The Woodbine racing community have been sending their support and good wishes to promising young apprentice DESEAN BYNOE, who broke his leg in a starting gate incident before the last race on November 19.
Early in the loading process, the three-year-old gelding Beer Mosa was involved in an accident in the gate which led to Bynoe and an assistant starter being sent to a nearby hospital. There was a length delay to the last race before it was finally canceled. According to Woodbine Communications, Beer Mosa was unharmed.
Neal Wilson, agent for Bynoe, told Canadian Thoroughbred that the young rider had broken his leg and he told Woodbine Communications Sunday evening that, “He is happy that the horse escaped injury. He is upbeat and thanks everyone for their concern.”
Canadian Thoroughbred is attempting to find out the status of the assistant gate worker.
It was an unfortunate ending to a solid weekend of racing at Woodbine, highlighted by the stakes win by Flag of Honour (AUS) in Saturday’s Kennedy Road Stakes (G2), capping a $7 million wagering day.
Wagering would have been pretty close to that same number on Sunday had the last race not been canceled.
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ALMASTY, an Ontario stallion at Silver Fox Stallions in Ashton, ON, had his first Canadian winner when the two-year-old SMART ALMASTY rumbled to a 45-to-1 upset win in race 5 on Sunday, a maiden optional ($40,000) race at 1 1/16 miles. Smart Almasty, a colt bred by Kanny Ng, who owns the stallion, was given a shrewd ride by Shane Ellis to stay on and near the rail for most of the race before charging between horses into the stretch.
Smart Almasty was a $5,000 yearling purchase at last year’s CTHS Ontario sale and he is owned by Kelecia Ansine and trained by Kadain Gordon. The colt was making his third career start.
Almasty was purchased by Ng as a stallion prospect in January, 2019 at the Keeneland Horses of All Ages sale. His first small crop of foals are four-year-olds of this year and his one starter, Midnight in Alaska, is a multiple winner in allowance company in Pennsylvania with earnings of $100,000.
Smarty Almasty is the stallion’s second starter. The sire is a Grade 3 stakes winner by Scat Daddy, having won the Commonwealth Turf Cup at Churchill Downs.
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Impressive debut-winning three-year-old LOOSE WIRE (Street Sense – Dance With Doves, by A.P. Indy) made it two-for-two when he won a 1 1/8 mile allowance/optional claiming race on Sunday. Allowed to set the pace on the rail by rider Kazushi Kimura, the Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable runner was joined by Hall of Dreams around the final turn but fended that one off and won by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:51.07. Trained by Kevin Attard, Loose Wire was a $925,000 yearling purchase in 2021.
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Sunday’s races, much like all races last week, were won by horses on or near the pace and on the inside. CRUDEN BAY, a big son of Big Screen, was one of several winners for jockey Kazushi Kimura, who read the bias well. Cruden Bay stalked front-runner Twin City in race 8, an allowance/optional race at 1 1/16 miles, and then angled out for the winning move. The five-year-old owned by Michael Lay and trained by Don MacRae has three wins this year and Sunday’s winner’s share of $68,400 boosted his earnings this year to over $200,000.
Ryan Brewster’s WICKED DJANGO bucked the bias somewhat when he upset race 9, a maiden special weight. The three-year-old colt was well prepared by trainer Krista Cole Simpson to win not only his first route race attempt but his first race since July. Keveh Nicholls guided the son of Wicked Strong – Belcarres by Flatter from off the pace and between rivals, got him to the lead and then held off Junipero Serra for the win. Wicked Django was bred in Ontario by Denny Andres and Niall Brennan.
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