AMERICAN BABY

FRIDAY FUN - WOODBINE PICK 7 CARRYOVER UP TO $26,000

The final three cards of this week, coming after a hectic series of racing days that included 5 leading up to Queen's Plate day and then 12 more days of the next 14 (whew), start to get a bit, the weekend's card average 8 horses were race or so.
But the money is still up for grabs for bettors- favourites don't win 1/3 of the time and the PICK 7 is up again...

Race 3 is the first leg of the Pick 3 - older guys for $20K and FEATHER BED LANE is the big dropper, CUSOON moves up off a big win and HIGH TABLE stays at the same price after beating non-winners of 3.

Race 4- maiden 2yos for $40K; Trainer Ralph Biamonte looks strong: his PASSPORT JOE has a race under his girth and WATCH STOPPER (Suave Prospect), a brother or half to 9 winners, is a firster and Biamonte is 31% winning debut claimers.

Race 5- $12,500 FOR NON-WINNERS OF 2, featured 1 for 46 Why Not Gold. Enough said about that race.

Race 6- maiden allowance - 10 furlongs on turf; INDY'S WINDY is an A.P. Indy half sister to BANSHEE BREEZE who cost $1.1 million and has been in the top three 5 times in 7 races. Her lone turf start? She was 9th beaten 13 lengths.

Race 7 - Claiming $20K - MOLLI DAY is on a roll for Richard Lister

Race 8 - KNIGHT'S CAUSE will be odds-on again but has a habit of losing. Firster LINCOLN FORTYNINER has had plenty of prepping.

Race 9 - Grass claimer with turf debuters BALTIC VERSE and ACE CONTENDER looking interesting...SULTRY APPROVAL a logical one.


JULY 4 - FIREWORKS AT U.S. TRACKS

Canadian champions CLOUDY'S KNIGHT (Stars and Stripes Stakes today) and SEALY HILL (Vanity, Hollywood) are among the big names in action during the holiday weekend in the United States.

Cloudy's Knight is the Grade 3 'Stripes at Arlington (5:43 post) and he figures to head back to Woodbine in the fall if he rounds into form.

At MONMOUTH today, Jim and Susan Hill's BRIGHT PICK, trained by Reade Baker, is in the Grade 3 Jersey Shore Stakes at 6 furlongs.


Jersey Shore S. (G3) July 4, $150,000, 3yo, 6f, Monmouth Park, 4:42 PM ET

1. Go Go Shoot Songandaprayer Jose Lezcano 121 James T. Ryerson
2. Bright Pick Crafty Prospector Elvis Trujillo 119 Reade Baker
3. Silver Edition Silver Deputy Eddie Castro 119 D. Wayne Lukas
4. Fujita Lion Hearted David Cohen 117 Todd A. Pletcher
5. J Be K Silver Deputy Stewart Elliott 123 Steven M. Asmussen
6. Indy Joe Indy King Joe Bravo 119 Mark Shuman



WOODBINE SCOREBOARD - TRAINERS

SID SURGING

Sid C. Attard 107 17 15 11 $956,200
Steven M. Asmussen 95 16 12 12 $880,865
Mark E. Casse 135 15 19 19 $1,417,098
Scott H. Fairlie 84 15 13 10 $495,232
Reade Baker 109 13 13 14 $801,650
Roger L. Attfield 72 13 9 7 $1,551,059
Nicholas Gonzalez 66 13 6 8 $940,955
Ian Black 53 12 4 6 $667,206
Brian A. Lynch 35 12 4 3 $1,000,674
Robert P. Tiller 97 11 14 15 $613,094
Laurie Silvera 93 11 13 16 $547,662
Daniel J. Vella 77 11 12 6 $663,597


WOODBINE SCOREBOARD - JOCKEYS

James McAleney 255 44 34 35 $2,469,051
Emile Ramsammy 299 39 42 40 $2,155,850
Patrick Husbands 217 37 32 25 $2,393,040
Eurico Rosa Da Silva 283 37 30 30 $1,959,799
Emma-Jayne Wilson 291 35 33 43 $2,016,557
Tyler Pizarro 253 35 31 29 $1,519,208
Chantal Sutherland 238 29 28 34 $1,429,531
David Clark 207 25 23 22 $1,584,735
Jono C. Jones 221 24 29 27 $2,231,114
Justin Stein 213 22 27 18 $937,223
Robert C. Landry 115 16 17 19 $1,160,406
Slade Callaghan 136 16 15 11 $817,445



SPAGHETTI MOUSE

Mouse roaring again Trainer's death, losses to arch-rival took toll on horse

Tom Wolski, The Province


On Canada Day, fans at Hastings witnessed an amazing, yet unheralded, performance by one of the province's top Canadian athletes.

Before a strong crowd of supporters, Nick and Pauline Fellicella's Spaghetti Mouse captured his third consecutive Lieutenant-Governor's Stakes race.

While horses like Mouse are real stars of the sport, they are the forgotten ones when it comes to promoting racing.

(A DAY AT THE RACES blog, by Dave, provides super Hastings Park photos..at right is SPAHGETTI MOUSE - racingphoto.blogspot.com)


In a rather unique way, his story closely resembles the ups and downs of his human counterparts.

Bred by Black Canyon Thoroughbreds in Surrey, Spaghetti Mouse grew up with a blue-collar background. At age two, he was sold to the Fellicellas for a modest $16,000.

In 2004, under the guidance of trainer Gary Demorest, Mouse raced three times, winning once. His handlers gave him the barn name Archie, by which he still is known.

In 2005, Mouse blossomed into a top-flight racehorse. His wins included the $250,000 B.C. Derby and Lieutenant-Governor's, and he was named B.C. Horse of the Year.

In 2006, Spaghetti Mouse was having it all his way until True Metropolitan, a lightning-fast rival from the East Coast, showed up.

In their first of many thrilling races, Mouse defeated True Metropolitan in the $105,000 B.C. Cup Classic.

Six weeks later, with a four-race win streak on the line, they met again in the first of two classic showdowns. The Mouse was second-best in both.

It was one of several lows for the horse.

On April 28, 2007, Demorest died of kidney failure.

The Fellicellas turned the training of Mouse over to Demorest's capable, longtime assistant Ned Sams.

But Mouse was just not the same. In his first 2007 start, despite closing well, he lost yet again to True Metropolitan in the George Royal.

Mouse race only five times that year, his sole win being the Lieutenant-Governor's.

The story does not end there. After much thought, the Fellicellas, who admit they sometimes will change trainers when the Hastings meeting ends, did just that.

During the offseason, they hired Tracey (Terry) DaPonte, who like Sams had been around Spaghetti Mouse and their other horses since Demorest began training for them.

With the horse's grieving for his first trainer apparently over, Spaghetti Mouse began to flourish again. DaPonte acquired the services of former champion Hastings jockey Pedro Alvarado for morning workouts and afternoon rides.

This season, after again suffering another defeat to True Metropolitan, Mouse has come back strong.

His arch-rival has left for Woodbine in Ontario, and this appears to have given Spaghetti Mouse renewed confidence.

In the past month, Mouse has come back with a roar, winning the $50,000 John Longden and $100,000 Lieutenant-Governor's stakes back-to-back, to lift his lifetime earnings to $745,584.

Yet no matter how much success Spaghetti Mouse achieves, back at the barn he remains Archie. twolski@shaw.ca



BOB SUMMERS - THE HAPPY HANDICAPPER

from the Buffalo news

Ranks Ontario 3yo's as Prince of Wales approaches:

1. Not Bourbon (10-5-2-1, $961,160. Roger Attfield, Jono Jones): Queen's Plate victory, by a diminishing neck over Ginger Brew, was his third straight stakes win. ... Has spent his entire career racing on Woodbine's Polytrack so this will be his first competition on a "regular" dirt track. ... Attfield, who tied a record with his eighth Plate win has also won the Prince of Wales a record five times with Norcliffe (1976), With Approval (1989), Izvestia (1990), Peteski (1993) and Ablo (2005). ... Jones won the 2004 Prince of Wales aboard A Bit O'Gold. ... Breezed 5 furlongs in 59 2/5 seconds on Wednesday, July 2 over the dirt on the Woodbine training track.

2. Harlem Rocker (4-3-0-0, $148,500. Todd Pletcher, Eibar Coa): Winner of Aqueduct's Grade 3 Withers Stakes on April 26 has been training well at Belmont since opting out of the Queen's Plate. ... Has won $139,500 on fast dirt tracks, more than any other nominee. ... Worked a "bullet" (fastest of the day at the distance) 5 furlongs in 1:00 3/5 on the Belmont Park training track on June 29. ... Pletcher won the Prince of Wales in 1998 with Archers Bay.

3. Solitaire (3-0-1-2, $143,780. H. James Bond, Robert Landry): Maiden had a very wide trip but closed to be third in the Plate by 4 1/2 lengths. ... Jockey Landry said "My horse ran well, I think he could have easily done a lot better. I had a wide trip the whole way. I could never really get him in to save ground. I ran further than the rest of the horses. ... I really think he maybe could have finished a little better than I did. Maybe with a little better post next time." ... In their previous meeting, Solitaire closed strongly to finish just a neck behind Not Bourbon in the June 1 Plate Trial at 1 1/8 miles. ... His sire, Victory Gallop, won the 1998 Belmont Stakes. ... Landry won the 1998 Prince of Wales on Archers Bay.

4. Deputiformer (9-1-2-2, $272,720. Mike DePaulo, Jerry Baird)): Finished fourth in the Plate by 4 3/4 lengths after leading briefly after a mile in 1:39.30. ... His only win came in the $253,000 Cup and Saucer on the turf as a 2-year-old. ... Jockey Baird, who chose this one in the Plate over Mamma's Knight, said “I had a beautiful trip. I saved all the ground. I got through when I had to go. I gave Not Bourbon a go at the head of the stretch, but he beat me. [Instructions were] let him do what he wants. He was quite comfortable where he was.” ... DePaulo won the Prince of Wales in 2006 with Shillelagh Slew.

5. Palmers (9-1-2-3, $96,692. Mark Casse, Patrick Husbands): Finished fifth in the Plate by five lengths after running 12th of 14 the first time under the wire. ... Equibase chart said he "closed five-wide on the far turn, rallied all out." ... His only win came at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans in an off-the-turf race on a "good" track at 1 1/16 miles. ... Husbands won the 2003 Prince of Wales aboard Wando.

6. East End Tap (7-1-2-0, $75,680. Reade Baker, Tyler Pizarro): Finished sixth in the Plate by 5 1/4 lengths after running fifth in the Plate Trial by 8 3/4 lengths. ... His only win came as a 2-year-old at 1 1/16 miles at Woodbine.

7. Took the Time (4-1-2-0, $47,840. Mark Casse, Ramon Dominguez): Finished eighth in the Plate by eight lengths. ... Chart said he came four-wide on the far turn but "evened out in the stretch." ... Owner Earle Mack won the 1993 Prince of Wales with Peteski.

8. Jungle Brew (3-0-2-0, $28,120. Brian Lynch, Jim McAleney): Finished ninth in the Queen's Plate by 11 1/4 lengths with the Equibase comment "came three-deep late turn but never reached contention." ... Closed well to be second in his other two starts against maidens.

9. Sebastian's Song (5-2-0-1. $94,760. Alec Fehr, David Clark): Finished 10th in the Plate by 12 1/4 lengths. after finishing third in the Plate Trial... Plate chart-caller Paul Turney said he "came four-deep late turn but lacked a rally."

10. Sand Cove (11-2-2-1, $124,776. Roger Attfield, Richard Dos Ramos): Has the most starts (11) of any nominee. ... Daily Racing Form says he "faltered" in deep stretch of his last start at 1 1/16 miles, his only race around two turns.

11. Pronger (8-1-1-1, $62,800. Mike DePaulo, Justin Stein): Looked good winning a maiden race wire-to-wire at 7 furlongs on June 20. ... He was clocked in 1:23 4/5 after zipping the first 6 furlongs in 1:10 4/5.

12. Sligovitz (6-1-1-2, $41,380. Brian Lynch, Patrick Husbands): Race twice (finishing fifth and third) in 1 1/8-mile races over the Gulfstream dirt last winter before breaking his maiden over Woodbine's Polytrack on June 11.