BIG BUCKS

WIN, YOU'RE IN... BUT HE'S NOT GOIN'

Rahy's Attorney, leader for Horse of the Year in Canada, passes on Cup


Daily Racing Forms' BILL TALLON reports today that RAHY'S ATTORNEY, the first winner of a WIN AND YOU'RE IN RACE to be run at Woodbine (the Woodbine Mile) is not going to the Breeders' Cup despite the Win and You're In moniker.

The gelding is not nominated and it would cost Ellie Boje Farm and its partners $180,000 to enter the gelding by Crown Attorney (never mind all the expenses to get him all the way to California).

Understandable, perhaps if the Win and You're In thing included a full free-pass...extra fees paid if a horse is not nominated, then maybe he would go.

Too bad..Canada won't have many reps at the Cup this year (at least very few CANADIAN-BREDS) and it would have been fun to see those Rahy's Attorney folks at the Cup.

Instead, the gelding is headed to a Cup prep, the SHADWELL MILE at Keeneland.

The gelding is the current leader for Horse of the Year honours in Canada.



KINGHAVEN SELLS CANADIAN-BRED FOR $250,000

Catching up on Keeneland last few days


KINGHAVEN FARMS' Canadian SONGANDPRAYER filly out of FORTY GRAN by El Gran Senor was the 2nd highest price of the Wednesday installment of the KEENELAND SEPTEMBER YEARLING SALE.

The filly, sold by Anderson Farms, agent, was boughtfor $250,000 by Blandford Bloodstock.

Forty Gran has produced Woodbine stakes placed gal Reverently, plus the promising European 2yo SQUARE EDDIE (Smart Strike), who is Group 3 placed.

Kinghaven, owned by David Willmot, bought Forty Gran for $245,000 at the 2001 Keeneland January sale.


Some other notable results (from an Ontario/Canada viewpoint) from Saturday through yesterday:

Owner BEN HUTZEL paid $130,000 for an Ontario bred grey colt by GULCH-PARISIA by TETHRA

JIM AND SUSAN HILL bought numerous yearlings including an Ontario bred filly by hot sire EXCHANGE RATE out of Platinum Hope by Carr de Naskra, bred by Ashleigh Stud. The filly was scooped up for $200,000.

The Hills also paid $100,000 for an Ontario bred filly named ERNFOLD, by Stormy Atlastic - Wynyard, by Mr. Greeley, a half sister to stakes placed Dafoe and winner Mossbank.

Other buyers from Canada included KNOB HILL STABLE which bought an Ontario bred yesterday for $80,000 from Kinghaven Farms - a bay colt by Smart Strike out of Light Show and a half brother to stakes placed Three in the Bag and multiple winner Forest Light.
DONVER STABLES were busy - the Alberta stable paid $115,000 for a grey Smoke Glacken filly bred by New Jersey during yesterday's session; READE BAKER has been selling and buying (he also trains for the Hills); ROCCO D'ALIMONTE AND FRANK ANNECCHINI bought yearlings yesterday as did MIKE BYRNE.


(PHOTO AT RIGHT.. Racehorses can do anything!!
Here is HORSE OF THE YEAR A BIT O'GOLD being ridden by BLAKE PHILLIPS and his mom CATHERINE DAY PHILLIPS..

come and help racehorses find new jobs after they have reitred...LONGRUN DAY AT WOODBINE IS SATURDAY!!!
T-shirts, horses to meet, auctions and of course, a jockey signing thingee....see yesterday's post for more info. Todd Phillips photo.)




WOODBINE WEDNESDAY

There was a little bit of everything last night during the 8-race card at Woodbine - another card with a deep, deep rail path that could have stopped Secretariat, feisty horses loving the crisp weather, some terrible, terrible trips for many, many horses and even some human babies were on the scene (at least if you were watching THE SCORE racing show).


RACE 1- No turf...only race carded for the night for the grass but perhaps all the rain from several days previous left it still soft.
Almost half the field scratched as could have been expected.
Good news for Kinghaven Farms' PROPHETICALLY, who beat 3 rivals at odds - on for trainer Ian Black. The Pulpit-Torrid Affair, Alydeed gal is 4 for 18 in her career.

RACE 2 - In post parade ARSANA (Kinshasa), a 2nd time starter with 1st time blinkers,propped and dropped Gerry Olguin and ran off for a while, even up on the grass course. She was later scratched.

Once underway, a sharp 21 4/5 first opening quarter mile was set by Secret Trail and that one understandably gassed in the $32K claimer for 2yo fillies and was passed by SMART BLONDE, a Champali filly (his 1st crop) trained by Scott Fairlie for Gary Wellwood.
The filly had been 2nd in her last pair of races and 9th in her debut; She was 2nd time Lasix.
The breeder of Smart Blonde was Stubbs Investment in Ontario.The dam is Passionate Blonde by Geri.

RACE 3 - The projected lone speed runner in the 9 furlong allowance race, BRIGADIER RODNEY was bent in half early in the race (first quarter in 26 1/5!) and thus was joined by the newly blinkered ABOVE SPIRIT, then those 2 went bananas to the 1/4 pole and faded.
Good news for Above Spirit fans - his entrymate THUNDER WOLF won for the entry players and Stronach Stables.
The 7yo, making only his 7th career start, was winning for the 3rd consecutive time this year, He raced for just $12,500 claiming on Aug. 6 and took home the winner's share of a $76,000 allowance purse yesterday.
He is an Ontario bred by Awesome Again out of Blazing Hot by Irish River.
Sean Smullen trains the bay and Rob Landry rides him.

RACE 4 - Outside flow, outside flow. CATURIANA stalked, pressed and rallied to the lead in early stretch to win her 3rd race of the season thanks to her widest post on a track that continues to be treacherous for horses on the inside.
The 4yo Adcat miss is owned by Gino Molinaro and a red-hot riding Jono Jones, who might have thought he was going to have a tough year this spring, continues to rack up the wins.

RACE 5 - Trip handicappers would have had a field day watching this race for $12,500, 3yo fillies.
GREAT STICKER endured a diastrous trip off the long layoff for trainer Jody Hammett. The Greatness filly looked to have some run from far back while sticking tot he rail (the worst part of the track) but she was stopped cold, checked hard for several strides and once she angled out of the mess, it was too late.
The lucky winner was GO BOLDLY, who found room and darted to her 2nd career win for Marie Gardiner and trainer Wray Lawrence.

RACE 6 - 2yo filly winners for $50,000.

More tough trips for horses here..the front runners were hard sent and used up and ones along the inside, FAIRLIGHT and STRIKING CHEETAH were doomed from the beginning.
From off the pace and wide came the winner, SPUNKY from trainer Greg de Gannes, who spun the Florida hombed by Concerto for Roger Laurin back into action only 6 days after she was 5th to the undefeated filly HIGH MIST in an allowance race.

RACE 7- VALID VENTURE, 3 yo by Tethra bred by Bernard and Karen McCormack and now owned by Laurie Silvera, was an ovlery at 15 to 1 in the Ontario sired allowance race at 1 1/16 miles but won anyway at 15 to 1.

The attractive bay, out of the Valid Appeal mare Valid's Best Lady, was making that often successful TURF TO MAIN TRACK (Polytrack) switch. Okay he was 3rd and IN THE MONEY ON GRASS and then 10th and OUT OF THE MONEY on grass, but he had won his maiden on Polytrack and no doubt was happy to get back on the surface.

The gelding burst between rivals when in tight in the stretch to win by 1 3/4 lengths while
3rd place finisher, who broke from the gate and made a hard right turn, rallied wide and then inside in a tough journey.

RACE 8

A Tethra LATE DOUBLE...RICH ERA somehow was not the favourite despite the drop from $40K to $12,500 maiden race but she won anyway at 7 to 2. Mike Doyle and Dura Racing own and bred the filly who is out of the hard kncking mare Rich Mist.
Another contender in the race, KINISHA reared at the start and was deemed to have had an unfair start.


TRIVIA

Husands and....Casse

Trainer MARK CASSE recently won his 1000st career race with LARAGH. The filly's jockey was Patrick Husbands.
How many, of the 1,000 winners, did Husbands ride?
Answer at the end of today's post.


EXCERPT

JERMEY ROSE SOON BACK FROM WHIP SUSPENSION

THE CENTRE DAILY TIMES (Pennsylvania)

http://www.centredaily.com/sports/story/845158.html




This was a very good story about JEREMY ROSE'S impending return to race riding after a 3 month suspension for whipping a horse in the eye.


Rose comes across as sensible and intelligent, his agent JOHN BREEDEN- not so much.


This is an excerpt:
By Vinny Pezzimenti

“You get less time for dropping a human being on the track and getting them hurt and putting them out for however long,” Rose said of his suspension. “I think they did what they could to keep everybody kind of happy, I guess you’d say. They lowered my suspension, which benefited me, yet they kept it very extreme, which benefited horse racing. I think they did the best with what they had.”

And while PETA’s piercing involvement has grown substantially since Eight Belles, Rose said sensitivity towards horses has grown “quite a bit” in just his seven years in the business.

“I talked to the older riders that I came up under, like Rick Wilson, Tony Black, those guys. They said this was nothing back then,” he said. “A perfect example is back in the ’80s. I forget the jockey’s name, but he hit a horse in the eye after the wire intentionally, knocked the horse’s eye out completely, and it was a $250 fine. I figure 90 days cost me close to $200,000.”

Breeden believes that the decision-makers in horse racing were seeking to make an example out of Rose, that the high-profile Rose possesses also resulted in a lengthier suspension.

“Believe me, if this happened at a smaller race track nobody would’ve known about it,” Breeden said. “He probably would’ve gotten a 14-or 30-day suspension and a fine and everybody would’ve gone about their business.

“The main thing is we’re past all of that, and he is really looking forward to getting back in the saddle Monday and there are a lot of trainers looking forward to having him ride their horses.”

Rose, who has stayed fit and ready via morning workouts, has seemingly learned his lesson, and for the most part, agrees with the changes being made to protect horses.

“I still think it’s a big plus for the industry,” he said. “I think they have to make those strides to make it main stream. I think they’re doing the right things by changing the (whipping) sticks a little bit and being a little harder on us with hitting a horse too many times or too hard in the wrong areas.”


read the rest..

http://www.centredaily.com/sports/story/845158.html



Commentator the talk of Suffolk
Gelding favorite to win MassCap
By Nancy Marrapese-Burrell
Globe Staff / September 18, 2008


When the 66th Massachusetts Handicap goes off late Saturday afternoon at Suffolk Downs, all eyes will be on one of the top horses in the country - Commentator - the 3-5 morning-line favorite in the seven-horse field, who will contend from the No. 2 post.

Commentator, a 7-year-old gelding, is coming off a convincing gate-to-wire victory in the Whitney Handicap (in which he repeated as champion) at Saratoga July 26. His owner, Tracy Farmer, said he respects the MassCap's history and is pleased with the post position, as is Commentator's Hall of Fame trainer, Nick Zito.

"Zito loves Boston," said Farmer. "We love the way the track has come back to life. The MassCap is a historic race, so it seemed like the perfect place for us to take Commentator. He's been training spectacular. He's been biting Nick, which is always a good sign."

Commentator isn't the only one Farmer believes will be a winner. Farmer hosted a fund-raiser for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama recently in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., during the Spa's racing meet.

"I think the campaign is going along great," said Farmer.

Farmer said he hasn't yet had Obama at a racetrack as his guest, but hopes to host him at the Kentucky Derby if Obama is elected.

"He is a big horse fan and I think he'll be good for our sport," said Farmer. "I just personally like him. He's a great person, a great human being."

One of the reasons Commentator is the favorite ...read the rest here..


http://www.boston.com/sports/other_sports/horse_racing/articles/2008/09/18/commentator_the_talk_of_suffolk/




Trivia answer:

451 wins by Husbands for Casse