YOUNG GUNS

OCALA RACING FESTIVAL.
sponsored by Darley.

Tons of Canadians were in attendance for the races yesterday at the Ocala Training Centre (no betting!). Thanks for the photos, Randy Speck.

Canadian horsepeople did not fare well, however (see below)














WATCH ME STRUT - Here is a colt born Feb. 9 by STRUT THE STAGE (Theatrical) out of the Twining mare TWINEFLIES.
The boy is owned by Anthony Coombes' UNSTABLE. Thank you to LINDA SHANTZ for letting me use the photos.
Check out Linda's art and blog at: http://lindashantz.blogspot.com
http://www.lindashantz.com
Online store hosted by Etsy:
http://LindaShantz.etsy.com




















MODERN LOVE...everyone loves OLD FASHIONED

The Kentucky Derby has a big favourite - OLD FASHIONED - who stayed unbeaten with his strong win in the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawm yesterday.
He got a 93 Beyer Figure.
The grey Unbridled's Song-Collect Call colt is owned and trained by the same folks who had the grey filly Eight Belles in the Derby last year.
She ran a huge race to be 2nd but then broke down after the race.
Seems almost fateful that Larry Jones and and Rick Porter will head to the Derby again (they also have the very good colt Friesan Fire) with a big chance to win it.


OCALA SALES RACES
and the 2yo sale is today!

The track was fast at the Ocala Training Centre and speed horses were dominant in the 5 races sponsored by Darley in yesterday's fesitval of racing.
The featured event, the $150,000 Championship at 1 1/16 miles went to Cape Royal, a Chapel Royale colt bred in Kentucky and trained by Bill White.

Trainer Mark Casse had SKIPADATE in the race (5th) and DYNAMIC FORCE (13th), SOUTHERN EXCHANGE was 7th and locally trained AWESOME RHYTHM was 8th.

Earlier, BEDTIME STORY, ridden by Woodbine jockey COREY FRASER, was "roughed up at the start" and was 10th in the first race, the fillies sprint that went to the Exchange Rate filly R BROWN SUGAR in track record time of 1:09.80.




MONSTER FILLY!

EXCERPT - ASSOCIATED PRESS
Evita Argentina beats boys in San Vicente Stakes

By BETH HARRIS - AP Racing Writer

ARCADIA, Calif. -- Don't cry for this lady.

Evita Argentina became the first filly in 62 years to win the $150,000 San Vicente Stakes, beating the boys by one length Monday at Santa Anita.

Sent off as the 2-1 wagering favorite in the field of 10, Evita Argentina and jockey Garrett Gomez came flying down the middle of the track to hold off Leedstheway.

Evita Argentina ran 7 furlongs in 1:24.30, becoming just the third filly in the race's 68-year history to win the Kentucky Derby prep for 3-year-olds.

With several speed horses in the field, the Kentucky-bred filly had ample pace to set up her usual come-from-behind move. Evita Argentina, who was last in the early going and then went four horses wide in the stretch, paid $6.60, $3.80 and $2.80.

"The track is soggy all over, but at the three-eighths pole, it seemed a little deeper and she got off the bridle with me, so I really had to work on her to get her to running again," Gomez said. "She was able to wear them down, but I know she can run even better than that."

Gato Go Win was another 1 1/4 lengths back in third and returned $3.80. He and Leedstheway, who paid $6.40 and $5, are both trained by Jeff Mullins.

Trainer Bob Baffert's duo of Ventana and Wall Street Wonder, making his stakes debut, finished in a dead-heat for fourth.

Winning trainer John Sadler wasn't feeling well and stayed home, leaving assistant Larry Benavidez to saddle Evita Argentina, who earned her third career stakes win. She was coming off a second-place finish to stablemate Alpha Kitten in the Santa Ynez Stakes a month ago.

"I was pretty confident because this filly is going to give you her run no matter what," Benavidez said. "Garrett cut the corner perfect. It was a great ride by him."

He said the $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks on March 14 in New Orleans might be next for the filly.

The race went off under sunny skies during a temporary break in the rainy weather. Minutes after the winner's circle ceremony, heavy showers pelted the track but didn't noticeably affect its synthetic surface the way rain would have turned a dirt surface into a quagmire.

Hubble Bubble was the last filly to win the race in 1947, doing so by disqualification. Her victory came two years after Busher, who was named Horse of the Year as a 3-year-old, became the first filly to do so. Busher was owned by movie producer Louis B. Mayer, who co-founded Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio.

Canadian-owned Congor Bay was eighth of nine.


SAN VICENTE S.-GII, $150,000, SA, 2-16, 3yo, 7f (AWT), 1:24 1/5, ft.
1--EVITA ARGENTINA, 117, f, 3, by Candy Ride (Arg)1st Dam: Jealous Wildcat, by Forest Wildcat 2nd Dam: Jealous Sword, by Crusader Sword.
Lifetime Record: 7-4-1-0, $324,900.


FABULOUS STRIKE, 127 pounds edged

GENERAL GEORGE H.-GII, $150,000, LRL, 2-16, 3yo/up, 7f, 1:22 1/5, ft.
1--@TRUE QUALITY, 117, c, 4, by Elusive Quality - Dam: Louve Mysterieuse (SW-Fr, $123,906), by Seeking the Gold.
Paraneck Stable.; T-John P Campo Jr;
Lifetime Record: .
2--Fabulous Strike, 127, g, 6, Smart Strike--Fabulous
Find, by Lost Code. O/B-Tea Party Stable Inc (PA);


THOROUGHBLOG'S TOP CANADIAN-BREDS

HARLEM ROCKER is at Adena Springs South in Ocala for some R & R. He is being pointed to a summer campaign after suffering an illness.
Friends of Harlem Rocker have a neat website at www.harlemrocker.com with photos and news and puzzles you can do on-line!

(Photo montage from harlemrocker.com)

FRENCH BERET has won a stake race already this year for Sam-Son Farms.

RAHY'S ATTORNEY is busy galloping with trainer Ian Black up at Kinghaven Farms in King City, Ontario.

SEALY HILL has been retired, NOT BOURBON is in Florida, and others like GINGER BREW (read about her terrible Tampa Bay journey in yesterday's news), MARCHFIELD and STERWINS are racing or in training.

JAMBALAYA is in training in Florida and is a month or so away from a race.

Hot Canadian-bred Runners
(based on Beyer, $, SW)

1 Harlem Rocker (106)
2 French Beret (100)
3 Rahy's Attorney (107)
4 *Sealy Hill -f (101)
5 Not Bourbon (98)
6 Sugar Swirl -f (100)
7 Society's Chairman (92)
8 Ginger Brew - f (93)
9 *Sterwins (103)
10 Marchfield (94)
http://harlemrocker.com/