Jen's Thorough-blog

RAHY'S ATTORNEY - he's arrived at KYOTO RACECOURSE IN JAPAN for Sunday's (Saturday late, late night T.O. time) MILE CHAMPIONSHIP , GRADE 1.
(photo from this week from Japan Racing)

His Japanese trip conjures up memories of what famous Canadian-bred who ran so well in the Japan Cup years ago?

HPI TV is showing Rahy's Attorney monumental outing on the channel on Saturday - post time is somewhere around 3- 4 a.m. Check with HPI and WOODBINE for post time- news on this race.

Trainer IAN BLACK and jockey SLADE CALLAGHAN along with family members are in Japan now along with owner Joe McClellan of Ellie Boje Stable who bred the Crown Attorney gelding.

A big effort by RAHY'S ATTORNEY will go a long way for a HORSE OF THE YEAR Sovereign Award - currently up for grans for 2008.

HERE IS A PREVIEW OF THE HORSES set to challenge RAHY'S ATTORNEY:

(files from Japan Racing)

Mile Championship (G1) preview –

SUPER HORNET to face tough company in quest for first G1 win

This year's Mile Championship will not only determine the fastest miler of the fall, but it will also serve as the second race in the Japan Racing Association's newest creation, the Japan Autumn International, a four-legged Grade 1 series with a total purse of more than 1.2 billion yen.

The Mile Championship was founded in 1984 for 3-year-olds and above, and has been held at Kyoto Racecourse in the third week of November since its creation. The race was opened to entries from abroad in 1998, and was awarded international Grade 1 status in 2004. It has been host to some of the JRA's most popular horses of all time, from Nihon Pillow Winner to Oguri Cap to more internationally renowned runners like Taiki Shuttle, Durandal and Hat Trick.

A maximum field of 18 will start on the far end of the back stretch where the course runs flat for approximately 600 meters. The first turn invites the famous Kyoto hill, from which the track rises four meters over the next 400 meters. It then dips into the final bend that invites a straight spanning for close to 400 meters until the finish line.

One foreign entry is set to run in the 25th Mile Championship on Sunday afternoon, Canadian-bred 4-year-old Rahy's Attorney. The gelding won this year's Woodbine Mile Stakes, and could pose a serious threat to the Japanese contingency which is shaping up to be more competitive than originally anticipated.

The Mile Championship could be a tough one to call for the punters with several horses in the running.

The following are those expected to challenge for the 100 million yen first-place prize:

SUPER HORNET: The 5-year-old should be the runaway favorite at post time, after edging eventual Tenno Sho (Autumn) champion Vodka in last month’s 1,800-meter Mainichi Okan at Tokyo Racecourse. Super Hornet settled for silver in last year’s Mile Championship, but his electric performance in the Mainichi Okan - winning in 1 minute, 44.6 seconds and cutting 33.3 seconds over the last three furlongs – points to the Rodrigo de Triano horse’s first Grade 1 title. What is

more impressive, jockey Yusuke Fujioka says his partner has managed to improve since the Mainchi Okan. Super Hornet, who passed on the Tenno Sho (Autumn) to concentrate on this race, is scheduled to run in the Hong Kong Mile next month, and he just may do so as the newest winner of the Mile Championship.

(PHOTO - SUPER HORNET, on the left, was 2nd in this race last year. Photo by k_pentagon at flickr.com)

COMPANY: The 7-year-old has become a familiar face on the Grade 1 stage, and yet for all his quality, he has nothing to show for. Company had the fastest time over the last 600 meters in the Tenno Sho (Autumn), clocking 33.5 seconds and finishing only a neck behind the winner Vodka. Jockey Norihiro Yokoyama, never one to overpraise, can’t stop raving about this horse. Company was fifth in the Mile Championship last year, but it seems a pretty good bet that he’ll improve on those results, at the very least. A Grade 1 title has long been overdue for the Hidetaka Otonashi-trained veteran, and Sunday could be just about time.

SUZUKA PHOENIX: Winner of last year’s 1,200-meter Takamatsunomiya Kinen (Grade 1), this son of Sunday Silence remains winless in seven starts this year. The 6-year-old was third in last year’s Mile Championship, just one-tenth of a second behind winner Daiwa Major, so there’s no question as to whether Suzuka Phoenix can handle the course. But the question is, is he past his peak? And how will jockey Yutaka Take handle the reins after his frightening fall off Portofino in the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup last weekend? The mile may be a better distance for Suzuka Phoenix, whose reflexes appear to have slowed with age. If a renewed partnership with Take (Yokoyama was on him the previous two races) can help him dig deep, victory on Sunday would not be entirely surprising.

BLUEMENBLATT: The 5-year-old mare is coming off a strong win in the 1,800-meter Fuchu Himba Stakes last month, tipping Kawakami Princess, the favorite in the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup, at the wire by half a length. The terms of the Mile Championship - 1,600 meters on the flat stretch at Kyoto - seem ideal for Blumenblatt, who will be ridden by Yutaka Yoshida with two wins in two previous races. She may not be the most popular in the field, but the daughter of Admire Vega certainly has what it takes to become a Grade 1 champion. Blumenblatt

(Photo, TOP RIGHT of the big mare, BLUMENBLATT, BY stella0508.up.seesaa.net)

MEINER RAINIER: The 4-year-old colt has emerged as the darkhorse of the group, producing two convincing wins back-to-back since last month. Japan Cup-winning jockey Tetsuzo Sato’s frontrunner is perfect in three starts aboard the Grass Wonder son, who held off Laurel Gurreiro to win the 1,400-meter Swan Stakes (Grade 2) at Kyoto on Nov. 1. Meiner Rainier will be pressure free, and without a clearcut pacesetter, Sato is almost certain to push his mount from the get-go. If he isn’t challenged, then an upset could be in the making. Meiner Rainier
Meiner Rainier

FINE GRAIN: The 5-year-old son of Fuji Kiseki rose to prominence in the spring with victory in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen, his third straight win and the first Grade 1 triumph of his career. He’s coming off a respectable fifth-place finish in the Swan Stakes while carrying 59 kilograms, but finished ninth and 10th in the first two races of the fall season. Fine Grain has a good track record at Kyoto, but a lot will depend on the riding skills of Hideaki Miyuki who must temper the sprint-bent horse over his first mile in seven races.

SMILE JACK: The runner-up to Deep Sky in this year’s Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) makes for an intriguing pick, especially with big-race jockey Yasunari Iwata on board. Smile Jack was a virtual no-show in the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger), the last leg of the triple crown series at 3,000 meters, finishing 16th in a field of 18. The Tanino Gimlet colt had been struggling to keep his temper in check, hence, trainer Satoru Kobiyama’s decision to enter him in the mile. The quality is definitely there with Smile Jack, but Iwata will have to figure out how to put it all together on Sunday afternoon.

Training Report of Foreign Entrees

November 18, 2008 (Tuesday)

Rahy’s Attorney completed his stay at the Shiroi Quarantine Center, leaving the facility at 10:26, and was safely transferred to Kyoto Racecourse yesterday (Nov. 17).

At Kyoto Racecourse

RAHY’S ATTORNEY (CAN, g4, bay)

- did not enter track today and was hand-walked on the premises of the international stables for 30 minutes

"He is relaxed and seems to have settled down in this new atmosphere. His trainer will come tomorrow morning and after assessing the horse, he will decide on what kind of and on which course his training will be conducted."

(Comments taken from T. Gaskin)

2009 CALENDARS from www.horse-races.net!

From EIGHT BELLES to NOT BOURBON to CURLIN and ZENYATTA, you can have a keepsake of 2008 racing with calendars, mugs, mouse pads and T-shorts from www.horse-races.net.

The thoroughbred calendar (and posters, coffee mugs, etc) is at http://www.cafepress.com/horsecal

The Harness version (with lots of Dewey and Somebeach) is at http://www.cafepress.com/bcup01

LONGRUN CALENDAR

And, LONGRUN THOROUGHBRED RETIREMENT FOUNDATION and the HORSEMEN'S BENEVOLENT and PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION (Ontario) have relased a gorgeous LONGRUN calendar for 2009.
Contact the HBPA for more information.

NEW TO THOROUGHBLOG..

Visit GIFTHORSERACING.COM (CLICK ON ITS AD AT RIGHT) for handicapping notes and picks from HOLLYWOOD PARK, plus other venues.

TUESDAY MORNING SCOREBOARD

WOODBINE TRAINERS

Mark Casse is in front by 20 wins and has an edge in purses won. Sid Attard has had another stellar season.

Reade Baker has won $1 million more in purses with his stakes wins in the United States (Bear Now, Fatal Bullet etc.)

Roger Attfield won the Queen's Plate and a litany of other good races.

Name Starts 1st 2nd 3rd Earnings

Mark E. Casse 444 71 66 66 $5,374,923
Sid C. Attard 293 51 45 39 $3,113,566
Reade Baker 284 44 40 37 $2,537,473
Roger L. Attfield 227 44 28 34 $4,084,781
Scott H. Fairlie 213 40 34 26 $1,662,146
Steven M. Asmussen 239 38 27 30 $2,159,138
Brian A. Lynch 104 30 17 12 $2,248,404
Terry Jordan 80 30 16 7 $1,111,284
Daniel J. Vella 206 29 35 23 $1,664,557
Nicholas Gonzalez 175 29 27 29 $2,184,036
Audre Cappuccitti 220 29 15 24 $860,521
Robert P. Tiller 256 28 35 35 $1,637,988

WOODBINE JOCKEYS

Only 10 wins separate Jim McAleney and Patrick Husbands as we head into last 3 weeks...

Name Starts 1st 2nd 3rd Earnings

James McAleney 751 149 103 105 $7,961,406
Patrick Husbands 703 139 114 101 $8,389,936
Emma-Jayne Wilson 845 108 107 131 $6,421,339
Emile Ramsammy 767 96 97 105 $4,818,160
Eurico Rosa Da Silva 648 89 86 71 $5,287,440
Chantal Sutherland 589 89 69 85 $4,944,030
Tyler Pizarro 625 88 91 68 $4,498,663
Jono C. Jones 547 74 64 63 $5,249,770
Justin Stein 585 66 79 59 $2,987,022
David Clark 464 51 53 55 $3,321,096
Robert C. Landry 392 48 52 59 $3,167,629
Constant Montpellier 448 42 50 45 $2,251,587
Slade Callaghan 413 41 40 33 $2,676,44

CANADIAN-BRED WINNERS

IN JAPAN...

ST EDWARD, a $150,000 yearling at Keeneland 2 years ago consigned by Anderson Farms, agent for RMC Stable, won his 2nd race in his 11 start last week in Japan. The 3yo colt is by Street Cry out of the winner Ascot Tobie by Ascot Knight.

At Mountaineer on Sunday, CHARMING BLACK won his maiden. Bred by Cavendish Investing Ltd., the 3yo is by Silver Charm--Miss Noire, by Mutakddim.