GOOOOOLLLLLLLD! Okay, the gold medals for hockey are securely in the pockets of Canadians – back to horse racing…wild day watching racing yesterday. Fans were restless about Gulfstream’s dirt surface and stewards move in the last race…Canadian horses like DECEPTIVE VISION win big and in fast time…
The Harlan’s Holiday colt INTENSE HOLIDAY got up in the last jump on the outside to win the Risen Star Stakes with a 98 Beyer Speed Figure. Touted as the potential winner in this space yesterday! FAIR GROUNDS PHOTO
DERBY PREPS INTENSE
Gulfstream betting tops record $20 million
WILDCAT RED and GENERAL A ROD put on a show of speed and stamina in the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream and at the end of the Grade 2, 1 1/16 mile Kentucky Derby prep event, it was the Wildcat who had won. This gritty guy, by former Canandian stallion D’WILDCAT, posted a 101 Beyer Figure in the narrow win,his 4th in his 6th start.
A $30,000 purchase from last June’s 2yo and Horses of Racing Age sale in Ocala, Wildcat Red had won the Hutcheson Stakes after losing by a head to the General in the Gulfstream Derby.
This tough bay is out of the mare RACENE, by Miner’s Mark and the mare was a winner at 1 1/4 miles at Santa Anita when trained by Janine Sahadi.
WILDCAT RED worked one furlong in 10 1/5 at that June sale, displaying a smooth, efficient stride. He does not have much ‘paper’ as his dam, who was Grade 3 placed) has had 5 runners all winners with the best one earning $48,000 and another being a champion in Jamaica, but not a stakes winner.
D’wildcat has had 10 black-type winners and one of his best runners was the Canadian mare AUTHENICAT.
He stands in Louisiana.
The result of the race left a lot of racing scribes confounded by the track and its apparent speed bias.
A lot of the race were won by favourites on the pace and let’s face it, Wildcat Red did have a nice Beyer Figure advantage.
Both TOP BILLING and EAST HALL closed well to be 3rd and 4th.
Trainer Pletcher won four races at Gulfstream and the Risen Star at Fair Grounds and perhaps he may re-direct WE MISS ARTIE to the Queen’s Plate at Woodbine this summer.
The Ontario bred by Artie Schiller seems to be a confirmed turfer/Polytrack colt as he finsihed 8th beaten 17 lengths after chasing the pace battle to the late turn.
Pletcher said after the race:
“He moved up into a decent position and (jockey) Joe (Bravo) said he was always getting a lot of dirt in his face and never really leveled off and never got into a comfortable rhythm.”
BET BET BET
Gulfstream Park’s 12-race program Saturday afternoon, featuring the $400,000 Besilu Stables Fountain of Youth (G2), $200,000 Davona Dale (G2) and $150,000 Canadian Turf (G3), handled a total of $20.7 million. It was the first time Gulfstream had handled more than $20 million in its state-of-the-art building on a non-Florida Derby Day. The last time Gulfstream handled more than $20 million on a non-Florida Derby card was in 2003 in the old building.
Meanwhile, the $1.7 million pool for the RAINBOW PICK 6 was about to be won by a single soul when CoLLINITO won the last race a maiden $75K race on turf. However, the colt was disqualified and 39 to 1 shot Strategic Keeper was moved up and the Pick 6 carries over again.
GULFSTREAM PARK – KENTUCKY DERBY PHOTO OF WILDCAT RED – from the 2yo sale in June in Ocala last year to Fountain of Youth – Grade 2 win.
FG – 98 Beyer Figure for Holiday
Over at Fair Grounds, INTENSE HOLIDAY (Harlan’s Holiday out of Intensify (won $6K) by Unbridled Song, won the Risen Star in the last jump in 1:43 4/5. The $380,000 yearling, trained by Todd Pletcher for Starlight Racing, was born on April 20 so he’s short of his actual 3yo birthday. He was coming out of the Holy Bull, 3rd behind the mighty Cairo Prince, who was highly flattered on the weekend by the Derby prep races.
Front runner ALBANO is another nice 3yo for Brereton Jones – this one is a brother to Mark Valeski.
Little Vicar’s in Trouble made a zooming move to the lead but stalled and he was beaten 5 1/2 lengths.
Intense Holiday was touted as the winner on Thoroughblog yesterday. He was 5 to 1.
TIMES PICAYUNE STORY
http://www.nola.com/horseracing/index.ssf/2014/02/intense_holiday_nips_albano_at.html
COUSINS AMI’S HOLIDAY AND ARAGORN AMI prepping for big US races
Canadian-breds eyeing bigger events before Woodbine Oaks, Queen’s Plate
Add Mother Nature to the list of challenges facing the talented Harlan’s Holiday colt Ami’s Holiday, who is being pointed to Oaklawn’s series of graded races for three-year-olds and then a potential Triple Crown campaign.
“He just had his first work,” trainer Josie Carroll noted of Ami’s Holiday’s half-mile breeze over the fast Oaklawn strip in :50 2/5 on Thursday. “Unfortunately right when he came in was when we had the bad weather and it put me a little behind where I really wanted to be with him. Hopefully, we’ll be able to catch up.
“As for the work, he did it easily and didn’t get too tired. I had just brought him in from the farm in Florida and I would have left him there if I’d known we were going to have that interruption in training because it makes it tough, but we got a fair amount done with him in the barn area. Hopefully we’re not set too far back and we can catch up.
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/editorial/full_edition.cgi
MORE CANADIAN STUFF
BEHEMOTH, a $15,000 claim in Jan. 2013, won the $100,000 John Campbell Stakes at Laurel on Saturday. The Ontario bred was born at Sam-Son Farms and is by Giant’s causeway out of Quiet Reward by Seeking the Gold. The 3rd foal of the mare (who is from the family of Quiet Celo, Quiet Resolve etc), BEHEMOTH raced for Dogwood Stables and Todd Pletcher as a 2yo. The now 5yo has risen back up to stakes ranks for Michelle and Claudio Stable Inc. who have owned the horse (or trained him for Samraj Singh) since last January.
Behemoth won the 9 furlong race in 1:51 2/5, good for an 88 Beyer Figure.
The horse is 7 for 30 with earnings of $276,000.
MR. ONLINE just about won his 4th consecutive race in the Grade 3 CANADIAN TURF HANDICAP at Gulfstream: it would have been fitting. The Canadian Turf is often won by Canadian-related horses and this Ontario-born guy bred by Osprey Stable (Moira Gunn and partners) led late but was nabbed by a neck by RELOAD at the end of the 1 mile grass race. The time was a sizzling 1:32 1/5, a 98 Beyer Figure. The son of Silent Name (Jpn) out of Our Miss Jones, by Alphabet Soup is owned by Tim O’Donohue and trained by Mike Pino. He has a record of 28 – 8 – 5- 3 and earnings of over $400,000.
Wow – Sam-Son Farms’ beautifully bred DECEPTIVE VISION, a 4yo by A.P. Indy – Eye of the Sphnix by Smart Strike, came off a one-year layoff and rallied 4 wide to win a 1 1/16 miles turf race at Fair Grounds on Saturday.She posted a career best 95 Beyer Figure. The dark bay gal was an exciting prospect last spring but injury sent her to the sidelines. Malcolm Pierce and team had had very ready to go and she won in 1:43.38 at 5 to 2 (favourite).
LEDOKOL, a 4yo colt by Purhe – Quick to Boot by Storm Boot, won an allowance race at Calder on Saturday, 7 furlongs in 1:25 2/5. The colt was bred by James and Janease Everatt and Arika Everatt-Meeuse in ontarioi and he was a $4,200 2yo purchase in 2012 at Keeneland January. The colt is 3 for 22 in his career now.
KAIGUN, an Ontario bred owned by Horse’n Around Racing, Gary Barber and Quintessential Racing Florida LLC led all the way on the grass to win an allowance at Gulfstream on Saturday. The son of Northern Afleet – Cruising Kris by Kris S won by 3 1/2 lengths at 7 to 2 and he is trained by Mark Casse. He ran 1 1/16 miles on grass in 1:41 3/5, gppd for a career best 92 Beyer Figure.
The 4yo colt is an excitable one as he almost always gets very sweaty and washy but he has loads of talent.
He is 3 for 9 in his career and graded stakes place on turf (behind River Seven).
Kaigun was bred by Bill Sorokolit Racing Stable Inc. and he was a $38,000 yearling purchase.
KENTUCKY DERBY POINT STANDINGS
Rank Horse Points Owner(s) Trainer Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings
1. Intense Holiday 53 Starlight Racing (Jack & Laurie Wolf & Donald & Barbara
Lucarelli) Todd Pletcher $327,500
2. Wildcat Red 50 Honors Stable Corp. Jose Garrofalo $410,000
3. Albano 24 Brereton C. Jones Larry Jones $150,000
4. Tapiture 22 Ron Winchell Steve Asmussen $300,738
6. General a Rod 20 J. Armando Rodriguez Mike Maker $140,000
7. Havana 14 Michael Tabor, John Magnier & Derrick Smith Todd Pletcher $660,000
8. Cairo Prince 14 Namcook Stables (Terry Murray), Paul Braverman, Harvey Clarke &
Craig Robertson III Kiaran McLaughlin $470,000
9.Honor Code 14 Lane’s End Racing (Will Farish) & Dell Ridge Farm LLC (Mattie Justice)
Shug McGaughey III $340,000
10. Tamarando 12 Mr. & Mrs. Larry D. Williams Jerry Hollendorfer $490,000
11.Midnight Hawk 12 Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings, Inc. (John Sikura),Mike Kitchen, Mike Pegram, Mike Tice & Joel Quenneville Bob Baffert $84,000
12. Bond Holder 11 Reddam Racing, LLC (J. Paul Reddam) Doug O’Neill $333,000
13. Rise Up 10 Paul and Andrena Van Doren Tom Amoss $786,633
14. We Miss Artie 10 Ken & Sarah Ramsey Todd Pletcher $262,000
15. Candy Boy 10 C R K Stable LLC (Lee and Susan Searing) John Sadler $260,000
16. Samraat 10 My Meadowview Farm (Leonard Riggio) Rick Violette Jr. $150,000
17. Noble Moon 10 Treadway Racing Stable (Jeff Treadway) Leah Gyarmati $145,000
18. Ami’s Holiday 10 Ivan Dalos Josie Carroll $136,145
19. Cleburne 10 Donegal Racing (Jerry Crawford et al) Dale Romans $102,044
20. Tanzanite Cat 10 James L. & Ywachetta H. Driver Cody Autrey $99,000
21. Top Billing 10 W.S. Farish & E.J. Hudson Jr. Shug McGaughey III $40,000
22. Strong Mandate 6 Robert C. Baker & William L. Mack D. Wayne Lukas $442,500
23. Casiguapo 5 All American Horses (Jorge Wagner) Mario Morales $271,050
24. Classic Giacnroll 5 Lisa Guerrero & Joseph E. Besecker Lisa Guerrero $62,500
25. Ride On Curlin 5 Daniel J. Dougherty Billy Gowan $94,387
26. East Hall 5 H. Jack Hendricks & Roger Justice Bill Kaplan $47,550
27. Hoppertunity 5 Karl Watson, Mike Pegram & Paul Weitman Bob Baffert $16,000
28. Conquest Titan 4 Conquest Stables LLC (Ernie Semersky & Dory Newell) Mark Casse $163,445
29. Smarty’s Echo 4 Windy Hill Farm (Pete and Scott Reiman) Anne Smith $82,000
30. Uncle Sigh 4 Wounded Warrior Stables (George “Chip” McEwen) & Anthony Robertson Gary Contessa $50,000
KENTUCKY OAKS – Rank Horse Points Owner(s) Trainer Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings
1. Untapable 60 Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC Steve Asmussen $281,125
2. Onlyforyou 60 Glencrest Farm LLC Todd Pletcher $240,000
3. Got Lucky 24 Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings, Inc. & Philip J. Steinberg Todd Pletcher $120,000
4. House Rules 20 Joseph V. Shields Jr. Allen Jerkens $40,000
5. Ria Antonia 15 Christopher T. Dunn & Loooch Racing Stable, Inc. Jeremiah Englehart $1,131,791
6. Aurelia’s Belle 14 James F. Miller Wayne Catalano $70,000
7. Stopchargingmaria 12 Repole Stable (Mike Repole) Todd Pletcher $506,000
8. Fierce Boots 11 Bobby Flay Todd Pletcher $65,286
9. My Conquestadory 10 Conquest Stables, LLC Mark Casse $415,908
10. Artemis Agrotera 10 Chester & Mary Broman Sr. Michael Hushion $360,000
11. Tepin 10 Robert E. Masterson Mark Casse $306,184
12. Fashion Plate 10 Arnold Zetcher LLC & Michael B. Tabor Simon Callaghan $180,000
13. Awesome Baby 10 Kaleem Shah, Inc. Bob Baffert $125,250
14. Madly Truly 10 John C. Oxley Mark Casse $112,131
15. Vexed 10 Claiborne Farm & Adele B. Dilschneider Al Stall Jr. $111,938
16. Unbridled Forever 10 Charles E. Fipke Dallas Stewart $75,000
t-17. Aragorn Ami 10 Ivan Dalos Josie Carroll $60,000
t-17. Joint Return 10 Main Line Racing Stable John Servis $60,000
19. Shanon Nicole 10 Connie M. Apostelos Mike Maker $20,600
20. She’s a Tiger 8 Mark DeDomenico LLC or Aldrich or Downey et al Jeff Bonde $710,000
