CANADIAN HORSE RACING HALL OF FAME – 40TH YEAR
Mark Casse among Thoroughbred Inductees
The 40th year of inductions into the CANADIAN HORSE RACING HALL OF FAME will take place tonight in Mississauga at a ceremony complete with auctions and dinner.
MARK CASSE. one of the continent’s top trainers who surged into prominence thanks to his string of championships at Woodbine, is among the Thoroughbred inductees, a total of 5 inductees on each side.
The late DR. MICHAEL COLTERJOHN and DARYL WELLS will also be inducted along with racehorses DAHLIA and WISE DAN.
Casse, who began with 8 stalls at Woodbine years ago when his former wife Kathy Patton-Casse was training the stable of horses for Harry Mangurian, now has hundreds of horses in an out of Woodbine each year with many being trained at T and T Training Centre north of the track in Loretto , ON.
With large stables now in Florida and New York, his Canadian operation, while still large, is not quite of the quality it used to be as his big names are in the US. But he has a good team at Woodbine and the best part is, he is approachable and personable and will never turn us down for an interview.
The first autograph I got in horse racing was that of Daryl Wells, in the walking ring at Woodbine when several personalities were gathered. I can’t remember why i was carrying the book E P Taylor – A Horseman & His Horses, by Muriel Lennox but it is what I had Mr. Wells sign fr me. I have it here beside my desk.
I grew up listening to his race calls on the radio, stretch runs and results. I played his They’re At the Post game over and over on the record-player until it was scratched beyond belief.
Dr. Colterjohn was a very cool guy and to me, a genius in Thoroughbred breeding and in mare and horse care. Many times I would call him to chat or go to Gardiner Farms and sit in his office, his desk piled with stallion directories, magazines and other resources. He would be keen on the next story to be written whether it iwas about how great the Ontario breeding program was becoming or how dangerous the e coli bacteria was to horses.
He was one of the keys to making the Ontario breeding industry so strong years ago and his influence is felt all the time through offspring of horses such as Philanthropist and Old Forester.
Dahlia. Wow. She came to Woodbine in 1973 and I was not quite watching racing regulatory just then. She won 2 King Edwards, the Man o War as well as the Canadian International and is one of the greatest grass mares in modern history.
More recently, the great Wise Dan won 2 Woodbine Miles and Breeders’ Cups and is regarded as one of the great male turf milers in recent memory.
Off to the Hall of Fame dinner soon, see you there!
LUCKY IN CUP
BREAKING LUCKY, owned by Gunpowder Stable, is led into the winner’s circle by Janis Maine with trainer Reade Baker and assistant Patrick Dixon following. WOODBINE PHOTO
BREAKING LUCKY mastered Melmich and Are You Kidding Me and others for his first stakes win as a 4-year-old when taking the Seagram Cup – Grade 3 on Monday at Woodbine.
Posting a career best 100 Beyer Speed Figure, the handcome colt by Lookin at Lucky, bred by Christine Hayden in Ontario, was sent hard to the lead late on the turn and forged clear of Are You Kidding Me to win in a time of 1:42.70.
Luis Contreras rode for an injured Jim McAleney and Reade Baker trains for Gunpowder Stable.
Breaking Lucky had chased Are You Kidding me and Melmich in 2 recent stakes races but was kept on the hustle in the 1 1/16 mile Seagram and it paid off.
“I don’t know where he will go next,” said Baker. “The Durham Cup is in 7 weeks. Maybe he could go to the dirt but I don’t see any races in the US for him.”
Later, Baker watched his trainee RUCK finish 2nd in the $75,000 Manitoba Derby (read more below) in the slop with Omar Moreno riding. Ruck, who is also by Lookin at Lucky, is owned by Calmar Ranch of Alberta and that is where the colt is headed to now, for the Canadian Derby later this month.
Other winners from the holiday Monday card included FIREBALL MERLIN, now a 2-time winner in clockwiese turf sprints along with the filly Kasuga. Merlin won the starter allowance at 5 1/2 furlng sto begin the day and he earned a 90 Beyer Figure.
Chiefswood Stable sent out a nice 2yo prospect in TIZ A SLAM, a Tiznow colt from the mare Flaming Rose by Grand Slam. He wonm his debut for trainer Roger Attfield with Eurico da Silva aboard.
COLLEEN’S SAILOR won his 4th race of the year from his 6th start as he cruised in a $60,000 claiming race for Racers Edge and Gary McMaster. Trained by Norm McKnight, the 7yo is now 12 for 41 in his career.
INSIDE STRAIGHT into winner’s circle at Manitoba Derby
The 3-year-old Kentucky bred is by Super Saver from the Southern Halo mare Dance Alexas. He was purchased as a yearling by WinStar for $160,000 and then purchased privately by Randy Howg and sent to Robertino Diorodo in June.
The colt was coming off a win when purchased, for $40K claiming, by 10 lengths in the slop.
he got a sloppy track at Assiniboia Downs on Monday:
WINNIPEG FREE PRESS STORY BY GEORGE WILLIAMS
“His father was a mudder …”
Randy Howg’s favoured Inside Straight took advantage of a mud-filled pedigree and a perfect trip under jockey Scott Stevens to win the 68th running of the $75,000 Manitoba Derby at Assiniboia Downs Monday afternoon, and the 58-year-old track broke its one-day wagering record of $713,756 set Sept. 5, 1988, with $1,106,994.65.
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/horseracing/inside-straight-takes-46000-pot-388899171.html
B.C. CUP DAY AT HASTINGS PARK
The $75,000 Pacific Custom Brokers Classic was won by Calgary Caper ($54.60) who was the longest shot on the board at more than 26-1. He was running for a $16,000 tag less than two months ago, but on Monday In the Classic he beat last year’s Horse of the Year in Square Dancer who finished second, and six-time stakes winner Modern who held on to third after setting some tough early fractions. Calgary Caper ran the mile-and-an-eighth in 1:49.66 under rider Amadeo Perez to give Perez his stakes double and provide trainer Philip Hall with back-to-back stakes wins. Read more at link below…
And a fine BC Cup Day it was at Historic Old Hastings Racecourse. A substantial crowd, one of the largest in several years, was on hand to take in the six stakes races offered on a 9 race card. There were some outstanding performances, human and equine. Rico Walcott came down from Northlands in Edmonton to win back-to-back stakes, one of them aboard his reliable meal-ticket Snuggles. Amadeo Perez also rode two winners as he scored in the day’s two most lucrative races, the Pacific Customs Brokers Classic and Distaff, both of which offered $75,000 pots.
Trainer Pat Jarvis opened and closed the card with bookend winners for herself and co-owner Lillian Meehan-Jarvis who had an owner double. Philip Hall scored consecutive stakes wins in the seventh and eighth races with horses he owns or co-owns as well as trains. Read more by clicking Richard Yates’ link:
http://www.derbybarandgrill.com/railbird/2016/08/hastings-wrap-up-for-bc-cup-day-richard-yates/61859
