LongRun Day tops Woodbine weekend; Jim Lawson will match donations

This Saturday, Nov. 9 at Woodbine (second floor) is LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement’s annual graduate calendar giveaway, jockey autograph session from 12-2 and LR merchandise sale for your Christmas gift-giving.

The most intriguing part about this year’s LongRun Day is that Woodbine’s CEO Jim Lawson has pledge to personally match any donations made during the Christmas Fundraising Campaign up to $15,000. An exciting and generous pledge by Mr. Lawson who is a horse owner and breeder like his father Mel.

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Heading into the last four weeks of the Woodbine season there is still a lot going on.

There are two stakes races this weekend, the Frost King Saturday and La Prevoyante on Sunday. The grass racing has been cancelled this week and likely is done for the year.

In the jockey’s race EURICO ROSA DA SILVA, set to retire at year’s end, has a 148 wins, Rafael Hernandez has 130, and Kazushi Kimura has 121.

On the trainer’s list, MARK CASSE has 80 wins while Norm McKnight has 71 and Martin Drexler has 52. Drexler heads into today’s racing just two wins away from 400 career wins.

Chiefswood Stable continues to lead owners by earnings with $1.7 million in purses.

Friday’s card marks the return of of jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson, out of action since a spill on September 8.

Sidelined two months ago after suffering a broken left clavicle and fractures to her right hand when she was dismounted, Wilson, who has more than 1,500 career wins, including a Queen’s Plate score in 2007 with Mike Fox, saddles up with a handful of rides on November 8.

She’ll make her first appearance on Friday in the first race (post time 3:40 p.m.). She’ll partner Piccadilly Beau, a three-year-old Kentucky-bred chestnut trained and owned by James Smith. The son of English Channel is listed at 9-2 in the morning line.

Wilson, who won back-to-back (2005 and 2006) Sovereign Awards as Canada’s top apprentice, has been counting down the days ahead of her return.

“I’m really excited,” said the rider who has 49 wins on the campaign, placing her sixth in the standings. “There’s no other way to put it. It’s been odd. The injury (a fracture of the proximal humerus) last year at the beginning of the season was much more consuming, and there was a lot more rehabilitation to get back into action. It was also the first major injury that put me out, where I had to manage a physical ailment. I was out for three months when I had a liver laceration, but once I was cleared to go back, it wasn’t like I had to get the muscles working again and be strong. It was just making sure that organ was safe.

“This injury, with the experience of the previous one, it’s been much easier to manage, and the severity of it wasn’t nearly as bad. I’ve been able to talk to my surgeons in regards to my expectations to get back, and it’s been very straightforward. The last week, I’ve been pretty excited, getting on horses, and doing my rehab appointments. I don’t get excited that much, but I’m pretty excited right now.”

$100,000 FROST KING STAKES

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Crafty Conquest – Kazushi Kimura – William Tharrenos

2 – Dotted Line – Justin Stein – Sid Attard

3 – Forester’s Turn – Eurico Rosa da Silva – Robert Tiller

4 – Rockcrest – Sahin Civaci – Nigel Burke

5 – Agnelli – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Renee Kierans

6 – Artie’s Princess – Nik Juarez – Wesley Ward

7 – Priceless Will – Rafael Hernandez – Mark Casse

8 – Torpedo Max – Ismael Mosqueira – Nick Gonzalez

9 – Owlette – Albin Jimenez – Wesley Ward

10 – Cryptic Grip – Jerome Lermyte – Michael Mattine