GIFTS

CONTINUING SERIES ON THOROUGHBLOG

Year in Review for Jan-April see last week's posts)

MAY 2008

* BIG BROWN remains unbeaten and wins Kentucky Derby

*Horse racing thrown into turmoil when filly EIGHT BELLES breaks down after 2nd place finish in Derby

*EDENWOLD, Queen's Plate winner, retired and sold to stud in New Zealand

*NORTHERN NETTI, owned by Canadians Jim and Susan Hill, win a stake at Aqueduct with a 99 Beyer Figure.

*STORM CAT is pensioned from stud duty

*TUCCI STABLES win three races in one card with three different trainers and three different riders

*BIG BROWN romps in Preakness Stakes, KENTUCKY BEAR, Canadian owned and trained a troubled 6th

*LITTLE CLIFF, a stakes placed American colt, is found in a kill pen and sparks more attention to horse racing

*TORONTO STAR has a front page story on racehorses coming to Canada to be slaughtered



JUNE 2008


*BIG BROWN, going for the TRIPLE CROWN, is pulled up in a goofy end to the Crown

*NOT BOURBON wins the Queen's Plate - trainer ROGER ATTFIELD ties all-time record for Plate wins by trainer

*GINGER BREW romps in WOODBINE OAKS in scorching heat

*The WOODBINE PICK SEVEN carryover gets over $200,000 and it is won with a $102,000 payoff.

*Security guards for the Ontario Lottery and Gaming are on strike and cause bad delays for folks getting into Woodbine during Plate week

*MIZ YAH BEAUX, KING'S SILVER SON, BRODERICK among horses that passed away at Woodbine

*ARRAVALE is retired, Canada's Horse of the Year 2006




HPI TV - RACING CHANNEL CUTS OUT HOSTS

Beginning today, Horseplayer Interactive TV, the top racing channel in North America that is based at Woodbine racetrack, will no longer have any hosts on its 24-hour channel.

The STARTING GATE show, which often ran about one-hour at the outset of the day of racing and reviewed highlights, news and the day's tracks and picks, has been cancelled and there will no longer be commentary on the channel throughout the day and night.







BLOOD-HORSE

LEADING CANADIAN SIRES FOR 2008 BY EARNINGS


Last Updated: Monday, December 22, 2008 5:07 AM

Rank Stallion, Sire Standing Farm State 2009 Stud Fee Rnrs Wnrs Rpt. Wnrs SWrs SWns
GSWrs G1SWrs Chief Earner, Earnings Earnings

1 Bold Executive, Bold Ruckus Gardiner Farms CAN $- 138 68 28 6 9 - - Legal Move ($368,215) $4,373,652

2 Gilded Time, Timeless Moment Bar None Ranches CAN $- 175 94 50 3 4 1 - Gayego ($727,420) $3,819,007

3 Trajectory, Gone West Gardiner Farms CAN $- 91 50 28 7 10 - - Dancer's Bajan ($262,344) $2,969,539

4 Cape Canaveral, Mr. Prospector Highfield Stock Farm CAN $- 124 65 30 3 4 - - Cape Time ($158,137) $2,190,356

5 Mazel Trick,Phone Trick Canmor Farms CAN Dead (2008) 110 54 28 1 2 - - Ride Em Cowgirl ($171,016) $1,754,346

6 Peaks and Valleys, Mt. Livermore Gardiner Farms CAN $- 96 45 26 1 2 - - High Expectations ($148,676) $1,578,382

7 Bold n' Flashy,Bold Ruckus Park Stud CAN $- 83 42 12 - - - - Bold Nurse ($90,766) $1,530,435

8 Crown Attorney,Silver Deputy Debany Farm CAN $- 25 13 9 1 2 1 1 Rahy's Attorney ($783,488) $1,499,666

9 Tejano Run, Tejano Ascot Stud CAN $- 68 38 23 2 2 1 - Million Dollar Run ($124,596) $1,497,624

10 Tethra, Cure the Blues Colebrook Farms Stallion Station CAN $- 78 39 17 1 1 - - Nicki Knew ($297,161) $1,495,428

11 One Way Love,Regal Classic T. C. Westmeath Stud Farm CAN $- 75 33 10 1 1 - - Dancing Doris ($131,874) $1,481,647

12 Kissin Kris, Kris S. Esquirol Farms CAN $- 76 34 13 2 3 2 1 Delightful Kiss ($327,186) $1,447,108

13 Skimming,Nureyev Pacific Stud CAN $- 99 47 24 4 4 2 - Johnny Eves ($160,400) $1,425,158

14 Perigee Moon, Hennessy CAN $- 65 36 11 - - - - Swinton ($114,702) $1,423,920

15 Vying Victor, Flying Paster Ternes Farm CAN Dead (2008) 114 58 23 4 4 1 - Disfunction ($240,050) $1,354,539

16 Not ImpossibleSadler's Wells CAN Dead (2005) 19 9 3 2 5 - - Not Bourbon ($874,501) $1,335,869

17 Whiskey Wisdom,Wild Again Thunderbird Horse Centre CAN $- 63 24 13 1 1 - - Drunken Love ($204,279) $1,283,873

18 Ascot Knight, Danzig Windfields Farm CAN Dead (2008) 55 28 13 - - - - Knight's Cause ($121,794) $1,244,706

19 Katahaula County Bold Ruckus Roads End Farm CAN $- 89 54 19 6 8 - - Ronaldino ($109,029) $1,147,352

20 Aljabr, Storm Cat Ascot Stud CAN $- 57 23 8 2 3 1 - Northern Kraze ($234,877) $1,089,875


(photo - CAPE CANVERAL is the leading sire in Canada by 2yo winners with 15. He is also a top 5 sire in the country overall)


LEADING CANADIAN SIRES OF 2-YEAR-OLDS
by earnings

Sire Winners Earnings

*1 Tomahawk, 10 $584,390
2 Bold Executive, 8 $522,249
3 Trajectory, 5 $500,966
4 Cape Canaveral, 15 $465.254
*5 Where's the Ring, 5 $449,268
6 Vying Victor 11 $239,766
7 Skimming, 7 $236,016
*8 Dance to Destiny, 10 $227,561
9 Stephanotis, 14 $226,491
10 Perigee Moon, 12 $216,289

(*FIRST CROP)


LEADING CANADIAN TURF SIRES

Sire sire's sire country top earner ($) TURF runrs wnrs SW Earnings

1 Crown Attorney, 1993 Silver Deputy CAN Rahy's Attorney ($772,555) 9 3 1 $928,110

2 Aljabr, 1996 Storm Cat CAN Northern Kraze ($214,405) 19 8 1 $681,600

3 Bold Executive, 1984 Bold Ruckus CAN Sand Cove ($134,183) 40 5 2 $457,301

4 Tejano Run, 1992 Tejano CAN Fleet Caroline ($109,604) 19 5 1 $326,744

5 Bold n' Flashy, 1989 Bold Ruckus CAN Galipette ($51,076) 21 8 - $267,708

6 Trajectory, 1997 Gone West CAN Tenjectory ($91,587) 91 3 1 $256,753

7 Peaks and Valleys, 1992 Mt. Livermore CAN Meribel ($75,672) 21 4 - $215,161

8 Wonneberg, 1996 Woodman CAN Koonunga Hill ($83,677) 5 3 1 $212,340

9 Not Impossible (IRE), 1997 Sadler's Wells CAN Society's Chairman ($150,511) 5 2 1 $208,179

10 Compadre, 1990 El Gran Senor CAN September Square ($46,935) 21 4 - $206,137





EXCERPT: from WIVB TV

FORT ERIE - RALLY YESTERDAY MORNING

Fort Erie rally to keep horse racing Canadians trying to save 100 year old
institution

* Melissa Holmes
* Posted by: Emily Lenihan

FORT ERIE, ONT. (WIVB) - North of the border Sunday night, Canadians are rallying to try and save a 100 year old institution.

Because their futures could depend on it.

The blowing snow and whipping winds didn't keep dozens of horsemen from rallying in an effort to keep horse racing alive in Fort Erie, an institution there for more than 100 years.

Last week, the Nordic Gaming Corporation gave layoff notices to nearly 200 racetrack workers. But all of these men and women here, the owners, the trainers, the walkers, their lives hang in the balance as well.

Doug Martin, Mayor of Fort Erie, said "They're the people who are impacted as well and they haven't got a voice. And they're here today to say this is us, we're all here as well. This is important to us. Without the track, we lose our jobs too."

Officials say there will be no racing next summer unless the Province of Ontario agrees to pitch in $3 million.

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/Fort_Erie_rally_to_keep_horse_racing_20081221