CHASING 221 – PART 6

Eurico has done lots of post-race interviews following stakes events this year. He’s seen here with Jeff Bratt after he won on Catherine Day Phillips (left) trainee Dixie Moon – courtesy Eurico da Silva Facebook page

Could it happen this weekend? 6 to tie and 7 to beat the record.

(Editor’s note, Eurico has won the first 2 races of the Friday card…stay tuned!)

Eurico Da Silva begins a fun three days of racing at Woodbine today and the track’s leading rider is getting oh-so close to Mickey walls’ record of 221 wins at one Woodbine meeting.

Walls, who was an apprentice when he won 221 races at Woodbine in 1991 (he won 286 races the entire year as there were Greenwood dates in the spring and fall) won those races in 136 days.

Da Silva, who had to wait six racing dates before he could get started this year (due to a suspension) has 127 racing cards to match or beat the record.

TOP WIN PERCENTAGE JOCKEYS IN NORTH AMERICA

(200 or more mounts)

Juan C. Diaz             623    203 144 96 $1,700,687 $2,730 33% 
John R. Davila, Jr. 412      128 77 74 $1,649,635 $4,004 31%
Luis H. Colon            364   105 65 50 $1,949,090 $5,355 29%
Eurico Rosa Da Silva 777    215 160 107 $7,769,913 $10,000 28% 

Eurico’s Friday to Sunday mounts from Equibase (25 before scratches)

Woodbine – 11/30/2018

1 Maiden Special Weight TB Lucas n’ Lori Kevin Attard
2 Maiden Special Weight TB Souper Scat Daddy Mark Casse
3 Allowance TB Captain Handsome Robert Tiller
4 Claiming TB Bakersfield Norman McKnight
6 Claiming TB Pugsley Jim Ensom
8 Optional Claiming TB Special Forces Kevin Attard

Woodbine – 12/1/2018

1 Claiming TB Agosta John Charalambous
2 Maiden Special Weight TB Blezniatka Robert Tiller
4 Claiming TB Boathouse View Michael Mattine
5 Maiden Claiming TB Golden Vision Kevin Attard
6 Maiden Claiming TB Ami’s Link Sid Attard
7 Allowance TB Magic Tapit Roger Attfield
8 Kingarvie Stakes TB Blessed Two Kevin Attard
9 Optional Claiming TB Timeskip Renee Kierans
10 Maiden Special Weight TB Souciologist Kevin Attard

Woodbine – 12/2/2018

1 Claiming TB Touch of Disney Norman McKnight
2 Maiden Special Weight TB Bobby Bittman Catherine Day Phillips
3 Claiming TB Fort Wise Treaty Catherine Day Phillips
4 Claiming TB Subzero Plus Jim Ensom
6 Maiden Claiming TB Hedeman Renee Kierans
7 Starter Optional Claiming TB Street Legal David Borsk
8 Sir Barton Stakes TB King and His Court Mark Casse
9 Allowance TB Fresh Dreams Robert Tiller
10 Maiden Claiming TB In View Robert Tiller
11 Maiden Claiming TB Josephine Kevin Attard

 

AMERICAN BREEDERS/OWNERS AIMING FOR QUEEN’S PLATE

Ulwellings in 2nd year of shipping mares to Ontario to foal

The tweet from Bill and Al Ulwelling of Elk River, Minnestoa who showed photos of four mares that are at Glenn Sikura’s Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm in King, ON ready to foal for 2019.

The Ulwellings, leading owners at Canterbury Downs on more than one occasions and owners of a construction company in their home State continue to boost up their presence in Ontario racing.

The father and son team began racing horses regularly at Woodbine just over a year ago and one of the first horses they brought was PUMPKIN RUMBLE,  a popular chestnut gelding trained by Kevin Attard. The son of English Channel, claimed for $30,000 by the Ulwellings from the horse’s 2nd career start, recently won the prep for the Valedictory Stakes. The Grade 3 Valedictory is on the last day of racing at Woodbine, Dec. 16 and the Ulwellings have never won a graded stakes race.

PUMPKIN RUMBLE’S 3RD DAM is the Windfields Farm, Kentucky Oaks winning mare TRULY BOUND.

SILVER MAGNA, a homebred multiple stakes winner by Magna Graduate, is one of 4 mares who are at Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms in King ready to foal for 2019 – courtesy Bill and Al Ulwelling

However, the family’s yellow and orange silks were seen streaking to victory back in 2010 in the Manitoba Derby when STACHYS won that province’s top race.

They had mares foal at Hill ‘n’ Dale last winter (2018) and are making a run at the Queen’s Plate a main goal.

On Wednesday’s Thoroughblog, we reported that Canadian owner Jayson Horner had shipped his mares back to Ontario to foal. (See below)

HERE’S HANNAH – BRITISH COLUMBIA’S HORSE OF THE YEAR!

 HERE’S HANNAH shown with trainer John Morrison – Michael Bye photo from Derby Bar & Grill

HERE’S HANNAH, winner of the BC Oaks and three other stakes races from five starts in 2018 was named the BC and Open Horse of the Year at last night’s 2018 Thoroughbred Awards in Langley, BC.

The chestnut 3-year-old by Numaany – Dreams Start Here, by A Fleets Dancer, bred by B.C. Stables was also named Champion Three-Year-Old Filly in the BC and Open divisions.

Owned by B C Stables and Paul Caravetta and trained by John Morrison, Here’s Hannah is the 4th foal from the unraced mare Dreams Are Free who was named Broodmare of the Year.

Leading Breeders for the Year were Ron and Rae Fawcett’s Tod Mt. Thoroughbreds and Leading owner was Glen Todd’s North American Thoroughbred Horse Company.

 

2018 BC Thoroughbred Award Winners

Here’s Hannah

  • B.C. Bred Horse of the Year
  • OPEN Horse of the Year
  • Champion Three-Year-Old Filly B.C. Bred
  • Champion Three-Year-Old Filly Open

Owner: B C Stables and Paul L. Caravetta

Trainer: John D. Morrison

Breeder: B.C. Stables

More Winners:

Champion Juvenile Sire for 2018: Stephanotis

Champion Sire for 2018: Rosberg

Champion Broodmare for 2018: Dreams Start Here

Leading Breeder for 2018: Tod Mtn. Thoroughbreds

Hall of Fame Inductees: Leif Nordahl & The Dittloff Family (Ed, Gladys and Karen Dittloff)

Leading Jockey: Amadeo Perez

Leading Apprentice Jockey: Lenny Seecharan

Leading Trainer: Philip Hall

Leading Owner: North American Thoroughbred Horse Company, Inc.

HBPA Backstretch Person of the Year Award: Erick Gutierrez & Alvina Helfenstein

Champion 2-Year-Old Filly: 

B.C. Bred Division: Dancin Shoes

Owner: David and Delaurlyn Pihl

Trainer: Barbara Heads

Breeder: Mr. & Mrs. David H. Pihl

Open Division: Summerland

Owner: George Gilbert

Trainer: Philip Hall

Breeder: Tres Hombres & George Gilbert

Champion 2-Year-Old Male

B.C. Bred Division: Dat Day

Owner: Canyon Farms

Trainer: Craig MacPherson

Breeder: Canyon Farms

Open Division: Explode

Owner: Canmor Farms

Trainer: Mark Cloutier

Breeder: Flaxman Holdings Limited.

Champion 3-Year-Old Male

B.C. Bred & Open Divisions: Weekend Wizard

Owner: Riversedge Racing Stables, Ltd.

Trainer: Craig MacPherson

Breeder: Foundation Racing Stable

Champion Older Filly/Mare

B.C. Bred Division: Notis the Jewell

Owner: Mark Fielding, Larry Fielding, Cherie Moryson and Chris Derose

Trainer: Larry E. Fielding

Breeder: Len Fielding

Open Division: Victress

Owner: Victoria and Robert Gilker

Trainer: Robert Gilker

Breeder: Judy B. Hicks

Champion Older Male

B.C. Bred Division: Driller

Owner: Don B. Danard and Mel Snow

Trainer: Mel Snow

Breeder: Mel & Fran Snow

Open Division: Calgary Caper

Owner: Kim Peacock, Philip Hall and Lance Giesbrecht

Trainer: Philip Hall

Breeder: Robert J. Harris and Mary Harris

Champion Sprinter

Blue Law

Owner: Tim M. Bankers

Trainer: Cindy Krasner

Breeder: Buck Pond Farm, Inc.

 

HORNER BRINGS MARES BACK TO ONTARIO

Canadian classic winner COLTIMUS PRIME is currently in Florida readying to race – Gulfstream Park photo

Owner and breeder Jayson Horner has brought his mares back to Ontario to foal in what is an exciting move for racing and breeding fans of Canadian racing.

Horner, whose mare CERTAINLY SPECIAL (Distorted Humor) has provided the online marketing trader from Toronto, with wonderful horses, will greet his new homebreds at Curraghmore Farm owned by Vera Simpson and Mike Dube in Waterdown, ON.

“I am not a big commercial breeder but I will do what I can to support the local industry and there will be more support to come,” said Horner.

Previously, Horner’s mares had produced foals in Florida after beginning their breeding career with the owner in Ontario.

CERTAINLY SUPER – photo courtesy of Jayson Horner/Feb 2018 Twitter

A fan of racing at a young age when his father took him to the track, Horner’s Certainly Special has been just that. Her first foal was Crysta’s Court, a stakes winning 2-year-old in 2012 who was bred by Horner and several partners. She was only the 2nd foal to race of Certainly Special and from one of the first early Ontario crops of Silent Name (Jpn).

A year after foaling Crysta’s Court, Certainly Special produced a solid colt by Milwaukee Brew and that fellow, christened COLTIMUS PRIME, provided Horner and partners of  his JMC’s Stable with a remarkable victory in the 2014 Prince of Wales Stakes. Horner had only been in the business of racing breeding for six years.

Coltimus Prime, trained by Justin Nixon, was a 2-time winner heading into his Prince of Wales victory but really took to the dirt track at the Fort that July day. The colt would place in the Grade 3 Ontario Derby later int his 3-year-old season.

In 2017, Coltimus Prime was leased to Rene Douglas to race in Panama. He has won 5 races for Douglas, was a multiple champion in Panama and last December came to Gulfstream Park and won the Copa Invitational Importados on a special Caribbean day at that track. Coltimus Prime is back in Florida to get ready for that race again and in 2019 is expected to come back to Ontario. He has earned over $600,000 and may be a stallion prospect to consider in the future.

Certainly Special then produced graded stakes placed Narrow Escape, who is still doing well on the local circuit. Her progeny have earned $1.5 million.

The mare is in foal to Violence.

Crysta’s Court, who has a yearling colt by Field Commission and a weanling filly by Kantharos, is in foal to Midnight Storm for 2019.

 

STRONACH STABLES’ JUNGLE WARRIOR IN AQUEDUCT’S REMSEN STAKES

A wide-open field of seven juveniles will look to earn their first respective graded stakes win when they compete in the Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen as part of a stacked Cigar Mile Day Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack.

One of four graded stakes on a 10-race card, the 105th running of the Remsen will air as part of Aqueduct Live presented by Claiborne Farm from 3-4:30 p.m. on MSG+. Live coverage will also include the Grade 1, $750,000 Cigar Mile presented by NYRA Bets.

Carded as Race 8 with a scheduled post time of 3:12 p.m., the Remsen is the first of five races at the Big A that is part of the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” series, which awards 10 points towards qualifying for the Run for the Roses on May 4 at Churchill Downs. The runner-up will earn four points, third-place will garner two points and the fourth-place finisher will notch one point.

Bourbon Lane Stable and Lake Star Stable’s Bourbon War will make the step up to stakes company after an impressive debut win on November 14 at Aqueduct. In a one-mile race moved off the turf, the Tapit colt posted a 2 ¼-length win on the main track labeled fast. Trainer Mark Hennig said the effort made him confident the $410,000 purchase at the 2017 Keeneland Yearling Sale could handle the stretch out to the Remsen distance of 1 1/8 miles.

“He’s doing well. We discussed it Tuesday morning and came to the conclusion that we’d fit with this group,” Hennig said. “The timing is a little less than ideal, but he seems like he’s been sharp and bright since his race, so we figured we’d take a chance.

“He’s a horse who all along I thought would need to run and need more ground. I never anticipated that he’s the horse who would run the race of his life in his first start. I think there’s plenty of upside. The timing is a question mark, but he’s acting like he’s up to it. I think he’ll be up to the challenge.”

Bourbon War, who is stabled at Belmont Park, stayed off the pace in his win earlier this month before a strong finish earned him a trip to the winner’s circle.

“I would think that he would relish more ground. I don’t think distance is an issue,” Hennig said. “I don’t anticipate him being on the lead. He seems like a horse who wants to settle a little bit.”

Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. will pick up the mount from post 3.

Klaravich Stables’ Network Effect will look to parlay graded stakes experience into a second win in three career starts. The Chad Brown trainee, who won his debut on August 11 at Saratoga Race Course with a three-length score in a seven-furlong contest on a main track labeled good, is coming off a second-place finish in the Grade 3 Nashua on November 4 at Aqueduct at one mile.

On the Big A’s main track labeled fast, Network Effect sat off the speed before rallying off a wide trip, finishing seven lengths in front of Call Paul for runner-up status. The son of Mark Valeski earned a 93 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort.

Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano, who won the 2013 Remsen aboard Honor Code, will look to register his second win in the prestigious race, drawing post 5.

Stronach Stables’ Jungle Warrior won his first start on August 4 at Woodbine, winning over six furlongs on firm turf for trainer Sid Attard. He stayed on grass for his next start, when he ran fifth in the one-mile Grade 1 Summer on the same course.

Transferred to the care of trainer Jimmy Jerkens, the son of Animal Kingdom will make his dirt debut, drawing post 1 with Jose Ortiz in the irons.