MIND YOUR MANNERS!This little Alumni Hall filly foal, born at Norse Ridge Farm recently, is getting a scolding!
Dave Landry photo
HOMER
Ontario bred sells well in Ocala
A GRAND SLAM – ROMAN ROMANCE, SAN ROMANO colt, offered by Nick de Meric, agent for Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms, sold for $240,000 at the second and final session of the OBS 2yo sale yesterday in Ocala.
This is the 2nd foal for the stakes winning Roman Romance, who earned over $400,000.
MARK CASSE, who trains at Woodbine, bought his 3rd 2yo – a Malibu Moon filly – for $370,000. Casse’s three purchases were for one single client who was not revealed. One purchase, from Tuesday’s first session is a Canadian bred by Forest Wildcat.
ROBERT HARVEY and AL WORTZMAN, who owned the Queen’s Plate favourite HOLLINGER, bought an American bred Stormy Atlantic colt for $210,000. The colt is out of Willow Rush.
Glenn Harvey’s KELYNACK STABLES was in the pinhooking mode as it sold a filly by Northern Afleet Quiet Celerity for $165,000, through Casse Sales LLC, Agent II to American owner Elisabeth H. Alexander
Kelynack Farm, based in Milton, Ontario, picked up this bay filly for $40,000 at KEESEP 2009. Now named Quite a Feat, she had brought just $4,500 as a KEENOV weanling, but continued her progression over
the fall and winter. The February foal breezed an eighth in :22 1/5 on Sunday.
Other news from the sale – Canadian Horse of the Year FATAL BULLET had a little half-sister in the sale, by Macho Uno. The dam of Fatal Bullet, previously owned by Adena Springs, was bought for $14,000 by Florida breeder David Lavoie in 2007 carrying this filly, who sold yesterday for $135,000. Fatal Bullet was a maiden winner at the time of the mare’s purchase.
ONTARIO BRED RESULTS…
HIP COLOR YEAR
NO. NAME SEX FOALED SIRE DAM
5 …………………….B C……….08 Forest Wildcat………..Acadia – MARK CASSE, AGENT $190,000
14 Hughes Your Dad……….CH C………08 Henny Hughes………….Alycheer – NOLAN HAJAL $130,000
30 …………………….CH C………08 Badge of Silver……….Bacall NOT SOLD ($45k)
44 …………………….CH C………08 Niigon……………….Bob’s Choice NOT SOLD $70k
96 Duettina……………..B F……….08 Roman Ruler…………..Duet NOT SOLD $65K
146 …………………….B F……….08 Badge of Silver……….Hold the Spirit JANIS MAITLIN $5,000
SELLING TODAY
174 …………………….DKB/BR C…..08 Tomahawk……………..Ligurian OUT
239 …………………….CH F………08 Speightstown………….Quite a Ruckus OUT
243 Benjamin Britte……….B C……….08 E Dubai………………Raphael Rose DON DIMMA $25,000
256 …………………….CH C………08 Grand Slam……………Roman Romance TODD PLETCHER, AGENT $240,000
269 …………………….CH F………08 First Samurai…………Santerra
FROM OCALA.COM:
Positive signs for horse industry in OBS March sale
By Carlos E. Medina
Thoroughbred sales posted positive numbers during the Ocala Breeders’ Sales March sale of 2-year-olds Wednesday, signaling that the worst may be over for the hard-hit industry.
After more than a year of declines, this week’s OBS sale posted gains in both average and median prices as well as a drop in the percentage of horses not sold.
“It was a good sale. People have been concerned about the situation in the economy and how it’s been impacting our situation, but this time all of the key figures went in the right direction,” said Tom Ventura, OBS general manager and director of sales.
On average, the 171 horses sold on Tuesday and Wednesday went for $107,257. That was an increase of nearly 11 percent from 2009.
http://www.ocala.com/article/20100318/ARTICLES/3181013/1402/NEWS
WOODBINE MAIN TRACK OPENS
Yesterday, the main track opened for training at Woodbine allowing horsemen to breathe easier with more room and better conditions for training.
Interestingly, 27 horses worked 3 furlongs on the main track, but 89 worked on the training track.
The weather has been spectacular and that certainly would have helped the quirky Polytrack to be in good form for the opening. With a series of days in the mid 60s and warming sun, horsemen are happy and energetic it seems.
(Of course, the high for several days next week will be 1 degree Celcius so we’ll be back to winter reality for a while again)
There are some old timers on the worktab – 8-year-old champion WHOLELOTTABOURBON, trained by Nick Gonzelaz, is gearing up for more action. 9-year-old GANGSTER is back from a lengthy vacation for Goldmart Farm.
Woodbine opens on GOOD FRIDAY, APRIL 2.
THIS WEEKEND – STARS IN ACTION
The FLORIDA DERBY is a major Kentucky Derby prep – it goes on Saturday on a big card of racing.
Canadians in action include RAHY’S ATTORNEY and SOCIETY’S CHAIRMAN in the Appleton on turf and Chiefswood recent stakes winner AURORA LIGHTS in the Rampart.
GIVE IT UP FOR…!
LENTENOR, a full brother to BARBARO, is entered in the Florida Derby.
Sarah K. Andrew photo
Saturday, Gulfstream Park
FLORIDA DERBY-GI, $750,000, 3yo, 1 1/8m
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER
1 Soaring Empire Empire Maker Castro Gambolati
2 Lentenor Dynaformer Garcia Matz
3 Pulsion Include Nakatani Biancone
4 Pleasant Prince Indy King Leparoux Ward
5 Game on Dude Awesome Again Rose Mareina
6 First Dude Stephen Got Even Dominguez Romans
7 Rule Roman Ruler Velazquez Pletcher
8 Ice Box Pulpit Lezcano Zito
9 Miner’s Reserve Mineshaft Desormeaux Zito
10 Best Actor Rock Hard Ten Castellano Catalano
11 Radiohead (GB) Johannesburg Prado Dutrow Jr
All carry 122 pounds
Saturday, Gulfstream Park
APPLETON S.-GIII, $100,000, 4yo/up, 7 1/2f
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT
1 Society’s Chairman Not Impossible (Ire) Lezcano Attfield 120
2 Together Indy Not For Love Desormeaux Weaver 116
3 Kiss the Kid Lemon Drop Kid Castro Tarrant 122
4 Carson Hall Carson City Dominguez Tagg 118
5 Suyeta Indian Charlie Lopez Leahy 116
6 Storm Play Smart Strike Velazquez Pletcher 118
7 Rahy’s Attorney Crown Attorney Castellano Black 122
8 Boots Ahead Storm Boot Leparoux Weaver 120
9 Almoradi (Ire) Barathea (Ire) Nakatani Biancone 116
Saturday, Aqueduct
CICADA S.-GIII, $100,000, 3yo, f, 6f
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT
1 Southern Truth Yes It’s True Serpa Jo Servis 118
2 Liam’s Dream Saint Liam Napravnik A Dutrow 118
3 Indian Burn Indian Charlie Migliore Hertler 118
4 Bickersons Silver Deputy Bravo Breen 122
5 Fuzzy Britches Pollard’s Vision Luzzi Dutrow Jr 118
6 Female Drama Indian Charlie Cohen Pletcher 118
7 Romantic Hideaway City Zip Pino Sacco 120
BLACK-TYPE PREVIEWS
Saturday, Gulfstream Park
RAMPART S.-GIII, $150,000, 4yo/up, f/m, 1 1/18m
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER
1 Bambera (Ven) Water Poet (Ire) Perez Andrade
2 Don’t Forget Gil Kafwain Dominguez Hennig
3 Miss Match (Arg) Indygo Shiner Garcia Matz
4 Aurora Lights Pulpit Velasquez Coatrieux
5 Even Road Stephen Got Even Cruz Ersoff
6 Miss Singhsix (Ire) Singspiel (Ire) Leparoux Wolfson
7 Champagne Eyes Flatter Castellano Wolfson
8 Unrivaled Belle Unbridled’s Song Desormeaux Mott
All carry 117 pounds, bar Bambera, Don’t Forget Gil & Aurora Lights at 121.
FORT ERIE OPENING NOT FAR OFF
preview from WELLAND TRIBUNE
BY BERND FRANKE
FORT ERIE — Quality, not quantity, is what Fort Erie Race Track again will be offering the betting public when the thoroughbred horse racing season begins in May.
For the second time in as many years, there will only be 78 days of live racing on the racing calendar. That’s down from a high of 117 dates earlier this decade, but the track justified the decrease as necessary to satisfy the needs of horse owners while “enhancing the quality of the product offered to the betting public.”
“There would be 10 races every day in a perfect world and, ideally, as many horses as possible would be running in each race,” Daryl Wells Jr., the track’s media and communications director, said Wednesday.
A maximum field of 12 horses would offer the greatest appeal to bettors, but thoroughbred tracks such as Fort Erie can still attract business at the wagering windows when fields of nine are running.
“You don’t even want to think about the minimum number that a track can run,” Wells said in blaming the dropoff in racing dates on a decline in the “horse population.”
DAY 2 OF CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL
Remember, Friday is the big day at Cheltenham – the Gold Cup featuring 2-time Gold Cup winner KAUTO STAR and his nemesis DENMAN.
Here is a feature on KAUTO STAR – comaprisons are being made between him and the legendary ARKLE.
FROM BREAKINGSNEWS.IE:
Smith: Kauto on brink of immortality
Very few equine athletes have deserved the right to be ranked alongside Arkle, but owner Clive Smith believes Kauto Star is not far behind the colossus as he tries for a third totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup success.
Arkle and his arch rival Mill House monopolised National Hunt Racing through the 1960s, with the former rattling off a hat-trick of Gold Cup wins between 1964-66.
Kauto Star and stablemate Denman have enjoyed a similar rivalry in recent years, taking the last three renewals between them, with Smith’s record-breaker becoming the first to reclaim the race 12 months ago.
Paul Nicholls’ representative is the 4-6 favourite to join Best Mate, Arkle, Cottage Rake and Golden Miller with a third success.
Smith said: “I want the horse to win for himself as he is up there with the best of them.
Read more: http://www.breakingnews.ie/sport/smith-kauto-on-brink-of-immortality-450449.html#ixzz0iWqFb8m9
UPSET IN QUEEN MOTHER CC
recap from BBC news:
Big Zeb stunned Master Minded in the Queen Mother Champion Chase as favourites continued to be toppled on day two of the Cheltenham Festival.
Master Minded, ridden by Ruby Walsh, had been 4-5 favourite to win the race for the third year in a row.
But 10-1 shot Big Zeb, trained by Colm Murphy and ridden by Barry Geraghty, won Wednesday’s feature by six lengths as Master Minded failed to fire.
Walsh later broke Pat Taaffe’s record to claim a 26th Festival winner.
But the focus was mainly on Geraghty, who rode two winners in the day. He said of Big Zeb: “It was a great performance and he’s jumped well all year.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/horse_racing/8563100.stm
More from yesterday at the Festival:
from BBC News
Poker De Silva wins novice chase at Cheltenham
Poker De Sivola trained at Middleham by Ferdy Murphy won the National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival.
The 14-1 shot, ridden by Katie Walsh, won the novice chase for amateur riders finishing ahead of Becauseicouldntsee and third place Prudent Honor.
Murphy said: “He’s been knocked a few times but I never had any doubt.
“He’s just a little bit immature. Nothing worries him and he takes life very easy.”
Poker De Sivola ran in the race last year and Murphy said he had shown a big improvement this time around.
When she came in the ring she had a plan and she carried it out to a tee…
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/horse_racing/8573304.stm
