Happy Sunday -THOROUGHBLOG has bits from TRINIDAD, SAUDI ARABIA, FLORIDA and elsewhere..
.Thoroughblog friend APPRENTICE HANOVER won his 7th consecutive race at Woodbine last night in a preferred pace,
OH AND WITH APOLOGIES TO DAN LOISELLE (track announcer)… get on the phone and call your mammy, that’s 4 wins for Emile Ramsammy…
CANADIANS BUSY IN THE CLAIM BOX
The Woodbine backstretch opens this week (Tuesday) and while owners, trainers and workers may not be in a hurry to get back to the 4 feet of snow and ice, they are stocking up on horses.
Frank Cirillo and trainer John Mattine paid $12,500 for Baffoonery in race 1 at Gulfstream on Saturday. The 4yo Eddington gelding is 3 for 8 on the all weather surfaces and was third on dirt yesterday at Gulfstream
Tucci Stables and trainer Nick Gonzalez have already claimed one horse at Gulfstream and the team plucked another one out of the Saturday races. Midnight Bliss, a first time starter by Midnight Lute (sire of the Tucci’s Queen’s Plate winner Midnight Aria) cost $35,000 to claim (she was an $80,000 yearling) and she finished 8th beaten 6 lengths in her opener after a bad start.
In the last race, Tino Attard claimed the winner, Charade, for $16,000 from Ken and Sarah Ramsay. The winner is a Malibu Moon filly who was originally a $160,000 yearling and she has won 2 of 9 races, both wins on the grass.
Mattine and the Tuccis are both in a position to win races today at Gulfstream.
ON DRAFT, QUEEN’S PLATE POSSIBILITY?
He just won his maiden and is located on the other side of the continent, but ON DRAFT is a maiden allowance winner, an Ontario-bred and thus the Queen’s Plate comes to mind.
The son of Ontario sire Milwaukee Brew was bred by Devonleigh Farms and the dam, Kissin Kendall is out of Woodbine runner My Heart Sez Yes.
The colt’s win at Golden Gate on an all weather surface came in 1:39 3/5 for one mile, good for a 69 Beyer Figure.
Chart from Thoroughbred Daily News:
6th-GGX, $26,471, Msw, 3yo, 1m (AWT), 1:39 3/5, ft.
ON DRAFT (c, 3, Milwaukee Brew–Kissin Kendall, by Lemon Drop Kid) failed to hit the board in three turf attempts, most recently finishing seventh at this distance on the Santa Anita lawn Jan. 20 behind J “TDN Rising Star” J Texas Ryano (Curlin). Sent off at 5-2 for this switch to the synthetic, the bay broke on top, but soon conceded the lead to press the pace from a neck back in second. Skimming the rail, he reasserted just past the half-mile pole and was clear at the top of the stretch. On Draft held off late challengers to don cap and gown by a head over Time Jumper
(Denis of Cork). Sales history: $10,000 yrl ’12 FTKOCT; $65,000 2yo >13 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record:
4-1-0-0, $17,000.
O-Joseph Ciaglia, Sharon Alesia & Bran Jam Stable.
B-Devonleigh Farms (ON). T-Peter Eurton
PATRICK HUSBANDS EXPECTED TO RIDE MAJOR MARVEL IN BARBADOS GOLD CUP
Emile Ramsammy wins on Nominee in Trinidad, also to Gold Cup
It is OSCAR season and your hunch bet for the March 8 SANDY LANE GOLD CUP in Barbados could be NOMINEE. This 5-year-old son of AWESOME AGAIN – LA PORTA, by Distorted Humor crushed the field in the Eric Durant Memorial in Trinidad yesterday and he was one of 4 winners for Canadian jockey EMILE RAMSAMMY, who is originally from Trinidad.
NOMINEE was a $20,000 2yo purchase at Keeneland November and he ran at Mountainerr for $16,000 claiming early in his career. He has found a home on grass in the Caribbean and is headed to the Gold Cup next month, presumably with Ramsammy in tow.
The 4th dam of NOMINEE? The incredible grass mare WAYA.
Watch NOMINEE and EMILE RAMSAMMY win yesterday:
STORY from Trinidad Express:
Nominee is big man on turf
Momentum, Ramsammy sparkle
By Shammi Kowlessar
NOMINEE proved that he is the big man on the turf when horse racing continued yesterday at Santa Rosa Park, Arima.
The American-bred five-year-old maintained his unbeaten record on the surface after he prevailed in the Eric “Colt” Durant Memorial, feature attraction of the ten-race card.
Nominee was overtaken in the race for favouritism just before the start by Bigman In Town, but he did not allow the same thing to happen on the track.
The Trinidad Derby Stakes winner was breathing down his neck when they turned for home in the 1,700-metre contest. But Nominee started to pull away in the stretch and coasted home by 3 ¾ lengths and became the third of four winners during the afternoon for Emile Ramsammy.
Gold Cup runner-up Bigman In Town was actually nosed out for second by Kidz Ro, while Buffalo Soldier was fourth and Crime Of Passion, fifth, in the 1,700-metre contest.
Both Bigman In Town, the 8/5 favourite who won four of his five starts in Trinidad to be crowned Horse of the Year last season, and Crime Of Passion were racing for the first time on turf.
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/sports/Nominee-is-big-man-on-turf-245714281.html
MEANWHILE, Ken and Sarah Ramsay were reportedly in Barbados recently to firm up the participation of MAJOR MARVEL in the 9 furlong Gold Cup. Claimed for just $10,000 in APRIL 2012, this Bernstein gelding won the Claiming Crown turf race last December and had recently won 7 races in succession. He has won 13 races for the Ramsamys.
This guy raced at Woodbine in 2011 for Laurie Silvera and the Tucci Stable. He was claimed by Mike Pino and then by Maggi Moss before he moved to New Orleans and Kentucky.
PATRICK HUSBANDS, champion jockey in Canada, is scheduled to ride Major Marvel in the Gold Cup.
He’s a Marvel, MAJOR MARVEL was claimed for $10,000 by Ken and Sarah Ramsay. He is a monster on the grass and he is headed to Barbados. Steve Queen photo
GULFSTREAM MAIDEN WINNERS ON SATURDAY
By Catie Staszak
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Three back-to-back 3-year-old maiden races highlighted Saturday’s undercard, and some royal pedigrees translated to trips to the winners’ circle.
Lucky for You, a filly by Malibu Moon out of the stakes-winning Ayla Bella, took the fifth race by an impressive five lengths, breaking her maiden in her third career start. The Todd Pletcher trainee stalked the front-running Quinnkat early before taking command at the top of the stretch and drawing off comfortably. Under Javier Castellano, Lucky for You covered the 1 1/16 mile distance in 1:43.39 and paid $5.40 to win.
“I was very pleased,” Pletcher said. “We were looking forward to stretching her out and she got a really nice trip today, was able to stalk one horse in a good, comfortable rhythm and I thought she finished up really well.”
Lucky for you was purchased for $310,000 as a yearling by Michael Tabor; her dam has now produced three winners from three starters.
“We’ll see how she comes out of it, but we feel like she’s a stakes-caliber filly,” Pletcher said.
She’s Justified was third, and Quilt, coming off a seventh-month layoff, was fourth.
Another line of stakes winners was represented in the seventh race, when Robert Evans’ bay colt Dance Champion broke his maiden in his second career start while going a mile on the turf. Dance Champion is a son of multiple Grade 1 winner Medaglia d’Oro and Dance Away Capote, herself a Grade 3 winner. The colt made a bold four-wide move on the far turn before drawing off impressively. He was three lengths the victor over first time starter Charge Now, a half-brother to Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver. The final time was 1:35.55.
“Nice horse, nice run,” trainer Christophe Clement said. “He’s a fit horse today, and he’s got a career ahead of him. I’m a lucky man.”
The seventh race featured three Triple Crown nominees, including winner Victory Nor Defeat, who was making his first career start for trainer Ralph Nicks and Sagamore Farm. The bay colt by Unbridled’s Song, who produces debut winners at a 15% clip, out of the graded-stakes placed Daisyago was in tight quarters early but was able to find his stride and cross the finish line three lengths in front, impressing trainer Ralph Nicks.
As noted in DAILY RACING FORM’S a CLOSER LOOK notes, the colt had worked 3 furlongs in 34 2/5 for a 2yo sale last May and looked good.
“He’s a really nice horse,” Nicks said. “For him to win first time is a bonus, because he’s not really the type for me that normally wins first time. He’s not that fast horse that just runs everything off their feet, so it was a big race.”
Victory Nor Defeat was ridden by John Velazquez, who happily called over to Nicks upon entering the Winner’s Circle, “Just keep him sound.” He covered the seven-furlong distance in 1:23.33.
Although the colt made a late debut, Nicks believes Victory Nor Defeat, who paid $13.20 to win, could be a horse worthy of consideration for the Triple Crown Trail.
“I would think so,” Nicks said. “He has the pedigree to run on. He looks the part and he moves the part, and he’s smart enough.”
VICTORY NOR DEFEAT…did you bet him at 5 to 1 yesterday at Gulfstream – notes in Daily Racing Form noted 34 3/5 workout as a 2yo in training and his appearance and pedigree…GULFSTREAM PARK PHOTO FROM FACEBOOK
WATTANI, er, RON THE GREEK wins in the desert
thanks to DUBAIRACENIGHT.COM for great coverage!
Ron the Greek, now racing in Saudi Arabia under the name Wattani, won well in his first start for his new connections at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh on Saturday. Breaking from the middle of the pack in the one-turn, 1800-metre event, jockey Camilo Ospina positioned Ron the Greek in a stalking position, advanced four wide around the long turn, hit the front with more than 500 metres to run, and maintained a commanding lead. Mister Angry, who had a ground-saving trip, rallied up the rail for second while Mashoor was a distant third
