Congratulations to one of Ontario horse racing’s biggest fans – JEAN MOOREHEAD on her 93rd birthday on Saturday January 25. Thanks for allowing us to celebrate with you at that super party!

 

SHOWDOWN!

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ASSERTING BEAR has been training at Palm Beach Downs in Florida. He will try blinkers on again for the Sam F Davis on Saturday, his first step to a sprint campaign that could include the Tampa Bay Derby and the Blue Grass. JANIS MAINE PHOTO

 

MATADOR, owned by John Oxley, meets up with rival ASSERTING BEAR in Saturday’s SAM F DAVIS STAKES. Both colts are Queen’s Plate contenders. horse-races.net photo

 

BULL AND BEAR FIGHT AT TAMPA BAY DOWNS

but will they get HARPOONed?

 

QUEEN’S PLATE HOPEFULS and Ontario-breds ASSERTING BEAR and MATADOR will get their 3yo season underway on Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs when they compete in the Grade 3,  SAM F DAVIS STAKES, a prep for the TAMPA BAY DERBY but a race that does not offer any points on the way to the Kentucky Derby.

A trip to the Kentucky Derby is not necessarily in the cards for these two colts but it is a good starting point for the 3yos who have taken turns beating each other in their meetings to this point.

“It’s a great prep for the Tampa Bay Derby,’ said trainer Reade Baker, who conditions Bear Stables’ ASSERTING BEAR. Baker will put blinkers back on Asserting Bear, a son of Bear’s Kid. The colt won the Coronation Futurity without the shades. This will be his first race on a dirt track and he has been training at Palm Beach Downs.
“He is a big, lazy horse, he does not  do much in his workouts,” said Baker.
Joe Rocco Jr. worked Asserting Bear, however, and agreed to ride the colt in the 1 1/16 mile race. The pair will start from post 6 in the 8 horse field.
MATADOR, by Malibu Moon, won the Cup and Saucer Stakes on the grass at Woodbine when Asserting Bear was third. Then Asserting Bear turned the tables in the Coronation when Matador was 7th. It will be the first dirt race for Matador. Julien Leparoux rides.
Casse told DAILY RACING FORM that Matador could prefer the dirt and he has trained well at Palm Meadows.
The field is not easy, however, as the colts meet a recent maiden winner by Tapit named HARPOON, a $500,000 yearling purchase. That colt, trained by Todd Pletcher, posted an 82 Beyer in his win at Gulfstream Park.
Then there is NOBLE CORNERSTONE (Noble Causeway), a colt who won his debut at Aqueduct and then was a neck away from taking a  stakes at Remington Park with a 91 Beyer Figure, Wesley Ward trains this New York-bred colt.
The Sam F Davis is the 9th race with a 4:25 p.m. post time.

SAM F. DAVIS S.-GIII, $250,000, 3yo, 1 1/16m
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT

1 Harpoon  Tapit Saez Pletcher 116
2 Noble Cornerstone Noble Causeway Dsrmeaux Ward 116
3 Imaginethatmom Imperialism Jaen Yates 116
4 Vinceremos  Pioneerof the Nile Prado Pletcher 116
5 Cousin Stephen Proud Citizen Centeno Brown 116
6 Asserting Bear Bear’s Kid Rocco Jr Baker 120
7 School On a Hill K Student Council Allen Jr Catalano 116
8 Matador K Malibu Moon Leparoux Casse 120

 

Also on Saturday at Tampa, Sam-Son Farms’ GOLDEN SABRE comes off a short layoff for the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Stakes, a Grade 3 race on the grass. He will face champion RIDING THE RIVER among others:

Saturday, Tampa Bay Downs, post time: 4:55 p.m. EST
LAMBHOLM SOUTH TAMPA BAY S.-GIII, $150,000, 4yo/up, 1 1/16mT
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT

1 Guys Reward K Grand Reward Jaen Romans 122
2 Super Chunky Put It Back Rodriguez Cox 116
3 Seal Cove Strong Hope Rocco Jr McGghy III 116
4 Riding the River Wiseman’s Ferry Boulanger Benzel 122
5 Looking Cool Candy Ride (Arg) Leparoux Nafzger 120
6 Salto (Ire) Pivotal (GB) Saez Pletcher 116
7 Golden Sabre Medaglia d’Oro Prado Pierce 116
8 Nicklaus Way K Bluegrass Cat Hamilton Wilkes 116
9 Philly Ace Smart Strike Serpa Clement 120
10 Humble and Hungry Limehouse Gallardo Correas IV 120
11 Dannhauser K Johannesburg Panici O’Connell 116
12 Mellow Fellow The Cliff’s Edge Lebron Rchrdson 116

 

 

COLTIMUS PRIME – Queen’s Plate hopeful transformed into social media dude

 

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COLTIMUS PRIME is on the web, visit him at his site, on Facebook or on Twitter! Photo from his website.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The interests of the 3yo colt COLTIMUS PRIME are optimizing social media to get boost interest in horse racing. The promising son of  Milwaukee Brew – Certainly Super by Distorted Humor is owned by Jayson Horner and Mike Weingarten and bred by Horner. Justin Nixon trains the flashy colt who was second beaten a nose in the Display Stakes in his 2yo finale.

Now, Horner has started a web page for the colt as well as Facebook page and Twitter feed.

“We originally started a Facebook page for our filly, Crysta’s Court, after she won the Victoria Queen Stakes at Woodbine,’ said Horner. “The filly is named after out daughters Crysta and Courtney. As you might expect, their friends and social circle are strongly connected to the social media scene, so we thought it would be a fun manner in which to connect.”
Horner was introduced to the track by his father who owned racehorses. Horner was a hockey fan early on with heroes such as “Keon, Armstrong, Bower, etc.” but he was also a fab of racing names like  “Gomez, Hawley, Dittfach and Platts and Northern Dancer, Kennedy Road, Jumpin Joseph, and of course Secretariat.”

With the website and social media feeds, Horner hopes to generate some interest in racing to a younger group. “The idea being that it might help connect a younger generation to the sport and maybe a following, depending on how his career unfolds.”

Coltimus Prime recently had his first three furlong workout at SOLERA FARM in Florida where he has been wintering.

Check out Coltimus Prime at:

http://www.coltimusprime.com/home.html
NEW STALLION WATCH – RILEY RIPASSO

riley

RILEY RIPASSO, an exciting new stallion in Ontario. MICHAEL BURNS/WEG PHOTO

Beautifully bred with the looks to match, RILEY RIPASSO has entered stud at Kinghaven Farms (care of Silver Duck) in King, Ontario and will offer broodmare owners an intriguing pedigree blend.
The son of Johannesburg (champion by Hennessy) is out of Muskrat Suzie, by the broodmare sire of them all, Vice Regent. Bred by Dr. Brian Van Arem, he is a half brother to Jambalaya, the superstar grass runner by Langfuhr who won the Arlington Million among other races and $1.7 million.
Riley Ripasso, named after owner John Scott’s daughter Riley,  also had talent on the track. As a 3yo he was stakes placed at 1 1/8 miles on Polytrack and as a 4yo, he won the With Approval Stakes at nine furlongs defeating the likes of Hotep and Woodbourne. Among the other horses he defeated included graded stakes winner Kara’s Orientation and Cognashene.
He won 3 of 10 races and stands for a fee of $2,500.
Note that Johannesburg is red-hot these days as the sire of exciting Canadian-bred River Seven, headed to the Donn Handicap in a week’s time. Another son of Johannesburg is Grade 1 winning sprinter Strapping Groom, a top runner right now in New York.
Johannesburg is also the sire of stallions Scat Daddy, Tueflesburg and French star Sageburg.
Riley Ripasso is a seven-year-old bay who can be seen at Silver Duck on Jane Street in King by contacting Tim Drake.

 

TALK ABOUT MAKING FANS…

A visit to racing from years ago – here is CARRY BACK reading fan mail. This stretch running colt won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness in 1961 and was a fan favourite. He is in the Hall of Fame and his ashes are at the Kentucky Derby Museum. DAILY RACING FORM TRADING CARD

carryback01302014_0001

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AMERICAN COLT, JAKESAM taking BARBADOS by storm

(from the Barbados Advocate) Jakesam upsets in feature Coolmore ‘Home of Champions’ Stakes

Yesterday was the third day of the Barbados Turf Club’s first season of racing for 2014. Seven races were carded for the day, with the feature being the Coolmore “Home of Champions” Stakes & Trophy, for 3-year-olds and older rated 140 and below going 1800 metres.

Thanks to the generous contribution of $30 000 by Coolmore Stud, the race was worth $16 500 to the winner.

Crack creole, Areutalkintome, started as the favoured horse, while Sandy Lane Barbados Gold Cup winner, Aristodemus, as the second favoured, followed by Discreetwon.

However, it was the 9/1 outsider, Jakesam, that upset the apple card, by cruising home an easy winner.

http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/newsitem.asp?more=sports&NewsID=34518