EUGENE GEORGE (far right) after his Oaks win
It’s getting closer! First day of entries will be taken next Thursday for the 1st day of the 60th Woodbine meeting.
Speed will be the name of the game for the first few cards and certainly the winter trained and raced horses will have a large edge.
It was 1956 when Woodbine opened : a $13 million plant built by E.P. Taylor, whose own horse won the very first race at the famed racetrack on June 12 in 90 degree heat.
Just what was the name of that first winner ever at Woodbine?
The answer is at the end of this post.
ZIA ZIPS FOR HOT GONZALEZ STABLE
NICK and MARTHA GONZALEZ have had a solid inwter season in the south and in recent weeks, the stable’s runners have been very strong. On Wednesday, MISS TATEY CAT became the team’s 7th winner in 2015 from 34 starts. In total, the Gonzalez runners have been in the top three 24 times in 34 races.
At Woodbine, their trainee ZIA, a Munnings filly owned by TUCCI STABLES zipped 4 furlongs in 48 flat on Wednesday and she is nominated to the Star Shoot Stakes on Opening weekend at Woodbine.
ZIA, bred by Bill Graham in Caledon, comes off a third-place finish in an allowance race at Gulfstream.
The Tuccis and Gonzalez also have IMPERIAL DREAM gearing up. This is a speedy son of Stormy Atlantic bred in Ontario by Stan Dodson. The colt won the Vandal Stakes last year and he worked 5 furlongs on Wednesday in 1:00 4/5.
Gonzalez is in action today at Gulfstream with MISS VICTORIA competing for $6,250 claiming and Martin Ramirez has been named.
IMPERIAL DREAM, nominated to the Woodstock stakes on opening day at Woodbine – Michael Burns/WEG PHOTO
EUGENE GEORGE, MASTER of CEC FARMS passes
Founder and owner of CEC Farms and GA Masonry Eugene George passed away Tuesday at the age of 84. The Breslau, ON resident is survived by a litany of family members including 8 sons.
George had a passion for horse racing and his hunter green and orange silks have been seen at the track for decades.
The farm hit the heights in 200p when its homebred filly MILWAUKEE APPEAL, trained by Scott Fairlie, won the Woodbine Oaks and then finished a super 3rd in the Queen’s Plate. At the time, the George family were enjoying every minute of the attention of the filly granted by media. George was gracious and enthusiastic about his horses and his work and Milwaukee Appeal was the apple of his eye.
Milwaukee Appeal was also 2nd in the Prince of Wales Stakes and 2nd in the Grade 1 Alabama at Saratoga to careless jewel. She earned over $600,000 and was sold at auction for $400,000.
The farm has been racing horses with trainer Ralph Biamonte in 2014. The farm won 19 races last year and earnings of over $790,000.
http://www.mississauga.com/news-story/5536929–father-of-kitchener-rangers-dies-at-84/
MANDATORY PAYOUT ON HIGH 5 SATURDAY
If you have spent most of the last couple of months playing the growing High 5 jackpot bet on the last race during the Woodbine Standardbred meeting (like some of us), you will want to get in on Saturday as the money will all be given out.
Normally, it is not an easy bet, in particular since you only get a small share if you win the bet if you are not the only winning ticket.
On Saturday, everyone who has a winning ticket gets a share of what could be well over $1 million.
So, after all the Thoroughbred action on Saturday from Aqueduct (Grade 1 Carter) and Keeneland (Blue Grass) get your Standardbred program and get ‘capping!
CENTURY DOWNS RACETRACK AND CASINO – BALZAC, ALBERTA
Open for Business!
“It’s been a long pregnancy,” quipped Max Gibb, vice-chairman of the United Horsemen of Alberta (UHA) and Century Downs.
The Century Downs Racetrack and Casino finally crossed the finish line Wednesday after what was a long and often bumpy ride.
First proposed in 2007, the casino portion of the Balzac-area project majority owned by Century Casinos Inc. was opened to enthusiastic gamblers who lined up outside its doors. The horse track is to host its first races later this month.
WINNER OF FIRST RACE AT WOODBINE, JUNE 12 1956? LANDSCAPE! (owned by EP Taylor)
