HOLD THE FORT

UPDATE... UPDATE...UPDATE...

NOT BOURBON apparently did NOT ship to FORT ERIE based on unsettled weather. He will work tomorrow at Woodbine.
The colt should be heavily favoured to win Sunday's 73rd Prince of Wales Stakes.




(photo of beautiful Fort Erie by www.horse-races.net)


(LOOK WHO IS ON THE COVER OF THE BLOOD-HORSE!)



73rd PRINCE OF WALES -

SUNDAY JULY 13 Fort Erie, 1 3/16 miles


SMOKIN HEAT today (40C with humidex), NOT BOURBON headed to the Fort.


(check out the NEW POLL AT RIGHT TOO!!)





Queen's Plate winner NOT BOURBON is headed to Fort Erie today to work at the track tomorrow and then stay there until his big race on Sunday, the Prince of Wales and the 2nd jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown.

Trainer ROGER ATTFIELD has won 5 PRINCE OF WALES (his Plate rival Harry Giddings has won 3) but the RECORD is held by GORD (PETE) MCCANN, who has SEVEN 'WALES' WINS.

Attfield's latest 'Wales' win was with ABLO, an upstart who led all the way in his finest moment to win the race that is often won by a horse that stays close to the pace.

The last PLATE winner to win the WALES was Wando ( a Triple Crown winner) and SEVEN of the last 20 Wales winners also won the PLATE (that is since the race was moved to 1 3/16 miles on dirt from 1 1/2 miles on TURF).

Todd Pletcher has won the Wales - Archers Bay in 1998.


At FORT ERIE recently, speed is deadly, favourites won almost every race yesterday but it can get very warm and a sudden storm could make the track sloppy at any time.


And, if you don't run the standings..you get complaints!


Here they are through yesterday.. thanks to Equibase.


TRAINERS


Nicholas Gonzalez 45 10 7 7 $114,456
Donald C. MacRae 30 9 6 3 $82,394
John Simms 44 8 11 9 $91,584
Kevin Buttigieg 62 8 8 11 $83,682
Daniel Wills 28 8 4 6 $77,211
Ashlee Brnjas 18 6 2 1 $43,883
Michael Newell 55 5 7 7 $61,407
Nathan Squires 41 5 6 9 $61,335
James W. Woods 21 5 2 4 $61,813
Julie Robillard 21 5 0 2 $32,638


JOCKEYS

Chad Beckon 185 39 36 28 $413,510
Rui M. Pimentel 112 20 19 18 $234,391
Cory Clark 140 19 14 20 $212,998
Christopher Griffith 117 18 15 15 $194,125
Kristopher Robinson 108 15 12 16 $176,028
Ed Keith Robinson 110 10 7 8 $108,973
Richard Morrow 108 9 13 11 $117,144
Eldridge K. Lindsay 104 9 8 16 $118,722
Daniel J. David 36 9 5 3 $90,409




PROBABLE FIELD - Notes

NOT BOURBON (Not Impossible) works today or tomorrow at Fort Erie, the Plate winner

HARLEM ROCKER (Macho Uno)- had his last workout yesterday and is back from his flop in the Plate Trial

SOLITAIRE (Victory Gallop) Not confirmed, wide 3rd in Plate, had big work at Saratoga

DEPUTIFORMER (Silver Deputy) 4th in the Plate, riden more aggresively, owner/trainer won Wales 2 years ago with Shillalegh Slew

EAST END TAP (Pleasant Tap) 6th in Plate, slowly nibbling, gets ELVIS TRUJILLO as rider

SEBASTIAN'S SONG (Cherokee Run), 10th in PLATE, will work at Woodbine, by-passes trip to Fort Erie before because of hot weather

TOOK THE TIME (Greenwood Lake) 8th Plate, had recent work (see notes below)

PRONGER (Stormin Fever) just won his maiden in gate to wire fashion, speed threat

PEWTER - very fast, worked well on Saratoga dirt, 1 3/16 miles? May not come.




FROM NIAGARAFALLSREVIEW.COM DAN DAKIN

Sebastian’s Song won’t be getting a sneak peak of Fort Erie Race Track after all.

The thoroughbred’s trainer, Alec Fehr, has decided not to bring the horse to the border oval from Woodbine today because of what affect the hot temperatures might have on him.

“If it was cooler out, it would have been fine. But it’s going to be 30 degrees, which means it will be 40 plus in the trailer.

You have to be concerned about preserving the horse’s energy,” said Brandon Boone, who is part owner of Centennial Farms, the Niagara Falls-based stable that owns Sebastian’s Song. The horse will become the first entry with local connections since 2002 to race in the $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes, which will be held Sunday at Fort Erie.

It’s the second leg in the Canadian Triple Crown of horse racing, and the winning connections will take home $300,000 of the total purse.

Sebastian’s Song was ranked fourth going into the Queen’s Plate last month, but struggled to a 10th-place finish at the Woodbine race. To help acclimate the horse to the dirt track at Fort Erie, Fehr was planning on shipping the Centennial Farms entry from Woodbine to Niagara today. He was to ride there in the morning and then ship back to Toronto to rest up before Sunday’s race.

That’s a training technique numerous past Prince of Wales trainers have used, Boone said. But with the hot temperatures expected, the plan now is to work him at Woodbine this morning. “He’ll get one good workout Tuesday and then that will be it until the race Sunday,” he said.

One horse that will be getting an early look at Fort Erie is Queen’s Plate winner Not Bourbon. The Roger Attfield-trained horse is shipping in today and will work the track Wednesday morning. He’s expected to stay at Fort Erie the rest of the week.

Later Wednesday, the post position draw will be held at the track, where the starting order for Sunday’s race will be decided. Chicago Blackhawks player Patrick Kane will be making the draw.

The Buffalo native won the NHL’s rookie of the year award for the 2007-08 season. Fort Erie Race Track director of communications Daryl Wells announced Sunday a field of nine horses was selected to be part of the race out of the 20 nominations sent in.

Selected trainers must confirm their entries by Wednesday morning.


From Fort Erie notes:


Took The Time breezed five furlongs under jockey Patrick Husbands (Monday) at Fort Erie .

The son of Greenwood Lake was clocked in 1:03.1.

“It was the first time over a dirt surface and we are delighted,” said trainer Mark Casse. “He handled it well, Patrick was happy. So if he’s happy, I’m happy.”


At Woodbine (Monday) morning, trainer Mike DePaulo worked both of his Prince of Wales contenders.

Deputiformer, with jockey Jerry Baird in the saddle drilled five furlongs in 59 3/5 while stablemate Pronger, with his regular exercise rider aboard, worked six furlongs in 1:13.3.

“Both horses worked well,” said DePaulo. “They worked alone and handled the dirt O.K.”

At Saratoga , Pewter worked five furlongs in 1:00 flat.

“This was his best work yet,” said trainer H. James Bond. “He definitely didn’t like the Polytrack at Woodbine, he’s doing much better since he’s back training in dirt.”


Post Position draw and BBQ, Wednesday at 3:00pm in the Paddock area.


Guest drawmaster will be NHL Rookie of the Year Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks.



CANADIAN CHAMPION 'ALLSTAR' IN FLORIDA


Canada's champion 2-year-old filly of 2007, DANCING ALLSTAR (Millenium Allstar) is in Calder this weekend for one of the race as part of the SUMMIT OF SPEED.
On a card which includes BENNY THE BULL and DREAM RUSH, Dancing Allstar, owned by Bob Cheema, is a contender in the Grade 3 Azalea Stakes, worth $250,000.


July 12, $250,000, f, 3yo, 6f, Calder Race Course, 3:30

PP Horse Sire Jockey Wt. Trainer

1. Grand Obsession Shore Breeze Edgar S. Prado 119 Eddie Kenneally
2. Orinoquia Whywhywhy Eduardo O. Nunez 119 Rodolfo Garcia
3. Dite Moi Forest Wildcat Elvis Trujillo 115 Kirk Ziadie
4. Dancing Allstar Millennium Allstar Mario Gutierrez 122 Terry Jordan
5. Freedom Afleet Northern Afleet Ariel Smith 115 Henry Collazo
6. Indyanne Indian Charlie Russell A. Baze 117 Greg Gilchrist
7. Dubai Majesty Essence of Dubai Manuel Aguilar 115 Joseph Calascibetta






MY FIRST APPLE! INGLEWOOD DRIVE gets a taste of her first apple from Logan at Woodbine recently














REGALLY BRED CANADIAN COLT DEBUTS, and wins


A CAT NAMED SNIPE, a 3yo half-brother to DAAHER and SPUN SUGAR (out of Irish Cherry) won his debut out at Pleasanton racetrack on Sunday. The son of Sky Mesa won the 5 1/2 furlong race in 1:03.36 for owner Jerry Hollendorfer and George Todaro. Yvonne and the late Dagmar Schwabe bred the colt.
'Snipe' was a $200,000 yearling purchase.



CURLIN - READY TO KICK GRASS

So Canadian fans won't get to see Curlin on the Woodbine turf course but he should be on TV this weekend in either the Man o' War Stakes or the Arlington Handicap.

Here's an EXCERPT from a write up from a Blog from the ALBANY TIMES UNION


BY TIM WILKIN

Curlin wants to run on the grass … but



Curlin, the best horse in the world, could be running this weekend on a new surface, grass.
Steve Asmussen, Curlin’s trainer, wants to run the 4-year-old colt in Saturday’s $500,000 Grade I Man o’War at 1 3/8 miles at Belmont Park. The other option is the $200,000 Arlington Park Handicap at rlington Park in Illinois.


The problem is that the colt can’t run in either state right now because of a licensing issue regarding Curlin’s minority owner, Midnight Cry Stable. William Gallion and Shirley Cunningham Jr., two Lexington lawyers who owners Midnight Cry, are in jail in Kentucky after being found guilty of defrauding clients of millions of dollars from a settlement that should have gone to the clients.

State racing officials in Illinois and New York have denied majority owner Jess Jackson a license to race in their state because of the legal problems with the minority owner.
”
Nobody likes to do this byt we have to do it,” said Dan Hogan, the Chairman of the New York State Racing and Wagering Board. ”Our chief concern is not whether we are popular or not. We have to keep out people who should not be in racing.”

If Curlin gets the OK to run, he will likley ship to New York Thursday and then look for his sixth straight win. His last two victories came in the $6 million Dubai World Cup and the $1 million Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs.
Monday, Curlin worked a half-mile in 50.80 seconds at Churchill with regular exercise rider Carlos Rosas in the saddle.
”He is an awesome horse,” Asmussen said.
If Curlin gets to run in New York, he will face Red Rocks, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Turf in 2006 and Better Talk Now, who won the Turf in 2004. Also expected to run is Grand Couturier, who won last year’s Sword Dancer at Saratoga.


MORE ASMUSSEN NEWS

From CURLIN to a Class 2 Positive, trainer STEVE ASMUSSEN is always in the news these days.

From all accounts, he is a shrewd conditioner, a detail-machine and he claims lots of horses for just himself too.

At Woodbine, BILL TALLON of the Daily Racing Form reported last week that his string of horses is being monitored right now, because of the Class 2 positive that will go before the courts on July 18.


"Asmussen horses entered to race at Woodbine will be monitored beginning five hours before their post times by Woodbine security, who will restrict access to designated handlers. Jamie Martin, Woodbine's senior vice president of racing, said that the surveillance is a "house" rule.

"It comes into effect when a trainer incurs a Class 1 or Class 2 positive, even when it's under appeal and progressing toward a hearing, and would continue for the duration of any suspension and for six months following a suspension," said Martin.
The Texas Racing Commission is scheduled to hold a hearing into Asmussen's case on July 18."


The Asmussen team has held its own at Woodbine this year, its first year at the Toronto track.

Heading into this week, the barn has 17 winners, 2nd by just one win to Sid Attard.

From various reports, however, (that are unconfirmed) the Asmussen team appears to have lost VINERY STABLES as a client (Lantana Mob races at Calder on the weekend with a new trainer).

Also, members of the Woodbine team apparently were quite tense and vocal over a loss by the 2yo BROADWAY AL on Sunday and an INQUIRY on winner Cobrador later in the day that was disallowed.




WOODBINE SCOREBOARD - TRAINERS

Name Starts 1st 2nd 3rd Earnings

Sid C. Attard 112 18 16 12 $1,020,488
Steven M. Asmussen 100 17 13 12 $942,672
Scott H. Fairlie 88 16 14 10 $528,846
Mark E. Casse 146 15 20 21 $1,474,195
Robert P. Tiller 106 14 17 15 $747,202
Reade Baker 115 14 13 14 $849,520
Roger L. Attfield 76 14 10 9 $1,609,156
Nicholas Gonzalez 70 14 6 8 $982,653
Daniel J. Vella 82 12 12 7 $689,397
Ian Black 53 12 4 6 $667,206
Brian A. Lynch 36 12 4 4 $1,004,337


JOCKEYS

James McAleney 269 50 36 35 $2,734,222
Emile Ramsammy 315 42 42 42 $2,232,185
Eurico Rosa Da Silva 302 37 34 34 $2,040,200
Patrick Husbands 226 37 34 28 $2,442,160
Emma-Jayne Wilson 310 36 38 46 $2,124,656
Tyler Pizarro 253 35 31 29 $1,519,208
Chantal Sutherland 253 31 30 37 $1,500,391
David Clark 220 30 25 23 $1,802,357
Jono C. Jones 233 24 31 28 $2,272,885
Justin Stein 223 23 28 19 $1,009,499