TOP BEYER FIGURES FROM WINNERS ACROSS CANADA – AUG 22-26
98 – MR HAVERCAMP (T) – Sean and Dorothy Fitzhenry’s Court Vision 4yo won the Grade 2 Play the King Stakes, the local ‘prep’ for the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile. The race had 3 scratches as the turf came up quite soft.
94 – CODE WARRIOR – won the Grade 3 Seaway on the pace
94 – AURORA WAY (T)
89 – SLIP KID
86 – HOT RODIN (ASD)
84 – SILENT POET (T)
83 – DEEP FREEZE (T)
81 – ESCAPE CLAUSE (NP) won the City of Edmonton Distaff on Saturday
Mr. Havercamp’s victory in the Play the King was certainly among the most impressive wins of the week. The strong dark bay, trained by Catherine Day Phillips, will try to emulate his sire Court Vision’s win in the Woodbine Mile. It was learned that Strensall Stakes winner LORD GLITTERS is among the horses coming from overseas to challenge the locals. (http://www.skysports.com/racing/news/12040/11481762/ebor-day-round-up-lord-glitters-takes-york-gold)
LORD GLITTERS – courtesy Elwick Stud website
IT’S SALE TIME!
Wednesday night at Woodbine, prospective yearling buyers can get a glimpse of many of the current yearling sale graduates in action in six Sales Stakes races.
Thursday at noon it will be time to pick out a star of the future as the 2018 sale begins and offers upwards of 250 yearlings.
Eight of the top 10 sires in Canada currently have yearlings in the sale and there are some notable first year sires with their first youngsters up for grabs including FRAC DADDY (Scat Daddy), CONQUEST CURLINATE (Curlin), WE MISS ARTIE, CHART TOPPER and SILVER MAX.
The buzz about the sale has been loud and this year’s catalogue is a good one (see statistics below).
It is the hope of breeders and consignors that owners will be pumped to get a new prospect in the stable and that prospective owners will take their first leap, perhaps in a partnership.
PINK LLOYD, a $30,000 purchase, is the cover boy this year and he takes on 3 rivals in the Kenora Stakes, race 3 on Wednseday night. The reigning Horse of the Year has been near perfect this season and last.
In addition, 18 mares bought through the popular MARE PURCHASE PROGRAM will have yearlings in the sale. In 2017, the MPP offered buyers of in foal mares at recognized sales in the U.S. 50% of their purchase price back as long as the mare foals in Ontario and is bred back to an Ontario sire. There were 25 such mares in total bought through the program.
The list of mares obtained through the MPP with yearlings in the sale is in the supplement to the sale here:
https://issuu.com/anderson-co/docs/canadian_yearling_sales?e=5870891/63943334
Horses racing on Canadian Millions night on Wednesday with siblings in the sale are:
RACE 2 HALTON
# 4 Ethical Funds Hip 275 1/2 sis by Danza
RACE 4 SIMCOE
# 5 White Wedding Hip 225 full bro
# 6 Souper Hot Hip 190 1/2 bro by Old Forester
# 7 In Gus We Trust Hip 45 1/2 bro by To Honor and Serve
# 8 News Flash Hip 176 full sis
# 11 Stolen Identity Hip 122 1/2 sis by Souper Speedy
RACE 5 MUSKOKA
# 1 Einstein’s Babe Hip 268 1/2 sis by Wilko
# 3 Moksgmol Hip 139 full bro
# 5 Firey and Gorgeous Hip 105 full sis
# 8 Speedy Soul Hip 65 1/2 sis by Giant Gizmo
# 10 Ka Gee Gee Hip 220 1/2 sis by Giant Gizmo
# 12 Crumlin Time Hip 9 1/2 sis by Old Forester
RACE 8 ALGOMA
# 4 Fresh Princess Hip 138 1/2 bro by Frac Daddy
# 8 Sparkle’s Girl Hip 274 1/2 sis by Big Screen
(thank you to Vicki Pappas for these stats)
SKY PROMISE WINS FINAL CANADIAN DERBY AT NORTHLANDS PARK
SKY PROMISE wins the Canadian derby by a length with a 77 Beyer Speed Figure, the last Derby at Northlands Park – photo courtesy CTHS Alberta
Under a darkening, mottled grey sky, favourite Sky Promise (Sky Mesa) unleashed a powerful move — coming from next to last — to win Saturday’s 89th running of the $200,000 Canadian Derby at Northlands and race into history.
After 118 years of racing at its present location, the Derby was the last thoroughbred race ever at Northlands.
“I won my first race here as a trainer. To win the last is special. There’s a lot of history,” said winning trainer Robertino Diodoro, who recently saddled his 2,000th winner in Saratoga, N.Y.
HASTINGS PARK – AARON GRYDER WINS FIVE IN A ROW
MICHAEL BYE PHOTO courtesy Derby Bar & Grill Newsletter
Hastings Wrap-up For August 24
A large and lively crowd showed up for the races Friday night and they got to witness Aaron Gryder win 5 races in a row, including 3 stakes. It will be a memorable night, even for a guy who has won the world’s richest horse race, the Dubai World Cup, and over 120 million dollars in purses while rolling up 3,837 wins, including the five from Friday night. Trainer Craig MacPherson had the foresight to name Gryder on a couple of his entrants and was rewarded with a Sales Stakes double.
The Sales Stake for 3 and 4 year-old-fillies was sparsely populated but hotly contested. The three-year-old Cypress Park ($9.40) prevailed after a long battle with Yukon Belle who finished second. Last year’s BC Horse of the Year, Daz Lin Dawn was more observer than participant as she trailed along in third and last. Daz Lin Dawn beat Yukon Belle 5 times in a row in 2017 (although Yukon Belle beat her in the Fantasy at two) and she certainly did not lose to any three-year-olds in 7 starts. But that was last year, and Friday night was about Cypress Park.
Yukon Belle broke on top and led for a little more than a sixteenth of a mile before Cypress Park moved up inside her and took over. Yukon Belle tried to get by for a goodly part of the trip, but she could never reclaim the front end from Cypress Park. They were locked in combat for until they hit the head of the lane, at which point Cypress Park began to move away from Yukon Belle and maintain a safe margin all the way home. Final time for the mile-and-a-sixteenth was 1:46.57.
Cypress Park is owned by Nick and Pauline Felicella. They bought her in the 2016 CTHS Sale for $25,000 from her breeders, White House Stables. Cypress Park is by Second in Command, out of the Regal Remark mare, Mascaretta. That makes her a full sister to multiple stakes winner Hollywood Miss, and a half to both the 2006 Champion Two-Year-Old, Ookashada, and the 2013 Jack Diamond winner, Andallthatitmeans. Cypress Park is trained by Anita Bolton.
The two-year-old fillies Sales Stake was won convincingly by Notice ($12.30). She grabbed the lead immediately and opened up a clear lead as they were straightening out for the run down the backstretch. After that, there was little suspense. The odds-on Honky Tonk Woman bulged at her momentarily only to settle for a distant second and Backseat Rider chased earnestly without effect to finish third. Aaron Gryder rode the winner for what would be the first of five.
Notice got a half-mile in 47.33 and found herself cruising along with a cushion going into the final turn. She padded that cushion around the turn and hit the head of the lane with an insurmountable lead. In the end she was 4 ½ lengths clear after 6 ½ furlongs had passed in 1:19.05.
Notice is owned by Canmor Farms. She was bred in BC by Ole Nielsen and is by Stephanotis. Her dam is Ansede who has three foals of racing age and all three have won this year. Notice is the youngest and would appear to be the most talented. Mark Cloutier trains Notice.
The Sales Stake for the juvenile boys was won by Call It a Wrap ($7.80) who continued his deep-closing ways to win his second in a row. At one point, Call It a Wrap was last going down the backstretch. Then he launched a long, grinding run that would take him wide around most of the field on the last turn and down the length of the stretch. Late in the proceedings he collared a game Bugsy and moved a length clear at the wire. Final time for the 6 ½ furlongs was 1:19.61. Make that two in a row for Aaron Gryder.
Call It a Wrap was bred in British Columbia by Robert Ferguson and Nina Ferguson who sold him in the 2017 CTHS Sale for $6,000. Riversedge Racing Stables, Ltd. bought him and turned him over to Craig MacPherson to train. Call It a Wrap is by Finality, out of the Lemon Drop Kid mare, After the Rain.
The Sales Stake for 3 and 4-year-old colts and geldings fell to Strate Remark ($2.90) who at forty-five cents to a buck was the shortest price on the card. He led all the way with Wise Market in a dogged but futile pursuit that was still more than good enough for second. The 19-1 shot Desi rallied to take third by a neck over Salzburg. Aaron Gryder racked up win number three by guiding Strate Remark through a mile-and-a-sixteenth in 1:45.66.
Strate Remark won two stakes at two but went winless in 4 starts in 2017. He appears to have bounced back this year, having won two of his four starts. Strate Remark is by Sungold out of the venerable Red Rock mare Remarkable Gal who has now foaled four stakes winners (five if you count the exported Golden Dragon who won a stake in Macau) and two stakes-placed horses. Strate Remark is a full sister to the 2011 Sadie Diamond winner Sunnyside Gal and a half to Grade 3 winner Trick of the North and multiple stakes winner Remarkable Miss. Red Rock Farm bred the winner who brought $35,000 in the 2015 CTHS Sale. Riversedge Racing Stables, Ltd. signed the ticket and continue to race him. Craig MacPherson trains and it was the second straight win for the combination of MacPherson, Gryder and Riversedge.
STRATE REMARK romps in the 3 & 4-year-olds CTHS Sales Stakes PATTI TUBBS PHOTO
