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SOVEREIGN AWARDS FRIDAY NIGHT

THOROUGBLOG readers think 'Rahy' has advantage


Of 111 voters on THOROUGHBLOG, 43% think RAHY'S ATTORNEY will be named Canada's Horse of the Year at the lavish awards ceremony Friday night in downtown Toronto.
Owned and bred by Ellie Boje Farm and co. and trained by Ian Black, RAHY'S ATTORNEY won the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile.

It would be the 3rd consecutive year that a grass-oriented runner would get the Horse of the Year Award.

His rival FATAL BULLET, sprinter owned by Bear Stables, is readying for the Malibu Stakes on Boxing Day in California.




CONTINUING SERIES ON THOROUGHBLOG
2008 - Good, the not-so good



FEBRUARY 2008


*Santa Anita continues to struggle with its cushion track

*Fans on DRF.COM and webites everywhere go beserk over the story of PLANTING TIME, who returned after a 6-year layoff at Los Alamitos at age 13 after having foals, and broke down in a $2K claiming race.

Owners: Felix Gonzalez (trainer), R. Salvatore and E. Garthwaite.

Here’s the chart…

http://www.drf.com/drfPDFChartRacesIndexAction.do?TRK=LA&CTY=USA&DATE=20080126&RN=99

*Woodbine community loses RICK CHRETIEN who passed away Feb. 7. A popular horseman who was a longtime employee on the starting gate, Chrietien is missed by all.

*ASCOT KNIGHT is euthanized due to old age. He was a top Canadian sire, brought to Ontario by Bob Anderson and Windfields Farm.

*Canadian bred HARLEM ROCKER wins his debut on Feb. 14 in exciting fashion for Stronach Stables and Adena Racing Venture I.

*SUGAR SWIRL, Canadian bred, won another graded stake at Gulfstream for Stronach Stables.

* A Canadian-bred filly by Medaglia D'Oro - Irish Cherry sells for $900,000 to Lael Stables at the Fasig Tipton 2yo sale in Florida.

*CURLIN wins the Dubai World Cup in a romp




MORE STALLIONS IN ONTARIO


WAR CRY lands at Richard Moylen's Hunter View

EXCERPT FROM BLOOD-HORSE.COM



War Cry, a $2.7 million yearling and a half-brother to grade II winner and prominent sire E Dubai (by Mr. Prospector) and grade I winner and European champion producer No Matter What (by Nureyev), will stand the 2009 season for $2,500 at Richard Moylen’s Hunter View Farm near Caledon, Ontario, Canada.

A 6-year-old son of Unbridled, War Cry made just two starts due to soft tissue damage in his shoulder. He will stand as the property of George Farr and John Porter’s War Cry Holdings.

“We have an extremely lucrative Ontario sire stakes program in our province, and we felt that that a stallion carrying the genetics he carries would really be a huge advantage to some of the Northern Dancer line mares—there are many here in Canada,” said Bonnie Rowntree, the spokesperson for War Cry Holdings.

Rowntree pointed out that in addition to War Cry being a half-brother to two graded winners, his stakes-winning dam, Words of War (by Lord at War), is a full-sister to Ascuteney, the dam of this year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I) winner Raven’s Pass and grade III winner Gigawat.

Bred in Kentucky by Arthur Hancock III and Stonerside, War Cry was first bought for $2.7 million in 2002 by Padua Stables. This year, he was sold for $25,000 at the Keeneland November mixed sale to Alistair Roden, agent.


MORE STALLION NEWS -ONTARIO

There are new stallions everywhere in Ontario with MARCAVELLY at COLEBROOK FARMS, and SKY CONQUEROR at FIRESTONE FARMS.

THOROUGHBLOG has learned that popular Ontario sire FOXTRAIL passed away recently at Colebrook Farms. Foxtrail won the 1993 Southwest Stakes and was 3rd in the Arkansas Derby.

From 8 crops through this fall, Foxtrail had sired at least 97 winners from 212 starters including champion WHOLELOTTABOURBON and several other stakes winners.





EAGLE MOUNTAIN SET FOR SUNDAY'S HONG KONG CUP
EXCERPT

BUSINESSDAY.CO.ZA
BY DAVID MOLLETT

MIKE de Kock’s star performer, Eagle Mountain, has arrived safely in Hong Kong and SA’s champion trainer is optimistic about the horse’s chances in Sunday’s S$2,6m Cathay Pacific Cup.

“He faces no easy task against the local champion, Viva Pataca, and the Irish filly Lush Lashes, but he rose to the big occasion in America and I’m hopeful he’ll do that again,” said De Kock.

Eagle Mountain will again be ridden by Kevin Shea, who has the chance of ending a magnificent year on a high note. He partnered Rudra to a facile victory in the recent Steinhoff Summer Cup at Turffontein.

However, De Kock is correct in thinking that both Viva Pataca and Lush Lashes will be tough opponents.

Trained in Hong Kong by John Moore, Viva Pataca advertised his chance for Sunday’s 2000m race with an easy win in the International Cup Trial.

Jockey Darren Beadman, who was last year inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame, hardly moved a muscle on Viva Pataca until the 200m mark, and the 43-year-old rider then cruised to a comfortable win. Interestingly, both Viva Pataca and Eagle Mountain have identical international ratings of 122. It is an indication that there may be precious little between the pair on Sunday.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club website reported that Ireland’s big Cup hope, Lush Lashes, “looked to have travelled well as she limbered up for her first clash of the year against the colts. She looked bright and happy on the all-weather track as she took in her new surroundings for the first time.”

read the rest..

http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/sports.aspx?ID=BD4A901329




DOMINICAN REPUBLIC-BRED
WINS 16TH OF 17 RACES

(and Cal. jock Rosario wins again)


Sicotico wins Clasico del Caribe
Tuesday, December 9th 2008

FROM TRINIDAD & TOBAGO WIRES

For more than 40 years, the Dominican Republic had been participating in the Clasico del Caribe (Caribbean Derby) without any luck. But this year, Sicotico and jockey Joel Rosario changed all of that when they won the US$300,000 contest at Camarero racetrack last Sunday.

The final time for the 1 1/8 race was 1:52:54 over a muddy track.

"This is unbelievable and I'm so happy right now that I can barely speak," said an emotional Rosario, wiping off some tears from his eyes. "All the connections of this horse are people so dear to me. They all helped me out when I started to ride back home. I mean, I don't know how to express what I am feeling right now."

Rosario, who on Saturday had won five races at Hollywood Park, is quickly becoming one of the young stars on the Southern California circuit where he has been riding with great success this year.

He had travelled all night in order to ride in the race, for horses bred in the countries belonging to the Caribbean Racing Confederation.

"I had made a commitment to ride this horse and there was no way I was not going to be present," added Rosario. "This is a matter of pride and gratefulness. Winning this race for the first time for my country and my fellow countrymen has made all the sacrifice worth it."

Puerto Rico's Defensora, the favourite in the race, had taken command with three furlongs left and it looked like she had the race won when along came Sicotico with a furious rally in the last 50 metres to win by 1 1/2 lengths.

Cristal de Oro, also from Puerto Rico, caught Defensora, who ended up finishing third another half-length behind.

Eugenio Deschamps, trainer of Sicotico, was also extremely pleased with the outcome of the race.

"Joel rode an unbelievable race. The horse had been training great for the race," added Deschamps. "I knew we had an excellent chance to win but history has always been against us in these races. There is no question that this is the most memorable victory of my career."

Sicotioco was bred by Dr. Angel B. Contreras and is a son of Blueformer-Lump of Joy. He has won 17 of 18 races and increased his earnings to more than US$214,000, including the Triple Crown in his native country.