WHAT A FINISH! One of the most exciting stakes events I have seen at Woodbine in recent years – MONDIALISTE (IRE) is third from right just about to burst through for his Woodbine Mile win. right to left is Obviously, Reporting Star and Lea is on the outside) CINDY PIERSON DULAY (www.horse-races.net)
What a Woodbine Mile finish and what a day for trainer Barbara Minshall with 2 graded stakes wins..what a weekend for Ontario-bred horses with 4 graded stakes wins…one of theose – ACADEMIC, is she Horse of the Year watch her amazing race here.
.http://www.drf.com/news/premium/academic-conquers-males-british-columbia-derby
JUSTIN STEIN in his home province of BC after riding ACADEMIC who rose to the challenge and won the derby – Grade 3 – JACKIE HUMBER PHOTO
GLOBAL HERO – Mondialiste, 104 Beyer Figure win
Record $7.187 Million bet on Woodbine race
Geoff Turnbull (left), owner of Mondialiste, celebrates with Fergal the jockey and Fearghal the head lad – TERENCE DULAY PHOTO (horse-races.net)
MONDIALISTE (Ire) sure looked happy and ready to go again hours after the son of the great sire Galileo (Ire) won the Woodbine Mile – Grade 1 over the squishy grass at Woodbine on Sunday. The 5yo horse was prancing back to his barn nearthe standardardbred paddock last evening as TALKIN HORSES TV was getting ready to film its show for next Saturday. A beautiful horse who was recently purchased by Geoff and Sandra Turnbull for 190,000 euros (about $260,000 US) at the Arqana sale last year, Mondialiste (Globalist) was adding Lasix and coming off a win in the Strensall Stakes at York in August. The horse had won 2 other races and was 3rd in a Group 3 in April.
There was no doubt the horse took to the yielding nature of the grass on a cool, cloudy, rainy day and what a finish it was at the end of the 1 mile event.
The lead changed several times after Obviously started to tire. The California bullet streaked to a big lead and went fast for the day and he fought a good battle as he was swarmed off the turn for home. Reporting Star had been chasing Obviously and he made a bid to the lead for BC owners Chad and Christa Joe and then the mighty Lea (pronounced Lee) came charging very late, looking like the sure winner. Then, with a flurry between Lea and Obviously, Mondialiate and Fergal Lynch busted his way through and won on the wire.
It was the first runner in Nother America for trainer David O’Meara and the his first Group 1 success. It was also the first Group 1 success for jockey Lynch who came back to riding last year after almost a 10-year absence (http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/horse-racing/28685099)
“I told myself I wasn’t going to cry,” said the personable Lynch to the media following the race.
“I got a little bit far back early,” explained Lynch. “I was a little bit concerned as how far back we were. We saved a lot of ground. We stuck to the plan to come late. It was going to be a long run down the stretch. We just took our time and the horse had an awesome turn of foot. He just really galloped over top of them. It made my job easy.
“I was expecting it (the turn of foot). I knew the leaders would come back. It’s the longest stretch in Canada. We have the turf horses in England that have got a turn of foot and can actually see out these trips really well.”
Said O’Meara, “He is very tough. You can ride him whatever way you want really. He’s always sort of there for you when you go for it. He always finishes well. Everything sort of looked good with him, but it is always a concern when you fly him that far from home, like eight hours or whatever we’ve come. But fantastic, a great run.”
An elated Geoff Turnbull added, “A fantastic day. A fantastic event. We’ve had a wonderful time here. People have been great. The horse has been great. The trainer has been great. It finished off a great day with a wonderful win.”
Mondialiste returns to O’Meara’s yard and a decision will be made if the horse will come back for the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Keeneland on Halloween.
ONTARIO-BREDS STRUT THEIR STUFF
Strut the Course not Breeders’ Cup nominated, may stay home
STRUT THE COURSE is a remarkable Ontario bred mare and Luis Contreras is pretty darn happy at the finish of the Grade 2 Canadian – CINDY PIERSON DULAY (www.horse-races.net)
STRUT THE COURSE continues to amaze.
John Unger’s homebred 5-year-old mare by Ontario sire Strut the Stage (a graded stakes winner on the grass for Sam-Son Farms) darted in an out of rivals through the stretch and won the Grade 2 Canadian Stakes for her 2nd win this year in a graded stakes race on the grass. The mare has won 9 of 21 races and over $900,000.
Unger, who has dabbled with modest Ontario sired runners for a couple of decades, burst onto the scene with this wonderful mare who really looked like she could have gone again while she was getting freshened with a water spray after the race.
She was the champion Older Mare in Canada in 2014 and is on her way to a Female Turf championship this season.
Trainer Barbara Minshall and Unger will discuss the Breeders’ Cup trip – they have won free passes for the mare although since she is NOT Breeders’ Cup nominated, she will have to pay a fee to become eligible to run in the Filly & Mare Turf.
The Grade 1 E P Taylor is at Woodbine at 10 furlongs on October 18.
Strut the Course posted a 95 Beyer Speed Figure.
In the Grade 1 Northern Dancer Stakes, it was Ontario bred INTERPOL, the rising turf star, who wore down Danish Dynaformer turning for home in the 1 1/2 mile turf event and then held off the flying mare Habibi (NZ) to win his second straight graded stakes race.
Bred by Richard Lister (Cinnamount Stable), Interpol is by English Channel out of Adel by Strawberry Road and was a $90,000 yearling purchase.
Dennis Narlinger’s JMJ Racing Stable owners the bay colt who is 5 for 13 in his career with $550,000 in earnings.
Sid Attard trains and Emma-Jayne Wilson rode.
“Not really (confident).,” said Sid about the race going in. “Like today, it was soft grass, it was a tougher race so I said we’ll hope for the best. I said to Emma-Jayne, ‘What can I tell you? I didn’t tell you nothing last time. I am going to tell you nothing. The only thing I am going to say (is) it is going to be closer today.’ ‘Don’t worry about nothing,’ she said. She rode him perfect.”
“He likes a month off, this horse – a month off, gallop him a couple of weeks, you work him. He likes to work a week apart. He’s been feeling really good. He’s been eating good. He’s been a fantastic horse.”
Interpol posted a 96 Beyer Figure.
Add those 2 big wins to the Grade 2 score by Conquest Daddyo in the Summer and it was a big weekend for Ontario-born and raised horses against some top runners.
INTERPOL – an arresting run in the Northern Dancer under Emma-Jayne Wilson – cindy pierson dulay hORSE-RACES.NET
STACKED DECK pushes Calgary Cat out of the way
Yearling half brother then sells for $525,000
Bruce Lunsford’s tough sprinter STACKED DECK tracked champion Essence Hit Man early in the 4-horse Bold Venture Stakes-Grade 3 powered to the lead and then drifted out enough to hold off champion Calgary Cat for his 3rd win this season and 2nd stakes win. The son of First Samurai is a 4yo who won the prep for the Play the King Stakes before he was 6th in the big race itself.
Luis Seaz rode for Barbara Minshall, who would late win the Canadian Stakes with Strut the Course.
Lunsford, a supporter of Canadian racing who had his first Ontario foaled runner compete this year ( Bella’s Ballerine..see https://canadianthoroughbred.com/thoroughblog/breakthrough/) is an interesting figure. He was an American Democratic politician from Kentucky. He has served various roles in the Kentucky Democratic Party including, Party treasurer, Deputy Development Secretary, and Head of Commerce. Lunsford was the Democratic nominee for Kentucky’s United States Senate seat, but was defeated by Mitch McConnell in the November 4, 2008 election.
CALGARY CAT could still go for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint for owners Cory Hoffman and Stephen Chesney but a decision has yet to be confirmed.
INTERESTING PHOTO of finish of Stacked Deck lugging out at the finish of the Bold Venture in front of Calgary Cat – CINDY PIERSON DULAY PHOTO
TOP BEYER FIGURES 2-year-olds North America
Canadian-based 2yos prominent
Pretty N Cool (f) DMR 19 Jul 5F 95
Championofthenile SAR 04 Sep 6 1/2F 94
Ralis SAR 07 Sep 7F 93
Riker (All weather) WO 25 Jul 6F 90
Catch a Glimpse (f) (turf) WO 12 Sep 1M 89
Nyquist DMR 08 Aug 6 1/2F 89
Onepointtwentyone DEL 12 Sep 5 1/2F 89
Sudden Surprise SAR 30 Jul 5 1/2F 89
The Zip Zip Man (A) WO 25 Jul 6F 89
Blameitonthelaw DMR 02 Aug 5 1/2F 88
Smokey Image SR 16 Aug 6F 88
Amira J (A) (f) AP 03 Jul 5F 87
Don’t Be So Salty (A) PID 08 Sep 6 1/2F 87
ACADEMIC ALL HEART IN BC DERBY
Ontario – bred makes bid for Horse of the Year
If you have not seen this race yet – you should watch it – ACADEMIC somehow wins…
83 Beyer Figure
JACKIE HUMBER catches the finish of the BC Derby as ACADEMIC rallies inside to win the $250,000 event over Bluegrass Angus
Vancouver Sun
VANCOUVER — Tim Rycroft, one of the leading trainers at Northlands Park in Edmonton, enjoyed a rather pleasant Sunday at the track in Vancouver.
That’s what can happen when you take consecutive trips to the winners circle in two of the richest stakes on the 2015 thoroughbred calendar at Hastings Racecourse.
Rycroft wrote himself into the record books when favoured Academic became the first filly to win the $250,000 BC Derby in almost 60 years. After capturing the $200,000 Canadian Derby at Northlands and $500,000 Woodbine Oaks in her previous starts, plus Sunday’s win at Hastings, Academic is now being touted by veteran racetrack observers to win Horse of the Year honours in Canada as well as a Sovereign Award as the top three-year-old filly in the country.
DANNY DION (holding one side of the big trophy, sunglasses) celebrates with Riversedge racing, trainer Tim Rycroft and jockey Justin Stein – because that little gal Academic won the BC Derby – JACKIE HUMBER PHOTO
BROWN PANTHER : 2008-2015
from RACING POST –
BROWN PANTHER at Woodbine last fall – we did not get to see the beautiful horse race as he got loose before the Canadian International but it was special to see him and his owner Michael Owen MICHAEL BURNS PHOTO
A DEVASTATED Michael Owen praised “the toughest, most honest, most brilliant horse I will ever set eyes on” after his pride and joy Brown Panther was fatally injured on Sunday.
Attempting to defend his Palmerstown House Estate Irish St Leger crown, Brown Panther was pulled up sharply with six furlongs remaining in the Group 1 Classic with a hind leg injury and could not be saved.
Former England international footballer Owen, who bred Brown Panther from his first racehorse Treble Heights, said the death of his favourite horse meant it was “the saddest day of my life” before paying tribute to the seven-year-old.
‘What an honour’
“It’s the saddest day of my life,” a heartbroken Owen wrote on the blogging site Sportlobster.
TREVE – THE QUEEN
from Sporting Life..
Criquette Head-Maarek’s stable star was sent off a long odds-on favourite despite being beaten in this Group One ‘Arc Trial’ 12 months ago and supporters could have been forgiven for one or two anxious moments as she was running away with Thierry Jarnet.
With her rivals trying to spoil the party by setting slow fractions in the soft going, Jarnet had to take a pull on the five-year-old to prevent her getting to the front too soon.
Racing in mid-division before making significant ground to go third entering the false straight, the five-year-old raced widest of all turning for home.
But try though he might to wait longer, the daughter of Motivator decided it was time to go and sauntered clear to pass the post easing down and run out one of the most dazzling winners seen in a long time at the hallowed spot in the Bois de Boulogne.
http://www.sportinglife.com/racing/report/693659/treve-dazzles-at-longchamp
KEENELAND SEPTEMBER YEARLING SALE UNDERWAY
Canadian-breds for Terra Racing, Haydens, Graham on tap today
A Pioneer ofthe Nile colt is among the handful of Ontario breds selling today on Day 2 of the Keeneland Sept. yearling sale.
Ontario-breds selling today:
272
317
333
368
385
391
401
423
483
701
recap of Day 1
Active trade from an international contingent of buyers marked the opening session of Keeneland’s September Yearling Sale on Monday, generating across-the-board increases and the sale of two fillies by War Front who commanded seven figures each.
On Monday, Keeneland sold 150 yearlings sold for gross receipts of $44,642,000, up 34.61 percent from 2014 when 120 horses brought $33,165,000. The average price of $297,613 rose 7.68 percent from last year’s $276,375. The median of $265,000 was up 8.16 percent from $245,000 in 2014.
Keeneland adjusted the format for Book 1 this year. Book 1 spans three days in 2015 versus four days last year; 241 horses were cataloged today compared to 190 horses cataloged on opening day in 2014.
“It was a good session from start to finish,” Keeneland Director of Sales Geoffrey Russell said. “The session was marked by active bidding from a good cross-section of buyers who represented owners from around the world.”
Two War Front fillies sold for $1 million or more each to equal the number of seven-figure horses sold during last year’s opening session.
WOODBINE LEADERBOARD
LEADING JOCKEYS
Eurico Rosa Da Silva 494 115 80 75 $4,766,319
Luis Contreras 517 105 85 77 $4,473,153
Alan Garcia 350 75 42 47 $3,460,605
Patrick Husbands 378 69 68 48 $3,847,314
Jesse M. Campbell 474 58 72 73 $2,617,313
LEADING TRAINERS (through September 13, 2015)
Mark E. Casse 305 55 50 45 $3,562,355
Kevin Attard 113 29 16 17 $1,115,342
Michael P. De Paulo 172 28 19 23 $1,312,687
Nicholas Gonzalez 177 27 29 30 $1,200,689
Norman McKnight 117 27 20 12 $666,374
LEADING OWNERS (through September 13, 2015)
Conquest Stables, LLC 59 15 15 9 $1,005,353
Sam-Son Farm 66 16 10 9 $962,424
Stronach Stables 51 7 9 11 $892,165
John C. Oxley 83 16 11 12 $813,152
Tucci Stables 85 16 15 21 $762,276
