MADNESS

FROM THOROUGHBLOG READER ALAN N. -


" Every horse racing fan owes it to themselves to make the six hour trek down to one of the coolest and historical tracks in North America!"

(at right is MACHO AGAIN winning the JIM DANDY STAKES over Pyro - 102 Beyer)





FEELIN HOT HOT HOT

Artie peaks, Sealy Hill gets back on track


Well, look who's back..ARTIE HOT, a stakes winner at 3 last year in his first season since being claimed from Florida by Tucci Stables and Nick Gonzalez started this year quietly but the 4yo Black Minnaloushe gelding scored a big upset yesterday in the $150,000 Seagram Cup, a Grade 3 race.

Reunited with EMMA-JAYNE WILSON, who rode the horse last year 3 times but was not on board for the horses last 6 races, ARTIE HOT rode the rail to the win over True Metropolitan, who indeed ran a winning race but was softened a little by Jiggs Coz in the pace duel (not fast but a duel is a duel). True 'Met' led on the turn and late in the stretch but could not hold off Artie, who had moved too soon in his last race when beaten by longshot Mike Fox in an allowance race (Wilson rod Mike Fox in that race but that colt was not in the Seagram).
Artie Hot proved he is better on Polytrack than turf, the surface on which he had raced several times since his Ontario Derby score last year.
Eurico Rosa Da Silva usually rides Artie but he was on a bigger longshot, Torquay.

Artie's Beyer was 94.

From Woodbine press...

"The opportunities were where they were and I didn't have much of a
choice," said Wilson. "When True Metropolitan did move off the fence, I
figured this was my opportunity to get a jump on him and get moving.

"Ideally, I didn't want to get stuck on the inside of True Metropilitan
- to be at his mercy down on the rail," added Wilson. "He looked Artie
Hot in the eye. It was a battle of wills. Artie did what he does best.
He stuck his nose out in front when it mattered."

Assistant trainer Martha Gonzalez said surface and fitness made all the
difference for Artie Hot.

"Artie is a much better Polytrack horse than turf horse. Through lack
of races, we had to run him on the turf. As you see, he's happy to be
back on his own surface," said Gonzalez. "He's finally been able to get
two and three races together. Previously, we were only able to run him
once a month or once every five weeks. Now, he's fit and ready and in
good order."

Now a five-time winner from 27 starts, Artie Hot increased his earnings
to $343,562.


Gonzalez has won stakes with Stuck in Traffic and My List and Shilla this year and he is just one stake wini away from his entire total from 2007.

Wilson's win in the stake plus two others earlier on the card came in the nick of time. Wilson had been in danger of getting passed in the standings of Chantal Sutherland, who won 3 races on Saturday.

SEALY HILL seems to be back too. She won the VICTORIANA PREP on the grass yesterday in workmanlike fashion but did her lugging in thing through the stretch and was a measured winner. Last year's Horse of the Year figures to stay on the grass for the rest of the year
Her Beyer yesterday was 90.


Race 1 - JUNGLE BREW became the first horse to come out of the Queen's Plate and win a race. The colt won the opener on Sunday for maiden allowance runners at 1 1/16 miles. He wore blinkers for the first time.
The Stronach Stables homebred is by Milwaukee Brew out of Love Medicine, Mining.

The Plate, won by Not Bourbon, also produced Prince of Wales runner-up East End Tap, who is headed to next weekend's Breeders' Stakes.

Race 3 - An allowance/optional claimer and the predicted early duel between Omaggio and Furhever Dancing occurres, :24 for the first quarter but then :23 flat for the 2nd quarter,they opened up 10 on the field but were all done by mid stretch. HEAD CHOPPER and Bold Finsh both rallied well wide off the turn and closed together to be 1-2/ It was Head Chopper's first win since June 2006.
The Ontario-bred Mutakkdim horse is the 8th winner this season at Woodbine for trainer for Steve Owens who co-owns with Camilla Farms

Race 4- a B LEVEL maiden allowance and newcomer WESTEREN WALL, off a layoff of 1 year and 4 months, went fast on the lead and led all the way to win his maiden in his 2nd career start.
owned and bred by Americans Marjorie and Irving Cown, the 4yo colt is by Gone West out of Grand Jetes by Nureyev.
Red Johnson trains the chestnut. The race favourite was curiously Famous Last Words who was always outrun.

Race 5- another maiden allowance and it was a bit of a surpris that it stayed on the grass despite another big storm yesterday afternoon. SAN NICOLA WHISKEY was making grass debut and won from off the pace, reeling in front running Abundant Joy in mid stretch and then holding off a fast closing CAPTIVE SPIRIT (Paynes Bay).
The winner, a rare turf debut winner for the sire Whiskey Wisdom was 2nd time Lasix for The Pirone family, who bred the filly. She was 11 to 1 and Earl Barnett trains.

Race 9- an Ontario sired maiden allowance for 2yo colts and trainer Josie Carroll and Vinery have another nice D'Wildcat it seems (other than Authenicat, a stakes winner).
WILDCAT FASHION battled a litany of other juveniles from the rail and led all the way to win the 6 furlong dash by 3/4 of a length in his 2nd career start.
Scott Fairlie, a trainer, bred the colt with A. Banghoo. The colt is out of Fashion File and is a long, attractive chestnut with a smooth stride.

F
IRST WINNER FOR CHAMPION PERFECT SOUL


Classy Gem, in her career debut, won big at Assiniboia Downs on Saturday to become the first winner for PERFECT SOUL, the Sadler's Wells stallion owned by Charles Fipke.

Trained by Carl Anderson for Mr. and Mrs. R. J. Bennett, Classy Gem scored by 3¼ lengths in her career debut under Mark Anderson and covered the five-furlong maiden special weight race in 1:01 on a track rated as fast. The Kentucky-bred filly is one of two winners from as many starters out of the unraced Dehere mare Classiest Gem.



FOREVER TOGETHER, Diana winner, may come to Woodbine next

From the New York Daily News Notes...

"Sheppard is now trying to establish a schedule for Forever Together, who earned an automatic bid into the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf on October 24 at Santa Anita. Two races under consideration are the Grade 1, $600,000 Flower Bowl Invitational at 10 furlongs on September 27 at Belmont Park and the Grade 1, $1 million E.P. Taylor Stakes, also at a mile and a quarter, on October 4 at Woodbine."




MORE FROM WOODBINE, SATURDAY

The track was quite deep and slow on Saturday and outside closers had a small edge.

While NORTHERN KRAZE won the featured Wonder Where Stakes over very soft turf, there were some other significant performances on the day.
(Photo at left by Dan Dry is from the SHADWELL FARMS website - ALJABR is in Ontario and is a hot sire with Northern Kraze and Wollemi Pine his big 2 local runners. The stallion is at Ascot Stud for next season, click on the new ad ABOVE)


RETRACEABLE, a 2yo first-time starter by MEDAGLIA D'ORO,ran an 80 Beyer Figure to win her debut for Richard and Patricia Lenihan and Mark and Tina Casse, who bought the filly for $18,996 US from the local sale. Bred by Hill'n' Dale Farms in Ontario, Retracable rallied to win the 6 furlong race over stakes placed Georgia Song.

DASH IT DREAMER won her career debut in an Ontario sired allowance race for 2yo fillies after leading all the way. The Kirdashi-Itstartswithadream, American Chance miss is a Harlequin Ranches homebred. Reade Baker trains.
The fillyposted a 72 Beyer Figure.

Trainer ARTHUR SILVERA won his first race of the season with ALITTLEBITOFROUGE, who rallied from far back and very wide to win for $20,000 claiming.



COMMENTATOR may race next at Suffolk..




Commentator, the two-time Whitney Handicap winner could race next in the $500,000 Massachusetts Handicap at Suffolk Downs on Sept. 20. Zito sees it as a logical step for the 7-year-old gelding, who came out of his front-running win in Saturday's Whitney in great shape.

Zito would be putting the track's owner, Richard Fields, in the news again since Fields
announced a zero tolerance policy toward trainers who sell their horses for slaughter.

Suffolk Downs will kick out any trainer that sells a horse for slaughter.
Check out the cool ESPN FEATURE FROM THE WEEKEND ON COMMENTATOR..(above)



BITS


HARLEM ROCKER- Travers on Aug. 23 or Haskell this Sunday? The grey Canadian-bred, who ran 90 Beyer Figure in his win in the Prince of Wales, had a four furlong workout on the wekend and a decision will be made soon as towhere the colt will race next. Big Brown is expected for the Haskell.

DANZIG became the 3rd sire to have 200 stakes winners when OLYMPIC won an added money event at Calder on the weekend. Danzig join shis son Danehill and the sire sadler's Wells as stallions with 200 stakes winners...

At Mountaineer on Saturday - UNBRIDLED WISDOM, Dk b. or br. g. 4, Unbridled Time —Pleasantcinderella,
by Pleasant Colony, an Ontario bred, won a 1 mile allowance race for his 7th win in 21 races. He was bred by Eugene Melnyk.

At Santa Rosa, A CAT NAMED SNIPE, an Ontario bred by Sky Mesa-Irish Cherry by irish Open, won an allowance race in 1:08 4/5 for his 2nd win in 2 races. The colt, a half-brother to Daaher and Spun Sugar, both Grade 1 winners, is co-owned and trained by Jerry Hollendofer. Yvonna Scwabe and her mother Dagmar bred the colt.

At Del Mar, a son of the deceased Incitatus, GOLD STAR STATUS won a maiden race for $25,000 claiming for Peter Eurton who trains for Anita Dawson. The British Columbia bred is out of the Personal Hope mare Nickle Slot.

American-bred 2yo's with big wins on the weekend include a couple of guys who each posted 90 BEYER FIGURES:

CRIBNOTE (Read the Footnotes) won his 2nd career start at Sartoga on th weekend by more than 13 lengths.

And MUNNINGS,a $1.7 million purchase by Speightstown, ran a 90 in his debut on Saturday at Saratoga for trainer Todd Pletcher.