Woodbine: 3,002 Is Magic Number for Hernandez

Seven years after notching his 2,000th career win on Sean and Dorothy Fitzhenry’s Guy Caballero, trained by Catherine Day Phillips, jockey RAFAEL HERNANDEZ was back with the same team for his next milestone this past Friday at Woodbine.

Riding the Fitzhenry’s BILL NEEDLE, also trained by Day Phillips, Hernandez put on a smooth riding display to get the longtime maiden up for his first win, the 3,000th for the rider.

Undeterred when longshot Glenholme went speeding by him late on the turn of the 1 1/16 mile race, Hernandez sat chilly and angled the four-year-old son of Distorted Humor out for the stretch run and urged him to the win.

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“Any race is special because it’s a new complement to your career,” said Hernandez on Saturday to Jeff Bratt of Woodbine. “Three thousand is a good number. Thank you to all the owners and trainers to give me a chance to ride their horses. I’m here because of them.”

Hernandez won three races on Friday, had taken a win on Thursday, and bagged another three on Saturday, July 15, including the $134,250 My Dear Stakes for two-year-old fillies at 5 1/2 furlongs – in a downpour.

LIVING MAGIC (Justify – Living the Life (Ire) by Footstepsinthesand) , invading from Fair Hill Training Centre for trainer Phil Schoenthal and owner/breeder Hank Northhaft, dueled Ontario-bred Stormcraft from the rail early in the dash. Around the turn, Living Magic grabbed a short lead while Bolt Enoree moved three wide to challenge, The latter, owned by Al and Bill Ulwelling, made a good run but stalled late as Living Magic kept finding more. Tracy Farmer’s Ontario-bred Dancing Duchess, delayed a bit off the turn, closed fast but came up three-quarters of a length short.

Living Magic stopped the clock in 1:03.55 over a Tapeta surface that was getting faster as the rain continued to come down.

Owner Hank Northhaft, who hails from Pennsylvania, lives in California and jumped into racing and breeding after retiring from transforming high tech startup companies into huge businesses. His first love of racing came overseas and that is where he began shopping for fillies, which led him to Living the Life (Ire). That filly provided Northhaft with his first big thrill when she won a $247,000 handicap at Longfield on the all-weather track. Trained overseas by Phil McEntee, whose brother Colin is an advisor to Northhaft, Living the Life came to California and won stakes before she was retired to the breeding shed with over $1 million in the bank.

Living the Life’s 2020 offspring brought $300,000 at auction and in 2022, a colt by Justify brought $285,000.

To read more about Hank Northhaft – check out this article.

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Hernandez rode another winner for Day Phillips this week, the two-year-old first-time starter NEVER SILENT, by Silent Name (Jpn) – Summertime Friend by Medaglia D’Oro to an easy win in a 5 1/2 furlong maiden/optional claiming dash. The homebred for Willow Pond Stable is a half-sister to recent winner Sammy Stone.

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Another smart debut winner on the day was JIMMY’S AFFAIR, a sizy bay filly by Souper Speedy – Gerty’s Turn who got out of traffic off the pace in race 5 under Gary Boulanger and zipped up the rail to a nice win. Trained by Bill Tharrenos for Natural Eight Stakes and Jim and Barbara Wight, and a $28,000 yearling purchase from last year’s CTHS Ontario sale from breeders Northern Dawn Stable, Kathy Biers and Brian Patterson, Jimmy’s Affair is the third winner from four foals for Gerty’s Turn.

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COTTON became the third three-time winner of the 2023 Woodbine meeting with another flawless speed display on Saturday. The five-year-old by Twirling Candy won by 4 3/4 lengths in 1:08.79 for 6 furlongs for owner Bruno Schickedanz and trainer Martin Drexler.

One race later, the three-year-old filly CANADIANSWEETHEART became another three-time winner of the year when she won an optional claiming ($32,000) race for owner Chris Manohar and trainer Renico Lafond. The Ontario-bred by Ransom the Moon – Terri’s Pass by War Pass also won at Gulfstream this winter and she has won six of her last eight races dating back to last fall.

Canadiansweetheart was bred by Arika Everatt-Meeuse, her father James Everatt, and mother Janeane Everatt, who passed away this week. Canadian Thoroughbred will have a tribute to Janeane this week.

Canadiansweetheart was claimed by Lafond off trainer Martin Drexler three starts back. Meanwhile Drexler won three races on Saturday to move into secnd on the trainer’s standings with 26 wins behind Mark Casse (4).

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Ten-pound apprentice jockey ALEXIS SANCHEZ completed the Ontario racing hat trick when he won his first-ever race at Woodbine on MAD DOG N JOE for Austin Hunds. Sanchez, who rode his first winner at Fort Erie last week and his second winner at Ajax Downs this past Wednesday, is the son of Ramiro Sanchez Castillo, a leading rider at Ajax Downs. Both father and son came to Woodbine to seek work just before the COVID-19 pandemic and started with trainer Martin Drexler. Both still work at Woodbine in the mornings.