CHALKY

WOODBINE WEDNESDAY NIGHT



It was a formful night at Woodbine (hey - yours truly picked 6 winners of the 8 races last night in the TORONTO STAR http://www.thestar.com/sports/horse )


Race 1 - another winner for first year sire CHAPEL ROYAL , who now has 26 winners from 73 starters and is in the top 10 in North America - NIGHT CHAPEL won his maiden at 1 1/16 miles for $40,000 in his 3rd start. It was a small field that went very slow in the early stages and the winner stalked the pace from 2 lengths off while 3 paths removed from the rail.
He rallied to beat 2 others in a good stretch battle under Corey Fraser. Charles Nuckols III owns and bred and Mark Casse trains.
The colt was claimed by Elena Flight and Wimpy's Racing Stable, trainer Paul Attard.

Race 2- IAN JAMIESON'S lovely homebred gelding STRAY CAT STRIDE won at odds on in the night's feature - an Ontario sired allowance race at 6 furlongs. He had not raced since June but looked like lone speed. He wasn't but went slow enough on the pace - 23 2/5 and 46 2/5 that all he needed to do was dart away in the stretch to win for the 3rd time in 4 races.
He is by the late Cat's at Home and out of Hasta Pronto by El Prado. Danny O'Callaghan trains and Rick Dos Ramos rode.
Fast Polytrack - 1:09.76 for the final time.

Race 3- Another predictable winner - WISE HONOR on the pace all the way to win his maiden for $20,000 claiming. The 2yo by Wise Up is a Florida bred who was making his 3rd career start for Majic J Stable and trainer George Newland (2nd win at Woodbine this season).

Race 4

It didn't get any mention last night but the race, a $20,000 claimer for fillies and mares non-winners of 2, was marred by the breakdown of FAIRY LAKE, who was in contention in early stretch but she broke down while in 4th place at the eighth pole while in the midst of a heavy drive.

Fairy Lake - 3-years-old by Meadowlake - Jingle Berry by Two Punch - was making only her 4th career start and had just won her maiden.

The race was won - in 1:10.93 - by LEGAL LOVE, who also just won her maiden in her 2nd career start last time out. The grey miss is by Lordhyexecutioner and is a Florida bred owned and bred by Bruno Schickedanz.
She is trained by Mark Fournier. Ray Sabourin rode.

Race 5- A MAIDEN ALLOWANCE for Ontario sired 3yo and up fillies and mares. The pairing sent out by Reade Baker - CHUSAN and MADAME TOUMANOVA were in the same race last time and Chucan won (it was her debut) after a hard battle while the stablemate got into trouble in her first race off a long layoff.
The tables figured to be turned last night and they were - despite a tough trip in traffic, MADAME TOUMANOVA (A Fleets Dancer) burst through fillies to win by a neck at a generous 3 to 1. She is owned by Lloyd Simpson and Jai Narinesingh.

Race 6 - The beautifully bred A.P. Indy horse PAULLINUS was dropped from $20K to $10,000 and he won the non-winners of 3 under leading rider Jim McAleney. The horse is 3 for 26 in his career and he was back at Woodbine after a lean season at Assiniboia Downs. Trained by Melissa Lyon for Adam Crichton and Ric Chapman.

Race 7 - More chalk - HURRY MURRAY won his maiden as expected for Murray Stroud and trainer David Bell. The Artax fellow, bred by Ivan Dalos, was making his 3rd start off the long layoff (3rd race of the year) and his 14th start overall. He sizzled 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:16 4/5.

Race 8 - While fresh horses are the play at this time of year something has to be said for the move made by trainer Steve Jardim last night. SOCA TEMPO was making his 3rd start in 13 days and moving out to a route diustance. He got up to win at 6 to 1 with Simon Husbands after a bad start but a stalking trip.

The Pick 6, with $4K bet into it, was won and paid $23,000.
Betting was $1.3 million last evening.



LEADING FIRST CROP SIRE - TOMAHAWK

Canada's leading freshman sire TOMAHAWK, whose stakes winning son WIN AND REIGN (Photo at right ny www.horse-races.net) will stand 2009 under the care of FIRESTONE FARMS Ltd.
The Seattle Slew stallion stood at Park Stud last year (see PARK STID'S AD and website above). TOMAHAWK'S STATISTICS can be viewed by clicking on the NEW AD for the stallion AT THE RIGHT.












KEENELAND NOTES

Some locals were in action yesterday at the Keeneland November sale..

JOSHAM FARMS bought its 2nd Rockport Harbor weanling, a filly for $60,000.
Joshan later bought the stakes winning El Corredor mare CLASSIC NEEL, who sold as a racing or breeding prospect for $125,000.

The parternship of GAIL WOOD and BILL DIAMANT, which bred Queen's Plate winner Edenwold. paid $40,000 for the 4yo Langfuhr filly TASHILING, in foal to Point Given.

Ben Hutzel and trainer Mike DePaulo bought a Candian bred weanling by Stormy Atlantic - High Arch by Arch. The colt is a a1/2 brother to Spread the News.



EXCERPT - DAILY RACING FORM
STEVE ANDERSEN...

EARLY QUEEN'S PLATE FAVOURITE SQUARE EDDIE -
HEADED TO KENTUCKY DERBY TRAIL



Square Eddie, the runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita last month, is in the midst of a two-week vacation at a California farm. Although his best races have come on synthetic surfaces, Square Eddie could make his 3-year-old debut on a dirt surface, trainer Doug O'Neill said.

"He'll make his next start in the new year," O'Neill said. "We've talked about a dirt race in the campaign."

O'Neill said Square Eddie is currently based at Magali Farms in Santa Ynez, Calif., and was sent there on Monday.

O'Neill said he and Paul Reddam, who owns Square Eddie, have not chosen a 2009 schedule for the colt leading to the Triple Crown. One possibility is a stakes at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, which has a dirt surface. O'Neill plans to have a stable of as many as 15 horses at Fair Grounds this winter.

Square Eddie has thrived on synthetic surfaces this fall. He won the Grade 1 Lane's End Breeders' Futurity by 4 3/4 lengths on Polytrack at Keeneland on Oct. 4, which was his U.S. debut. In the BC Juvenile over a Pro-Ride surface, Square Eddie led or disputed the lead to the final turn and finished 1 1/4 lengths behind winner Midshipman.

In England, Square Eddie was second in the Group 3 Sirenia Stakes on Polytrack at Kempton Park on Sept. 6, his debut on such a surface. The Kentucky Derby is run on dirt.

A winner of 2 of 6 starts and $767,366, and a leading candidate for the Kentucky Derby on May 2, Square Eddie will not start in the $750,000 CashCall Futurity at Hollywood Park on Dec. 20, a race that is sponsored by Reddam's loan company.



FROM DAILY RACING FORM
Woodbine notes by BILL TALLON



Rahy's Attorney ready for road trip

The travel plans are in place for Rahy's Attorney, who is scheduled to make his next start in the Mile Championship at Japan's Kyoto Racecourse on Nov. 23.

Rahy's Attorney is to van out late Saturday evening for New York, where he must spend a brief period in quarantine.

At 3 a.m. Monday, the gelding will set out on a 14-hour flight for Tokyo, which will be interrupted for a refueling stop in Anchorage, Alaska.

Upon his arrival, Rahy's Attorney will go into quarantine at Tokyo's Shiroi Horseracing School, where he will be able to train daily, with exercise rider Tyler Gaskin and groom Aline Allain overseeing his requirements.

On Nov. 17, Rahy's Attorney will be free to leave the quarantine facility and will make the nine-hour van trip to Kyoto.

Trainer Ian Black, his wife, Janet, and part-owners Joe and Ellen McLellan will hook up with Rahy's Attorney in Tokyo and then head north.

Regular rider Slade Callaghan and his wife, Kelly, are slated to arrive in Japan the following day.

Making the grueling trip worthwhile is the prospect of a winning payday of $2.2 million as Rahy's Attorney is eligible for a $1.1 million bonus due to his victory here in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile.


LETTER FROM BRIGHT FUTURES FARM
(Fast Market update, see posts from earlier this week)

YESTERDAY, at 2:30 PM. Markie was up and standing in the recovery stall. The surgery went very well, and she is very pleased with his recovery thus far. They moved him to his own stall, and now, 4:30, he's up and eating hay and doing just fine.

She said I can take him home Friday! I can't wait :-)

Thank you for all of your prayers and good thoughts.