THOROUGHBLOG is ready to be on top of the WOODBINE MILE this week, however, it’s also press week for CANADIAN THOROUGHBRED MAGAZINE…

plus our resident handicapper JAKE has been sick and has needed some care…we hope for Jake’s  speedy recovery (he picked Rise and Shine to win the Muskoka stakes on Labour day!)


 

WOODBINE MILE
11 or 12 SET TO COMPETE, Northern Dancer stakes a doozy too

An intriguing mix of Americans and Euro’s will knock heads with the locals in the $1 million WOODBINE MILE on Sunday.
The long range forecast is for cool weather – in the 13Celcius range (that’s like high 50s F) and sun, so the course should be okay – some rain this week will make it nice.

The number of entrants is at 11 but the likelihood that KARA’S ORIENTATION is running in starting to increase daily.
Trainer Steven Chircop is also considering the Northern Dancer Stakes for the Max Berketa/Pinnacle Racing dude but a turn-back to 1 mile for the winner of the 1 1/8 mile Sky Classic Stakes, a Grade 2.

The Mile may have less speed in the field than one would think and perhaps Kara will enjoy stalking and pouncing.
JAMES REIMER, the goalie for the TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS, is the host at the draw on Thursday at Woodbine’s trackside tent.

WOODBINE MILE DRAW AVAILABLE ON WEBSITE
A reminder that Thursday’s Woodbine Mile draw from the VIP tent will be streamed live at www.woodbinemile.com.  Further information and event details for Mile day are available there.

BRISNET preview:

Shoemaker Mile (G1) winner COURAGEOUS CAT (Storm Cat) is among 11/12 probables for Sunday’s C$1 million Woodbine Mile (Can-G1). As of Monday, his prospective rivals include defending champion COURT VISION (Gulch), winless since his triumph at Woodbine last year; Bernard Baruch H. (G2) hero TURALLURE (Wando); Jaipur S. (G3) victor RIGHT ONE (Fr) (Anabaa); and the progressive English shipper SIDE GLANCE (GB) (Passing Glance).

Likely favorite Courageous Cat represents Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, who won the inaugural Woodbine Mile in 1997 with an 8-1 outsider named Geri. A homebred campaigned by Pam and Martin Wygod, Courageous Cat has started just 13 times in his career, but has won six of them. The lightly-raced five-year-old is two-for-two this season, taking the June 10 Poker S. (G3) at Belmont Park by 2 1/4 lengths, and the July 2 Shoemaker at Hollywood Park by a neck, both at one mile.

“There’s nothing not to like about them,” Mott said of the winning efforts. “They were both good races. The Poker was very good, and he came back on short rest and ran very well in the Shoemaker (beating Caracortado [Cat Dreams]). He held him safe. It looked they could have gone around again and he would have still won.

“As of right now, we’re happy with the progress he’s made since, so we’re cautiously optimistic. We’ve got to hope that things stay good for another week.”

Courageous Cat put the finishing touches on his preparation by breezing five furlongs in a bullet :59 4/5 over Saratoga’s firm Oklahoma training turf on Sunday. He will be ridden by veteran Pat Valenzuela, who won the 2006 Woodbine Mile aboard Becrux (Ity).
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/editorial/news/article.cgi?id=23818

NOTES ON….SIDE GLANCE

from Andrew Balding’s website:

Side Glance has been a relentless improver throughout his career. He was successful on just his second start in Group company with victory in the Group 3 Sovereign Stakes at Salisbury.  Though he is probably not ideally suited to the track there, he beat what looked a very competitive field quite cosily and will now step up to Group 1 company in Canada later this month.

KEENELAND SESSIONs 1 and 2, CANADIAN BUYERS

0071     CH.C. Lemon Drop Kid — Heat Lightning    Cam Allard    300,000
Bluegrass Thor. Services, Inc. (J. Stuart), Agent I
*0118     CH.C. Distorted Humor — Stormy Bear    Cam Allard    140,000
Maynard Farm
*Also a Canadian-bred

 

HOW’S THAT FOR A WEDDING PRESENT?

ASHLEE BRNJAS, enjoying her lavish wedding, was no doubt keeping one ear/eye on the Woodbine races on Saturday – while her Dad was busy hosting the fancy event, his homebred filly RECONNECT charged down the grass course to win the Ontario sired La Prevoyant Stakes worth $150,000.
Oh ya, she was 70-1 and was one of 3 in the race for the stable.
The winner won a wild finish over more longshots – BUBBLES TO THE TOP and L’AVENUE, while heavy favourite WEEKEND ROMANCE, an easy bet against since she was coming off that unsettling heat-stroke incident and was trying an unfamilar distance, finished 5th,
The breeding of RECONNECT (Niigon – A Familiar Face) may be familiar. her younger full brother won his maiden in his 2nd career start yesterday (SEEN IT ALL BEFORE).
It is the 3rd win for Colebrook in less than a week and certainly welcomed since the farm has had a rough go of things in 2011.
It would have been fun to see John and daughter Ashlee in the winner’s circle for the big win.
The post race interview was with Omar Moreno, who did not seem sure what to call his stakes winning filly:
Omar Moreno – “The way IT kicked on, I thought we had a very good chance. I was just hoping HE wouldn’t stop”…
 
race 6- The Mark Casse barn had some bad luck in race 5 with ‘Proud’ but had the Weather Warning first-timer SPIRIT WARNINGS nicely ready to duel 3 wide early in a maiden allowance and then pull away for Spirit Winds Stable Inc., which bred the black gelding. The mare, Dance for Olga, was a useful local runner and she had a yearling in the open sale later in the afternoon.
race 5 – the Pick 4 is murder – another maiden 2yo race, this one at 1 mile on the grass – the finish was in doubt until the final jump and it was the second consecutive debut winner for Sam-Son Farms and trainer Malcolm Pierce in 2 days – ALDOUS SNOW, following his siblings BRAVE ACT and …won his debut with a bold, somewhat scrambly rail rally to win a 4 horse photo. The leader late was MR. ONLINE,  a SILENT NAME 2yo making his 3rd start at 60 to 1.
The winner is by Theatrical out of Brave Destiny and of course, if you saw the funny movie FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL, you know Aldous Snow, the rock star (Russell Brand’s character).
The runner-up – HAMPSTEAD HEATH (Macho Uno) ran a huge race at long odds but was very green, bearing out in the stretch and then in and bumping others late. he was disqualified after a trainer and rider foul claim from 3rd horse PATRIOTICANDPROUD (Proud Citizen).
 race 4 – The Hillsbrook train continues to roll – GARLAND and MARIE WILLIAMSON have had a good year with their homebreds and ONE MORE DEAL won his maiden in his 2nd career start Saturday for trainer Nick Gonzalez. The long striding 2yo, by the young local sire Survivalist – Coogee Sunrise by  Deputy Commander was on the pace all the way through 6 furlongs, was passed by Mia’s Rocket, a Trajectory youngster, but then fought back to win under Gerry Olguin.
BURNETT’S JOSHAM FARMS HAS BIG SATURDAY
ROCKET TWENTYONE parlayed a big maiden win in her debut at Prairie Meadows (albeit with just a 46 Beyer Figure) into a win in the Arlington Washing Lassie Stakes on Saturday, a coup for ONtario breeders Ted Burnett and Yvonne Schwabe.
The filly is owned by Frank Fletcher of Arkansas.
The Indian Charlie – Symphonic Lady, by Blare of Trumpets 2yo filly was one sold for $95,000 as Keeneland September yearling before commanding $300,000 from her owner at the OBS March sale earlier this year. She is out of the stakes-placed Symphonic Lady (Blare of Trumpets), who is also the dam of the Grade 3-placed Bear’s Conductor (Congaree).
The 14-year-old broodmare is a half-sister to the stakes-placed Lady’s Legacy (Matchlite), whose daughter Shameful (Flying Chevron), a multiple Grade 3-placed stakes winner, produced dual champion Indian Blessing (Indian Charlie). Rocket Twentyone is closely related to the multiple Grade 1-winning earner of more than $2.5 million. This is also the female family of Japanese Horse of the Year Zenno Roby Roy (Sunday Silence), a daughter of Grade 1 winner Roamin Rachel (Mining); Grade 1 queen Cat’s Cradle (Flying Paster); and stakes winner and Grade 2-placed Little Matth Man (Matty G.)

STAG 3RD AT PRESQUE ISLE

Wise Dan pulls away to win in Presque Isle Mile
By BOB JARZOMSKI, Erie Times-News
bob.jarzomski@timesnews.com

Wise Dan got the victory in the race that his half-brother just missed winning in 2010.

Stalking the pace and turning it on when asked to run, Wise Dan dashed past Jimmy Simms and captured the fifth running of the $250,000 Presque Isle Mile on Friday night at Presque Isle Downs & Casino.

Under the guidance of veteran jockey Jon Kenton Court and trained by Charles Lopresti, the 4-year-old gelding prevailed in the race that half-brother Successful Dan finished second a year ago behind record-setting Gayego.

“We went with Plan ‘A’, and had him in the right spot,” said Court, who raced for the first time at Presque Isle Downs. “Any time you execute Plan ‘A’ and end up in the winner’s circle, you have to be delighted.”

Lopresti was ecstatic about the performance of Wise Dan, who won the Grade 2 Firecracker Stakes at Churchill Downs on July 4 the last time out.

“It was a carbon copy of that race, when he stayed off the pace on the backside, then when he was asked to run, he came running,” Lopresti said of the horse, who is based at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky. “Jon did a great job with him tonight. He’s a world-class rider.”

http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110910/SPORTS1401/309099882/-1/NEWSSITEMAP