CHILLING

Hi! Rahy's Attorney ponders his Grade 1 Mile Championship run on Sunday in Japan (photo from Ellen MacLellan, co-owner in Japan)



UPDATE 12:30 P.M.
FROM PRESS RELEASE

HORSE OF THE YEAR CURLIN TO LANE’S END

The 2007 Horse of the Year and Champion 3-year-old colt CURLIN will enter stud in 2009 at Mr. and Mrs. William S. Farish’s Lane’s End Farm near Versailles, Kentucky. A classic winner of seven Grade 1 events, CURLIN is North America’s richest racehorse with earnings of $10,501,800.

Sired by Lane’s End’s leading sire Smart Strike, the four-year-old CURLIN won 11 of 16 starts with two seconds and two thirds. At age three, he captured three Grade 1 races, the Preakness Stakes, the Breeders’ Cup Classic, and the Jockey Club Gold Cup.

Early this year, CURLIN traveled to the United Arab Emirates to win two races, including the Grade 1 Dubai World Cup. On his return, his campaign included victories in three additional Grade 1 races, the Stephen Foster Handicap, the Woodward Stakes, and a second win in the prestigious Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes.

Will Farish said “The Jacksons are due great credit for allowing our sport to enjoy this great champion as a four-year-old. Many would have retired him after winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic and Horse of the Year honors as a three-year-old. CURLIN’s performance on the track, his pedigree, and his conformation make him the most exciting sire prospect to retire in many years. We are honored to have him join his champion sire Smart Strike at Lane’s End.”

Bred by Fares Farm Inc., CURLIN is out of the Deputy Minister mare Sheriff’s Deputy.

“After a stellar racing career, CURLIN is now in a position to carry on his iron horse bloodlines at Lane’s End, the premier stallion farm in the nation. He is one of the best examples of the breed - fast, strong, and durable. I predict he will make a substantial contribution to our sport through his gene pool and I am looking forward to seeing his foals compete and possibly exceed his unequaled race record,” said majority owner Jess Jackson.

CURLIN will stand for $75,000 stands and nurses in 2009.

RAHY'S REVVED FOR MILE CHAMPIONSHIP

Drew post 10 for Sunday's race (I think that is 1:40 a.m. Toronto time)


After a strong gallop/light breeze yesterday morning, RAHY'S ATTORNEY, the Woodbine Mile (Grade 1) winner and Canada's top turf thoroughbred is going to be lightly used heading into the big race on Sunday, which is early, early Sunday morning.



KYOTO 11R
THE MILE CHAMPIONSHIP(G1)
Post Time 15:40
November 23, 2008, 1600m, Turf
INT DSN, Special Weight, 3-Year-Olds & Up, Open Class, Value of race: 195,640,000 Yen

FROM "STRIDING THOROUGHBREDS BLOG in Japan"


Sunday, November 23 sees the Mile Championship at Kyoto.

Among the 18 entries, the main contenders are likely Mainichi Okan winner Super Hornet, Company who finished 4th in the Tenno Sho Autumn and Fushun Himba Stakes winner Blumenblatt.

The only foreign entry is Rahy's Attorney(CAN) who will break from post 10.

The post time for the 1,600-meter Kyoto turf event will be at 3:40 p.m. JST.

The 25th running of the Mile Championship, grade one
3yo+ international 1,600-meter Kyoto field:

1/Laurel Guerreiro/4c/57/Hirofumi Shii
2/Fine Grain/5h/57/Hideaki Miyuki
3/Suzuka Phoenix/6h/57/Yutaka Take
4/Meiner Rainier/4c/57/Tetsuzo Sato
5/Jolly Dance/7m/55/Shinichiro Akiyama
6/Shonan Alba/3c/56/Masayoshi Ebina
7/Blumenblatt/5m/55/Yutaka Yoshida
8/Admire Subaru/5h/57/Yuga Kawada
9/Maruka Shenck/5h/57/Yuichi Fukunaga
10/Rahy's Attorney(CAN)/4g/57/Slade Callaghan
11/Reserve Card/5h/57/Yuichi Shibayama
12/Kiss to Heaven/5m/55/Shinji Fujita
13/Silent Pride/5h/57/Hiroki Goto
14/Kongo Rikishio(IRE)/6h/57/Christophe Lemaire
15/Smile Jack/3c/56/Yasunari Iwata
16/Company/7h/57/Norihiro Yokoyama
17/Super Hornet/5h/57/Yusuke Fujioka
18/Eishin Dover(USA)/6h/57/Hiroyuki Uchida



COMMENTS FROM ENTRANTS CONNECTIONS:
courtesy Japan Racing


Blumenblatt (5yo, mare)
Sei Ishizaka (trainer)

"She was much better than her time indicates. We decided on the race because of the distance. We feel like we can get the most out of her at 1,600 meters. She's not just Grade 3 material; we think she has a shot at something bigger. She's not afraid of running with the boys, and we expect a lot from her."

Company (7yo, horse)
Hidetaka Otonashi (trainer)

"He's mentally fresh, doesn't seem old. I think it's about time he won a Grade 1 title."

Norihiro Yokoyama- rider
"I was asked to push him in training. I thought it went well. I was wondering how he was since it's gotten chilly, but he was loose. He felt good. If we can work him out this hard, that's a sign of good condition. I want to come through for the stable this time."

Eishin Dover (6yo, horse)
Ken Kozaki (trainer)
"He did some work on the track last week, so I had him run at 53 seconds. It was the time I had in mind. The plan is to really push him during the actual race itself."


Fine Grain (5yo, Horse)
Hiroyuki Nagahama (trainer)
"He's starting to pick it up. He ran the mile as a 3-year-old, so I don't think it will be an issue."

Kazuma Kageyama (exercise rider)
"I would say he's in pretty good shape, rather than to say that he's not in bad shape. He was very intense last week. I talked to the jockey about it, and we decided that it would be better if (the jockey) didn't work him out. I can't say about the distance; it's different from what he's been racing at. But it is a good thing that he's being aggressive."


Jolly Dance (7yo, mare)
Noriyuki Hori (trainer)
"She moved very well again today. I'm not worried about the age. I don't get the feeling that she's slipping at all. Because we want her to save herself for the stretch, she tried the blinkers for the first time. She seemed comfortable so she'll wear it during the race, too. The jockey (Shinichiro Akiyama) has ridden her before and I think he's impressed."

Kiss to Heaven

Hirofumi Toda (trainer)
"She's running the way she is when she's on a roll. I think she's in the best form of the fall season. We don't need to work her out hard because she's been in good condition. I think the fast G1 pace suits her; it'll bring out the best in her."

Kongo Rikishio (6yo, horse)
Kenji Yamauchi (trainer)
"There's been no change in form; he's plateaued out. He's an emotional horse and with him, he has to be on the lead no matter what. Then we hope for the best."
Laurel Guerreiro (4yo, colt)
Hirofumi Shii
"He's full of energy, and the trainer really wanted to work him today. He ran a good race last time, but he's much better now after a race under his belt. I'm not too caught up about pushing him on to the lead. If he has a smooth trip then I think he'll be able to hold his own."

Maruka Shenck (5yo, horse)
Hiroshi Kawachi (trainer)
"We got stuck on the straight (in the leadup race, finishing 12th) and really couldn't race. But because of that, he's not the least bit tired and is raring to go."

Meiner Rainier (4yo, colt)
Masato Nishizono (trainer)
"He's at least as good as he was in the last race. The competition is stiff, but if the pace picks up the way we want it to, then it could be interesting."

Tetsuzo Sato
"He was outstanding in his last race. I was just really impressed."


Rahy’s Attorney (4yo, gelding)
Slade Callaghan

"He didn't seem to be bothered by the Japanese turf. In the last race, he drew an outside barrier at a tight track. There's a long straight before the first turn at Kyoto, which makes it nice and easy to ride."

Reserve Card (5yo, horse)
Toru Kurita (exercise rider)
"I think staying here (at RittoTrainingCenter) has really made a difference. Given, his performance from the last race (finishing runnerup in the Fuji Stakes), he should be able to handle the competition here."


Shonan Alba (3yo, colt)
Yoshitaka Ninomiya (trainer)

"The workout went exactly as planned, and I like the way his breathing came down. He had a full-blown session last week, so we wanted to take it easy. He's on the rise now. He's matured physically, and now it's just a matter of discipline. If he can stay relaxed, then he'll go out and show there's not much between him and the rest."

Silent Pride (5yo, horse)
Sakae Kunieda (trainer)
"He's grown up. He's sturdy now, especially mentally. His time was pretty good, but getting one race under his belt has made a big difference. I'm looking forward to the race."

Smile Jack (3yo, colt)
Satoru Kobiyama (trainer)
"He hasn't taken any time off in between races, and I think he's come along fine. The Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger) turned out to be a really tough race for him, but if you look at his results from the spring, there's no reason he can't compete here. I've always felt that his best distance was around 2,000 meters, so I'm looking forward to seeing how he runs in the mile."

Super Hornet (5yo, horse)
Yoshito Yahagi (trainer)
"He's won nine of the 100 wins at this stable. He's the reason why this stable is around. He means that much to us. (Last year) we were in perfect condition, and nothing went wrong during the race. We found out firsthand what it takes to win a Grade 1 race. This horse always runs better after one race. He's had his ups and downs, but so have I, the jockey and all the staff at the stable."

Yusuke Fujioka
"He's definitely a much stronger horse now. I thought he had physically matured last autumn, but he's toughened up mentally this year. As it was in the last race, the best thing is to not decide before the race. I'll leave it up to the horse. The race is a very fair race; you weed out the good from the bad. And that's why I like it. I was really nervous when I was the favorite at this year's Yasuda Kinen. He'll probably be the No. 1 pick again, but I have faith in the horse. He's the first horse that made me think about winning a Grade 1 race. But no one on the team – the stable, myself, the horse – has ever won a Grade 1 race. We're all challengers here."

Suzuka Phoenix (6yo, horse)
Mitsuru Hashida (trainer)
"He's still not as sharp as he was, when he was at his best. When he's good, his footwork is much stronger. He's not in that bad of shape, but he hasn't been able to switch on in his last two races. I hope he can show a little bit of pride."




KENNEDY ROAD would be proud

The Grade 3 Kennedy Road tomorrow is a blockbuster sprint event that highlights 21 races on the weekend at Woodbine.

Huge fields and lots of good betting opportunities rule the weekend and the Kennedy Road has drawn a super field.

STORM TREASURE, 3rd in the BREEDERS' CUP TURF SPRINT (photo by Wendyu taken at Woodbine), is the favourite and the gorgeous chestnut by Storm Boot has had one try on Woodbine's Polytrack and he was 2nd in a stakes prep to Disfunction.
The stretch runner has a bit of pace to chase but the field is not easy.

LEGAL MOVE, just purchased at the Keeneland November sale for $245,000 by Bruno Schickadanz, is an Ontario-sired leader who will be trading into much tougher waters but he is a good one. THE GREAT CARUSO just missed to Legal Move in the prep for this race and JUST RUSHING, who is not as his best at 6 furlongs, is as classy as they come.
That is just a few of the contenders in the Kennedy Road tomorrow.

Do you remember the feisty and often difficult KENNEDY ROAD (young folks mayonly remember him being the pacesetter in Secretariat's Canadian International win but he won so many good races)?

Here is his bio from the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame:

Oh yes, Kennedy Road was also a star st stud with 22 crops, 589 foals,
438 starters, 24 stakes winners, 316 winners of 1439 races and earning
$16,486,853 in N.A./U.S.
Sire of dams of 28 stakes winners, including Storm On the Loose, Rare Charmer, Victory Mount, Cowboy Dan, Lady George, Intrusion, Jetin Excess, Ells End, Castle Park, Loveontheroad etc.

Hall of Fame Inductee, 2000

The mahogany-colored Kennedy Road was quite unlike any previous winner of the Queen's Plate; as he aged, he excelled. He was a tall, lean colt with bulging muscles and he looked invincible when he sprinted away from the field at Woodbine in 1971.

Owned and bred by Arthur and Helen Stollery's Angus Glen Farm of Unionville, Ont., Kennedy Road had an ornery, temperamental streak that severely tested the patience of the men who trained him - Jim Bentley, California legend Charlie Whittingham and Clarke Whitaker. Stable hands and grooms had to be wary of his roguish antics. The colt often dictated the terms to his riders of how he would perform. One day he would streak into the lead against the best horses in North America, and oftenwin, then there would be afternoons when he sulked and refused to respond to his jockey's desperate urging. However, it was not Kennedy's behavior that distinguished him from any number of Plate winners. Instead of fading into oblivion after his day in the sun, he developed into a great race horse, maturing from a wild-eyed sprinter with an uncontrollable habit of attempting to flee from his opponents, into a swift older horse who occasionally could be "rated" and perform in a more relaxed style.

At ages two, three and four the son of Victoria Park was Canada's champion colt before being honored with Horse of the Year honors in 1973, the year of his brilliant performances in California against Autobiography, Quack, Cougar II and Big Spruce. He won the Hollywood Gold Cup and three stakes. He was also invited for the first running of the Marlboro Cup Handicap at Belmont that year, competing against Kentucky Derby champions Secretariat and Riva Ridge and stablemate Cougar II but wasn't a factor, finishing sixth ahead of Key to the Mint.

Although he was older and cagier at five, he was still the old "Kennedy" in his final week at the track. He was entered in the Canadian International Championship, a demanding mile and five-eighths test against many of the top grass specialists. Also in the field, and making his final career start, was Secretariat. To prep him for the race, his young trainer, Whitaker, ran Kennedy Road in a six-furlong sprint a week before the International. He was never quicker, setting a track record of 1:08 3/5, a clocking that stood for 26 years at Woodbine.

The effort was costly as he came out of the race with a bowed tendon. However, that didn't stop him and Avelino Gomez from exciting the huge throng on International day. Kennedy barged to the lead and dueled with Secretariat for more than a mile before he slowly backed up, perhaps in pain.

Sandy Hawley, who won the Plate on him in 1971, said: "Kennedy was the greatest. He was the type of horse who would fight you. But on that (Plate) day he simply waited for horses to come to him after we took the lead". Bentley, who performed a training miracle just to get him to the Plate following an operation that winter to remove a piece of bone from a hind ankle, observed: "He was a great horse.the best horse I ever had. He had the conf(o)rmation and power, and was very sound. He was also masculine, with a great idea of his own strength; rough, tough and hard, which is as it should be. There were times you had to put the fear of God into him, or he wouldn't put out."


WOODBINE THURSDAY
Fair track, inside is good


The race between jockets JIM MCALENEY and PATRICK HUSBANDS is still exciting. The former is in front by 9 as he got one back from Husbands yesterday.

McAleney's big win yesterday was on the front running OMAGGIO who posted a huge 95 Beyer Figure to win the 4th race as the 2nd favourite over other high priced, older claimers at 1 1/16 miles.

McAleney later won on the class dropping THUMBIN' A RIDE for Centennial Farms and trainer Don MacRae.

Jockey GERRY OLGUIN, whose year has simply been one of bad luck with numouers injuries, won THREE RACES yesterday and he seems to be going out with a bang.

Some longshots yesterday led to a $3.30 payout in the PICK 6 - 3 correct.
One of those was first time starter WIN BY A ROSE, an Ontario bred Foxtrail 4yo filly out of a debut winning mare by Bold Ruckus.

She was a hefty 25 to 1 for Albert Sanges and trainer Noel Randall.


KENTUCKY-BRED CONGOR BAY goes for Prevue

Eugene Melnyk's homebred CONGOR BAY is entered Sunday in the Grade 3 Hollywood Prevue for trainer Mark Casse. The 2yo is undefeated in 2 starts at Woodbine.

Sunday, Hollywood Park
HOLLYWOOD PREVUE S.-GIII, $100,000, 2yo, 7f
(AWT)
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY WT
1 Jack o'Lantern Flatter Enriquez 116
2 Backbackbackgone Put It Back Bejarano 120
3 Azul Leon Lion Heart Gomez 122
4 Ventana Toccet Smith 116
5 Congor Bay Speightstown M Baze 118
6 Arashi Cat Fusaichi Pegasus Potts 116


SPIRIT ON THE MOUNTAIN

DONCASTER FARMS' SPIRITWOOD won a 1 3/4 mile starter allowance at Mountaineer Park on Tuesdanight for his 3rd win in his last 5 races.
The Ontario bred by El Corredor, bred by JIm and Alice Sapara, was a $4,000 claim at Fort Erie in the summer by the owners and trainer Paula Loescher.
Apprentice Melanie Pinto rode the gelding.

His Beyer Figure of 81 was his career best.