JUDGE

 

He won by a tongue! SEA STORM got his licks in on Sunday when edging the filly Brittania Penny in a maiden allowance.

 

 

 

CHECKMATE – 91 Beyer Speed Figure for Shakhimat

 

 

 

 

 

The exciting 2-year-old colt SHAKHIMAT is headed to Payson Park with trainer Roger Attfield to have some time off before beginning to prepare for his 3-year-old season in the new year.

Dan Gale’s Ontario-bred son of Lonhro from Reggae Rose by Touch Gold crushed the Coronation Futurity field by almost 10 lengths on Sunday, rolling along on the lead over a speed-favouring Polytrack. His time of 1:51.10 was the 2nd fastest time for the 1 1/8 mile 2yo classic since 1981: Martimer went in 1:50.90 in 2011.

Attfield was a bit leery about the colt’s love for distances past 1 mile, likening the colt’s speed style to another sizzling one he trained, Alydeed.
The colt certainly handled the distance well on Sunday and did not mind the very clumpy Polytrack that made it hard for horses to come from off the pace.

Shakhimat was bred by Adena Springs and he galloped for the March 2yo sale. Richard Hogan saw the colt and was “on his last bid” when he bought him for $60,000.

“He was a great mover and I loved his head,” said Hogan, who ten asked Gale is he wanted to buy into the colt.
Gale, who has raced horses for about a decade (Actiononthegreen, Actiononthetee, Secret Action etc.) bought all of the colt. A friend came up with the name, Russian for ‘checkmate’.

The stallion Lonhro, one of Australia’s greatest horses, only came to North America for 2 seasons of stud duty. He stands at Darley Australia.

Interestingly, the mare REGGAE ROSE had a yearling by Silent Name in the recently completed Fasig Tipton October sale that went unsold for $1,000.
David Rose of West Virginia has since bought the filly for $1,000.
Ken and Sarah Ramsay own Regga Rose now having bought her in 2013 at Keeneland November for $40,000 in foal to Silent Name.

Shakhimat’s Coronation win stamps him the early favouruite for the 2016 Queen’s Plate although Attfield did hint that he will train him as he does all his Canadian-breds with the door open to point for American races if he is even better than a Plate contender.

If the Coronation Futurity was not exciting enough, ARE YOU KIDDING ME’S rally up the rail to win the Grade 2 Autumn Stakes was fun to watch. The 5yo horse, owned and bred by the partnership of Bates, Riordan, MacDonald and Kirk was getting his 3rd graded stakes win of this season having won the Eclipse (Grade 2) on Polytrack and the Nijinsky (Grade 2) on the grass. He has also been 3rd in 3 graded stakes races this year.
All of that means the son of Run Away and Hide will likely be named champion older horse in Canada.
Quiet a year considering the horse had just 4 races as a 4yo last year and struggled.

But trainer Roger Attfield oversaw a throat surgery for the horse and lan Garcia has ridden the horse like he owns him.
Are You Kidding Me will be racing again this year if all goes well, said Attfield.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other Sunday stuff

Mineral oil has been added to the Polytrack for the last 3 weeks of the season and then the Tapeta will be installed once the season ends on Nov. 29.

The track favoured speed for most of last week, in part because large clods would hit the trailing horses.

Race 1 on Sunday was won by FLAMENCO DANCER, the only starter to this point for her sire Senor, a winning son of Cactus Ridge. Senor raced for Frank huarte, who trains Flamenco Dancer for Ruvee Stables. Flamenco Dancer is a grey 2yo who was making her 4th career start in the $32,000 claiming race at 1 mile and 70 yards. Gary Boulanger rode.

race 2– SEA STORM won a really close photo – you could say he won by a tongue! The Sam-Son 3yo colt won the 6 furlong maiden allowance by catching the filly Brittania Penny in the last stride.

RUCK won this maiden allowance at 1 1/16 miles for Rick Mah’s Calmar Stables and Ranch in Alberta. The Looin at Lucky colt out of multiple stakes winner Raylene by Tabasco Cat was making his 4th career start.
His time of 1:46.10 was good for a 72 Beyer Figure. The colt was one of few horses to rally from off the pace last week. Jim McAleney rode.
HIDDEN TURN won her 7th career race in a $32,00 claiming race for Hidden Springs. The Ontario bred by Sligo Bay has been a wonderful earner for the owners and trainer Kevin Attard. Her earnings are more than $240,000.

Race 5- a 5 furlong won by EXECUTIVE FIVE a popular fellow who is 8 for 50 in his career now. The Donver Stable-bred 7yo has had a variety of owners and trainers in the last year. He was recently claimed by SA Stable and Ross Armata. Armata had trained the horse for Lawrence deakins earlier this year.
On Sunday, Executive Five was claimed by Don MacRae.

Race 7 – Andrew Fredersicks’ homebred filly KY CAUSEWAY, by Giant Gizmo out of Ky Bluz Girl, won an allowance race for his 2nd win in 6 races. Kevin Attard trains the big dark bay 3yo.

BEAR’SWAY won a 2yo allowance race under Justin Stein to complete a 2-win day for trainer Reade baker.
The Tizway colt posted a hefty 84 Beyer Figure in his 2nd straight win.

Race 10 went to front runner FLOWER DEAN, also ridden by Stein. The Surjit Hans filly by Flower Alley is 2 for 2 in her career and she is trained by Pat Parente.

 

 

 

 

WOODBINE RIDER NEWS

 

Unfortunate news comes out of the JESSE CAMPBELL camp as the rider is out for the last 3 weeks of the season with injuries to his collarbone and wrist.
The regular rider of the top 2yo colt RIKER and one of the year’s top 2yo fillies, CAREN, was injured when his mount Le Vent broke down last week in a $40,000 claiming race.

Campbell is firmly among the top 5 riders at Woodbine and surely he will be back to that role again next year.

Jockey Alan Garcia’s perfect rail riding finish to capture the Grade 2 Autumn Stakes, his second stakes win in two days, at Woodbine Racecourse helped lead to him being named the Jockeys’ Guild Jockey of the Week for November 2nd – November 8th. The award is voted on by a panel of experts for riding accomplishments by members of the Jockeys’ Guild, the organization which represents more than 950 riders in North America.

Garcia gave his mount in the $200,000 Autumn Stakes, Are You Kidding Me, a textbook ride from post position one. Under Alan’s guidance, the 5-year-old son of Run Away and Hide found space inside and surged past 2-1 favorite Lukes Alley late to win by a half-length in the 1 1/16-mile test on the all-weather main track.

EURICO SA DILVA won 4 races on Sunday and has opened a little gap between him and Luis Contreras in the leading rider standings.

 

LEADING RIDERS

Eurico Rosa Da Silva 702 165 118 105 $6,512,380
Luis Contreras        746 157 115 109 $6,257,237
Patrick Husbands   535 106 103 71 $5,321,264
Alan Garcia             452 89 56 61 $4,301,074
Jesse M. Campbell 619 81 90 87 $3,564,137

LEADING TRAINERS – Attard holding 2nd place

Mark E. Casse 403 74 72 67 $4,585,193
Kevin Attard       172 43 25 23 $1,495,859
Nicholas Gonzalez 245 40 36 39 $1,604,768
Michael P. De Paulo 241 38 27 28 $1,798,760
Sid C. Attard          187 36 30 31 $1,590,008

 

TRAINERS BY WIN PERCENTAGE (minimum 10 starters)

Mark Fournier 40 13 5 2 $340,146
Troy S. Wismer 23 7 4 1 $145,717
Catherine Day Phillips 41 12 4 4 $428,091
Thomas R. Bowden 14 4 3 0 $170,469
Kevin Attard 172 43 25 23 $1,495,859
Robert F. Crean 20 5 2 1 $199,004
Sean Smullen 12 3 0 1 $74,127 25%
Josie Carroll 119 29 19 15 $1,506,742
W. V. Armata 51 12 5 3 $244,309

LEADING OWNERS

1 Sam-Son Farm               104 24 22 12 $1,696,481
2 Conquest Stables, LLC 84 24 21 11 $1,468,891
3 Stronach Stables            70 10 11 14 $1,033,815
4 John C. Oxley                101 19 15 20 $991,175
5 Tucci Stables                  110 22 18 25 $984,037
6 Bear Stables, Ltd          . 92 18 12 8 $908,095
7 Charles E. Fipke            56 8 13 6 $838,939
8 Chiefswood Stable        112 18 19 14 $801,411
9 Ivan Dalos                      62 13 7 7 $793,927
10 Bruno Schickedanz      182 31 21 16 $745,768
11 Buttigieg Tr.    Centre 92 17 18 11 $622,386
12 Frank D. Di Giulio, Jr.   93 9 21 15 $619,759
13 Chesney, Stephen Hoffman, Cory S. 41 13 9 6 $599,651
14 Colebrook Farms          110 14 12 18 $571,243
15 J.R. Racing Stable Inc. 49 9 7 10 $549,820
16 Rabbah Bloodstock, LLC Lessee 2 1 0 1 $542,010
17 Turnbull, Geoff and Turnbull, Sandra 1 1 0 0 $452,340
18 Hill, Jim and Susan         46 7 9 4 $412,886
19 JMJ Racing Stables LLC 10 5 0 0 $374,109
20 Robert Marzilli 11 6 0 1 $365,761

 

KEENELAND SESSIONS 7 AND 8

SHANNONDOE FARM purchased winner EXPRESSLY YOURS, a half sister to top 2yo filly CAREN, in foal to Central Banker for $30,000. The mare is by Big Brown and she is carrying her first foal.
The farm also bought BLUE HOLIDAY for $8,000 in foal to Real Solution, a Kitten’s Joy new sire. The mare is a Grade 2 stakes producer and winner of $303,000 on the track.

ANDERSON FARMS paid $72,000 for HELENA’S TRIOMPHE, an unraced daughter of Arch in foal to Artie Schiller.

HUNTINGTON STUD FARM (Dan Mooney) bought a Colonel John mare named Johns Lady friends for $20,000 in foal to Overanalyze.

SHERRY MCLEAN bought a weanling filly by Overanalyze out of Vixen by Any Given Saturday for $8,000. The sire won the Arkansas Derby and is by Dixie Union.

Canadian graded stakes winners LOCKOUT and STEALCASE sold for $20,000 and $42,000 respectively as racing or stallion prospects. The pair were among sveeral John oxley-owned runners that sold on Monday.

 

SHAKHIMAT gallops at 2yo sale in March