AWAKEN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WAKING UP to a sparking KENTUCKY DERBY Morning never gets old. It bubbles the excitement inside even the most hardened racing fan. Who do you like? That is the question everyone asks each other on the backstretch, in the front offices, in social media and in the papers.

Good luck and safe travels for all horses today. Special mention to our Queen’s Plate favourite SHAKHIMAT, who goes in the American Turf on the Churchill card. Thoroughblog will recap Woodbine Friday and Saturday and the Shak’s race in tomorrow’s edition!

 

KENTUCKY DERBY ADVANCED ODDS Friday evening

 

NYQUIST moving into ‘strong favourite’ territory and EXAGGERATOR getting heavy money…

 

Horse | Morning line | Current odds

1. Trojan Nation | 50-1 | 43-1

2. Suddenbreakingnews | 20-1 | 25-1

3. Creator | 10-1 | 16-1

4. Mo Tom | 20-1 | 18-1

5. Gun Runner | 10-1 | 9-1

6. My Man Sam | 20-1 | 18-1

7. Oscar Nominated | 50-1 | 38-1

8. Lani | 30-1 | 27-1

9. Destin | 15-1 | 19-1

10. Whitmore | 20-1 | 34-1

11. Exaggerator | 8-1 | 5-1

12. Tom’s Ready | 30-1 | 42-1

13. Nyquist | 3-1 | 2-1

14. Mohaymen | 10-1 | 12-1

15. Outwork | 15-1 | 27-1

16. Shagaf | 20-1 | 74-1

17. Mor Spirit | 12-1 | 12-1

18. Majesto | 30-1 | 66-1

19. Brody’s Cause | 12-1 | 22-1

20. Danzing Candy | 15-1 | 31-1

 

CATHRYN SOPHIA is Queen of the Oaks

 

 

 

 

 

It is interesting how one disappointing race can start to empty a bandwagon when it comes to a racehorse. CATHRYN SOPHIA had been unbeaten through her first 4 races, wining with ease and strong Beyer Speed Figures. A little miscue in the Grade 1 Ashland and all of a sudden, this brany bay Street Boss filly was 6 to 1 in the biggest filly race of them all the Kentucky Oaks.

Since SONGBIRD was not around to strut her stuff, favoritism went to Rachel’s Valentina, the daughter of Rachel Alexandra looking to emulate her famous mum. But she was lightly raced and as yet, unproven at winnig big races.

Under a perfect ride by Javier Castellano, CAITHRYN SOPHIA always looked like a winner throughout the 1 1/8 miles, stalking in 4th and just waiting for her cue. She zoomed to the lead into the stretch and was long gone by the time Paul Reddam’s Land Over Sea and Lewis Bay to her inside started their charges.

A record Oaks crowd of almost 125,000 watched the race at the track and a record $49 million was wagered on the day of racing at Churchill from all sources.

So who is CATHRYN SOPHIA? She is a $30,000 yearling purchase (yes, $30,000) and a Maryland bred. She was bought by Charles Zacney, who owns Cash Is King LLC and also raced the top colt Afleet Alex. She is named after a college student, Cathryn Sophia McCarry.

The Street Boss filly is out of the Mineshaft mare Sheave, who never raced and this is her first foal. The second dam, Belterra, won the Grade 2 Golden Rod Stakes.

Oh, and CATHRYN SOPHIA, the horse, is about as mean as they come…check out trainer John Servis’ story from last week:

John Asher question:  John, I think you said earlier in the week that this filly is a little tougher than others to handle. Can you elaborate?

JOHN SERVIS: Not a little. Not a little. No.

JOHN SERVIS: I will give you an example how tough she is. She came back from the racetrack on Thursday. And she went in the stall. We put the cross bar up. My son was in there with the blanket. The exercise boy got off of her, was taking the tack off of her, and the groom was in there with the halter ready to put the halter on her. And I was standing at the end of the barn talking with somebody. And next thing you know I see three bodies fly out of the stall.

I go running down there. I go, “What the heck is going on?” And the groom pulled the bridle off before the exercise ‑‑ the exercise rider is supposed to pull the bridle off. The groom pulled the bridle off. When he did, as soon as he did that, she just wheeled around and bit him right in the stomach and threw him out of the stall. And now she’s loose. He’s got the halter. He’s out in the shed row. And my son and the exercise boy, all they knew they were getting the heck out of there.

Now I have a hot horse in the stall, nothing on. And you are not just going to get into the stall and get her. We got a scoop of feed and messed with her for a little while. And she finally came to the front and was nibbling on the feed, and we got the halter on her and got her out. But she is a handful.

I don’t want to make it sound like she is mental or crazy. She is just mean. She’s not like that really out of the stall. But when you are in her stall, that’s her stall. I get a call at 8:00 at night one night, the groom ‑‑ we are putting the night sheets on earlier on in April. Can’t catch her to get a night sheet on her. I had to get people over there. She’s run a lot of people out of the stall, I can tell you that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE BANK OF CATCH A GLIMPSE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just when you think she might be vulnerable to her first turf loss, she gets it done.

Horse of the Year in Canada, CATCH A GLIMPSE, won again, this time on Derby day in the Grade 3 Edgewood, despite a long week of difficult schooling..

Owned by Gary Barber, Michael James Ambler and Windways Farm’s Catch a Glimpse ran her perfect record on grass to six with a half-length victory over Auntie Joy in the 31st running of the $150,000 Edgewood Presented by Forcht Bank (GIII) for 3-year-old fillies.

Trained by Mark Casse and ridden by Florent Geroux, Catch a Glimpse covered the mile and a sixteenth on a firm Matt Winn Turf Course in 1:42.92. It was the first Edgewood victory for Casse and Geroux and the fourth winner of the day for Geroux.

Born to Be Winner led the field of 12 through fractions of :23.34 and :47.59 with Catch a Glimpse in closest pursuit. On the far turn, Catch a Glimpse surged past the leader, opened a daylight advantage at the head of the stretch and never was threatened the rest of the way.

The victory was worth $86,490 to Catch a Glimpse and increased her earnings to $929,052 with a record of 7-6-0-0. It was the fifth graded stakes victory for the Kentucky-bred daughter of City Zip out of the Irish River (FR) mare Halo River.

Geroux has been aboard for all of the graded stakes victories with the biggest coming in last fall’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (GI) at Keeneland.
Catch a Glimpse returned $5, $3.80 and $2.80. Auntie Joy, ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr., returned $19.60 and $9.20 with Harmonize finishing a half-length back in third under Junior Alvarado and paying $4.40 to show.

EDGEWOOD QUOTES

Florent Geroux (rider of Catch a Glimpse, winner) – “This is a very special, special filly. People were doubtful of her coming into this race because she didn’t win her last one very impressively. But, I was always confident in her. She always puts me in a great spot and that’s the key to winning races.”

Mark Casse (trainer of Catch a Glimpse, winner) – “It’s been a long week. We tried to school her Tuesday and in the first attempt we couldn’t get her over here. Second attempt, we got her over. She’s been a challenge but I think that’s one of the things that make her so great. I’ve been fortunate enough to train a couple of really good fillies that were ornery, but today she was very good. Florent (Geroux) said that she was a different horse from when she was at Keeneland. She’s funny because she makes the lead and then pulls herself up. When she does that she pulls herself from her right lead to her left lead and pulls herself up, but when you watch her gallop out they don’t go by her. We just have to try to get her to do that.”

Q: Would you send her to Royal Ascot with Tepin?

“No. This was the biggest challenge. She’s got to go somewhere quiet. Obviously the big goal would be the ($1,000,000) Belmont Oaks (GI on July 9), it’s a mile and a quarter. I’m sure all the experts will say she can’t go that far, and they may be right, but they also may be wrong, so we’ll give it a try I think she’ll go as long as she has someone to go with her.”

 

A NICE  CANADIAN FAMILY BEHIND EXAGGERATOR – Taylor, Levesque, Lawson, Burnett

KENTUCKY DERBY thoughts from Thoroughblog

 

My four price plays are written up in today’s TORONTO STAR newspaper so you will have to go and get that great paper this morning! The race cane be narrowed down to about half a dozen I believe with the fastest horses being MOHAYMEN, DESTIN, MOR SPIRIT, CREATOR, SUDDENBREAKINGNEWS, DANZING CANDY, EXAGGERATOR and NYQUIST.

What is interesting about this year’s 20 horse field is that 2 horses are getting most of the attention, the unbeaten NYQUIST (most players are trying to beat this super colt since he will be 2 to 1) and EXAGGERATOR, who won the Santa Anita Derby with flair but it was in the slop. Tough to take 5 to 1 or less in this big field on that horse.

But EXAGGERATOR is a neat story from a Canadian breeding perspective since he brings bloodlines right from Ontario through the mare BON DEBBARAS. Going even further back,, the colt’s 7TH DAM is the E.P. Taylor bred Orchestra (Menetrier) who was a daughter of a Taylor-imported mare.

Orchestra produced a Nearctic filly, Orchestrina, for Taylor and Orchestrina was super – she produced Prince of Wales winner NEW PRO ESCAR among others. Her daughter CHOU FLEUR, by Victoria Park, produced just 2 foals, the lovely winner Le Point de Mire and Pierre Levesque’s Bon Debarras.

BON DEBARRAS, a Ruritania foal born in 1975, never raced but she was a star in the breeding shed.  Her 1978 foal, a filly by Northern Answer named ETERNAL SEARCH, was bought at auction by Mel Lawson and his Jim Dandy Stable and went on to win 15 stakes races, $640,000 and 3 Sovereign Awards. Eternal Search went to to become a wonderful mare for the Lawson family in her retirement too as she produced Broodmare of the Year in Canada, Destroy.

Bon Debarras is also the dam of the Nureyev filly SAVETHELASTDANCE, the dam of none other than Queen’s Plate winner NIIGON.

Bon Debarras had a filly by The Minstrel in 1984, Vevila (GB), as you can see, in Great Britain as she left Canada.

Vevila found her way back to Ontario, however, with owner/breeder William DeBurgh, who had the mare produce foals in Canada. Two foals were by BOLD RUCKUS, the great Canadian stallion: INtercool, a fleet stakes winner at 2, and EMBUR SUNSHINE, a very fast filly. Both were purchased at auction by Ted Burnett’s Joshman Farms.

Embur Sunshine went to the breeding shed for Burnett, living at Yvonne Schwabe’s PERSLEY DEN FARMS.

“She was a wonderful mare,” said Schwabe. “She was really fast, stakes placed three times, one race at Monmouth she just got caught on the wire.”

Embur Sunshine produced champion Embur’s Song, who was American owned and a litany of other good runners. Burnett still has a daughter, Embur’s Melody, at Persley Den and she has an Uncle Mo foal, a Scat Daddy yearling and is in foal to Hard Spun.

Exaggerator’s dam, DAWN RAID, was bred by Burnett and is a daughter of Vindication. She was purchased as a yearling by Bill Farish and was trained by Mark Casse. Dawn Raid was a debut winner and a useful runner. She set a track record for 5 1/2 furlongs at Woodbine in 2007 of 1:03.37.

“She was a very pretty filly but she a bit of a clubby foot,’ said Schwabe. Dawn Raid was then sold for $50,000 as a broodmare prospect to Stoneleigh Farm. She had 2 winners form her first 2 foals and then produced Exaggerator. She was offered at auction carrying Exaggerator but was bought back for $625,000.

Josham Farms has long been a leading breeder of top canadian-bred horses and for the farm and Scwabe, seeing its breeding come to life on Derby day is a special feeling.

“It is really nice when you produce a mother of a top horse and still have a sister,” said Schwabe. “It is more exciting to go through the process of picking out bloodlines, creating the horse yourself and seeing what comes out of your decisions.”

A lot of decisions from the best Canadian owners and breeders went into the creation of EXAGGERATOR – already a Grade 1 winner. From E.P. Taylor, through the Levesque family, Mel Lawson and Ted Burnett this is one derby colt who has a lot of red and white in his blood.