What a way to return to racing action – fun cards of racing all over with the highlight races coming at Santa Anita…wishing everyone a nice Christmas week as we creep up to 2015
SHARED BELIEF came back to his winning ways as he battled hard to win the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes by a neck at Santa Anita on Boxing Day over Conquest Stables 65 to 1 shot Conquest Two Step. SANTA ANITA PHOTO FROM FACEBOOK
99 BEYER FIGURE for Shared Belief in Malibu win
Champion SHARED BELIEF, unlucky in the Breeders’ Cup Classic which was his only defeat, battled hard throughout most of the 7 furlongs of the Grade 1 Malibu on Friday and won by a neck in a fantastic renewal of the Boxing Day feature. The dark bay 3yo gelding really had to dig down deep to beat CONQUEST TWO STEP, trained by Mark Casse for Conquest Stable, who was 72 to 1 but ran a huge race. The winning Beyer Figure of 99 was substantially lower than what Shared Belief usually posts but it had been a while since he had sprinted.
CONQUEST TWO STEP, a Two Step Salsa colt who was a $420,000 2yo purchase by Conquest (and previously a yearling purchase for just $20,000), won his debut in 2013 and then was 2nd in the Colin Stakes at Woodbine to Go Greeley.
He did not race again until this spring and did not win again until his latest race, an optional claiming event on the turf at Santa Anita.
CASSE RUNNERS rate respect
A few races before CONQUEST TWO STEP pushed Shared Belief to the limit in the Malibu Stakes, the Mark Casse trained DEA, owned by Harvy Swartz and Tina Casse, won a maiden turf race at 9 to 1 in her 2nd career race. The filly was the 19th winner for 1st crop sire MIDSHIPMAN this year.
Casse trainees are not heavily bet as they are in Ontario so take a look at his entrants on the west coast.
BRITISH COLUMBIA HORSE OF THE YEAR ALERT BAY WINS GRADE 2 MATHIS MILE
Peter Redekop’s Horse of the Year in BC, ALERT BAY , has won again. The City Zip 3yo, a double graded stakes winner in Canada, beat a nice field including graded SW HEART TO HEART, a canadian-bred, in the Grade 2 Mathis Brothers Mile at Santa Anita on Friday.
The descendant of the great mare MAIRZY DOATES (Japan Cup) is an amazing runner who has won on turf, dirt, and all-weather surfaces. Alert Bay has a record of 7-4-1 from 13 career starts.
He entered with three consecutive stakes wins on dirt: the Zia Park Derby in track record time Nov. 26 after respective wins in the British Columbia Derby and the Premier’s Handicap (both Grade 3), Sept. 14 and Oct. 13 at Hastings Racecourse. Earlier this year he won an optional claiming race on the Tapeta surface at Golden Gate Fields.
Alert Bay was 9 to 1 and paid $20.40, $9.20, and $6.80. Home Run Kitten brought $5.60 and $4.60, and Awesome Return was worth $8.20 to show, both under 118 pounds.
ALERT BAY was a $65,000 short yearling purchase by Redekop at the January 2012 Keeneland sale. He was one of 5 purchases by Redekop made for re-sale in the fall. But ALERT BAY only brought $42,000 at the 2012 Keeneland September sale, so Redekop kept him.
ALERT BAY posted a 92 Beyer Figure for his Mathis Mile win. He is not eligible for a Sovereign award in Canada as he raced just twice in this country.
Blaine wright trains.
Midnight Aria Returns to Gulfstream Park for Grade 3 McKnight
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Upon identifying Midnight Aria as an attractive prospect to add to his stable nearly two years ago, trainer Nick Gonzalez was swayed to make a move by two little letters in the Gulfstream Park program: ON.
Being an Ontario-bred colt made Midnight Aria particularly appealing to Gonzalez, who is based at Woodbine in the Toronto area for most of the year. The veteran trainer went forward and claimed the newly turned 3-year-old out of his third career start in a $35,000 maiden claiming race at Gulfstream on January 24, 2013 for the Tucci Stables.
“We were looking for 2-year-olds-turning-3. He was well-bred and a good looking horse. The Ontario-bred part of it was obviously something we were looking at,” Gonzalez said.
Six months later, Midnight Aria captured the $1 million Queen’s Plate, Canada’s version of the Kentucky Derby that is restricted to horses bred north of the U.S. border.
Nearly two years later, the son of Midnight Lute is slated to run at Gulfstream Park Saturday in the $100,000 W.L. McKnight Handicap (G3). The 1 ½-mile turf stakes for 3-year-olds and up will be accompanied on a 10-race card by the $100,000 La Prevoyante (G3) and the $100,000 Mr. Prospector (G3).
Midnight Aria, who lost a photo-finish the day he was claimed, raced three more times at Gulfstream, breaking his maiden in an off-the-turf maiden event over a sloppy main track and finishing third twice in an optional claiming allowance races on turf. After finishing third in two stakes over Woodbine’s Polytrack, Midnight Aria broke on top and never looked back in the 1 ¼-mile Queen’s Plate to give Gonzalez his second career victory in Canada’s premier event, which he won in 2010 with Big Red Mike.
“After we won it the first time, the Queen of England was there and we got to meet her. I said then in 2010, there’s not going to be anything in Nick and [wife] Martha’s racing career that would top that. But 2013 did, believe me, claiming him like that,” Gonzalez said. “Our guys have been in racing for so long – Lou and Carlo Tucci. It’s been their dream since childhood. So it was one of those magical moments that can happen to people in horse racing.
“Everything went right. We claimed the horse. We ran him back in a race, a 12-horse field on the turf that got scratched down to six horses on the dirt. We got lucky and he won. He ran two good races at Woodbine as preps for the Queen’s Plate, setting fast fractions going a mile-and-a-sixteenth and a mile-and-an-eighth. The day of the Queen’s Plate it poured and it was an inside speed day and we had the One Hole. The rest is history.”
Midnight Aria sustained an injury following the Queen’s Plate and didn’t run again for 13 months. He captured a second-level allowance and finished third in the Autumn (G2) over Woodbine’s Polytrack in his second and third starts back, respectively, before trailing in the Hawthorne Gold Cup (G2) over dirt on Nov. 29.
“We had a setback after the Queen’s Plate. We gave him lots of time to come back and he’s come back really good. We’re happy with him,” Gonzalez said. “We had a little failed experiment [on dirt] a few weeks ago in Chicago. He’s going to rebound from that. He shipped here from Chicago in good shape.”
Gonzalez thinks Polytrack may be Midnight Aria’s preferred surface, but he’s confident that his Plate winner will handle the turf and the 1 ½-mile distance of the McKnight.
“He’s run good races on the turf before, so we’re going to go for it,” Gonzalez said. “It’s looking like now, he wants to be in front. So, the farther you run, the better chance you have of getting a comfortable kind of lead.”
Midnight Aria has been assigned 116 pounds, two fewer than highweight North Slope and one fewer than Slumber, Margano and Unitarian.
Ivan Dalos’ AVIE’S QUALITY, trained by Josie Carroll, is also in the McKnight. Canadian bred IRISH MISSION is the early favourite in the La Prevoyante Stakes.
Saturday, Gulfstream Park, post time: 3:58 p.m. EST
LA PREVOYANTE H.-GIII, $100,000, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/2mT
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER ML
1 Tabreed (GB) Sakhee Bravo Clement 6-1
2 Clearbrook K Smart Strike Contreras Brown 15-1
3 Photo Call (Ire) Galileo (Ire) Hernandez Motion 5-1
4 Maximova Danehill Dncr (Ire) Ortiz Jr. Clement 6-1
5 Always Kitten Kitten’s Joy Castellano Maker 15-1
6 Honey Lake K Dynaformer Lanerie Oliver 30-1
7 Julie’s Love (GB) K Ad Valorem Leparoux Motion 12-1
8 Bohemian Dance (Ire) Dansili (GB) Saez Dilger 20-1
9 Premium (GB) Dansili (GB) Goncalves McLaughlin 20-1
10 Angegreen (Ity) Ekraar Lopez Catalano 20-1
11 Cay Dancer (GB) Danehill Dncr (Ire) Rosario Brown 7-2
12 Irish Mission Giant’s Causwy Velazquez Clement 5-2
13 Modernstone (GB) Dke of Mrmde (Ire) Lezcano Mott 20-1
14 Auld Alliance (Ire) Montjeu (Ire) Saez Motion 20-1
Saturday, Gulfstream Park, post time: 4:57 p.m. EST
W. L. MCKNIGHT H.-GIII, $100,000, 3yo/up, 1 1/2mT
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER ML
1 St. Albans Boy Giant’s Causwy Lanerie Rubley 20-1
2 Unitarian Pulpit Velazquez Pletcher 6-1
3 North Slope Elusive Quality Ortiz Jr McLaughlin 7-2
4 Calvados (Arg) Snipewalk Lezcano Correas IV 15-1
5 Fixador (Brz) Crafty C. T. Saez Caramori 30-1
6 Slumber (GB) K Cacique (Ire) Rosario Brown 3-1
7 Manchurian High The Daddy Saez Kurtinecz 12-1
8 Greengrassofyoming K Quest Goncalves Tomlinson 30-1
9 Avie’s Quality K Elusive Quality Rios Carroll 30-1
10 Rapscallion K Speightstown Valdivia Jr Motion 15-1
11 Royal Blessing Kitten’s Joy Lopez Maker 10-1
12 Midnight Aria K Midnight Lute Contreras Gonzalez 30-1
13 Divine Oath K Broken Vow Castellano Pletcher 9-2
14 Margano Dynaformer Leparoux Delacour 12-1
AE Developer K Dynaformer Leparoux Delacour 30-1
AE Dashing David (Ire) Lemon Drop Kid Hernandez Joseph Jr 30-1
PAYSON PARK IN DECEMBER, A SWEET ESCAPE
EXCAPER works on the turf at Payson Park on the morning of Dec 27, almost looks like the weather we are having in Toronto – mild, foggy – no Tshirts though – Photo stolen from Facebook page – Sarah Black Bowen
ADENA SPRINGS OPEN HOUSE – with guest DAN LOISELLE
Adena Springs North will host an open house and stallion show on December 28, 2014 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Food and beverages will be served and attendees will be eligible to win one of three free 2015 no guarantee seasons to a top Adena Springs North stallion.
The first name drawn will choose from a free 2015 no guarantee season to either Milwaukee Brew, Sligo Bay, Silent Name or Giant Gizmo. The remaining two winners will choose from the seasons not already selected. Full details and conditions will be available on site.
Milwaukee Brew, Sligo Bay, Silent Name and Giant Gizmo all currently rank among the top 10 Canadian stallions in 2014. Adena Springs North boasts two more top 12 stallions in Wilko and North Light who both return to Adena North for 2015. Wilko leads all Canadian stallions with three 2014 graded stakes winners and North Light is the sire of group/graded stakes winners on three continents.
Two exciting newcomers to Canada will be on display as well. Rookie Sensation, an impressive Grade 2 winner by Unbridled’s Song from the female line of A. P. Indy, retires to Adena Springs North for 2015. The versatile and durable Einstein moves north of the border from Adena Springs Kentucky. He was a five-time Grade 1 winner on turf and all-weather as well as being a Grade 2 winner/Grade 1-placed on dirt.
The Adena Springs North 2015 stallion roster is rounded out by Singing Saint, a gorgeous, unbeaten son of sire-of-sires El Prado.
The December 28 stallion show will also serve as the formal launch of the new Adena Advantage stallion incentive program. For more information, please contact Dermot Carty dermotcarty@aol.com/(416)-518-1449 or Amanda Motz (647) 824-3158/amotz@adenastallions.com
Adena Springs North is located at 14875 Bayview Avenue in Aurora, Ontario.
