FUTURE STAR? Kingsgate Farm (Krista Kocot) shared this photo of a new arrival a colt from the first crop of multiple champion MARCHFIELD out of Brave Diva (Theatrical). The mare is a full sister to promIsing 2yo ALDOUS SNOW.
WOODBINE 32 DAYS AND COUNTING
Wacky winter weather has played havoc with training in the last few days at Woodbine – mild and mud turned to frozen after 2 consecutive bitterly-cold nights.
The prospect of a real warm up tomorrow will begin the thaw again and perhaps we’ll be on our way to spring? Sure didn’t have much of a winter!.
While horsepeople are working away at the track, other locals have been in the work mode south of the border too, whether it be at training centres in Florida or tracks around the US.
NEWS BITS
*Fun photos and videos of horses and people in Florida can always be found on Facebook. Jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson recently uploaded a couple of fun little movies on the ‘whip happy’ graded stakes winner CITY WOLF…
*MALCOLM PIERCE is now the lone trainer for Sam-Son Farms for 2012 according to RICK BALAZ. Longtime Sam-Son trainer MARK FROSTAD, who sent out longshot Trend to be 2nd in the Cdn. Turf ‘Cap last weekend at Gulfstream, does not have any horses for the legendary farm this season.
*Queen’s Plate contender HAMPSTEAD HEATH, owned by Rob Smithen, has been injured and will miss the big race, a full list of the current nominees to the Plate should be released by Woodbine this week with winterbook odds. With the likely 2yo champion for 2011, MARITIMER, not being made eligible for the Plate at this time (confirmed by the colt’s interests in Dubai), the winterbook favourite could be any number of horses: MENLO CASTLE, DIXIE STRIKE (her half sister was the winterbook fave last year and won the race!), HARD NOT TO LIKE (filly, has not been on Polytrack), or winners such as ALDOUS SNOW or any number of promising maidens.
CASTLE WORKING AT..CASTLE!
Speaking of Conor healy’s MENLO CASTLE, the son of Forest Danger has been busy getting ready for 2012 at CRUPI’S NEW CASTLE FARM INC. in Ocala, Florida. Yesterday, the 3yo had his 4th workout of the winter and a number of stakes winning stablemates were in action too:
Citius (ON) Gelding 4 50.00 b 3/9
Hawk’s a Blur (ON) Gelding 4 50.00 b 3/9
Menlo Castle (ON) Gelding 3 50.00 b 3/9
Quit Worrying (KY) Filly 3 50.20 b 8/9
Rose and Shine (ON) Filly 3 49.60 b 1/9
Run in Aruba (ON) Gelding 3 50.20 b 8/9
Top Prospect (ON) Gelding 4 49.60 b 1/9
Valid’s Best (ON) Gelding 4 50.00 b 3/9
Where’s Johnson (ON) Gelding 3 50.00 b 3/9
HANSEN, pre-Gotham, captured by Vanessa Ng
WAGNER SELLS TOP 2YO IN PARTNERSHIP
Edmonton, Alberta’s CORY WAGNER, featured this month in Canadian Thoroughbred as part of the “GENERATION NEXT” article by Katie Lamb, was co-owner of the sales-topping 2yo at Barretts yesterday, the first 2yo sale of the season.
The topper was an Empire Maker filly who
Filly Empire Maker – Fortunate Event $435,000
B-Dan Agnew (Ky) Consigned by Wavertree Stables, Inc. (Ciaran Dunne), Agent III
Purchased by Danox Co. Ltd.
from Thoroughbred Daily News:
“Cory is very enthusiastic,” (Ciaran Dunne) said. “And he’s a very brave buyer–he doesn’t cry if things go wrong. But I am hoping this will be his year. He has an Unbridled’s Song filly in OBS March who is a half to [GIII Southwest S. winner] Castaway (Street Sense) that we’re very high on. So this could be the year of Wagner.”
Is MENLO CASTLE going to be named this year’s early Queen’s Plate favourite?? Stay tuned…Mike Burn photo
JOHN STAPLETON PENS ARTICLE FOR TORONTO STAR
“CUTTING THE NUMBER OF ONTARIO RACETRACKS WOULD BE A BAD BET”
JOCKEY CLUB RELEASES FATALITY STATS
report by LOUISVILLE COURIER JOURNAL
The Jockey Club announced Monday that more than a dozen racetracks — including two in Kentucky — that participate in a horse industry racing fatality database have agreed to release the statistics for their properties.
But the four tracks owned by Louisville-based Churchill Downs Inc. are not among them.
The Kentucky tracks that agreed to release their data in The Jockey Club’s Equine Injury Database are Keeneland Race Course in Lexington and Turfway Park in Florence.
A Jockey Club spokesman said Churchill was invited to release the data and declined.
Churchill spokesman John Asher said that figures for the company’s Louisville track are provided to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and that “anyone wishing to review the information we disclose can easily obtain it from the KHRC.”
Asher’s statement did not deal with the availability of the information for the other three states where the company owns tracks. Those tracks are Fair Grounds in New Orleans, Calder near Miami and Arlington Park near Chicago.
WEBSITE:
http://jockeyclub.com/initiatives.asp?section=2
