Celebrate and pump Canadian horse racing and breeding!
As last night, JOYFUL VICTORY, foaled in Caledon, Ontario set a track record in winning the Houston Distaff at Sam Houston in Texas, photo from Sam Houston.
WYNNE, WIN SITUATION
It was a good result yesterday at the Liberal Convention in downtown Toronto as Liberal delegates voted overwhelmingly on the final ballot for KATHLEEN WYNNE as its new leader. WYNNE becomes the province’s first woman premier (Dalton McGuinty has stepped down).
Wynnne is rural Ontario oriented and has said in the past that she will listen to the plight of the Ontario horse racing industry.
Let’s hope she does just that and let’s get out there and present our great industry to her and her team!
OHRIA:
Message From Sue Leslie on Kathleen Wynne’s Victory
Dear Industry Members,
Tonight Kathleen Wynne became the leader of the Ontario Liberal Party and is expected to be sworn is as Premier shortly. Dwight Duncan has already stated his intention to resign as Minister of Finance and will not run in the next election.
As Kathleen Wynne’s transition team comes together, OHRIA will continue our extensive outreach to government officials.
Overall, in my opinion, Kathleen Wynne as Premier presents our industry with an opportunity to develop a long term, sustainable plan for the horse racing and breeding industry in Ontario.
Wynne has stated she intends to serve as her own Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and she has also made it clear she intends to work with the horse racing industry to implement a plan that follows the transition panel’s recommendations.
John Wilkinson, a member of the transition panel, has served as co-chair of Wynne’s campaign and is rumoured to be her choice for her Chief of Staff.
The Liberal leadership election process has been a net positive for our industry. In Kathleen Wynne we may find we have a willing partner in the Premier’s office, in addition to the support of key endorsers, whose help made her victory possible.
As you are aware, Eric Hoskins ran on a platform that included addressing our industry’s needs within sixty days of becoming Premier. Both Gerard Kennedy and Charles Sousa, who along with Hoskins endorsed Wynne, responded to OHRIA’s government relations efforts with positive comments about our industry’s future and the need for government to work with the horse racing and breeding industry.
There is still much work to be done, but in these early days of a new administration, I am confident we will find the opportunity to engage new decision makers, who will likely be more motivated than their predecessors to stand up to protect our industry.
I will keep you posted of our activities and interactions with government as things develop.
Sincerely,
Sue Leslie
President, Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association
KATHLEEN WYNNE ON HORSE RACING: from GODERICH SIGNAL STAR FEATURE
By Paul Cluff
Goderich Signal Star
Liberal leadership hopeful Kathleen Wynne wants to ‘empower’ towns and cities in Ontario.
“I really think we need to ensure our towns and municipalities have the tools that are appropriate, and infrastructure that will allow them to flourish,” the Don Valley West MPP said in a Jan. 3 conference call with reporters.
As the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Wynne worked closely with communities in the past and she has had a direct connection with local issues.
One local issue important to Huron County – the horse racing industry – is being thoroughly reviewed, Wynne told the Signal Star.
“I really want to ensure a sustainable horse racing industry.”
Wynne said the Horse Racing Transition Panel has composed a model and that Ted McMeekin, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, was instrumental in putting that panel together, “and making it clear to government that we needed to take a second, sober look at this issue.”
The panel report is a starting point to making sure the industry can be sustainable, Wynne said. But there hasn’t yet been a final decision on how to help the industry transition because, “there will be a need for changes in terms of the money for that transition,” Wynne said.
“I certainly don’t see a future where we don’t have a horse racing industry in the province. I will be working closely with the sector to make sure we get there.”
There is a sense of urgency about the future of horse racing and the jobs and economic impact that come with it, so the new Premier needs to address the issue immediately, Wynne said.
read more through RACINGFUTURE.COM..http://www.racingfuture.com/content/kathleen-wynne-sees-future-horse-racing-ontario
NOT EVERYONE HAPPY WITH 2-YEAR DEAL FOR ONTARIO RACING
“An owner can only get paid if he wins,” he said. “When you start taking away the chances of winning… they’re squeezing us.” – Ron Delmas, Fieldstone Farms
King horse trainers relieved by provincial deal
A two-year agreement between the provincial government and Woodbine Racetrack, announced Wednesday, has some local horse trainers breathing a sigh of relief.
“With 133 days for thoroughbreds this year, it’s enough to keep people in the business who want to be in the business,” Ian Black Racing trainer Ian Howard said.
“Now, I can at least start making plans,” Nobleton trainer Beverley Chubb said.
http://www.simcoe.com/news/article/1571133–king-horse-trainers-relieved-by-provincial-deal
Krista Tipping sent us this lovely photo of a colt born Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m. at Ballycroy Training centre..
Colt owned by Steven and Kathleen Kemp
Bold n Flashy colt out of Crafty and Kind (Crafty Prospector out of a Secretariat dam.
HE’S LUCKY AND GOOD
Bobby experiences first loss
ITSMYLUCKYDAY puts away Shanghai Bobby (Harlan’s Holiday)
Gulfstream media photo
It was a sizzling Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream yesterday, somewhat expected since it was a decent field. The result was a 104 beyer Figure for a strong winner, but that winner was not champion SHANGHAI BOBBY. Bobby, an eager 3yo who seems to know only one way of running, set the pace with Gulfstream Park Derby winner ITSMYLUCKYDAY tracking. The two hooked up turning for home and ITSMYLUCKYDAY edged away to win by 2 1/2 lengths. Bobby ran well in defeat but a Kentucky Derby win is not going to come with his aggressive style of running.
The winner is by the Langfuhr stallion LAWYER RON, the winner is from his 2nd crop. The mare, Viva La Slew is by Doneraile Court, by Seattle Slew, and the 3rd dam is by Secretariat.
This colt was a $47,000 yearling purchase from Keeneland September by Nick Hines as agent. He was a $110,000 2yo purchase at Ocala and bought by David Milen, co-owner of Trilogy Stable.
Leonard Zenith and Irma Desrochers’ CLEARLY NOW, from Woodbine and trained by Brian Lynch, was a decent 3rd although hew as beaten 13 1/2 lengths.
From EISAMINE EQUINE, you can see his 2yo workout in 10 3/5 for one furlong and see some conformation photos:
http://www.eisamanequine.com/horses/viva-la-slew-2010-2780.html
KENTUCKY DERBY POINTS
Goldencents (Into Mischief) 24
Shanghai Bobby (Harlan’s Holiday) 24
Oxbow (Awesome Again) 11
Itsmyluckyday (Lawyer Ron) 10
Violence (Medaglia d’Oro) 10
Overanalyze (Dixie Union) 10
Uncaptured (Lion Heart) 10
Power Broker (Pulpit) 10
Steeler (Ire) (Raven’s Pass) 10
River Seven (Johannesburg) 10
Will Take Charge (Unbridled’s Song) 10
JOYFUL VICTORY! TRACK RECORD FOR CANADIAN-BRED !
JOYFUL VICTORY SET NEW TRACK RECORD IN THE $400,000 HOUSTON LADIES CLASSIC
The inaugural running of the $400,000 Houston Ladies Classic, at a distance of a mile and one-sixteenth, attracted a spectacular field of fillies and mares. From an Oklahoma champion to a filly that competed in the elite Kentucky Oaks, the contenders arrived with collective earnings in excess of $2.3 million.
However, there was no denying the class and determination of Joyful Victory who took the lead under rider Rosie Napravnik and drew off to a 4/14 length score.
“It wasn’t necessarily my goal to go to the lead,” said Napravnik. “I expected to sit off the pace a little. But, when no one came with us, I said ‘we’ll take it’. She was on her game today and ran an excellent race.”
Trainer Larry Jones had high hopes for Joyful Victory, an Ontario-bred daughter of Tapit owned by Fox Hill Farms, Inc. She won the Grade 3 Honeybee and Grade 2 Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn Park before running fourth in the 2011 Kentucky Oaks. Her 4-year-old campaign was highly respectable with second and third-place finishes in five graded stakes. Her last win was in February, 2012, and Jones was thrilled with her riveting performance on Saturday evening.
“The plan was to get her to relax; not to fight her and just let her run,” said Jones. “I can’t take credit for setting two track records; Rosie had everything to do with that. But if there was one I really wanted, it was this race.”
Joyful Victory covered the mile and one-sixteenth feature, over a fast track, in a final time of 1:42.30. The previous track record of 1:42.74 was set on February 13, 1999 by Desert Air.
Brushed by a Star ran a game second for trainer Eddie Kenneally. The well-traveled mare racked up four wins in 2012, with stakes wins in the Grade 2 Molly Pitcher at Monmouth Park and the Chilukki Stakes last November at Churchill Downs. Regular pilot, Corey Lanerie, who was the leading rider at Sam Houston Race Park in 1995 and 1996, finished 1 ¾ lengths ahead of Sisterly Love who was making her stakes debut for conditioner Mark Casse.
She’s All In was next for Donnie K. Von Hemel, followed by Lookinforchange.
Rider Miguel Mena lost his irons aboard Summer Applause, who was making her first start since running in the Kentucky Oaks last May at Churchill Downs.
Joyful Victory paid $5.00 for the win and earned $237,600 for the Houston Ladies Classic victory.
It was a rough day for some other Canadian based horses as SPRING VENTURE was well beaten in the main track, Grade 2 Forward Gal Stakes behind Kauai Katie (96 Beyer) and JAMES STREET was last in the Col E R Bradley at Fair Grounds.
WELCOME TO THE WORLD!
here is a little girl born on Jan 16 at Woodlands Farm by AWESOME OF COURSE out of Vintage Moon, owned by Donver Stable.
Hello!
photo courtesy of Dan Steeves
