MEGA ACTION

Today's post is in memory of an OLD FRIEND, Ballindaggin
(read more below)



WOODBINE IS WHERE IT'S HAPPENING TODAY











DON'T FORGET YOUR MEGAPICK!!

Enter Woodbine's big contest at www.theracetrack.ca



Woodbine Mile S. (Can-G1)
September 7, $1,000,000, 3yo & up, 1mT, Woodbine, 5:35 PM ET PP Horse Sire Jockey Wt. Trainer

1. Mulmur Smart Strike Eurico Rosa Da Silva 117 Mark R. Frostad
2. Rahy’s Attorney Crown Attorney iSD Slade Callaghan 119 Ian Black
3. Just Rushing Wild Rush James McAleney 121 Sid C. Attard
4. Kip Deville Kipling Cornelio H. Velasquez 124 Richard Dutrow Jr.
5. Wollemi Pine Aljabr Emma-Jayne Wilson 117 Ian Black
6. Ice Bear Maria’s Mon Chantal Sutherland 117 MacDonald Benson
7. Palladio Lycius Richard Anthony Dos Ramos 117 Roger Attfield
8. Ventura Chester House Garrett K. Gomez 124 Robert Frankel

JEN'S PICKS - KIP DEVILLE, MULMUR, RAHY'S ATTORNEY, WOLLEMI PINE

Northern Dancer Turf S. Presented by Vtech (Can-G2)

September 7, $750,000, 3yo & up, 11⁄2mT, Woodbine, 4:25 PM ET PP Horse Sire Jockey Wt. Trainer


1. Cloudy’s Knight Lord Avie James Graham 121 Frank Kirby
2. Quijano (Ger) =Acatenango (Ger) Andrasch Starke 124 Peter Schiergen
3. Frost Giant Giant’s Causeway Rudy Rodriguez 124 Richard Dutrow Jr.
4. Champs Elysees (GB) Danehill Garrett Gomez 121 Robert Frankel
5. Better Talk Now Talkin Man Ramon Dominguez 121 H. Graham Motion
6. Strike a Deal Smart StrikeRajiv Maragh 117 Alan Goldberg
7. Spice Route (GB) King’s Best James McAleney 117 Roger Attfield
8. Marsh Side Gone West Mike Smith 117 Neil Drysdale
9. French Beret Broad Brush Eurico Rosa Da Silva 119 Mark Frostad
10. Seaside Retreat King Cugat Patrick Husbands 121 Mark E. Casse

JEN'S PICKS - QUIJIANO, BETTER TALK NOW

Canadian S. (Can-G2) September 7, $300,000, f&m, 3yo & up, 11⁄8mT, Woodbine, 2:46 PM ET P Horse Sire Jockey Wt. Trainer


1. Social Queen Dynaformer Rajiv Maragh 119 Alan Goldberg
2. J’ray Distant View Joe Bravo 119 Todd Pletcher
3. Forever Together Belong to Me Julien R. Leparoux 124 Jonathan Sheppard
4. Stroke the Tiger Smart Strike Robert C. Landry 113 Mark Frostad
5. Sealy Hill Point Given Patrick Husbands 117 Mark Casse
6. Quiet Jungle Forest Wildcat Emile Ramsammy 113 Mark Frostad
7. Callwood Dancer (Ire) =Danehill Dancer (Ire) Eurico Rosa Da Silva 121 Roger Attfield
8. Ciao Lear Fan James Graham 113 Frank Kirby
9. Tell It as It Is Chester House Emma-Jayne Wilson 115 James Smith
10. The Niagara Queen Langfuhr James McAleney 121 Steven Asmussen
11. Danzon Royal Academy Garrett K. Gomez 117 Todd Pletcher

JEN'S PICKS - FOREVER TOGETHER, SOCIAL QUEEN, J'RAY

SATURDAY RACING

98 Beyer for Akronism, headed to Breeders' Cup

SEAWAY S. G3 Woodbine, September 6, $148,395, 3yo up, f&m, 7f all weather, fast, 1:21.51.
AKRONISM, 119, B. f. 4, Not For Love—Jerry Bomb, by Explosive Bid. Owner,
Robert S. Evans; breeder, R. S. Evans (Ky.); trainer, Timothy F. Ritchey;
jockey, Eurico Rosa Da Silva. $84,636.
Lifetime: 21-9-2-3, $516,132.

Marina Ballerina 117, Dk b. or br. f. 4, Outflanker—Tactical Tracey, by Tactical
Advantage. Owner, Robert L. Pastor; breeder, Linda Pastor (Fl.); trainer,
Sam Di Pasquale. $28,212.

Executive Flight 117, Dk b. or br. m. 5, Bold Executive—Harvest the Sky,
by Skywalker. Owner, William A. Sorokolit Jr.; breeder, William A. Sorokolit
(On.); trainer, Darwin D. Banach. $20,689.

OTHER WINNERS:

British Columbia-bred DISFUNCTION sizzled in his allowance win for older sprinters when he posted 100 BEYER SPEED FIGURE in his easy score as the selection of most handicappers. The Vying Victor gelding ran 6 furlongs in 1:08.80. He is owned by Weila Ye and JMJ Stable and trained by Julia Carey.

The story of the first race of the day was the debut of the colt rumoured to be the 'next best thing' - COFFEE BAR.
The Mineshaft colt had a zillion fast workouts, beating company, but he was never a factor at 3 to 5 in the openr yesterday at 6 furlongs.
Instead, the winner was 2nd time starter CONTANGO (El Corredor), who also had a flop-like career debut but rebounded in a big way to win by half a dozen lengths for the suddenly hot barn of trainer JOE WALLS.


STORM THE CASTLE 8th at Turfway

CANADIAN-BRED overmatched in Win and You're In race
TURFWAY PARK FALL CHAMPIONSHIP S. (G3) Turfway Park, September 6, $100,000, 3yo up, 12f all weather, fast, 2:32.25.

DELIGHTFUL KISS, 118, Gr or Ro. g. 4, Kissin Kris iSD—Deputy’s Delight,
by French Deputy. Owner, Hobeau Farm; breeder, Hobeau
Farm Ltd. (Fl.); trainer, Pete D. Anderson; jockey, Calvin H. Borel.
$58,900.
Lifetime: 19-5-3-2, $577,087.
Star Plus (Arg) 117, B. h. 5, Alpha Plus—=Nannar (Arg), by Big Play.
Owner, Earle I. Mack; breeder, Claudio Javier Valle & Marcelo OscarValle
(Arg); trainer, Kenneth G. McPeek. $19,000.
Dominican 118, Ch. g. 4, El Corredor iSD—First Violin, by Dixieland
Band. Owner, Silverton Hill LLC; breeder, Barak Farm (Ky.); trainer,
Darrin Miller. $9,500.
Margins: 1 1/4, neck, 5 3/4; Odds: 8.50, 6.70, 3.40.
Also ran: Canela 116 ($4,750), Telling 118 ($2,850), Jade’s Revenge
120 ($1,000), Taconeo (Ven) 118 ($1,000), Storm the Castle 116
($1,000), Tres Copas 112 ($1,000), A. P. Xcellent 116 ($1,000



20 YEARS AGO - REMEMBER THE WOODBINE MILE BACK THEN?

2007 Shakespeare 6 Garrett K. Gomez Kiaran McLaughlin Dell Ridge Farm W. Schettine 1:33.58

2006 Becrux 4 Patrick Valenzuela Neil D. Drysdale Team Valor, Gary Barber 1:33.99
2005 Leroidesanimaux 5 John R. Velazquez Robert J. Frankel TNT Stud 1:35.08
2004 Soaring Free 5 Todd Kabel Mark Frostad Sam-Son Farm 1:32.72
2003 Touch of the Blues 6 Kent Desormeaux Neil D. Drysdale Gainsborough Farm 1:33.39
2002 Good Journey 6 Pat Day Wallace Dollase Flaxman Holdings & M. Jarvis 1:33.27
2001 Numerous Times 4 Patrick Husbands Sid Attard Committee Stable 1:32.79
2000 Riviera 6 John R. Velazquez Robert J. Frankel Edmund A. Gann 1:33.18
1999 Quiet Resolve † 4 Robert Landry Mark Frostad Sam-Son Farm 1:33.19
1998 Labeeb 6 Kent Desormeaux Neil D. Drysdale Gainsborough Farm 1:33.00
1997 Geri 5 Chris Antley William I. Mott Allen E. Paulson 1:36.20
1996 Skip Away 3 Shane Sellers Sonny Hine Carolyn Hine 1:49.00
1995 Peaks and Valleys 3 Julie Krone Jim Day Pin Oak Stable 1:50.00
1994 Dramatic Gold 3 Corey Nakatani David Hofmans Golden Eagle Farm 1:49.80
1993 Peteski 3 Craig Perret Roger Attfield Earle I. Mack 1:49.20
1992 Benburb 3 Richard Dos Ramos Phil England Knob Hill Stable 1:51.60
1991 Dance Smartly 3 Pat Day Jim Day Sam-Son Farm 1:49.20
1990 Izvestia 3 Don Seymour Roger Attfield Kinghaven Farms 2:01.60
1989 Prized 3 Ed Delahoussaye Neil D. Drysdale Team Valor 2:02.00
1988 Ballindaggin 3 Jorge Velasquez John O. Hertler George Layman Nf

† - Hawksley Hill won the 1999 race but was disqualified to 4th




Memorial Service Set For Ballindaggin
BLOOD HORSE


On Sept. 6 at 5:30 p.m. EDT, a public memorial service (was) held for Ballindaggin, the recently deceased New York-bred stallion who had been a resident at Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement Facility near Georgetown, Ky.

The 23-year-old horse was humanely euthanized July 22 at the Hagyard Equine clinic due to complications brought on by degenerative arthritis.

The service (took) place at Old Friends’s Dream Chase Farm located on 1841 Paynes Depot Road in Georgetown. Eclipse-winning turf writer Bill Mooney was be on hand to deliver the eulogy while Keeneland bugler Bucky Sallee will play the final “Call to Post.”

The public was welcome, and all attendees (watched) Ballindaggin’s great victories on DVD as well as to share their own memories. A multiple stakes-winner of $946,894 in just 14 starts, Ballindaggin swept the 1987 New York Stallion Series and defeated an international field in the 1988 Molson Export Challenge. The chestnut was donated to Old Friends two years ago by Idaho owner/ breeders Bob and Robbie Waters, who visited him often.

“Ballindaggin was one of our favorites,” said Michael Blowen, Old Friends founder and president. “He was very smart and very gentle. That combination made him a great retiree and a favorite of not only his visiting admirers but also of Old Friends farm manager, Janet Beyersdorfer.

Needless to say, we miss his daily nuzzlings more and more every day. We are very grateful that the Walters trusted us with their amazing athlete.”

Ballindaggin will be laid to rest at Old Friends along with such other deceased champions as Breeders Cup winners Precisionist and Fraise and stakes winner Taylor’s Special.

For more information please contact Old Friends at (502) 863 1775.



UPSET FOR THE AGES - SPEED TO SPARE


There is no such as a sure thing, but we all know that, right?

With his mouth open and an eager style, champion TRUE METROPOLITAN, who has been all over the place in 2008 and running hard, led for much of yesterday's SPEED TO SPARE at Northlands Park but finally could not hold off TEST BOY despite his 1 to 9 odds.

Despite a confident approach, and a confident, albeit bizarre call from the track announcer at Northlands ("two to make it out of sight"?) the old guy lost again.

Here is the EDMONTON SUN'S WRITE UP TODAY

Excerpt: By JONATHAN HUNTINGTON, SUN MEDIA
Call it the most shocking upset of the year at Northlands Park. You can also call it one of the most stunning thoroughbred races of the decade at the local racetrack. Sent off at 1-9 odds - the lowest possible odds shown on the toteboard - True Metropolitan lost yesterday's $100,000 Speed to Spare to Test Boy.

FIRST LOSS AT NORTHLANDS

To put that in simple perspective: True Metropolitan had never lost a race at Northlands Park in five previous races, had won the last two Speed to Spare titles by 15.5 lengths combined and is the reigning Canadian champion older horse of the year on a dirt track. But nobody told Test Boy those facts.

At 8-1 odds, he crossed the finish line first yesterday - beating True Metropolitan by half a length.
"He ran an awesome race," conceded True Metropolitan's jockey Quincy Welch on Test Boy. "He ran by (True Metropolitan) pretty easy." Leading the four-horse field for the first two laps of the track, True Metropolitan carried a one-length lead into the stretch drive. But while nearly everybody in the entire grandstand was believing True Met would cruise home to win - adding to his $1.1 million bankroll -jockey Rickey Walcott had other ideas. "(True Metropolitan) wasn't quickening. He got to the head of the lane and he was labouring," said Walcott, Test Boy's pilot.

"So, I figured I had a big shot." Test Boy collared True Met halfway down the paydirt lane before finding the lead a few yards before the wire. After losing the Speed to Spare by 10 lengths to True Metropolitan last year, Test Boy captured his second win of the year yesterday - putting $60,000 in the pocket of owner Robert Morgan.

But it also counts as the biggest victory in trainer Robertino Diodoro's 13-year conditioning career. "Biggest purse, biggest thrill," said Diodoro, who didn't believe he had a chance to win when the marathon (one mile and 3/8) race started. "

True Metropolitan - he is a monster. Look at the form on him." Indeed, True Met entered the Speed to Spare with nine wins in 15 races over the last two years and had only run out of the top three once.

He had just run second in the prestigious $300,000 Longacres Mile in Seattle after winning a stakes race in Toronto earlier this year.

But travelling across the continent this year might have been too tough on the six-year-old gelding, who finished ahead of Beau Brass and Bear Character yesterday. "He has been travelling and running hard," said trainer Stu Simon, who handled the saddling assignment yesterday for regular trainer Terry Jordan. "He was sitting perfect (in the race) but there wasn't that punch (in the stretch)."