CORNUCOPIA

LORDY - DURHAM CUP UP TODAY

Who is this year's older horse of the year in Canada?

It is not a strong group really, TRUE METROPOLITAN is the leader again (he's won it twicein succession) and he's run hard all year in various different places but he has been a short of his best form. But he did win a graded race at Woodbine. (And he is in a big race tomorrow at Hastings Park)

ARTIE HOT? He beat True Met and races today in the Grade 3 Durham Cup at 9 furlongs at Woodbine. The 4yo is back from a sub-oar run at Presque Isle but he has been known to pop up.

What about MONSOON RAIN?
Certainly a win by this delicate gelding, fresh off 3 stakes wins at Assiniboia Downs with huge Beyer Figures has to be considered should he do well in the Durham Cup today.
Owned by Canadian Larry Carter and trained by Martin Drexler, Monsoon Rain was once raced by the Sheikhs - he was a $550,000 yearling purchase, but a leg injury played havoc with his career the rest of the way. He began racing in 2004. He has won 5 of 7 races this year.


DURHAM CUP S.-GIII, C$150,000, 3yo/up, 1 1/8m

PP HORSE SIRE TRAINER WT

1 Head Chopper Mutakddim Owens 121
2 Marchfield A.P. Indy Casse 117
3 Can't Beat It Atticus Pierce 115
4 Ghost Hour Awesome Again Lynch 117
5 Artie Hot Black Minnaloushe Gonzalez 121
6 Royal Challenger Touch Gold Lynch 117
7 Palladio Lycius Attfield 115
8 Monsoon Rain Old Trieste Drexler 117
9 Torquay Deputy Commander DeToro 115


Saturday, Hastings Park, post time: 7:46 p.m. EDT
BALLERINA S.-GIII, $125,000, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/8m

PP HORSE SIRE TRAINER WT

1 Lecturing Lynn Pulpit McCarthy 120
2 Elkhart Not for Love Jordan 123
3 Tanika Orientate Brown 123
4 Blue Sky Holiday Victory Gallop Snow 120
5 Against the Sky Regal Remark MacPherson 123
6a Holy Nova Pure Prize Taylor 123
7 Include the Grand Include Anderson 123
8a Lady Raj El Prado (Ire) Taylor 123



A.N.G.E.L.

Karen McCormack rides ARGYLE, who raced under the name of Angel on the Wing for Sam-Son Farms and was graded stakes p;aced. The Sky Classic gelding is learning to hack and will have some dressage training.
Thanks to LongRun for the photo.









PIERCING

Trainer MALCOLM PIERCE'S barn has come to life in the last week. He won two races at Woodbine yesterday and a turf allowance at Keeneland with Pin Oaks' WHISPER TO ME.

(If you didn't see that race, you have to watch the incredible amount of whipping done on that filly and then watch her surge to the lead after the whip is put away.)

EL BRUJO was odds on to win a 2yo allowance yesterday and he rode the best part of the Polytrack and rallied wide out in the centre of the course for the win. The Windways Farm homebred is multiple stakes placed and from the first crop of Candy Ride.
In that race LORD OF GREATNESS was checked hard inside the quarter-pole, lost his momentum and then re-rallied to be 3rd.

Pierce's other Woodbine winner was the promising 2yo turf filly ELISION, also for Pin Oak and an American bred by Elusive Quality.

Trainer MIKE DEPAULO won 2 races with the 2yo JOLLY JORDYN, a receny claim and a Kentucky bred by Hennessy, and the jet black filly BOLD ANNA, owned by Fieldsworth Farm, who won an allowance for Ontario sired gals on the grass. Bold Anna is by Bold Executive.




CANADAN-BRED CANDY RIDE WINS DEBUT!


From THOROUGHBRED DAILY NEWS

Santa Anita:

WYNNING RIDE (f, 2, Candy Ride {Arg}--Wynyard,
by Mr. Greeley) was dismissed at 19-1 despite a
decent-looking worktab. Away alertly from post five,
the chestnut was guided to the rail by Joe Talamo and
found herself waiting for running room on the turn. She
skimmed the fence, got the jump on her rivals entering
the lane and was never seriously threatened en route to
a 1 3/4-length triumph. Pretty Katherine (Vindication)
came on late to claim second. Wynning Ride, an
$85,000 KEENOV weanling and a $120,000 KEESEP
yearling, is the 12th winner for her freshman sire (by
Ride the Rails).
O-Arnold Zetcher. B-Winsong Farms (ON). T-Ronald L
McAnally.


PICK 7 NUMBER IS UP (tomorrow)
Pick 6 to be added to Thoroughbred betting profile

TORONTO, October 10 - Beginning this Wednesday, October 15, Woodbine
Entertainment Group will be offering the Pick 6 as part of its
Thoroughbred racing betting profile, replacing the Pick 7.

The Pick 6, which asks fans to pick the winners of six consecutive
races, is a minimum $2 wager and offers a "major/minor" payout.

If a fan, or fans, get 6 of 6 in the wager, 70% of the net Pick 6 pool
and carryover will be paid out (major).

There will be a payout for winners of the next best of 6 as well. All
with that ticket would share 30% of the net Pick 6 pool (minor).

If there are no winners of 6 of 6, 30% of the net Pick 6 pool will be
paid out for those tickets with the next best of 6 and 70% of the net
pool will be added to the carryover for the next day.

The last day for the Pick 7, which will feature a mandatory payout, is
this Sunday, October 12.



EXCERPT - EDITORIAL
SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE

October 11, 2008

Monday could be a big day in Breeders' Cup history. Or not.

Between the fourth and fifth races on the Columbus Day card at Santa Anita, at approximately 2:45 p.m., Curlin will be given a workout for all to see. It's scheduled for five furlongs in the company of a stablemate in the barn of trainer Steve Asmussen named Hawaii Calls.


Asmussen is flying in from his base in Texas to be an eyewitness and, if all goes well, the next day Curlin could be pre-entered in the $5 million Breeders'Cup Classic on Oct. 25. That would set up a Classic matchup to make racing fans champ at the bit for the next 11 days.

Curlin vs. Big Brown.

The Breeders' Cup Classic was designed with just such a matchup in mind. A reigning Horse of the Year (Curlin) against a reigning Kentucky Derby winner (Big Brown). But in the 24 runnings of the Classic to date, there hasn't been one.

The Horse of the Year or the Kentucky Derby winner, often both, were either injured or retired to rest up for the rigors of the breeding shed to come a few months later and couldn't be bothered with a $3 million-to-$5 million race.

The Classic has been won by a reigning Horse of the Year once (Tiznow in 2001) and by a reigning Kentucky Derby winner twice (Sunday Silence in 1989 and Unbridled in 1990). Still, there hasn't been a Classic pitting two horses with such credentials.

But wait. Scott Blasi, assistant to Asmussen and traveling companion to Curlin, made two points upon the horse's Santa Anita arrival on Sept. 28. It's a good sign for Curlin to be on site. But it would be premature and presumptive to take it as a sign he's actually going to run in the Classic.

Asmussen's reaction to Curlin's leisurely, half-mile workout in 52.80 seconds Monday at Santa Anita didn't provide any insight. “I don't think there was any decision to be made today,” Asmussen said. “We're going to show Curlin the patience he deserves and we're going to do what we think is right.”

The “what's right for the horse” high ground explanation will be available to Asmussen and majority owner Jess Jackson no matter what they decide.

But unless Curlin rears up on his hind legs and pinches both nostrils with his front hooves halfway through Monday's workout to show his dislike for the Pro-Ride synthetic surface, it's going to be a tough sell to the racing public if the decision is a “no go.”

Jackson has been deservedly accorded, and readily accepted, accolades for keeping Curlin in training through his 4-year-old season. Jackson has spoken of the need for other owners to do the same in the future to promote and boost interest in a sport where stars rise, disappear and are forgotten by all but the most avid followers in a matter of months.

So what kind of message does it send if Jackson, Asmussen or whoever makes the decision denies the sport a promotable and general-interest-grabbing opportunity that hasn't been seen in Breeders' Cup history?

Neither Jackson nor Asmussen are fans of main tracks not made of dirt.

“Synthetic surfaces are different in the morning than they are in the afternoon,” Asmussen said Monday. (Where have we heard that before, Del Mar-goers?) “And they're different from track to track.”

Curlin hasn't run on synthetics before, and there's concern about whether he'll like the footing. So what? Big Brown hasn't had the synthetic experience either and his camp's eager to see how he'll do.



Magna Entertainment Corp. - Media Release

AURORA ONTARIO - Magna announced today that it has recently formally adopted a company-wide policy promoting the humane treatment of racehorses. Under the policy, any trainer or owner stabling at an MEC facility who directly or indirectly participates in the transport of a horse from an MEC facility to either a slaughterhouse or an auction house engaged in selling horses for slaughter will be prohibited from having stalls at any MEC facility. The policy also applies to any actions related to the transport of a horse from an MEC facility where the ultimate intended result is the horse's slaughter.


Ron Charles, Chief Operating Officer of MEC and President of Santa Anita Park, commented: "MEC is extremely pleased to formally adopt a policy to further encourage the humane treatment of racehorses.

We intend this to be one in a series of steps that will be taken in an effort to protect our equine athletes. Consistent with the long-standing vision of Frank Stronach and management at our racetracks, the policy signifies the Company's strong intent to deal only with those trainers and owners who have the welfare of racehorses as their primary concern."


Frank Stronach, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MEC commented, "Since the inception of MEC, we have taken care to protect the health and safety of customers, workers and equine athletes participating in activities at all of our facilities. The goal of the policy is to forewarn industry participants who participate in the slaughter of racehorses that they are not welcome at any of our facilities across the country. I hope other racetrack owners formally adopt similar policies".

SOURCE Magna Entertainment Corp.