Watching and wagering today on the races in warmer climes – hard not to be warmer than what southern Ontarians are dealing with – back to -30 windchills Dec 31 and through next week!
CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL HERO BULLARDS ALLEY in action
BULLARDS ALLEY, who shocked racing fans far and wide with his 10+ length win in the Grade 1 Canadian International at Woodbine in October, is the headline horse in an early stakes race feature at Gulfstream today.
The big gelding is 7 to 5 to win the 2 mile Allen Jerkens Stakes on grass and it goes early in the card with a 2:05 post time as race 5 (post time is 12 noon).
Ontario bred ENGLISH ILLUSION takes on Bullard for trainer Dan Vella, who conditions the 4yo for Sangreal Investments. English Illusion wa sstakes placed in 2017 and is an up and comer in long grass races.
Saturday, Gulfstream Park, post time: 2:05 p.m. ET
H. ALLEN JERKENS S., $100,000, 3yo/up, 2mT
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER ML
1 Infinite Wisdom Smart Strike J.Ortiz Lynch 9-2
2 Run Time Gio Ponti Gaffalione Maker 10-1
3 Gold Shield Medaglia d’Oro Franco McGaughey 7-2
4 English Illusion English Channel Lezcano Vella 12-1
5 Honovi Harlan’s Holiday Saez Walsh 15-1
6 El Kurdo Giacomo Talaverano Summers 20-1
7 Bullards Alley Flower Alley Lopez Glyshaw 7-5
8 Infobedad (Arg) Dancing for Me (Arg) Rosario Drysdale 6-1
CHASING THE RAINBOW
As the carryover for the Rainbow Pick 6 continues to grow at Gulfstream, it gets all the more intriguing to try and chase that pot of gold. At a base amount of 20 cents, it is possible t put together a little ticket to take a shot at the big money but remember, you are going against the big whales from around the world. One of those players looked to be a cinch to win the entire $571,000 the other day when CRYOGENIC (one of 2 horses in the last race that would have taken down the entire Rainbow 6) led late in a turf maiden race:
WATCH: Horse Bettor Loses Out on $571,000 When a Jockey Falls Off Right Before the Wire
CHELLA keeps on winning
The 6-year-old mare CHELLA, by Where’s the Ring – Always Loving by Hennessy won a nice race at Tampa Bay Downs on Friday:
In Tampa Bay Downs’ third race, a 5 ½-furlong allowance/optional claiming ($62,500) contest for fillies and mares 3-years-old-and-upward, 6-year-old Ontario-bred mare Chella turned on the afterburners to defeat Catsadiva by four-and-three-quarter lengths. The winner’s time for the distance was 1:04.64.
Chella, who is owned and trained by Elliot Sullivan, won for the 24th time in 39 starts. She was ridden by Samy Camacho. Chella has won 10 of her last 12 races, with two thirds, and her career earnings are $290,398.
Sullivan claimed the mare 2 years ago, April 1, for $10,000 at Mahoning Valley. The mare was bred by Brian Cullen.
Chella has won at 9 different tracks:
Woodbine -3 Mahoning Valley -5 Mountaineer – 2 Thistle – 4 (4 consecutive) Churchill -1 Keeneland -1 Fort Erie -6 (3 consecutive twice) Del. -1 Tam.-1
CANADIAN TRAINERS BUSY
Training was cancelled at Oaklawn Park on Thursday because of the deep freeze but trainer NORM MCKNIGHT, Woodbine’s leading conditioner of 2017, had some workers earlier in the week as he gets ready for his first season at the Arkansas track.
The meeting begins Jan. 12.
Second leading trainer MARK CASSE, recently featured on the Woodbine website, is preparing probably Canadiain Champion 2-year-old filly WONDER GADOT for a start in Fair grounds soon as that gal continues her busy schedule towards the May Kentucky Oaks. The filly is also a Woodbine Oaks and Queen’s Plate contender but those races are not until June.
FLAMEAWAY, an Ontario bred 3yo, is also a Plate contender but he is scheduled to race on Jan 6 at Gulfstream and would seem to be doing most of his sophomore work in the winter and spring in the US much like horses King and His Court and State of Honor did last year.
It was a tough day for the Casse stable on Friday at Gulfstream as first time starter Time in Motion, a $650,000 purchase and a 2yo owned by John Oxley, broke down as the favourite and was euthanized.
In Florida, Bill Tharrenos, Mike DePaulo, Nick Gonzalez, Josie Carroll, Roger Attfield, Reade Baker, Malcolm Pierce and many more have already had starters at Tampa Bay and Gulfstream. SCOTT FAIRLIE and STEVEN CHIRCOP are at Penn National. Mike Blake has been riding a roll at Laurel Park and Willie Armata and Julie Belhumeur have sent out recent winners.
And MIKE KEOGH is “back at the barn, where I am supposed to be” training the horses of Gus Schickedanz at Aiken in South Carolina. Keogh, conditioner of the most recent Canadian Triple Crown winner, Wando, is enjoying the warmer climate of South Carolina and has plenty of promising soon-to-be 3-year-olds for 2018.
Today at Gulfstream some of the top horses from 2017 are in action including TIZ A SLAM and GHOSTLY PRESENCE who compete for CHiefswood Stable in the Tropical Park Derby and the 2nd split of the Oaks respectively. Roger Attfield trains both runners who have reasonable chances to get a piece.
