CARE

You know what to do if you see this guy…

 

 

Two Paul Buttigieg trained horses zipped past the training track clockers stand on a damp, mild spring morning. It was Thursday March 15 and business was going on as usual on the backstretch of Woodbine racetrack, home to champion racehorses since 1956.

The mood was cheerful, trainers, owners, riders greeted each other and perky horses sporting some newly clipped coats, bounced along a fluffy dirt surface. Even PENDER HARBOUR was spotted cantering past and looking the part of Canada’s top 3yo male of last year.

There was a a light cloak of uncertainty among everyone, however. After the “how was your winter?” discussion, the talk turned to the rogue government, the Liberals, and how it watched the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. tread all over the loves of thousands the day before.

Fort Erie’s slot machines were locked up for one day and then re-opened yesterday but only for a few more weeks. As of April 30, the slots at Fort Erie will be closed up for good. It may be the final nail for the 115 year -old track, the track where the great NORTHERN DANCER won, and our superstars went to take the middle leg of CANADA’S TRIPLE CROWN.

The track will go on as scheduled this year, horsemen are encouraged to fill up the place and enjoy the season. Let’s support it while we can.

A petition circulated the Woodbine backstretch yesterday, lots of signatures, and there is a big push for others to sign petitions and send messages.

So, the Liberal government  in Ontario has started to cut its swath through the province, too bad for the rural communities, Mr. McGuinty does not care. It’s all about the big city.

It felt good to be back among the horses and the workers yesterday but it sure was sad to think what may happen to all of them one day.

 

Inglorious works at Palm Meadows.

She is getting ready to try the grass in her opening start of 2012.

Janis Maine photo

 

LETTER FROM GLENN SIKURA – RE: PETITION

I’m hoping that everybody I have sent this e-mail to can take a moment out of their busy lives to offer some much needed assistance to an issue that is of greater importance than anything that I have ever faced (from a business perspective). Take a second to read what is happening. There is the potential to devastate many lives if the Province doesn’t reverse the “scorched earth” policy that they have begun.

P.S. We had a staff member pop in to a Ford dealership today and the manager said the petition did not apply to him. She asked him how many trucks their company has sold to local horse farms-Adena Springs, Hill ‘N’ Dale etc., he then signed, immediately. 

REAMS OF LETTERS POUR INTO NEWSPAPERS
almost 70% of Ontarians against gambling expansion

http://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters/article/1146952–rolling-the-dice

FORT ERIE TIMES

We’re in trouble,’ says popular horse trainer
HBPA says horse owners need to show up for 2012 season
By Kris Dubé

Nick Gonzalez has seen all the trials and tribulations at the Fort Erie Racetrack over the last 40 years.

The horse trainer who recorded his 1,000th career win at the track last year, says he is normally very optimistic about the historic border oval and the problems it has faced being rectified…but when he looks ahead to the 2013 season, that optimism has slightly faded.

“Some people might think they would never hear these words come out of Nick Gonzalez’s mouth, but we’re in trouble,” he said while speaking to the Times from Florida.

But the decorated trainer who also runs at Woodbine in Toronto, says the horse racing industry isn’t going to just sit back and let the provincial government crumble its operation.

“We’re not going down without a fight,” said Gonzalez, who is the vice-president of the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) and is on the board of directors for the Fort Erie Live Racing Consortium.

http://www.forterietimes.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3502561

MARCH 2YO SALE/OBS CHAMPIONSHIP RACES

FRANK FLETCHER RACING (from Arkansas)  bought 2 Canadian breds at the March 2 sale including a Tapit colt for $240,000. The colt was an RNA as a weanling for $65,000 at Keeneland Movember 2 years ago and then  privately bought him after he was an RNA  $100,000 ‘short yearling’ at Keeneland January. Bred by Bill Graham’s Windhaven, the grey colt was sold by Mighty White Stallion: (story from TDN)

ALFREDO RONSO sold only one horse at OBS March, but made it count yesterday with a $200,000 colt by Tapit–Woods Bay (Mr. Greeley). Frank Fletcher Racing Operations, who
landed the sale topper, purchased the Ontario-bred colt, who was produced by a daughter of Canadian champion juvenile filly Fantasy Lake (Salt Lake). Mighty White Stallion offered the horse as hip 215. “We bought him as a short yearling at Keeneland January [after he had RNA=d for $10,000],@ said Ronso. AHe is a good-minded colt. We didn=t press him too hard, and he was very green, but he still worked very good at the breeze show [in :10 2/5].@ Ronso is a native of Venezuela, where for the past two decades his family
has bred and sold horses under the La Mulera Corp. banner.

EVERATT -BRED SELLS FOR DUBINSKY

HIP 116 f City Zip Sago 240,000
Breeders – James A & Janeane Everatt, & J Arika Everatt – Meeuse (ON)
Consigned by Wavertree Stables Inc (Ciaran Dunne), Agent VI
Purchased by Lane’s End Bloodstock
Western Canadian-based Donver Stable headed East for last fall’s Canadian Society yearling sale in Toronto and included among purchases was this bay, who brought Cdn$35,340. The Ontario-bred made some noise south of the border Tuesday, bringing an impressive increase over that original investment.

CANADIAN BRED 2YOS IN THE SALE
NO. BUYER    under tack time  NAME                     SEX           SIRE                     DAM

OUT 6      …………………….DKB/BR C….  Ghostzapper…………..Just Breezing

6 MIKE DOYLE, AGENT, $60,0002  :10 3/5     True Attraction……….CH F……..  Yes It’s True…………New Attraction

OUT 101    …………………….DKB/BR F….  Lion Heart……………Regal Blues

116 LANE’S END $240,000   :10    …………………….B F………  City Zip……………..Sago

141    LET’S GO STABLE $210,000  :21 …………………….B C………  Sharp Humor…………..Sobhy’s Gal

168  FRANK FLETCHER RACING $170,000    :10 3/5 Tangliora…………….DKB/BR F….  Medaglia d’Oro………..Tango Prospect

183 NOT SOLD     .:10 3/5……………………CH C……..  Holy Bull…………….Tudor Queen

186 MARK CASSE, AGENT $130,000  :21 3/5   …………………….B F………  Spring At Last………..Unbridled Run

194  $75,000 COLTS NECK   :10 1/5 …………………….B F………  Songandaprayer………..Villacora

209$75,000 V. CERIN    :11.0 …………………….DKB/BR C….  Sun King……………..Willow Woodman

215   FRANK FLETCHER RACING $215,000  :10 2/5…………………….GR/RO C…..  Tapit………………..Woods Bay

237     NOT SOLD  :10 4/5 Haggatts……………..DKB/BR F….  Harlington……………Appleby Gardens

265  OUT    : 10 2/5…………………….CH F……..  Silver Train………….Caseys Irish Pride

301  $32,000 GZS STABLE    .:22 3/5 ……………………DKB/BR C….  Fusaichi Pegasus………Duda

348    PATRICE MILLER $130,000 . :10.00 ……………………DKB/BR F….  Successful Appeal……..House of Soviet’s
Canadian buyers

56 10 F. MR. GREELEY /MORNING CRY – Brian Lynch $20,000
10 C. YES IT’S TRUE /SCATTER THE CROWD John Ross for Jam Jar $50,000
126 10 C. A.P. INDY /SHARP SUSAN – MARK CASSE, AGENT $425,000
273 10 C. BERNSTEIN /CHEMISE HARVEY SWARTZ $30,000

And, at the OBS CHAMPIONSHIP RACES, a first time starter 3yo, CRAFTY UNICORN won the big race of the 4 events, the Classic at 1 1/16 miles. The Friends Lake fellow, who had one workout last July at Monmouth but then none again until late fall, ran an 82 Beyer Figure in the win.

The Mark Casse starters picked up a couple of thirs on the card.
NO LUCK FOR LUCK – PAULICK REPORT – STRONACH TELLS TV GUIDE HE WANTED A MEETING

The HBO series Luck might have faced an uncertain future, even if three horse deaths had not occurred during production.  TV Guide says Santa Anita owner Frank Stronach was already worried about Luck’s portrayal of racing and was leaning toward ending the track’s relationship with the show:

“I’m just disappointed because it puts sort of an ugly face on the whole point of horse racing,” he told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. “We’re not going to participate if horse racing is shown in such a bad way.” Stronach had planned to meet with the producers, Santa Anita Director of Special Projects Pete Siberell told TVGuide.com. “[Stronach’s] people in Toronto wanted me to set up a meeting with Michael Mann and David Milch to talk about the show. That was [Tuesday], when all this hit. We were going to have a meeting to talk about it because he was concerned about the direction the show was going.”

A spokeswoman for HBO replied: “We have no knowledge of any such conversation.”….

http://www.paulickreport.com/news/people/report-stronach-wanted-meeting-about-luck-s-direction/

FOLLOW CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL AT HORSE-RACES.NET
http://horseracing.about.com/od/uk/ss/aa-2012-cheltenham-festival.htm

 

**FORT ERIE STATUS QUO FOR 2012…

NOTICE TO ALL FORT ERIE HORSEPEOPLE AND EMPLOYEES RE:

  OLG STATEMENT – Wednesday, March 14, 2012

 

·         Today, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission announced that the slot operation at Fort Erie Race Track would close at the end of business on Monday, April 30^th.

·         It is VITALLY IMPORTANT that horsepeople and employees at Fort Erie understand that this decision will have NO impact on our scheduled plans for racing at Fort Erie during 2012.

·         The government has guaranteed its funding for the operation of the race track and the slot revenue which assists in funding the purses has been committed for this racing season which, if business remains the same as last year, our purse account will not be impacted.

·         It is of utmost importance that this message be conveyed to anyone who has raced at Fort Erie or is planning on racing at the track in 2012 in a positive tone.

·         It is our main objective to open for training on April 8 and implement our marketing plans for the meeting which we believe will be exciting, effective and innovative in making this season one to remember.

·         Senior management will be working on various scenarios for the 2013 season and will keep everyone informed as to the progress we are making during the racing season.

·         It is also vitally important that we receive the support of the owners and trainers in supporting our product with full fields and competitive horses as everyone knows these are keys to attracting on track business and also assists in marketing our simulcast signal to our outlets throughout the world.

·         We look forward to seeing everyone on April 8^th.