BEST TO THE BEST

BREEDERS' STAKES
SUNDAY AUGUST 3
Third Jewel of Canadian Triple Crown


It's still $500,000, it's still looking like it could be a good betting race, so that takes the sting out of yet another Breeders' with no chance of a Triple Crown winner.
In fact, the QUEEN'S PLATE and PRINCE OF WALES winner are both passing up the 1 1/2 mile turf race.

NOT BOURBON is still recuperating from his throat surgery and may be headed to SARATOGA anyway.
HARLEM ROCKER, the Fort Erie hero, is headed to Saratoga's Travers' - or perhaps this wekend's Haskell.

So what are we left with for the Breeders'?

Well SOLITAIRE may prove to be one of the better Canadian-bred 3yo's in a division that is very weak outside the other two classic winners. He figures to battle for favoritism with Stronach Stables' SLIGOTVITZ.



Here is the probable field:

CRYPTONITE KID 4th Charlie Barley

DEPUTIFORMER 4th Plate, 5th 'Wales, likes grass

DYLAN'S CHOICE 5th beaten 11 in T.O. Cup, last Plate

EAST END TAP - 2nd Prince of Wales

GO IN PEACE - maiden

MAMMA'S KNIGHT - bred for grass, 7th Plate

MARLANG won the Charlie Barley but bombed in T.O. Cup after bad trip

PALMERS - loves grass better than Poly but distance is a question

PRONGER - 3rd Prince of Wales

SLIGOVITZ - has won 2 straight, handles long turf races

SOLITAIRE - 3rd Plate, by top grass sire in Victory Gallop


NOW WE'RE GETTING SOMEWHERE.....

As written on Thoroughblog Numerous times in recent years and most recently just a few weeks back when it was obvious that whip-use at tracks, including Woodbine, was getting out of hand.
Certainly the perception of whip use, with so many more riders at Woodbine doing the flailing of the whip whether they are in front by 10 or last by 10, has made people finally shake the tree branches that house the Ontario Racing Commission.

This was released yesterday.....


ORC To Examine Use Of The Whip July 28, 2008 (with files from Standardbred Canada)


In response to calls from the horse racing community, an

industry initiative to explore the use of the whip in Ontario horse

racing was announced today by John Blakney, Executive

Director of the Ontario Racing Commission (ORC).

Representatives of the industry will be brought together to a

special working session in early September to assess current

practice, policy and rules to determine what improvements need

to be made.

Representatives of the horse racing community will include

current and retired jockeys and drivers, horse people

associations, racetracks, animal welfare agencies and the equine

veterinarian community.

Statistical information on the use of the whip in Ontario, as well

as actual race video, will be reviewed to better understand what

is considered to be appropriate and inappropriate use in 2008.

The experience and practices of other racing jurisdictions

around the world will also be presented.

Historically, whips have played an intricate role in horse training

and horse racing. Its use has evolved as a training and control

tool to protect the safety of both horses and participants, and a

tool for encouraging performance during a race. The horse

racing community's varying degrees of opinion on the subject of

whip use and specific recent requests for change to the rules by

some Standardbred racetracks have led to this industry

collaboration.

Within the framework of social responsibility and concern for

the welfare of the horse, the ORC believes that this close

examination of the degree of acceptability of the practice may

lead to changes, including new rules and levels of enforcement.

(ORC)



KODIAK KOWBOY KRUISES

Excerpt from the Saratogian

SARATOGA SPRINGS - Ten yards before the wire, Kodiak Kowboy and Desert Key were inseparable.

Then Gabriele Saez went to a right-handed whip aboard Kodiak Kowboy and got his nose to the wire ahead of Desert Key to take the Grade II, $150,000 Amsterdam.

The start was the first for Kodiak Kowboy under the conditioning of Larry Jones. Kodiak Kowboy ($6.10, $3.00, $2.70) had been under Steve Asmussen's care up until July 1.

Sent off as the 2-1 second choice, Kodiak Kowboy made his move at the three-eighths pole after the favorite, Desert Key, set blistering fractions of 21.79 and 44.19. Desert Key held on game at the rail, but was beat in the final jump.

"I have to give credit to Steve, he had him ready," Jones said. "All I had to do was not mess it up and it'll work out well for us."

http://www.saratogian.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19875927&BRD=1169&PAG=461&dept_id=597321&rfi=6


SCOREBOARD FOR A TUESDAY

WOODBINE TRAINERS


Mark E. Casse 187 24 26 24 $1,957,532
Sid C. Attard 138 22 21 17 $1,219,307
Scott H. Fairlie 107 21 20 14 $783,710
Steven M. Asmussen 124 21 17 13 $1,303,927
Nicholas Gonzalez 91 19 11 11 $1,311,382
Reade Baker 140 18 16 18 $1,158,454
Roger L. Attfield 102 18 10 20 $1,867,797
Michael J. Doyle 129 17 11 14 $736,585
Robert P. Tiller 129 16 21 18 $936,664
Terry Jordan 39 16 8 2 $638,374
Brian A. Lynch 45 15 7 5 $1,246,250
Daniel J. Vella 97 13 13 11 $768,394
Michael P. De Paulo 94 13 12 11 $777,791
Audre Cappuccitti 114 13 10 15 $424,673


WOODBINE JOCKEYS

Name Starts 1st 2nd 3rd Earnings
James McAleney 340 65 50 43 $3,564,085
Patrick Husbands 285 53 42 34 $3,141,607
Eurico Rosa Da Silva 375 51 45 44 $2,666,486
Emile Ramsammy 393 49 55 52 $2,697,731
Emma-Jayne Wilson 387 46 46 60 $2,812,243
Chantal Sutherland 326 43 38 52 $2,247,823
Tyler Pizarro 306 39 38 35 $1,769,296
David Clark 262 32 33 28 $2,092,684
Jono C. Jones 253 30 33 31 $2,590,361
Justin Stein 274 28 35 23 $1,289,863

FORT RIE TRAINERS

Name Starts 1st 2nd 3rd Earnings

Nicholas Gonzalez 66 15 14 7$184,702
Donald C. MacRae 42 13 10 3$125,607
Michael Newell 85 12 10 9$117,148
Ashlee Brnjas 26 11 2 2$74,409
John Simms 63 10 15 12$118,128
Kevin Buttigieg 74 9 8 13$94,346
Daniel Wills 35 9 4 6 85,433


FORT ERIE JOCKEYS


Name Starts 1st 2nd 3rd Earnings
Chad Beckon 247 49 46 36 578,404
Christopher Griffith 160 26 19 20 301,113
Rui M. Pimentel 138 25 20 24 284,756
Cory Clark 188 24 25 25 287,068
Kristopher Robinson 157 21 18 24 244,735
David Garcia 82 18 14 11 188,519
Edward Keith Robinson 157 13 14 15 $160,998
Eldridge K. Lindsay 141 12 13 19 160,805
Dale Hemsley 102 12 12 9 $139,246
Catherine O'Brien 63 11 13 10$117,735
Daniel J. David 54 10 7 7 $107,415