AND THAT’S WHY THEY CALL IT RACING!                   Dave Cotey was hoarse, it was hard to understand him on the phone. Talking to Thoroughblog last night, Cotey was celebrating with friends and family. His Dominion Bloodstock, well known in Ontario for years for buying young horses […]

I WANT REVENGE SCRATCHED FROM DERBY FROM THOROUGHBRED DAILY NEWS… Trainer Jeff Mullins reported yesterday morning during a hastily called press conference that heat was detected in the left front ankle of morning-line favorite I Want Revenge (Stephen Got Even) Saturday morning, necessitating his scratch from the Kentucky Derby. “Dr. Foster flexed his ankle and […]

  Tune-up for the Kentucky Derby with the big card from Churchill Downs today including the Kentucky Oaks and superfilly RACHEL ALEXANDRA. My Oaks picks are below. Check out Thoroughblog’s Derby analysis in tomorrow’s TORONTO STAR newspaper or on-line at thestar.com or here tomorrow morning. Racing begins at Churchill tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. DERBY FEATURES […]

LET’S HEAR IT FOR CANADIAN BREEDING Reasons to cheer these Kentucky Derby horses • NOWHERE TO HIDE is a late entrant to the Derby but what a pedigree this colt has. Ever heard of WITH APPROVAL? IZVESTIA? Well this colt is closely related to those Canadian Triple Crown champions. By Vindication, NOWHERE TO HIDE is […]

  KENTUCKY DERBY FIELD Horse, trainer, Jockey, Odds 1 West Side Bernie, Kelly Breen, Stewart Elliott, 30-1 2 Musket Man, Derek Ryan, Eibar Coa, 20-1 3 Mr. Hot Stuff, Eoin Harty, John Velazquez, 30-1 4 Advice, Todd Pletcher, Rene Douglas, 30-1 5 Hold Me Back, Bill Mott, Kent Desormeaux, 15-1 6 Friesan Fire, Larry Jones, Gabriel Saez, 5-1 7 Papa Clem, Gary Stute, Rafael Bejarano, 20-1 8 Mine That Bird, Bennie Woolley, Calvin Borel, 50-1 9 Join in the Dance, Todd Pletcher, Chris DeCarlo, 50-1 10 Regal Ransom, Saeed bin Suroor, Alan Garcia, 30-1 11 Chocolate Candy, Jerry Hollendorfer, Mike […]

NO DERBY FOR EDDIE And Win Willy is out too • Well, there’s always the QUEEN’S PLATE – it’s worth a million (Canadian). SQUARE EDDIE, Canada’s only representative in the KENTUCKY DERBY on Saturday is now out with more problems with a shin and he’s headed back to California. The Derby was strictly the focus […]

QUALITY ROAD OUT OF DERBY Huge blow to lose one of favourites bloodhorse.com reports… Quality Road, who figured to be among the top choices for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) will not start in the Run for the Roses, it was confirmed Monday morning by Chris Baker, farm manager of Edward […]

CRACK IN THE ARMOR Quality Road could be out of the Derby • QUALITY ROAD (Elusive Quality), the likely Kentucky Derby favourite, could be out of the race. Another quarter crack has been found on a hoof of the colt, not long after he just got over one of those pesky cracks. Trainer James Jerkens […]

KENTUCKY DERBY NEWS COREY NAKATANI PICKS UP EDDIE • Corey Nakatani, who won 13 races from 174 mounts at the recently completed Santa Anita meeting (Dec. – April) will ride Canadian-bred SQUARE EDDIE in the Kentucky Derby a week from this coming Saturday. SQUARE EDDIE jogged around the Churchill Downs strip yesterday. SMOOTHER ROAD • […]

      KENTUCKY DERBY NEWS Still no rider for Eddie with files from Kentuckyderby.com J. Paul Reddam’s SQUARE EDDIE (Smart Strike) arrived at Churchill Downs around mid-afternoon on Tuesday following a van ride from Lexington’s Keeneland, where he had been stabled since running third in last Saturday’s Lexington S. (G2). The colt appears headed […]

   Today’s post dedicated to the memory of Royce Gracey.   APPEALING RETURN – Eugene George’s MILWAUKEE APPEAL strolled to a 1 ¾ length in the Star Shoot Stakes and then galloped out seemingly a mile in front of her rivals as Na Somsanith tried to pull her up. The 3yo Milwaukee Brew filly, a […]

  SQUARE EDDIE – 3RD IN MESSY LEXINGTON STAKES COMEBACK Canadian-bred likely continues on to Derby – In a second, it appeared as if SQUARE EDDIE was going to runaway with yesterday’s LEXINGTON STAKES at Keeneland and go the Kentucky Derby as one of the favourites. Instead, the Canadian-bred got a bit weary after a […]

  EDDIE GOES FOR HOME Blog says Masala the colt to beat – Woodbine fans and officials will be glued to the television for the feature race at Keeneland today when Kinghaven Farms-bred SQUARE EDDIE competes in the Lexington Stakes Race 9 goes off at 5:40. The 1 1/16 mile race is an event to […]

READE BAKER NEWEST TRAINER FOR STRONACH STABLES – Sovereign Award winning trainer READE BAKER has 10 horses to train for Frank Stronach’s Stronach Stables at Woodbine in 2009. Baker joins Brian Lynch and Roger Attfield as the 3 conditioners for the stable for Woodbine meeting. Baker, already with a record of 2-2-2 in 9 outings […]

  SO FAR SO GOOD • Entries will be drawn today for Woodbine’s Friday card and after 5 racing cards to begin the 2009 season the horses who stayed in Ontario to train have been doing a bit better than the winter raced ones. Certainly the distances of 5 and 5 ½ furlongs play more […]