association's Internet wagering account system.

In fact, the Internet is another whiff by both the NYRA and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association.

Neither NTRA.com nor NYRA.com has a Triple Crown page on its site.

There, too, the NYRA is pushing its Internet account wagering platform.

In fact, Triplecrown.com, which the NTRA needs to own, takes you to a cable company. With all the deep pockets behind the NTRA, it is inconceivable it has not purchased that address.

There has been no live streaming of trainer Rick Dutrow Jr.'s electrifying press conferences on its site, nor have they been posted on YouTube.

All these would provide added exposure for Big Brown's run to the Triple Crown.

What NYRA needs to do is create a Belmont week that features live racing and family-friendly festivities through the Belmont Stakes.

NYRA should have taken a cue from Philadelphia Park. The Pennsylvania track embraced the Smarty Jones phenomenon in 2004 by opening its doors in the morning to let racing fans watch Smarty prepare for his run at history.

Instead, Belmont will be empty Monday and Tuesday and another opportunity to create momentum will be missed.

The track will be packed to the gills on Saturday, only because of Big Brown's run at the Triple Crown.

Belmont history tells us that if a Triple Crown weren't on the line, that wouldn't be the case.

To infuse interest in the sport, more has to be done. NYRA and the NTRA are fortunate they have a Triple Crown on the line Saturday. Without that, the Belmont would be just another race and that's a shame.




STRIP OFF THE OLE' RECORD

SILVER STRIP. a gritty turf gelding, won the feature at Fort Erie yesterday at 5 furlongs on the turf.
(Note - I had originally reported, from the EQUIBASE CHART, that the race was a course record. This was not correct.)

The Florida-bred by Comic Strip won the allowance race by a head over the tough and classy Chemistry Class.
Silver Strip is owned by Cedar Mills Stable and Reno Di Salvo and trained by Brian Ross. Kris Robinson rode.


OTHER STUFF

GLITTER CANYON won a starter allowance at Mountaineer yesterday. The Ontario bred by Glitterman-Sister Nena by Gate Dancer, bred by Hope Stock Farm, is owned and trained by Joe Faulkner. The race was 6 furlongs

The promising filly SERENADING (A.P.Indy-Daiijin) worked six furlongs in a stunning 1:10.40 yesterday on Woodbine's Polytrack.

MEDIDOCIHOSPISURG (Thunder Gulch-Escape Reality) continues to show on the worktab. That's a tough one for the track announcer for sure.




SCOREBOARD -

WOODBINE LEADING TRAINERS

Nicholas Gonzalez 42 10 4 5 $728,670
Mark E. Casse 72 9 11 12 $781,610
Scott H. Fairlie 57 9 11 6 $310,643
Daniel J. Vella 50 9 8 5 $534,287
Audre Cappuccitti 66 9 7 6 $257,088
Steven M. Asmussen 58 9 5 8 $482,449
Roger L. Attfield 40 9 4 5 $742,297
Reade Baker 61 8 7 7 $498,162
Michael J. Doyle 64 7 8 12 $364,380
Laurie Silvera 59 7 7 12 $348,621





LEADING WOODBINE JOCKEYS

Emile Ramsammy 186 28 24 27 $1,456,776
Eurico Rosa Da Silva 160 26 11 12 $1,273,405
Patrick Husbands 133 25 21 17 $1,501,263
James McAleney 157 24 19 24 $1,302,469
Tyler Pizarro 148 21 15 18 $848,354
Emma-Jayne Wilson 173 18 21 24 $1,125,227
Jono C. Jones 143 18 18 12 $1,085,319
Justin Stein 130 13 18 11 $549,944
David Clark 129 12 16 11 $794,834
Chantal Sutherland 129 12 15 21 $659,047
Slade Callaghan 84 11 8 9 $536,477
Robert C. Landry 64 10 10 12 $603,156



JERRY BROWN, THORO-GRAPH TALKS BIG BROWN BELMONT..
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2008/06/01/
2008-06-01_to_number_cruncher_triple_crown_attempt_.html?
page=1

"Big Brown might have that kind of resilience, but we don't know," says the man from Thoro-Graph. "But why would you take 1-5 on something that hasn't happened the last 10 times it could have?"