YES HE CAN

TOM HOLBROOK's site at flickr.com captured a Woodbine evening on Sunday..that is the standardbred barn on the clubhouse turn





KEENELAND DOINGS

Sam-Son and Kinghaven sell for big money!


Following a blockbuster Fasig Tipton sale (helped by a $14 million mare), KEENELAND NOVEMBER is struggling.

Canadian action after 2 days centres on several farms selling and getting big money..

KINGHAVEN FARMS sold FORTY GRAN ( the dam of graded SW Square Eddie, for $500,000 and her filly foal for $160,000. The mare wEnt to My Meadowview LLC and the foal went to CRD.

KINGHAVEN also sold its Thunder Gulch stakes winner SEDUCTIVELY FOR $535,000 IN FOAL TO BERNARDINI. The mare was bought by Shadai Farm and is headed to the middle east.


SAM - SON FARMS got a whopping $900,000 for HIGH BUTTON SHOES, a stakes winner that was also bought by My Meadowview LLC. The Carson City mare sold in foal to A .P. INDY.

(from kentuckyderby.com...My Meadowview Farm is Leonard Riggio, the chairman of Barnes & Noble, Inc., the world's largest bookseller. In addition, he is the chairman and principal shareholder of several privately-held companies, including Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, serving more than 500 college and universities across America. In all, the companies run by Mr. Riggio operate almost 3,000 retail stores and employ more than 80,000 people. Beginning with a single college bookstore in 1965, Mr. Riggio built one of the largest enterprises in the history of American retail. Mr. Riggio devotes himself, as well, to many philanthropic initiatives, having served on nearly two dozen not-for-profit boards.)

Son-Son's ANGEL ON WATCH, stakes placed by Pulpit, sold in foal to SMART STRIKE FOR $420,00 to NOFA EQUESTRIAN RESORT.

Sam-Son also sold FEATHERED DIAMOND (by A.P. Indy) in foal to Corinthian for $385,000. She is a winner and a half sister to Dixieland Diamond.

Other Canadian stuff:

Canadian bred stakes winner THE NIAGARA QUEEN sold for $350,000 to Anstu Stables Inc. by Elite racing.

JOSHAM FARMS bought a colt from the first crop of ROCKPORT HARBOR for $70,000.

MIDNIGHT SHADOW - $200,000, sold by Kinghaven (through Anderson Farms, agent), in foal to Hard Spun. The Trajectory mare was a stakes winner of over $300,000.

WINDHAVEN bought a mare, MAHALO, by Gulch, in foal to Pulpit for $110,000,

JAZZ NATION, stakes placed Canadian bred by City Zip, was bought by Westrock Farm for $150,000

Champion FINANCINGAVAILABLE was bought back by Lane's End, agent for
$375,000.

CALLWOOD DANCER was scratched.




WOODBINE WEDNESDAY NIGHT

It's been close to 20 degrees Celcius in T.O. this week and not too cold at night - 10 or so.

It will be interestig to see how the Polytrack plays this evening for 8 races.

Maiden races rules the next 3 days of racing and there are some very intriguing events.

Tonight, a maiden allowance for older fillies and mares is in the middle of the PICK 4.
At 6 furlongs, it is the 2nd start for CHUSAN, the gritty little pit-bull type filly who won her debut on Oct. 8 only to be disqualified after a long, hard battle.
She adds Lasix.

Her stablemate (not entrymate) MADAME TOUMANOVA was in that same race at 5 to 2 and it was her first race since June. She was rated off the pace that day but will likely show her speed this evening and is the logical selection for the win,

Don't ignore PLAYME OR TRADEME, who was probably best in her debut back in June when beaten a nose. The 4yo by Ascot Knight had the rail post, broke a bit slowly, rallied very wide and just missed.

The feature on the night is an Ontario sired allowance - race 2 - at 6 furlongs.
The lone speed runner is STRAY CAT STRIDE (Cat's at Home) who has not raced since June but is working very fast for his return for Ian Jamieson and trainer Danny O'Callaghan.

PICK 6 CARRYOVER IS $17,006 (ACCORDING TO THE EQUIBASE CHART)
The Pick 6 has not been won since it replaced the Pick 7 a few weeks ago.




DAVE THE KNAVE ADOPTED BY HIS BREEDERS

Stakes winner DAVE THE KNAVE (WHISKEY WISDOM-BRAVERLLE), has come home.

The lanky chestnut, a $17,000 (US) yearling purchase at Woodbine in 2003 who went on to earn $606,000, has been sent home to breeders Ron and Janet Motz's farm north of Toronto to be reitred.

The gelding had been racing for trainer Steve Henson and owners Mike and John Young who claimed the horse for $16,000 this summer from Tucci Stables.

Tucci and trainer Sid Attard hads the horse for a few races but Dave the Knave won 4 stakes races and most of his money for his yearling buyer Frank DiGiulio Jr. and trainer Robert Tiller.

Dave the Knave's half brother Forever Grand, a millionaire, landed in claiming races eventually and has since reportedly been sent to western Canada as a chuckwagon horse.

Kudos to the Motz family.



MARKIE'S SURGERY

A few days ago I wrote about FAST MARKET, one of the last sons of Secretariat to race and a Canadian-bred.
At 22, Fast Market has lived a good life but has a tumor and his foster home has planned a surgery for today.
Enough money was raised by caring folks to pay for it.
Bright Futures Chariety offers this update...


Tuesday update.

The words 'thank you' really don't convey how much your generosity means to me. In just one week you have helped us cover the cost of his surgery and transport to the hospital. Without your help, we could not have had this mass removed now. And, waiting too long would have cost him his life.

We left for OSU at 7:30 this morning. Markie is a naturally nervous horse with a very narrow comfort zone, but he loaded for me like a dream and was on the trailer in less than five minutes. I felt like a heel when he realized he wasn't getting back off. It was cold, so he wore the light blanket Janet bough for him and by the time we were about three hours into the trip, he had worked up a sweat, so at that point, it stayed on so he wouldn't catch a chill. He was nervous, but he did well during the drive. We stopped one more time before we got there.

We arrived about 1:00. He received a complete physical and Dr. Elce said he was in great shape. His lungs were clear, there appeared to be no obstruction of the upper airway (which could happen if we waited to remove the mass), and his heart and temp and respiration were all normal.

I stayed with him for about an hour until he went to the bathroom and drank some water. He had a jolly ball in his stall, and he was quietly eating hay when I left.

Meghan, his personal vet tech while he's there, called me at 6. He was eating his dinner, had gone to the bathroom two more times, and wasn't weaving anymore (his tradmark stall habit). It appears he has settled in well. I took feed, supplements and his own hay with him so that he wouldn't have to experience a change in diet. Meghan also said she groomed him since his hair was such a mess from sweating on the way over.

They have tentatively scheduled surgery for 1pm tomorrow. They will call me if they change the time. Then they will call me approximately three hours after surgery starts as that is about the time he should be out of the anesthesia.

Please, everyone think good thoughts and say a prayer for him. While he's in very good health, he's still 22 years old and anesthesia is always an issue. Rising from the anesthesia is also an issue. He's a sensible horse with a strong will, and I have great confidence in his ability to fully recover but the good thoughts and prayers will certainly help too!

I attached a photo of him at the hospital today. Janet, this is the first chance I had to get a photo of him with his new halter on, but I promise I'll get a much nicer shot when he gets home!

Bev

Beverlee Dee
Bright Futures Farm Equine Charity



THOROUGBRED BLOGGERS ALLIANCE GROWS AGAIN

Four new blogs were added to the ever-growing TBA stable...

http://tripledeadheat.blogspot.com/
http://blog.horseplayersassociation.org/
http://pullthepocket.blogspot.com/
http://theturkandlittleturk.blogspot.com/

DON'T FORGET to check the RSS FEED under the Blog list to read the latest posts from everyone...






BART CUMMINGS - trainer extraordinaire..thanks to THOROUGHBLOG readers who send in comments about this great game.
A reader sent a note yesterday (see post below) about Bart Cummings' incredible 12th Melbourne Cup winning horse. His 82nd Birthday is Nov. 14.






BALTIMORE SUN FEATURE

following in the foot steps of major newspapers around the continent (TORONTO STAR included, in May), the Baltimore Sun has a super story about CANTER today..

"Look at him, how could anyone put an air bullet in his head and eat him as food?" - Allie Conrad


SAVED

By SANDRA MCKEE



BUCKEYSTOWN - Allie Conrad picks up a lead rope and begins walking the big chestnut down the lane to another field at Long Lane Farm. The horse moves gingerly because of cartilage problems in his ankles.

The horse, Thisbidsforyou, was bred to be a winner, as all racehorses are in the eyes of their breeders. Sired by Winning Bid and with a pedigree that includes Mr. Prospector, Secretariat and Northern Dancer, he certainly had a chance. But bad ankles derailed his racing career.

But Thisbidsforyou got lucky - not once, but twice. Unlike thousands of other exhausted, broken-down thoroughbreds, Thisbidsforyou has a future, thanks to his last trainer, a humane horseman, and Conrad.

Conrad is executive director of Canter Mid Atlantic, a nonprofit organization that takes in worn-out racehorses, saving them from what could be a horrific end in a killing shed.

"Look at him," Conrad said, as Thisbidsforyou nuzzled her hair. "How could anyone put an air bullet in his head and then have him eaten as food?"

Conrad and a group of 30 volunteers are trying to save run-down and injured racehorses from being pumped up on steroids and painkillers that mask injuries so they can continue to race when they shouldn't, and also from being shipped to auctions, where representatives of companies in Canada and Mexico are known to gather to buy the horses for food-processing plants.

It is at these plants that terrified horses are killed with the bullets to which Conrad referred.

During the past three years, Canter Mid Atlantic has placed more than 45 rehabilitated former racehorses in new homes as show horses, riding horses and pets and enabled trainers and owners to sell or give away more than 3,000 unwanted horses to better situations on the nonprofit's Web site, www.canterusa.org/midatlantic. Conrad has had to euthanize 15 others because their injuries were too severe for recovery.

Here near Buckeystown in Frederick County, at a 250-acre family-owned horse boarding farm...

read the rest
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/horseracing/bal-sp.horserescue05nov05,0,917891.story