ARRIVALS

 

 

 

 

 

CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL

DA BIG HOSS, on a 4-race winning streak, has been entered in the Sycamore Stakes on Thursday at Keeneland and may pass up the Canadian International on Sunday.

Currently there are 12 other horses expected to compete

SECOND STEP – Group 1 and 2 winner for Luca Cumani
CANNOCK CHASE – Group 3 winner
TRIPLE THREAT – improving for Gary Barber
DA BIG HOSS – may race this week at KEE
INTERPOL – local hope on a roll
HABIBI – 2nd to INterpol in Northern Dancer
BUTTON DOWN – was 2nd to Habibi in 12 furlong Flaming Page, beyers in 96, 91 range
KAIGUN – multiple Grade 2 winner was 4th in Woodbine Mile, has not raced 12 furlongs in 2 years
DANISH DYNAFORMER – John Velasquez , Breeders’ Stakes winner wants firm turf
UP WITH THE BIRDS – Canadian Horse of the Year 2-13, won Nijinky July 2014, 0-7 since
SHEIKHZAYEDROAD – winless since Northern Dancer in 2013
POWER PED – chased Da Big Hoss last time
REPORTING STAR – undecided; speed presence off Play the King win
E.P.TAYLOR NEWS

RACING POST
EP Taylor runner
Nakuti a first for Kirk

BY JAMES BURN 7:47AM 13 OCT 2015

Canada: Lambourn trainer Sylvester Kirk will break new ground on Sunday when Nakuti, a Group 3 winner at Sandown in August, runs in the EP Taylor Stakes at Woodbine.

The daughter of Mastercraftsman, who will have Andrea Atzeni on board, will be Kirk’s first runner in North America, although it will be the final time she starts for him.

Kirk’s stable star will arrive in Canada on Wednesday and the trainer, who plans to head over later in the week, said: “It’s my first runner in Canada and she’s been sold since her last run to St Albans Bloodstock.

http://www.racingpost.com/news/live.sd?event_id=12483324&category=0

 

 

UP WITH THE BIRDS FLIES BACK TO CANADA FOR PCI
from Woodbine media..
Sam-Son Farm’s homebred Up With the Birds, Canada’s Horse of the Year in 2013, will make his first Canadian appearance this year when contesting Sunday’s Grade 1 $1 million Pattison Canadian International.

The Ontario-bred five-year-old son of Stormy Atlantic-Song of the Lark, who is the field’s leading money winner with over $1.5 million, has been conditioned in 2015 by Graham Motion in the United States, the only horse he has for Sam-Son.

“The reason he came to me was that the owners were interested in campaigning him in North America,” explained Motion, who, amongst other highlights, won the Kentucky Derby and Dubai World Cup several years ago with Animal Kingdom.

While winless in four starts this year, Up With the Birds, the possible race favourite, has been knocking heads with some of the best, including two Breeders’ Cup Turf-bound runners in The Pizza Man and Big Blue Kitten, when fourth to that pair in the Grade 1 Arlington Million on August 15.

“I’ve been very happy with him,” said Motion. “He’s doing well. I think there’s a good chance he is (better, going longer). We tried him shorter the last time (a fourth-place finish in the mile and one-eighth Commonwealth Cup at Laurel on September 19). I wanted to get him perhaps in a more conservative race at a shorter distance. But he didn’t seem to handle it as well. I thought his Arlington Million going a mile and a quarter was a very good race. I think it was a very good effort that day.

“He’s actually a very straight-forward, kind horse to be around. He’s not an overly impressive work horse, which Malcolm (Pierce, who handles the Sam-Son string at Woodbine) had told me. I haven’t had any surprises with him,” continued Motion, who plans to be at Woodbine on Sunday.

Motion will also saddle Eastern Belle, a half-sister to Golden Horn, the multiple Group 1 winner, including the recent Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, in the turf Grade 1, mile and one-quarter $500,000 E.P. Taylor Stakes, part of the Pattison undercard.

From 2012-2014, when based at Woodbine, Up With the Birds was conditioned by Malcolm Pierce, who saw his charge just miss to Midnight Aria in the 2013 Queen’s Plate, but rebound to win the Breeders’ Stakes and Grade 1 Jamaica at Belmont Park as a three-year-old en route to Sovereign Awards as Canada’s top three-year-old male and Horse of the Year. He last ran at Woodbine on July 19, 2014, winning the Grade 2 Nijinsky Stakes, to remain unbeaten in two tries over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course.

PATTISON CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL ON TSN

In addition to the mile and one-half Pattison, one of Canada’s richest thoroughbred races), two other turf stakes will be showcased on the day – the Grade 1, $500,000 E.P. Taylor, at one mile and one-quarter for fillies and mares and the Grade 2, $300,000 Nearctic at six furlongs.

The Pattison Canadian International will be broadcast live on TSN5 from 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. ET. Masai Ujiri, President and General Manager of the Toronto Raptors, will be the guest drawmaster for the post-position draw slated for Thursday, October 15 at Woodbine.

 

THE LAST CANADIAN HORSE TO WIN THE INTERNATIONAL WAS….

 

 

 

KILLIN ME SMALLS wins Grade 3 BC Premier’s H.

The 5-year-old gelding KILLIN ME SMALLS relished the sloppy track at Hastings Park in Vancouver on Monday and his owners were thankful. The son of Marcavelly – Curly Girl by Golden Missile won the prestigious BC Premier’s Handicap – Grade 3 by 5 3/4 lengths, the last big event of the Hastings season.
Killin Me Smalls, bred by Zayat Stables in Ontario, began his racing career at Woodbine for trainer Steve Asmussen and later was claimed at Fair Grounds for $17,500. He was sent west and then recently claimed again for $25,000 at Northlands Park. He is now owned by Deltin Stable and Ed Welsh and trained by Ernie Keller. It was the 12th win in 27 starts for the gelding who was ridden by Rubem Lara.
Square Dancer, by Circular Quay, finished second and Brass and Gold, by Sungold, was third. The winner collected $55,000 to boost his earnings to $312,905 (US).

Hastings release – While a Thanksgiving turkey dinner was on the buffet menu at Hastings Racecourse, it was Reuben sandwiches all around for the winning connections celebrating the $100,000 Grade 3 Premiers Handicap Monday afternoon.

Jockey Ruben Lara, one of the leading riders at Edmonton’s Northlands Park, kept his stunning record aboard Killin Me Smalls intact with an impressive effort over local favourite Square Dancer. The 1 3/8 miles test for 3-year-olds and up over a track rated sloppy played right into the hands of Lara and trainer Ernie Keller.

“My main thought was to keep him relaxed,” Lara said of the 5-year-old gelding he guided to victory at the same demanding distance in the $75,000 Speed to Spare at Northlands on Sept. 7. “A wet track doesn’t bother him. He hasn’t found a track he doesn’t like.”

Square Dancer, author of an amazing Cinderella story by winning three previous starts for his 200 Hastings Racing Club owners, stalked Killin Me Smalls into the backstretch but was unable to match strides in the final turn.

Killin Me Smalls finished in a final time of 2:15.77 and paid $4.20, $2.60, $2.40.

A total of $1.05 million was wagered on Monday’s eight-race card. The mandatory Sea to Sky Pick 6 paid 37 winners a total of $10,774.18 on a 20-cent winning ticket.

Also at Hastings, TOUCHING PROMISE, a BC-bred for owners/breeders Russ and Lois Bennett, won the Grade Ballerina by 4 1/2 lengths over another BC-bred, Locket, by Rosberg.

The $75,000 Fantasy Stakes for 2-year-old fillies went to SNUGGLES, who won her maiden in this 1 1/16 mile race. She is a BC-bred by Rosberg from the Fusaichi Pegasis mare Daymaker. swift Thoroughbreds owns, Dino Condilenios trains/ The Haynesfield filly C U At Eau Claire finished second at 4-5.

The late stallion Rosberg cleaned up with his 2-year-old colt also as CRAZY PROPHET won the Ascot Graduation worth $75,000. The BC bred is owned by Smarock racing Stable and trained by James Brown. Mike Chernen bred the gelding who is 2 for 4 in his career. Rosberg, the sire of this 20-1 shot, was bred to Mazel Dancer by Mazel Trick to get Crazy Prophet.

The winner is a 5-year-old mare by Touch Gold out of Promise One by Old Trieste and Barbara Heads trains. It was the 6th win in 27 starts for the mare.
Amadeo Perez rode.

Rosberg, one of the best bred horses to stand in Canada, was by A.P. Indy out of the great mare Bosra Sham. The sire died suddenly in 2014.

 
GALE FORCE – owner Dan Gale, Mike Doyle, Roger Attfield and Richard Hogan have big weekend as team

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trainer Mike Doyle and his team are having a huge run of wins these days and that includes horses owned by his friends Dan Gale and Richard Hogan.

Gale, who also has the promising 2-year-old colt SHAKIMAT (“checkmate”) who was 3rd in the Cup and Saucer with trainer Roger Attfield, celebrated 2 wins on Monday’s card including a stakes score. His Dottins Alley won an allowance race on the grass and that one is also trained y Attfield.

Secret Action, with David Moran aboard, scored a shocking upset in the featured $150,000 Carotene Stakes for Ontario-bred three-year-old fillies at one and one-eighth miles on the grass.

Funnily enough, Attfield had been enlisted to present the trophy for the race as trainer of Carotene.

The once-beaten Moon Rainbow went postward the 3-5 choice and the undefeated Conquest Strate Up was the 3-1 second choice.

But it was left to 28-1 Secret Action, the longest shot on the board trained and co-owned by Mike Doyle, who prevailed on the inside in a stiff four-horse drive to the wire, edging away from the favourite late to win by three-quarters of a length. The final time over the firm turf was 1:50.15.

Ice Festival, who battled between those two in deep stretch, was third, just a head behind Moon Rainbow, while Conquest Strate Up wound up fourth, another length and one-quarter in arrears on the outside.

“The key to this filly running any good is you’ve got to get her back,” said Moran. “Because she jumps out like a bear and puts her head up. But as soon as she gets cover, she lopes along the backside. It took us a couple of starts to figure that out. Each time she’s done it, she’s run a huge race. She was very, very game at the finish today.”

Added Doyle, who also owns a piece of her, along with RGH Bloodstock and Dan Gale, “It’s just something about her that I’ve liked. We bought her as a yearling for $32,000. She showed plenty (last year) but just didn’t quite get there (to the races). She seemed to go through a big growth spurt early this year in her first couple of starts.”

Bred by Spendthrift Faem, the daughter of Tiz Wonderful-Secret of Mecca didn’t make the races until May, when fourth on the Polytrack. It took her three more starts, all on turf, before she broke her maiden in a $47,500 claimer but followed that up with another good performance, a close fourth to Season Ticket in the grassy Wonder Where Stakes on August 9.

She’d come into Monday’s feature fresh off a win over race rival Ice Festival in a September 19 race originally carded for grass but moved to Polytrack, at the same distance as the Carotene.

Her first stakes victory was worth $90,000 to her owners, her third win in eight starts as she now boasts a bankroll of almost $190,000.
More Woodbine winners

AMI’S MESA, yet another first-time starting 2yo from the Ivan Dalos – Josie Carroll team, was a stunning debut winner on Monday, earning lots of ink in the THOROUGHBRED DAILY NEWS (TDN) publication.
Following Ami’s Gizmo, Gamber’s Ghost and the 3yo Elusive Collection, this 2yo filly by SKY MESA from Princess Elizabeth winner Victorious Ami by Victory Gallop suddenly burst between runners on the turn and shot away to an 8 length win in 1:23.50.
She was 4-5 in the eight-horse field.

On Monday, CONQUEST BESPOKE won his maiden in his 2nd race since a one-year layoff. The Speightstown 3yo colt is another winner for Conquest Stables which has had a super recent few weeks, in particular at Woodbine.

ADVANTAGENEVERDONE, second in his career debut at 58-1, won his maiden in a 6 furlong maiden 2yo race for ONtario sired juveniles in race 6 on Monday. You only got 2-1 on him in the win, however.
This is a Piccilo Pete colt and a half brother to stakes winner Green Doctor and he is owned and bred by Paul Mouttet. John LeBlanc Jr trains the bay and Simon Husbands rode.
Piccolo Pete, by Piccolino, won 2 races for Leaon’s Racing and he stands at Silver Duck Racing.
The stallion has had about 14 starters and 6 winners.

The Billers family had a good day on Monday as George Billers and Oak Run won the last race with BADJEROS BOY (Singing Saint), a recent $20,000 claim. The winner was ridden by Juan Crawford. Earlier in the day Georgina Billers won with STATE FLAG in a $10,000 claiming race. It was the first win of 2015 for trainer Shane Learn.

Sunday was an exciting day for COLEBROOK FARMS and the Brnjas family; John and daughter Ashlee and the team at the track and farm did wonders with SEEN IT ALL BEFORE to bring the Niigon gelding back from a serious injury to win his second stakes race of his life in the Bunty Lawless.
At 1–1, the big chestnut with the white-face rallied under LUIS CONTRERAS to edge Kingsport after he looking beaten yards from the wire.
The 6-year-old gelding had missed all of 2104 and he had won 1 of 5 races this year.
His Beyer Figure for 1:36 on the grass was 86.

The Doyle train is so hot that even MILWAUKEE FLASH was a winner. If you follow Woodbine racing you know that this 4-year-old, owned and bred by C Scott Abbott was 0 for 21 going into the $30,000 maiden claiming race but he had also earned $80,000 from his 10, top three placings.
He finally broke through on Sunday with a rallying win under David Moran in a 6 1/2 furlong dash.

MISS FORESTER was another debut winning 2yo from the Ralph Biamonte stable on Sunday. This is an Old Forester filly from the mare Blonde Miss by Langfuhr and she was bred by Bruno Bros. Farm, CEC Farms owns and Omar Moreno rode.

 
SHOELESS JOE’S – Race horses get theatre of their own in Entertainment District
Shoeless Joe’s on King St. W. opens cool off-track betting theatre after Woodbine turfs the Turf Lounge on Bay St.

 

TORONTO STAR BUSINESS SECTION
By: Lisa Wright Business Reporter, Published on Mon Oct 12 2015

Toronto accountant Robert Crane is poring over a stack of books, looking for Interpol.

Not that Interpol. The 4-year-old colt sired by English Channel and Australian mare Strawberry Road.

“I got him in a race last time at 23-to-1. He has amazing breeding but he’s under the radar, which is fine by me,” he said while chilling in the new horse racing theatre in the back of Shoeless Joe’s on King St. W. and Duncan St.

The PwC Canada employee loves football and is a regular patron of the popular downtown sports bar. He watches his beloved New Orleans Saints on just about any given Sunday, but as an avid fan of horse racing, he’s thrilled to be able to play the ponies, too, including action from any track in North America, Australia and New Zealand in Shoeless’ new lounge.

“I really like the setup here. It’s a combination of sports experiences,” said Crane, who had just won the exactor (predicting the first- and second-place horses) in a Woodbine race while keeping an eye on rugby and football.
After Woodbine Entertainment Group closed Turf Lounge last month, Shoeless stepped in to fill the gap left by the Bay Street pony palace that for 12 years combined upscale dining with horse wagering.

read more www.thestar.com