BABIES RULE
Hotshots at Woodbine Friday readying for big 2yo stakes
Okay, there figures to be about a zillion horses in the upcoming Summer Stakes, a Win and You’re In race that could lure some Amerians – but this corner says …don’t bother, we have some dandies here.
The Summer prep was yesterday and while that winner, STORMY LORD, was very impressive, the performance of firster Born to Act, a Sam-Son Farms homebred who won a 6 furlong turf maiden race in stunning fashion in race 5.
The dark bay – almost steel grey coloured Theatrical colt was wiped out at the strat of the race as a 4 to 1 shot. He trailed the field into the turn and was still last into the stretch.
But the youngster moved methodically between horses under a cool Todd Kabel, switched to his wrong lead in deep stretch and won wrapped up as so much the best. The leggy colt is out of Brave Destiny, a winning half sister to STRUT THE STAGE, whose first crop are yearlings this year.
The 3rd dam is Amelia Bearhart – CHIEF BEARHART’S MUM.
BORN TO ACT received a 74 Beyer Figure 1:10/98 for the distance.
BOUGHT BACK FOR $10,000!
STORMY LORD is a Kinghaven Farms bred colt, owned by Kinghaven and Hat Trick Stable, that won his debut on turf earlier in the summer. A failed Polytrack run in his latest was quickly forgotten when he sped to the lead in the stretch of the 7 furlong SUMMER STAKES PREP as race 8 and ran in 1:23 1/5.
He earned an 81 Beyer Figure.
Left in his grassy wake was the much hullaballooed GHOST FLEET, hailed by many as the best local 2yo but who had never raced on turf and did not have much Beyer Figure flair.
He was off the board.
STORMY LORD, a Stormy Atlantic chestnut from an unplaced mare, was bought back from the Keeneland September sale last fall for just $10,000. Wow.
The Summer could also attract RUHTRO, a good 2nd to Stormy Lord, CONCERT STAGE, who was 3rd, and maybe even debut winner HOLLINGER, who won the 3rd race on Polytrack but is bred for the grass.
A Black Minnaloushe fellow, the steel grey won his debut nicely for trainer Roger Attfield and owner/breeders ROBERT HARVEY and A. Wortzman.
He earned an 81 Beyer Figure.
And congrats must go out to JENNIFER EDWARDS’ homebred BY CHANCE TO DREAM, who won his 2nd career start in race 7, a maiden allowance, in 1:11 2/5. The son of Tomahawk, owned and bred by Edwards’ Bonny Breeze Acres, battled back to win under a crafty Todd Kabel. Alex McPherson trains.
In a shocking result earlier on the card, 20 to 1 shot SHOW ME THE RING won the Natalma prep for Natural Eight Stable and trainer Billy Tharrenos.
The filly is by the red-hot WHERE’S THE RING and was a $5,700 weanling buy.
She has won $74,000.
Oh yes, you can buy her full brother in the upcoming yearling sale – hip 413 offered by Gardiner Farms.
TODAY’S WOODBINE FEATURE HONOURS THE GREAT PLAY THE KING
WOODBINE MILE HOPEFULS will get a bit of a giving grass today fo the Play the King Stakes.
Check yesterday’s post for that cool video of Play the King and his wild Breeders’ Cup run years ago.
Saturday, Woodbine, post time: 4:25 p.m. EDT
PLAY THE KING S.-GII, $200,000, 3yo/up, 7fT
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER ML
1 Cross Every Bridge Giant’s Causeway Landry Frostad 6-1
2 Rebellion (GB) Mozart (Ire) Husbands Motion 8-1
3 Field Commission Service Stripe Pizarro Vella 4-1
4 Wise River Belong to Me Lanerie Hanna 6-1
5 Jimmy Simms Lost Soldier Jones Attfield 8-1
6 Fifteen Love Point Given Contreras Frankel 8-1
7 Jungle Wave Hold That Tiger Kabel Attard 5-2
8 Just Rushing Wild Rush Wilson Attard 3-1
TRAVERS DAY – COULD BE SLOPPY
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS REPORT
SHERRY ROSS
SARATOGA SPRINGS – Maybe it would be more accurate to call the Travers the “Second Chance Derby.”
Traditionally nicknamed the “Mid-Summer Derby,” today’s 140th edition of the mile-and-a-quarter race gives 3-year-olds a shot to repair reputations that have not lived up to their spring hype, or vault late bloomers into the mix for a divisional championship.
Quality Road, who missed the Triple Crown series after promising Derby prep victories, is the 8-5 morning-line favorite after a comeback victory in the 6-1/2-furlong Amsterdam on Aug.3. Belmont winner Summer Bird will try to bolster his credentials following a runnerup finish behind filly Rachel Alexandra in the Haskell.
Charitable Man, 6-1 on the morning line, finished a tired fourth in the Belmont after winning the Peter Pan, then was third in the Jim Dandy behind fellow Travers starters Kensei and Warrior’s Reward.
TEJABO
1985-2009
Stakes winner and sire of a Queen’s Plate winner Tejabo passed away on Aug. 22 due to a freak accident at a farm in Hillsburgh, Ontario.
The 24-year-old son of Deputy Minister had been retired from stud duty and was living the life of a friend to his owners.
Bred in Ontario by Josham Farms, Tejabo won eight of 44 races, including a pair of stakes, and $282,117. He was out of the stakes winner Cutty, who also produced multiple Group 3 winner Sharp Singer and Panamanian Group 1 winner Late Request.
He stood at stud in various places throughout Canada and was in western Canada when his son T J’s Lucky Moon, also deceased) won the 2002 Plate.
He moved to Park Stud in 2003.
T J’s Lucky Moon’s Canadian classic Queen’s Plate win was the biggest for any of Tejabo’sstarters, but the veteran sire had been represented by six stakes winners from his seven crops, including Dance Smartly Handicap (Can-G3) winner Except for Wanda.
WANT TO BUY INTO A YEARLING OR TWO?
Partnerships are abound in racing these days and why not get into one for the upcoming Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society yearling sale with top trainer READE BAKER?
From his website: www.readebaker.com
08/27/09 – CANADIAN YEARLING SALES – SEPTEMBER 08, 2009 – If you are interested in owning a share in a Canadian Bred, Ontario Sired Yearling, this may be the opportunity for you to do so. Reade will be active at the sale this year looking specificly for Ontario Sired Yearlings. He is interested in retaining 25% share of any purchase he makes. Anyone interested in 25% or more, should contact us to discuss details. The racing program for horses by Ontario Sires is a very lucrative one. With more horses from the US being stabled at Woodbine, the competition has increased in all races with the exception of the ones restricted to horses by Ontario Sires. This is the market we plan to target this year.
Yearlings on display – at Richard Hogan’s farm last week. Here is a colt from the first crop of the sire SURVIVALIST, hip no. 119. Bred by Kelynack Stable.
FORT ERIE NEWS
from Welland Tribune
HARLAN ABBEY
Jockey hopeful needs to win losing game
Goal of off-season workouts is to hit weight target
Kirk Johnson rode a winner Sunday and two more Monday, a feat that his friend, Damion Kaye, hopes to match in the 2010 season at the Fort Erie Race Track.
“We’re both from Jamaica and Kirk advised me to come here,” Kaye said. “All I have to do is get my weight down from 126 at present to 112 or so, and I know how to do it.”
Weight frustrated Kaye’s riding ambitions when he applied to Jamaica’s school for jockeys a few years ago: “There were so many applicants they just took those who weighed the least, around 105 pounds or so. But they did have races just for exercise riders, and I won two of them.”
At present, Kaye exercises yhoroughbreds each morning for trainer Winston Wilkinson, and other trainers when he has the time.
Read more here:
http://www.wellandtribune.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1720892
