DEANS

In memory of a horse racing great - JOE HIRSCH



RACES, RACES, MORE RACES


Tons of action for the second Saturday of 2009 - stakes galore at all the big tracks and Canadians are involved everywhere.

Also - a $1.2 million carryover for the PICK 6 at SANTA ANITA is juicy...let's play!

Some Canadians in action today:

LEGAL MOVE, now owned by Bruno Schickedanz, has a new trainer and is in the PELICAN STAKES at Tampa Bay Downs today.

FRENCH BERET/WINDWARD ISLANDS in the Col. Bradley at Fair Grounds

MORADA KEY, trained by Mark Casse, in the F.W. Gaudin at Fair Grounds

GOOD AND LUCKY, trained by Josie Carroll for Jim and Alice Sapara in the Louisiana Handicap at Fair Grounds.

SHILLA in the AB LEGGIO Memorial Stakes at 5 1/2 fur. on turf for Brian Cullen and trainer Malcolm Pierce.

PATENA in the Lecomte stakes, John and Glen Sikura and Centennial Farms

DYNAMIC FORCE, trained by Mark Casse in the Lecomte.


SOCIETY'S CHAIRMAN - BUFFALO MAN in the Ft. Lauderdale Stakes at Gulfstream

COOL GATOR and EAST END TAP, stakes winner and stakes placed respectively, both have American trainers for a race at Gulfstream tomorrow, an allowance race.

INCLUDE US, Roger Attfield, in a 12 furlong turf allowance at Gulfstream.
FIND THE WIRE, trained by Reade Baker for Jim and Susan Hill, also in the race.

AWESOME RHYTHM, trained by John Ross, in the finale, an allowance for 3yos.

MARCHFIELD is in the San Pasqual for Eugene Melnyk at Santa Anita.


TODAY’S GRADED
STAKES ENTRIES
San Pasqual H. (G2)
January 10, $150,000, 4yo & up, 11⁄16m, Santa Anita Park, 4:07 PM PT
P Horse Sire Jockey Wt. Trainer

1. Mostacolli Mort Hold for Gold Garrett K. Gomez 114 John W. Sadler
2. Marchfield A.P. Indy Patrick Husbands 118 Mark E. Casse
3. Informed Tiznow Michael C. Baze 113 Doug F. O’Neill
4. Cowboy Cal Giant’s Causeway John R. Velazquez 117 Todd A. Pletcher
5. Noble Court Doneraile Court Mike E. Smith 114 John W. Sadler
6. Past the Point Indian Charlie Rafael Bejarano 116 Eoin G. Harty
7. Well Armed Tiznow Aaron T. Gryder 121 Eoin G. Harty
8. Magnum (Arg) =El Compinche (Arg) Martin A. Pedroza 113 Darrell Vienna
9. Blue Exit Pulpit David Romero Flores 113 Jerry Hollendorfer
10. Ball Four Grand Slam Christopher P. DeCarlo 118 Todd A. Pletcher
11. Racketeer Awesome Again Chantal Sutherland 113 Barry Abrams
12. Slew’s Tizzy Tiznow Joel Rosario 116 Doug F. O’Neill

Lecomte S. (G3)
January 10, $100,000, 3yo, 1m, Fair Grounds, 4:29 PM CT
P Horse Sire Jockey Wt. Trainer
1. Friesan Fire A.P. Indy Gabriel Saez 116 J. Larry Jones
2. Au Moon Malibu Moon Julien R. Leparoux 116 David M. Carroll
3. Citizen City Zip Francisco C. Torres 120 Bernard S. Flint
4. Patena Seeking the Gold Robby Albarado 122 Josie Carroll
5. Big Push Black Mambo Miguel Mena 120 Richard R. Scherer
6. Dynamic Force Dance Master Jesse M. Campbell 120 Mark E. Casse
7. Professor Z Grand Slam Brian J. Hernandez Jr. 120 Steven M. Asmussen
8. Uno Mas Macho Uno Shaun Bridgmohan 120 Steven M. Asmussen
9. Indygo Mountain A.P. Indy Jamie Theriot 116 W. Bret Calhoun


Colonel E. R. Bradley H. (G3)
January 10, $100,000, 4yo & up, 11⁄16mT, Fair Grounds, 2:25 PM CT
P Horse Sire Jockey Wt. Trainer

1. Classic Campaign Rahy Brian J. Hernandez Jr. 119 William I. Mott
2. French Beret Broad Brush James Graham 118 Mark R. Frostad
3. Acting Zippy City Zip Miguel Mena 116 William Don Bennett
4. Wise River Belong to Me Francisco C. Torres 120 Clark Hanna
5. Prom Shoes Include Robby Albarado 116 William H. Fires
6. Embossed (Ire) Mark of Esteem (Ire) Jesus Lopez Castanon 116 Andrew McKeever
7. Red Rock Creek Numerous Shaun Bridgmohan 117 Steven M. Asmussen
8. Tend Dynaformer Julien R. Leparoux 115 Albert M. Stall Jr.
9. Windward Islands Cozzene Corey J. Lanerie 119 Mark R. Frostad
10. Golden Yank Yankee Gentleman Jamie Theriot 120 Gary A. Thomas



SAM-SON unraced filly dies

PEACEFUL FOREST (Forest Wildcat) reportedly collapsed and died after a gate workout at Fair Grounds on Thursday.
The Sam-Son Farms' homebred was being ridden by leading rider Francisco Torres, who fractured a collarbone.


DERBY CONTENDERS SQUARE OFF IN LECOMTE

EXCERPT: SCHENECTADY GAZETTE
Saturday, January 10, 2009
By Phil Janack (Contact)
Gazette Reporter

It may still be covered by snow in some parts of the country, but the road to the Kentucky Derby has begun.

A field of nine was entered for the first graded stakes of the Derby prep season, the Grade III Lecomte, today at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans.

Contested at a mile on conventional dirt, the $100,000 Lecomte, in its 65th year, is carded as the ninth of 11 races, with a post time of 4:29 p.m.

Breaking from the far outside, Indygo Mountain was made a lukewarm 3-1 program favorite in what is regarded as a wide-open race. Trained by Bret Calhoun, the son of A.P. Indy broke his maiden impressively last fall at Churchill at today’s distance.

A bruise on his left hind leg,

noticed in the post parade, cost

Indygo Mountain a start in a mid-December allowance at Fair Grounds. He wound up missing more time with an abscess on his right hind leg.

The chestnut colt is owned by Clarence Scharbauer Jr., whose family has one Derby victory to its name. Alysheba (1987) was raced by the late Dorothy Scharbauer and her daughter, Pamela.

Trainer Larry Jones, who won the 2007 Lecomte with eventual Derby runner-up Hard Spun, returns with Friesan Fire, who will break from post one.

Another A.P. Indy colt, Friesan Fire is winless in three starts since breaking his maiden last August at Delaware Park, running third in the Grade II Futurity at Belmont Park and fourth in the Grade III Nashua at Aqueduct.

On Dec. 18, Friesan Fire was the beaten favorite in a one-mile allowance at Fair Grounds, finishing

21⁄4 lengths behind Lecomte rival Uno Mas, one of two horses entered by trainer Steve Asmussen.

Asmussen will only run one, instead pointing two-time winner Professor Z to the $50,000 Smarty Jones, a six-furlong sprint at Oaklawn Park Jan. 19.

Topweighted at 122 pounds in the Lecomte is Patena, a Canadian invader who is coming off a victory in the $150,000 Display Stakes last month over the Polytrack at Woodbine. This will be his first start on a non-artificial surface.

http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2009/jan/10/110_horse/



CHAMPION GINGER BREW ready to roll
Sunday, at Gulfstream

EXCERPT FROM DAILY RACING FORM:

Ginger Brew returns to grass
By Mike Welsch

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Last winter, trainer Brian Lynch dominated the filly and mare sprint division at Gulfstream Park with Sugar Swirl. This year, he will try to emulate that success with Ginger Brew, who kicks off her 2009 campaign as the one to beat in Sunday's $100,000 Marshua's River on the turf.

Unlike Sugar Swirl, who swept all three graded sprint stakes for fillies and mares here in 2008, Ginger Brew is a versatile sort capable of handling turf and dirt with equal aplomb. She began what may be recognized as a Sovereign Award-winning 3-year-old campaign last year in south Florida, posting a first-level allowance victory over the Gulfstream turf before heading across town to capture the Calder Oaks.

Ginger Brew built on that success once she returned to her native Canada, switching to Polytrack to capture the Woodbine Oaks as a prelude to her second-place finish against males in the Queen's Plate. She made just one more start at 3, posting an easy win in the seven-furlong Jammed Lovely on Polytrack in November at Woodbine.

"The Queen's Plate was a hard race so I wanted to give her a good break," said Lynch, who trains the homebred daughter of Milwaukee Brew for Frank Stronach. "She's doing fine and we have a lot of options here this winter on grass although we could switch her back to dirt for the Rampart at the end of the meet."

Lynch said Ginger Brew couldn't be coming into the 1 1/16-mile Marshua's River any better.

read more at www/drf.com




FORT ERIE - JAN. 15 IS NEARING
EXCERPT - NIAGARA THIS WEEK

Drop-dead date for track set at Jan. 15 EDTC manager 'frigging amazed' with response so far
By Alison Bell, Staff


He proposed.

He waited.

He negotiated.

He waited.

He proposed again.

Now, Jim Thibert is ready to play hard ball to get some answers from the province about the future of the Fort Erie Race Track.

"The government today has to say 'yes' to racing at the Fort Erie Race Track. I am absolutely frigging amazed to hear from the province that they have 'learned so much.' We are two-and-a-half years into the process. What were they doing in the past?" the manager of the Fort Erie Economic Development and Tourism Corporation told reporters Monday.

Thibert said the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. (OLG), the managing body for the province's slots operations, has failed to address the decline of slot revenue because of currency rates and border crossing issues. Not re-negotiating the 10 per cent slot revenue distributed to the horsemen and track owner has contributed to the ailing horse racing industry, he said.

"They can be the ones to face the agriculture industry (if the track closes)," Thibert said. "We have a billionaire willing to invest and he's on hold."

Last year, the track's future was in doubt up until the 11th hour, when an agreement between the province and Nordic Gaming, the track's owner, was announced in late February. The deal came after Nordic guaranteed the race purses to cover the shortfall of what OLG was going to contribute through slots revenue, an amount which has been in steady decline in recent years.

Nordic has planned to build a $300-million destination tourism attraction on the site and has been waiting to hear from provincial officials about its proposal for almost two years.

Niagara Falls MPP Kim Craitor has set a drop dead date for Jan. 15.

http://www.niagarathisweek.com/news/communities/FortErie/article/229990