Weekly Wrap: $16 million Wagering Weekend at Woodbine

The Breeders’ Cup and a pile of races with big fields helped Woodbine lure $16 million in wagering Saturday (Breeders’ Cup day 2 at Keeneland) and Sunday.

Add in Breeders’ Cup Friday, another $4 million, and it was a $20 million three-day boon in betting for the Toronto track that has not had any fans all year and only had a handful of owners for a few weeks before the latest lockdown. Compared to last year’s Friday to Sunday race dates, which saw $14.5 million, that is a huge increase.

The weekend racing at Woodbine is stellar because of the large fields and turf racing on the main and inner course has helped. Turf racing was scheduled to end for 2020 today.

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The purse money was well spread out over the 4 racing days last week and the warm and sunny weather was a nice bonus for horsepeople.

There were 26 different trainers who sent out the winners of the 39 races.

The trainers with 3 wins last week included BOB TILLER, MARK CASSE and MARTIN DREXLER. Trainers shipping their horses to Woodbine for races, cared for and saddled by local trainers, continue to scoop nice races. They include Michael Stidham, Graham Motion and Michael Trombetta.

The two stakes races, run Saturday, were each won by owner Gary Barber, trainer Mark Casse and jockey Rafael Hernandez.

SKYWIRE, co-owned by Lou Tucci, surged to victory in the Grade 3 Autumn Stakes, his second graded stakes win of the season to go along with two second-place finishes in graded stakes races. The 4-year-old gelding by Afleet Alex – Meandering Storm by Gone West is now 5 for 14 in his career with earnings over over $392,000. Tucci bought Skywire for $45,000 as a yearling. The gelding was bred by the late Bill Graham.

Skywire posted a 94 Beyer Speed Figure according to Daily Racing Form for his 1 1/16 miles in 1:42 3/5.

Also Saturday, the fast-improving filly HEAVENLY CURLIN (Curlin – Taste of Heaven (Aus) by Encosta de Lago (Aus) flew past mares to win the Grade 3 Maple Leaf by 5 3/4 lengths for her third straight win just five career races. This gal, like so many of the Casse team horses, came to life once she arrived at Woodbine. A $625,000 yearling co-owned by John Oxley, the filly won her maiden with a 74 Beyer, an allowance with an 85 and the Maple Leaf with a 90.

Barber leads all owners at Woodbine by purse earnings at just over $1 million.

1 Gary Barber –107– 16– 27– 11– $1,096,935 15%
2 Stronach Stables 85– 11– 14– 9– $905,349 13%
3 Live Oak Plantation 43 –14– 8–2 $827,500 33%
4 Sam-Son Farm 60 –7 –8 —7 —–$770,241 12%
5 Colebrook Farms 186— 13– 11– 19- $585,688

Hernandez won 7 races last week to get within 6 of leader Justin Stein. Stein is at 122, Hernandez has 116 and Kazushi Kimura is 3rd with 77 wins.

Mark Casse’s Toronto string has won 89 races with Norm McKnight at 40 and Bob Tiller at 39.

One of the winners on the weekend included DRUNK DIAL, a 2-year-old beginner who had a big debut win on Saturday for LNJ Foxwoods and trainer Josie Carroll. The Dialed In filly out of Candy Sioux by Indian Charlie won by 5 1/2 lengths in 1:09.58 for 6 furlongs for an 80 Beyer Figure. The Kentucky-bred was a $140,000 short yearling purchase in January 2019.