FROM TWITTER AND WILLIAM BINGHAM – THE QUEEN’S PLATE BLANKET OF FLOWERS AT RAMSEY FARM
Whew – it’s hot and steamy in Ontario and the Thoroughbred industry is rebooting after a hectic couple of weeks and a super Queen’s Plate day..TV ratings, betting up -all good news..
The next question is, who is going to help lure those same people to follow along with the Plate horses as they head to FORT ERIE on JULY 26 for the Prince of Wales Stakes?
The 1 3/16 mile dirt race will have SIR DUDLEY DIGGES, LEAVEM IN MALIBU, NIIGON’S EDGE and ALL IN RED (all confirmed) with other likely runners including AMIS GIZMO.
DAN RALPH – CANADIAN PRESS
Plate winner’s recovering nicely from race
Sir Dudley Digges has suffered no setbacks from his stirring upset win in the $1-million Queen’s Plate.
Trainer Mike Maker said Wednesday the three-year-old son of Gio Ponti is in Louisville, Ky., none the worse for wear following Sunday’s thrilling victory at Woodbine Racetrack. The horse remains on schedule to run in the second jewel of Canadian thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown, the $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes on July 26 at Fort Erie, Ont.
“He came back in good order,” Maker said in a telephone interview. “Everything is a go so far.”
Sir Dudley Digges went off at 15-1 odds in North America’s oldest annually-run stakes race and tracked the pace from sixth spot. He moved into position as the field turned into the stretch, then surged past Scholar Athlete and 5/2 favourite Amis Gizmo in deep stretch to capture his first career stakes victory and second win overall in nine lifetime starts.
Sir Dudley Digges has finished in the money in eight of his races (three seconds, three thirds) and the $600,000 Plate winner’s share dwarfed the $80,896 he’d earned prior to Sunday.
Amis Gizmo was the Plate favourite after winning the $150,000 Plate Trial on June 12. Sir Dudley Digges finished third in the 1 1/8-mile race, which was his first at Woodbine.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better effort,” Maker said of jockey Julien Leparoux’s trip Sunday aboard Sir Dudley Digges. “His effort prior to the Queen’s Plate was good.
http://www.insidebelleville.com/sports-story/6758065-plate-winner-s-recovering-nicely-from-race/
JOEY ‘G’ PURCHASES MAPLEVILLE, RE-NAMED WINVIEW
Mapleville Farms Ltd. hereby announces that, effective June 30, 2016, it will no longer board and train client horses.
Winview Farms Inc. is pleased to announce that, effectively July 1, 2016, it will begin to operate a thoroughbred boarding, breeding, and training operation on the property and facilities on which Mapleville Farms Ltd. is currently operating.
Due to this change, before June 30, 2016, all client services will be performed and billed by Mapleville Farms Ltd.; and after July 1, 2016, all client services will be performed and billed by Winview Farms Inc.
As Winview Farms Inc. has purchased the trade name of “Mapleville”, Winview Farms Inc. reserves the right to use “Mapleville” or “Mapleville Farms” as its brand/trade name. The current Mapleville Farms Ltd. will be changed to another corporate name.
Mapleville Farms Ltd. sincerely thanks all clients and suppliers for your invaluable support over the past four years. Winview Farms Inc. is committed to the very best care and training of all clients’ horses in the future.
Yours sincerely,
Management Team, Mapleville Farms Ltd.
& Joe Guerrieri, President, Winview Farms Inc.
TV RATINGS SOAR ON QUEEN’S PLATE
TORONTO, July 6 – On the strength of a stirring upset win by Sir Dudley Digges, CTV and TSN today confirmed that Sunday’s (July 3) live broadcast of the 157th running of the QUEEN’S PLATE attracted an average audience of 314,000 viewers – more than triple the audience of last year’s edition.
In total, 1.2 million unique Canadian viewers tuned in to watch the QUEEN’S PLATE on CTV and TSN, with audience levels peaking at 559,000 viewers during the famed race, which aired live from Toronto’s Woodbine Racetrack.
TSN’s exclusive live coverage of the Canadian Triple Crown, part of the network’s unrivalled roster of 60+ iconic championship events, continues with the PRINCE OF WALES STAKES on Tuesday, July 26 at 7 p.m. ET on TSN.
TSN is the exclusive broadcaster of the Canadian Triple Crown, featuring the QUEEN’S PLATE, PRINCE OF WALES STAKES, and BREEDERS’ STAKES, as part of a multi-year deal with Woodbine Entertainment Group.
The network is also home to every race from the American Triple Crown, including the KENTUCKY DERBY, PREAKNESS STAKES, and the BELMONT STAKES.
As the exclusive home of the biggest and most prestigious thoroughbred horse races in North America, TSN’s upcoming live coverage includes:
PRINCE OF WALES STAKES – Tuesday, July 26 at 7 p.m. ET on TSN
BREEDERS’ STAKES – Sunday, Aug. 21 at 4:30 p.m. ET on TSN
WOODBINE MILE – Saturday, Sept. 17 at 6 p.m. ET on TSN2
PATTISON CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL – Sunday, Oct. 16 at 3:30 p.m. ET on TSN2
HORSE OF THE YEAR CATCH A GLIMPSE GOES FOR 8 STRAIGHT
Catch a Glimpse will put her seven-race winning streak on the line as the 2015 Sovereign Award Horse of the Year highlights a talented 13-entry field in the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Oaks Invitational on Saturday as part of the Stars & Stripes Festival at Belmont Park.
The Oaks, held over 1 1/4 miles on the inner turf, is a Breeders’ Cup Challenge “Win and You’re In” qualifier to the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf in November at Santa Anita Park.
Catch a Glimpse, who has won all six of her graded stakes starts, will leave from post 12 with jockey Florent Geroux in the irons. Trainer Mark Casse, has kept the chestnut filly in Keeneland but is optimistic for her Belmont debut coming off a 2 ¼-length victory over colts last out in the Grade 3 Penn Mile.
“We think she’s a really talented filly; she’s really gutsy,” said Norm Casse, the son and assistant to Mark. “She kind of makes her own luck and they gave away a nice easy pace for her, but I don’t think it would’ve mattered. She would’ve been tough to beat regardless. Now she’s marked that one off and now she’s got to mark off how far she wants to go.”
The Belmont Oaks will mark the longest race of Catch a Glimpse’s career. She has gone 1 1/16 miles twice, winning both the Grade 3 Edgewood and the Grade 3 Herecomesthebride at that distance.
“This will be a real test for her as far as distance, but if they let her get comfortable early, she’ll be really hard to run down,” Casse said.
Catch a Glimpse led gate-to-wire in the Penn Mile and has won seven of her eight starts in large part by sticking close to the pace before taking the lead at the stretch.
“I think anytime you have a horse that likes to go out early and sit along through moderate fractions, you’re at a competitive advantage,” Casse said. “Because you stay out of traffic, you’re really kind of dictating what’s going out in front, how fast the race is setting up really. So anytime you can have a horse do that, it’s a huge advantage. The question is just how far she wants to go, that’ll be the question mark on Saturday.”
Doug O’Neill’s Land Over Sea has finished first or second in four of her last five starts and is looking for her first career Grade 1 victory after finishing in the money in three of her four starts at that level.
Land Over Sea is making her first start since coming in sixth in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan on Preakness Day May 20 at Pimlico. That effort came on the heels of a second-place finish in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks. The 2015 Breeders’ Cup participant also finished third in her Grade 1 debut in the Del Mar Debutante and second in the Grade 1 Chandelier in September at Santa Anita.
At 2-5-1 in 10 career starts, Land Over Sea will leave from post 10 with Mario Gutierrez in the saddle.
Trainer Chad Brown will send three entries as he seeks his third consecutive victory in the Belmont Oaks. Brown will saddle Last Waltz, Noble Beauty and Pricetoperfection.
Brown has trained the last two Belmont Oaks winners, including Minorette in 2014 and Lady Eli last year. In 2012 and 2013, Brown also trained winners Samitar and Alterite when the race was called the Garden City.
Last Waltz, who finished third last out in the listed Wonder Again on June 5 at Belmont, drew post 9 and will leave with jockey Manny Franco. The Swift Thoroughbreds’ Irish-bred bay filly went five furlongs in 1:02.55 on Sunday over Belmont’s inner turf.
“Last Waltz is maturing at the right time. She’s really been improving each start and each breeze this year,” Brown said. “I thought she breezed well on Sunday. She seems to be getting better and the 1 ¼ miles should suit her.”
Noble Beauty will leave from post 5 with jockey Javier Castellano in the irons. The daughter of 2004 Eclipse Award-winning champion grass horse Kitten’s Joy will be making just her fourth career start but is coming off a second-place showing in the Grade 3 Regret on June 18 at Churchill in her graded stakes debut.
“Noble Beauty is a late bloomer,” Brown said. “She definitely outruns her training in the morning. She’s a true afternoon horse. She seems like she wants more ground. The race is a lot of money, and she just has to walk out of her stall. No trip. She came out of her Churchill Downs race well.”
Pricedtoperfection is 1-2-1 in her last four starts, including her first career graded stakes victory in the Grade 3 Sweetest Chant on January 30 at Gulfstream Park. The bay filly registered a career-high 85 Beyer Speed Figure last out with a second-place finish in the listed Penn Oaks on June 4 at Penn National.
“I don’t hold as strong a hand as in previous years, but all three horses are all doing well and we’re taking a different role in not being one of the favorites,” Brown said
THE SOCIAL’S DIGITAL MARKETER ATTENDS PLATE
BY JESSICA ALLEN – I attended my first horse race on Sunday; the 157th Queen’s Plate at Woodbine Racetrack, to be precise.
And “attend” is a bit of a stretch: I was there, working actually, so I only saw the races on screens stationed throughout the grounds. But I did manage to sneak away to the track, standing just north of the grandstand, trying to visualize the scenes that were shot here nearly 41 years ago to the day from The Black Stallion.
The Francis Ford Coppola-produced film was helmed by first-time director, and Coppola’s former UCLA classmate, Carroll Ballard, working from a script co-written by first-time screenwriter Melissa Mathison, who’d go on to pen E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
WOODBINE WRAP-UP FROM FRIDAY – SUNDAY
TOP BEYER FIGURES FROM WINNERS
according to DRF
101 NOHOLDINGBACK BEAR
101 (TURF) PASSION FOR ACTION
100 (TURF) DIMENSION
96 MELMICH
95 PUNTROOSKIE
94 DANISH DYNAFORMER
92 LEXIE LOU
Here are just some of the winners over the 3 days of the holiday weekend – 32 races in total. Sunday had record numbers in wagering for the card and for wagering on the Plate.
TSN/CTV had 3 times as many viewers of the Plate broadcast as last year.
FRIDAY – Old timer GENTLEMAN JACKSON, 9 years old, won for the 14th time and was claimed from race 1 on Friday.
The son of Alert was racing for Ken Lee and partners and substitute trainer Jim Ensom. Deborah Fletcher now owns the speedy bay.
American first crop sire ALGORITHMS (Bernadini) had his 2nd debut winner from just his 4th start when JUNKET won a $50,000 claiming 2yo maiden race on Friday. The bay gelding is owned by Horsen Around Racing and Martha Gonzalez and trained by Nick Gonzalez. His time of 52.02 was good for a nice 71 Beyer Figure.
Woodbine Oaks winner NESHAMA has an older half sister named AUNT SUE who won for $10,000 claiming on Friday by nine lengths for Kingview Farms and Tracey McCowen. It was the 2nd win in 7 races for the 4yo filly by Philanthropist. Catherine Day Phillips trains.
NOHOLDINGBACKBEAR set a track record for 6 1/2 furlongs on an all weather surface with his 1:44.44 run in the 6th race Friday, the prep for the Bold Venture. The Kwentucky bred son of Put It Back, a $25,000 purchased in 2014 as a short yearling, ran a 191 Beyer Speed FIgure in this handy score for Bear Stables and trainer Mike DePaulo. Eurico da Silva roode the colt who won the Tom Ridge and Woodstock Stakes already in 2016.
The 3yo has 3 wins and all have come on synthetic dirt tracks.
MR WILL WONG captured NOHOLDINGBACK BEAR flying to a track record win
Saturday
Ontario bred CONQUEST LEMONRAID won his 2nd career start in a maiden 2yo race to begin the card. He is a Lemon Drop Kid youngsters out of the Saint Ballado mare Gauze and he was bred by Anderson Farms. Mark Casse trains for Conquest Stables.
Race 3 was won by OUR VICTOR, who took a maiden special weight by 1 1/2 lengths as the 2 to 1 favourite for owner Jim Olgilvie and trainer Ron Woods. The Marcavelly gelding was bred by Colebrook Farms.
STORMY PERFECTION was an impressive 2yo debut winner on Saturday as she came from a sluggish beginning at 5 furlongs and more than 6 lengths behind to win by a neck at 22 to 1. Charles Fipke owns and bred this filly and Mike Doyle trains.
She is by Tale of the Cat out of Silent Perfection by Perfect Soul (Ire).
The white-faced 5-year-old mare EUMENIDES came from last plcae early in a maiden $32,00 claiming race on turf to win the last race Saturday for owner and breed Wayne Gillis. Sunny Singh rode the daughter of the Japanese-bred sire Utopia from the Notebook mare POst It for trainer Lou Capi.
Gilliss is a longtime owner and breeder who bought the mare POst It in foal to Mr Sekiguchi in 2008 from the local mixed sale for about $3,000.
Utopia, by Forty Nine, won the Godolphin Mile aong other races and he stood in New York before going to Turkey to years ago.
A whopping $5 million was bet on the Saturday card headingn into $11.8 million wagered on Plate day.
Sunday
PUNTROOSKIE stalked a rapid pace in race 2 on Queen’s Plate day and then moved out 3 wide and went on to win a nice $62,500 optional claiming race. He was making his first start for Mike and Mike (Loughry and Lay) and trainer Don MacRae, who claimed him for $40,0000 from his most recent start in late May.
Congratulations to trainer EARL BARNETT who sent out the impressive winner NEVAEH’S VALENTINE to win the race after the Queen’s Plate, a 1 1/16 mile allowance. The son of Giant Gizmo led all the way and won big, as a maiden (!), in a time of 1:44.02 – an 85 Beyer Figure.
Anthony Luciano owns and bred the 4yo gelding out of Be My Valentine by Jackson sport. Steve Bahen had a great ride on the 4yo who was making only his 2nd start of the season.
Jay and Christine Hayden celebrated a win with their homebred filly SONIC CYSTER in race 12 on Plate day. The Tiznow filly was not sold by the family and ket to race as she had a cyst (thus the name). She was making her 3rd career start and first since April and ralleid wide to win this maiden race at 1 1/16 miles. Roger Attfield trains.
