ON THE LAMB

WE'RE BAAAAAAAACK

THOROUGBLOG mascots ISABELLE (RIGHT) and ANGEL (LEFT) had a trip yesterday from their previous residence to a new home in King City, Ontario where they have lots of farm animals to play with...and lots of hay to eat!

Also, they want to know, did you turn your clocks baaaaaaack?

QUICK DRAW

Retraceable wins 'Elizabeth while favourite fizzles
Beyer Figure is low, 74

Hill 'n' Dale Farms' bred RETRACEABLE, owned in part by trainer Mark Casse and his wife Tina along with Richard and Patricia Lenihan, galloped away to a clear win in the $250,000 Princess Elizabeth Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on Saturday as big favourite HIGH MIST faded to last.
A $19,000 yearling purchase ("she had a calcium deposit on the outside of her left front leg and everyone stayed away", said Casse), the Medaglia D'Oro filly out of the Dehere mare Embraceable was coming off quick a series of events since her debut win that has tested the mindset of the young gal.

She had a horrible journey in the Muskoka Stakes 2nd time out and then tore off a shoe and was very lame after her Mazarine Stakes (won by Van Lear Rose).
In her last workout, she was virtually pulled up when a loose horse came running at her head on.
In the Elizabeth - a weak field of 7 horses with just 3 winners but apparently some 90 nominees - the first time time starter SANGUINE was hustled to the lead from her outside post and that filly got excited about that it seemed - she took off into the turn and then went fast 23 1/5 for the first 2 furlongs and a quick :47 to the half. That one went nowhere and after High Mist stalked Sanguine, took the lead at the 1/4 pole she stopped on the turn but something was obviously amiss.Eurico Da Silva said he took care of the filly and wrapped on her as she stopped badly.

The final time was 144 3/5.The filly is the 3rd foal of the mare, a stakes placed half sister to stakes winner Once a Sailor.

Jockey Pat Husbands said on SUN TV

"I have to hand it to Mark (Casse) I worked her twice and said she's not right but Mark said don't worry."

Casse said the barn help has worked hard tubbing the filly's foot that was injured by the lost shoe.

KENNEDY ROAD PREP

21 4/5 FIRST 2 FURLONGS by Bold Nurse, who was the best looking horse in the post parade, sizzled a half-mile in 44 3/5, couldn't hold off chargers that included LEGAL MOVE, the multiple stakes winner who is up for sale at Keeneland on Nov, 14 in Book 7 of the November sale.The super Bold Executive horse, a perfect fit for the Ontario stallion ranks now that Bold Executive is getting long in the tooth, looked like he would never get there but he surged between a 4 horse blanket finish and won by a head.

Post race comments on SUN TV"He's just an honest horse, I thought at the 8th pole he was going to finish 4th, but he dug in.He lets 2yos beat him in works, but he comes to do his business in the afternoon." - trainer Mark Casse.

OTHER WINNERS

The Woodbine Polytrack was slowed down for yesterday's card - Legal Move won the Kennedy Roard prep in 1:09 1/5 while on Friday, $15,000 claimers ranced in 1:08 3/5...yikes!

Eurico! It was a daily double for jockey Da Silva. BEARURSA won race 1 with a drop from allowances to claiming $40,000 and she loved the move out to 1 1/16 miles. The NewYork bred is by Precise End and is 2 for 13 in her career for Bear Stables and Reade Baker.

Race 2 figured to go to another Bear horse but the maiden 2yo filly allowance instead went to REAL FANCY RUNNER (Johannesburg) for SJB Stable, Trainer Norm McKnight had this gal very ready off a May-Nov. 1 layoff (she raced well at 2 furlongs twice in the spring) and she was 1st time Lasix and with Da Silva up.

SUDSY BABY has had much better luck in 2008 for Winston Penny, her owner, and trainer Roger Attfield. The chestnut mare was 0 for 9 last year but she is 2 for 10 now this season. She won an allowance/optional claiming race yesterday in race 3 at 1 mile on the grass. She is a Florida bred by Lite the Fuse.

BOARDROOM BEAUTY came back on to win the 5th race after she was passed by rail skimming La Gran Germaine in the early stretch. The Beauty has blossomed since she discovered 1 1/8 mile races - that was her 2nd consecutive win in her last 2 starts for Claudia Silvera and her training son Arthur.

Arthur was very candid in a good interview after the race about his season in 2008"Disappointing, nerve wracking, we hit the goal post a lot" he said about some of his good horses racing 3rd,4th and 5th in stakes races all over the place. "But to have horses that can run in those races is pretty good."

The Bold Executive-Mad 'bout You filly, bred by Gardiner Farms, got a good ride as Emile Ramsammy makes a quick early move to clear the field just before the 1/4 pole in the $9,500 claiming event.

New apprentice Beth Wyard, who rode Spanish Colony in the race, spoke on Sun TV - I'm from Cambridge,my neighbour talked me into being a jockey, I came here, I loved it.It was exhilarting coming down the lane."

The Fieldsotn Farm of Ron Delmas has a nice prospect in SILENT KNIGHT, now two wins this year and he is a homebred by Trajectory out of Sweet and Silent by Bold Ruckus.He won an allowance race for Ontario sired guys at 1 1/8 miles yesterday and he was one of 3 winners for jockey Patrick Husbands.

ASTER dropped from a maiden allowance in Kentucky to race for $25K at Woodbine yesterday and led all the way to win her maiden in her 2nd start. She is a Lion Heart filly owned and trained by Fred Seitz.

The SHYMAN FARMS and Winnipeg trainer MARTIN DREXLER scored their first win togather at Woodbine yesterday when CHARLEY TANGO won for $12,500 with a wide rally just in time to score by a nose.The Kentucky bred was ridden by a red-hot Gerry Olguin.
The finale went to SEVENTEEN RED, owned by the partnership of trainer David Bell, and Jackson and Harrison. The CHangeintheweather gelding, bred in Ontario, won by 3 1/2 lengths for $12,500.

BETTORS, WHAT BETTORS?

another example of bettors getting the ole....

Buried in some notes in the Daily Racing Form on Friday was this little nugget:

"Top European trainer Aidan O'Brien was fined $2,500 by Santa Anita stewards after he failed to delcare that four of his runners on Saturday's Breeders' Cup card would be treated with Lasix, according to a ruling issued by Santa Anita stewards.
The O'Brien-trained Westphalia, who started in the Juvenile Turf; Soldier of Fortune and Red Rock Canyon in the Turf; and Duke of Marmalade in the Classic were entered without the designation of being treated with Lasix. They all raced with Lasix.
According to steward Albert Christiansen, O'Brien contacted Santa Anita stewards over the weekend and was made aware of the infraction.
Santa Anita stewards also fined jockey Frankie Dettori $500 for failing to ride in Saturday's Damascus Stakes. Dettori won Saturday's ninth race, the Breeders' Cup Classic with Raven's Pass, and took off his mount in the Damascus Stakes, the 10th race, without sufficient notice, the stewards said."

Nice.

Canadian based MONTY'S BEST 2nd for Hills/Baker at Churchill:
78 Beyer
from http://www.kentucky.com/

LOUISVILLE — Favorite Capt. Candyman Can took control early then fended off a charge by Monty's Best to win the $100,000 Iroquois Stakes by 3 lengths in a race for 2-year-old colts at Churchill Downs on Saturday.
Capt. Candyman Can, ridden by Julien Leparoux and trained by Ian Wilkes, covered the one-turn mile in 1:35.16. The son of Candy Ride paid $4.80, $3 and $2.40.
Monty's Best, with Robby Albarado up, briefly challenged in the stretch before fading late and returned $5.80 and $3.60.

Star of David, ridden by Shaun Bridgmohan, was third and earned $3.60. Brave Victory, trained by Nick Zito and ridden by Kent Desormeaux, was fifth.

The Iroquois was the highlight of an 11-race card featuring 2-year-old horses.
Earlier in the day, Sara Louise, ridden by Albarado, posted a 3¾-length win over Rachel Alexandra to win the $100,000 Pocahontas Stakes for 2-year-old fillies over the dirt.
Sara Louise, owned by Eldon Farm and trained by Dale Romans, closed on the leaders in the final turn and quickly drew clear down the stretch.
She covered the mile in 1:34.57 and paid $9.80, $4 and $3. Sara Louise brought home $67,081.

ALYSHEBA IS BACK!!

The return of the native: Lexington-born Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic winner Alysheba officially came back to Kentucky and public life on Friday.
The 24-year-old son of the late Alydar moved into the Kentucky Horse Park Hall of Champions after eight years in Saudi Arabia. He returned to the United States as a gift to the American people from Saudi King Abdullah. David Stephenson StaffFans gathered to watch Alysheba be led to his new stall by barn manager Cathy Roby as he arrived Friday at the Horse Park.
The park hosted a reception and hundreds of fans turned out to welcome "America's Horse" home Friday Several old friends were there to greet him, including jockey Chris McCarron, trainer Jack Van Berg, and breeders Preston and Anita Madden.

Alysheba will have some big horse shoes to fill — he's moving into the heated stall of the late John Henry, a fan favorite. Alysheba, who won the Derby in 1987 and the Breeders' Cup the next year, will be living near Cigar, also a previous winnings record-holder, so maybe the two retired racehorses can swap stories.
Meeting Alysheba is included with horse park admission. For information, go to http://www.kyhorsepark.com/.

LOOK WHO IS LIVING IN

PENNSYLVANIA AT AGE 22..

FAST MARKET, by SECRETARIAT,

bred in Ontario by Kinghaven Farms,

won the Puss N Boots Stakes at Fort Erie during his career.

He raced 121 times!

He is at Bright Futures Farm in Pennsylvania awaiting surgery for a tumor.

You can check out the fundraising effort for Markie at http://www.alexbrownracing.com/ and find the 'son of Secretariat' thread

JACKPOT

Toronto Man Wins Incredible $4.7 Million Jackpot On Dollar Slot Machine At Woodbine

Friday October 31, 2008

CityNews.ca Staff

We don't know his name - and under the rules he can keep it quiet.
But somewhere out there is a very lucky and very wealthy winner of an incredible prize at the Woodbine Racetrack Casino on Thursday.

The unknown gambler, a Toronto resident, began feeding loonies into the one dollar Megabucks slot machine around 11:30pm. It's not clear how many he put in but we know how many he got out: the man walked away from the one armed bandit with an unbelievable $4,755,436.56.

The place went into a whirlwind of bells and alarms as the realization that something big happened dawned on those nearby. "It's clear to anyone who's sitting anywhere near there that a major jackpot has been won," OLG spokesman Jim Cronin tells CityNews.ca. "It became very clear to all our customers as well as our staff."

And unlike the lottery, there was no wait to cash in. Staff at the track wrote the guy a cheque for the entire amount on the spot.

"He was thrilled," Cronin relates in what must certainly be a grand understatement about the man he calls a "regular player."

"We all have that expectation that 'I can win the jackpot' and in his case, I guess he did!"
The jackpot on the machine starts at $1 million and keeps climbing until somebody wins by getting 3 Megabucks symbols lined up on the centre pay line. It's not clear what the odds are but they're likely in the millions. And in this case, so was the payout.

It's the first such win on those kinds of machines at Woodbine since they were installed in 2001. And it's the largest single prize of any kind at the venue since it started in March 2000.
The lucky duck instantly became shy after his $4.7 million windfall. The rules for lottery winners are different than for those at casinos. Ticket holders have to agree to allow their names and photos to be released. Those lucky at the slots don't.
The winner understandably refused any publicity, choosing instead to take his money and run.