Today – Update on riders from scary spill at Gulfstream yesterday; Thoroughblog gives you 5-1 winner of Risen Star; Bold Ruckus pops up in Venus…
GUNS BLAZIN’
90 Beyer for Gun Runner in Risen Star
GUN RUNNER – by Candy Ride (Arg) hangs on in Risen Star at 5-1 – Fair Grounds Photo
Winchell Thoroughbreds and Three Chimneys Farm’s Steve Asmussen-trained Gun Runner hit his mark in his sophomore debut, winning the Grade II $400,000 Veterans Ford Risen Star Stakes by a half-length with leading Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots jockey Florent Geroux aboard. After racing in mid-pack toward the inside, a few lengths astern a quick pace set by Frank Mancari’s Roger Brueggemann-trained Candy My Boy, Gun Runner was urged on the rail on the far turn, hit the front under a drive at the top of the daunting Fair Grounds stretch and then held off Brittlyn Stable’s Al Stall, Jr.-trained Forevamo by a half-length at the wire.
G M B Racing’s Tom Amoss-trained second choice and Grade III $200,000 TwinSpires.com Lecomte Stakes winner Mo Tom, who checked mid-rally and lost nearly all momentum in the stretch, re-rallied admirably to finish another length behind in third under Corey Lanerie. Candy My Boy was a valiant fourth, three-quarters of a length behind Mo Tom after setting fractions of 22.95, 46.38 and 1:11.33 with Shaun Bridghmohan aboard. Gun Runner hit the mile marker in 1:37.05 and finished up the 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.94.
The win was the Kentucky-bred’s third from four career starts, his first stakes victory and the $240,000 winner’s purse increased his career earnings to $306,920. He paid $12.20, $7 and $4.80 as the 5-1 third choice. Forevamo paid $33.80 and $12.20, while Mo Tom paid $3.
Gun Runner earned 50 Kentucky Derby qualification points, virtually assuring him a place in the starting gate for the First Saturday in May, while Forevamo earned 20, Mo Tom tallied 10 – to increase his total to 22 – and Candy My Boy garnered five.
“He’s a very nice horse,” Geroux said of the locally trained winner. “I’ve really liked him since the first time I was on his back a few weeks ago working in the morning. He’s super-athletic. I was very confident. I wanted to make sure I saved some ground. Earlier I got beat (with Stageplay) and was stuck going wide the whole way. It looked like the track was playing a little bit more inside-favoring. I kept him down there until I asked him to go and he ran a great race.”
Mo Tom’s connections were left with wondering what might have been, considering the son of Uncle Mo’s rough trip.
“It was really good until we got kind of wiped out,” Lanerie said. “Someone came from the outside and I lost all my momentum. I hope he’s alright. I definitely thought he was the best horse today. He galloped out so good. I think if that didn’t happen I would have caught him in the last couple jumps.”
“Mo Tom ran a great race,” Amoss added. “It’s unfortunate what happened turning for home. Getting stopped and having to start again. As long as he looks good (Sunday) morning, I’ll consider us very lucky and move on to the Louisiana Derby. He got jarred around turning for home and has a cut on his right leg that’s superficial.”
The disappointments of the race included John Oxley’s Mark Casse-trained 8-5 favorite Airoforce, under Julien Leparoux, Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey’s Mike Maker-trained Uncle Walter (8-1), under Javier Castellano, who finished second last and last, respectively. Another dissatisfactory performance was that of G M B Racing’s Dallas Stewart-trained Tom’s Ready (10-1), with John Velazquez aboard, who finished evenly in seventh after a big effort to be second in January’s Lecomte Stakes.
“I don’t know. He was traveling good, and then he put his head up and didn’t pick it up,” Leparoux said.
ICYMI – From Friday’s Thoroughblog:
The RISEN STAR Stakes is a very competitive race and perhaps a major Derby player will exit the event. The Beyer Figures range from the mid 70s to high 80s, not exactly Grade 1 winning numbers, but these are new 3-year-olds. AIROFORCE certainly is getting most of the air-play coming into the race but with his races at 2 all being on grass or in the slop, a fast, dirt track is a huge change in surface for the son of Colonel John.
THOROUGHBLOG likes 6-1 morning line offering GUN RUNNER, by Candy Ride (Arg)
JOEL ROSARIO – OUT 6 WEEKS, BROKEN WRIST; HERNANDEZ BROKEN RIBS, COLLARBONE; ZAYAS back next week
A scary accident at Gulfstream in a frantic 5 furlong turf dash left 3 riders injured, two seriously and KANDOO a, filly, dead.
A slight move by leader More Royalty in the little stakes race, coming off the turn for home, caused Brandy’s Girl to clip heels and that caused a 4 horse incident. The trailing filly Kandoo suffered a fatal injury in the accident.
BOLD RUCKUS BLOODLINE PROMINENT IN RACHEL ALEXANDRA WINNER
Venus Valentine – 74-1 in Valentine’s month
VENUS VALENTINE zoomed up the rail to win the Rachel Alexandra Stakes at Fair Grounds on the big card of racing on Saturday at 74 -1 for owner and breeder Rosemont far. Bought back for $140,000 the filly is by Congrats out of a Stormin Fever mare named Valentine Fever.
Trained by Tom Amoss, the filly won her career debut with a 49 Beyer Figure but had improved on her efforts in each race since then. In her first route race in allowance company, the filly could not rally into a very slow pace but in the Grade 2 ‘Alexandra’, she had 23 and 46 to chase.
And how about the presence of BOLD RUCKUS in the breeding of this Kentucky Oaks hopeful?
Bold Ruckus is the sire of RAMBUCKUS, a stakes placed gal out of Quillummo and a full sister to Kentucky Oaks winner GAL IN A RUCKUS. That is the Gus Schickedanz breeding. Rambuckus produced 6 modest winners from 8 starters and is the 3rd dam of Venus Valentine.
While the race was on the slow side (winning Beyer was 77) for 1:45.24, this filly certainly has a strong stretch kick and Kentucky Oaks breeding.
CANADIANS ELSEWHERE
BIG BAZINGA (photo from Gulfstream media) ran a career best race at Gulfstream on Saturday when dropped in for $30,000 claiming off the layoff. The son of Bluegrass Cat, owned by Bull and Bear Stable and trained by Canadian Katerina Vassilieva, posted an 85 Beyer in a strong turf win in 1:34.31 for 1 mile. He had not raced since June and had won an allowance race at Woodbine last year in a shortened season. Big Bazinga was 2nd in the Grey Stakes as a 2yo in 2013 but has missed a lot of time since his winter 3yo campaign.
Ontario bred AMEN ALLEY won for Gary Barber and trained Mark Casse at Oaklawn on Saturday in a maiden allowance. The son of Flower Alley, one of several recent private purchases by Barber in the last few months, posted a 77 Beyer Figure for the win in a 1 1/16 mile race in 1:45.46.
In action today is Canadian owned and trained DADDYS GREAT BAY, jumping into a stakes race from a maiden win at Gulfstream:
Sunday, Gulfstream, post time: 5:28 p.m. EDT
MARGATE H., $65,000, 3yo, f, 6 1/2f
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER ML
1 April Gaze High Cotton Hernandez Plesa 12-1
2 Sugar Cone Street Sense Leparoux Arnold 6-1
3 Disco Rose Weigelia Navarro Reid 10-1
4 Daddy’s Great Bay Scat Daddy Saez Baker 12-1
5 Ballet Diva Hear No Evil Caraballo Gold 4-1
6 Tap To It Tapit Rosario Nicks 5-2
7 Off the Tracks Curlin Zayas Rodriguez 3-1
9 Always Thinking Street Sense Castellano Albertrani 10-1
NEW OWNERSHIP MODELS POPPING UP IN ALL BREEDS OF ONTARIO HORSE RACING:
All 3 breeds are going full out to get people involved in this great sport/
SPORT OF QUEENS RACING CLUB INFORMATION MEETINGS!
updated – SUNDAY GATHERING AT SWISS PICK!
**Friday, Feb 26, 2016 at 6 PM MADISON’S PUB FORT ERIE, 3 MUNICIPAL CENTRE DRIVE
**Saturday, Feb, 27, 2016 at 12PM WOODBINE RACETRACK, SECOND FLOOR GRANDSTAND
**Sunday Feb. 28 at 5:30 – 7 p.m. at SWISS PICK, Etobicoke , 445 Rexdale Blvd.
Do you love horses, love horse racing?
Introducing Sport of Queens Racing a ‘Low cost – No monthly expenses’ racing syndicate that offers you the fun and excitement of thoroughbred
racing as a horse owner without the high costs!
This is your opportunity to become an owner in the world of thoroughbred horse racing and a member of a very special group. What does ownership get
you? You will get an all access pass, including visiting the barns, watch your horse train, meet jockeys, watch your horse being saddled in the paddock prior
to their races, enjoy watching races from an owner’s box, have your photo taken in the Winner’s Circle and a possibility to earn purse money. The Sport
of Queens members will meet great people and attend special monthly functions planned to entertain and enlighten all our members.
Visit us Feb 26 or 27, 2016 and meet Managing Partners Francine Villeneuve and Amanda Roxborough to learn more!
For more information please contact us Amanda@sportofqueensracing.com 289-321-0301 OR Sportofqueensracing.com
Oh and while the SOQR is getting ready to head south and purchase a 2-year-old in training at the 2-year-old sale, check out this story on current KENTUCKY DERBY contenders who were bought from 2-year-old sales:
https://sidfernando.wordpress.com/2016/02/19/derby-contenders-plucked-from-2-year-old-sales/
STANDARDBRED RACING NEW OWNERSHIP GROUP FEATURED IN TORONTO SUN:
http://www.torontosun.com/2016/02/20/can-new-ownership-model-revive-harness-racing
QUARTER HORSE SYNDICATE WAITS FOR YOU TO JOIN!
Quarter Racing Owners of Ontario Inc. has introduced the Racehorse Syndicate Ownership group which invites interested racing fans to get a taste of owning a racehorse. The first information meeting for the first syndicate was held on Feb. 6 but there is still time to learn more about the project and get involved. The enthusiasm from the first meeting was high and the initial syndicate is set to be formed by May 1.
Each syndicate will have 20 shares at a cost of $2,500. The syndicate trainer will be selected by the shareholders by majority vote, and it will be required that the trainer purchases at least one share. Any trainers that are interested in participating in the syndicate will be invited to present their information to the syndicate members; the application should include their training day rate, commission percentage, blacksmith rates, and all other costs that may or may not be charged throughout the season.
Each syndicate will also have a syndicate manager who will work with the trainer in the day to day decisions about the care and training of the horse. The manager will also be a shareholder. When the syndicate is complete and ready to go, they will be looking to purchase or lease a racehorse. This will be a horse that has raced already and thus, not a two year old.
In addition, syndicate information will be available at the Can-Am Trade Show being held at Markham Fair Grounds, April 1st-3rd. Another information session will be held on Saturday, April 16th, 2016 at 1:00 pm in the lower level meeting room at Ajax Downs. You must pre-register to attend.
If you are interested in participating in the QROOI syndicate, whether as the trainer or to purchase a share, or if you have a horse to sell or lease that would be of interest to the syndicate, please contact Monique at the QROOI office at 905-426-7050 or email to qrooiheadoffice@gmail.com. Monique will answer any questions you may have.
