On the coldest day of the winter, bright sun dogs lit up the morning sky just about a furlong from where Bill Graham was to be remembered in Brampton. The 81-year-old former football star, builder and creator of the very successful Windhaven Farms in Caledon and Kentucky passed away last week.
He will be very much missed.
READY TO FLY – THE 3RD PEGASUS WORLD CUP – $9 MILLION
ACCELERATE will be a strong favourite in the 3rd Pegasus World Cup on Saturday but the soon-to-be Champion Older Horse of 2018 does have a few challengers who could make it interesting – CINDY PIERSON DULAY PHOTO
More competitive field than first two editions
It may be still hard to wrap your head around the PEGASUS WORLD CUP, the race that Frank Stronach invented a few years ago to attract big league older horses in the usually sleepy-slow month of January.
Under the format, 12 shareholders each pay $1 million to purchase a position in the gate for a then unspecified horse. The shareholder then has the right to race, lease, contract or share a starter, or sell their place in the gate, and would have the first right of refusal for subsequent races. Shareholders also have an equal share in the net income from the race.
The race has been a feeding ground for horses greatly over-matched but a last place finish was netting them $650,000 (thus when you look up some of these horses and then have won one race but earned almost $1 million, you know why).
The previous two runnings were worth $12 million (won by Arrogate in a romp) and last year, $16 million (won by another big fave, Gun Runner).
This year, the race is $9 million with the other $7 million now offered as the purse for the Pegasus World Cup Turf. That race will have a field of 10 it appears and will be headed by Yoshida.
This year’s Pegasus World Cup is more interesting than the first two editions. The Breeders’ Cup Classic winner ACCELERATE has stayed in training to race once more before retiring to stud (a la Arrogate and Gun Runner) and CITY OF LIGHT, the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner, also makes one more start before he goes off to stud.
Of course, Beyer Speed Figures are not the start and finish of handicapping a race but the last three outings of each entrant are listed below and offer a guide to the contenders.
There had been one slot left of the 12 as recently as Saturday but Loooch Racing’s Ron Palolucci has said his 9-year-old gelding is going to go.
Imperative, by Bernardini, was placed just once in 6 races last season and that was in a $50,000 claiming race.
ACCELERATE – Won Breeders’ Cup Classic last start; last 3 Beyer Figures 105, 100, 115
CITY OF LIGHT – BC Dirt Mile, 110, 102, 103
GUNNEVERA – 2nd BC Classic, 104, 98, 85
AUDIBLE – returned from long layoff in slop, Harlan’s Holiday Stakes. 2nd; 82, 99 99
PATTERNRECOGNITION – won Grade 1 Cigar Mile – 105, 102, 100
BRAVAZO – 2nd Grade 1 Clark last start 102, 100, 80
SEEKING THE SOUL – 2nd Breeders Cup Dirt Mile, 97, 95 , 98 (owned by Canadian Charles Fipke)
TOM’S D’ETAT – won Tenacious S. at Fair Grounds; 99, 98, 106
TRUE TIMBER – 2nd Grade 1 Cigar Mile 104, 88, 96
KULKULKAN – won the Clasico Caribe – 71 (unbeaten in Puerto Rico)
*SOMETHING AWESOME – Ontario-bred, Stronach Stables, 92, 66, 101; 2nd allowance off long layoff
IMPERATIVE – added Sunday by co-owner Ron Paolucci, the eccentric owner of Loooch Stables. This 9-year-old gelding won 2 stakes in 2017 from 3 races but was well beaten in all his stakes starts last year – 60, 88, 68
ECLIPSE AWARDS HANDED OUT THURSDAY NIGHT
Chris Littlemore from Whitby, Ontario, Canada will receive the Eclipse Award as the 2018 Horseplayer of the Year.
THURSDAY NIGHT – 8 P.M. – Watch at drf.com
Winners in all categories will be announced at the 48th annual Eclipse Awards dinner and ceremony presented by the DRF, Breeders’ Cup, and The Stronach Group, to be held Thursday evening, January 24 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. The three finalists for Horse of the Year are Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner Accelerate, 13th Triple Crown winner Justify, and Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) winner Monomoy Girl, and that award will be presented at the conclusion of the Eclipse Awards ceremony.
Of the 271 eligible voters representing the NTRA, the NTWAB and Daily Racing Form, 249 (91.88%) took part in this year’s voting. Finalists were determined in each category by voters’ top three selections, using a 10-5-1 point basis. Eclipse Award winners are determined solely by first place votes.
In addition to honoring the 17 winners in the horse and human categories, Joe Harper, Chief Executive Officer of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, will receive the Eclipse Award of Merit in recognition of a lifetime of outstanding achievement in the Thoroughbred industry.
Horse-races.net provided a handy list of the nominees on its site with links to records of horses:
THOROUGHBLOG’S ECLIPSE BALLOT
Coming soon to www.canadianthoroughbred.com is a rundown of some of the ‘who should’ win the Sovereign Awards for Canada’s Champion horses and horsepeople.
But up first is this Thursday’s Eclipse Awards and I am privileged to have a vote through Daily Racing Form.
The heated debate about Horse of the Year has been quiet in recent days since most who publicized who they were voting for – Justify or Accelerate – noted that they had voted for JUSTIFY.
I did as well but it was made with some reluctance.
In taking into consideration who to vote for in any horse category I look at how dominant they were in their category, how fast did they run, what type of fields did they beat?
JUSTIFY won the American Triple Crown and yes, while American Pharoah just did that a couple of years ago for the same trainer, Bob Baffert, whose huge winning percentage would make any racing skeptic scratch their head.
Justify not only won all his races and never lost but he did some in a few months and on different dirt surfaces. It was a super feat, although he did not have to run fast and the horses behind him were modest. And then he was whisked away off to stud.
Accelerate is a better horse, a faster horse but he will have to settle for Champion Older Horse.
Here are my top selections in the categories:
(I don’t vote for grass horses in dirt categories nor do I vote for European horses who come over and make one start in the US.
Two-Year-Old Male: Game Winner
Two-Year-Old Filly: Jaywalk
Three-Year-Old Male: Justify
Three-Year-Old Filly: Monomoy Girl
Older Dirt Male: Accelerate
Older Dirt Female: Unique bella
Male Sprinter: Roy H
Female Sprinter: Marley’s Freedom
Male Turf Horse: Stormy Liberal
0 Female Turf Horse: Sistercharlie
Owner: Michael Dubb
Breeder: John Gunther
Trainer: John Sadler
Jockey: Irad Ortiz
Apprentice: Wes Hamilton
NORM MCKNIGHT HAS THREE ENTERED FOR OAKLAWN’S OPENING DAY FRIDAY
“Like so many tracks that focus on and believe in tradition — and Oaklawn believes in tradition — we’re going to create a new one,” – Charles Cella on adjusting the Oaklawn Park racing dates
Oaklawn Park gets underway on Friday and Canada’s 2-time leading trainer NORM MCKNIGHT has three entrants on the first day.
He has Golden Bullet in race 1, the best shot of his trio. The gelding is owned by Racer’s Edge and Gary McMaster. Davka in race 3 goes for Bruno Schickedanz and Pat Daddy for Racer’s Edge is in race 5.
Oaklawn, located in Hot Springs, Arkansas, is considered one of those pristine meetings somewhat like Gulfstream Park as there are many Derby preps run there through late April. However, the track has never had a grass course so you won’t see turf racing there.
The meeting starts later this year.
PETER REDEKOP PUTS UP $100,000 TO BC DERBY PURSE
One of British Columbia’s all-time leading owners, Peter Redekop, has announced he will add $100,000 to the purse for the Grade 3 BC Derby, making it a $250,000 race.
Redekop has won the Derby three times in succession – Alert Bay, Title Contender, and Second City, and has won over 400 races.
Peter Redekop is a perennial leading Thoroughbred owner in Vancouver, British Columbia who has been inducted into the British Columbia Horse Racing Hall of Fame. Redekop made his fortune in real estate developing and dove into racehorse ownership in the 1960
Redelop could have a Kentucky Derby contender this year in Anothertwistafate, a $360,000 Scat Daddy sophomore who will be a contender in the Feb. 16 El Camino Real Derby.
JUBILATION!
KEVIN ATTARD (second from right) and his father TINO celebrate the victory by STARSHIP JUBILEE – GULFSTREAM PARK PHOTO
Kevin Attard sends out Champion Mare to win for new owners
includes files from Gulfstream media:
The date was Feb. 12, 2017 and Tino Attard dropped in a claim slip for a Florida-bred mare on the turf at Gulfstream Park. For $16,000 Attard, claiming on behalf of his son Kevin and Soli Mehta, got a hard working plain bay gal from trainer Jorge Navarro, one of the leading trainers in North America.
The incredible mare has now won 9 races for Kevin from 17 starts, the first 8 for himself and Mehta who offered her for sale last fall. Starship Jubilee won three Grade 2’s for the owners and the Sunshine Millions Mare Turf last year. She was named the 2017 Champion Turf Mare in Canada and has a good chance to win that award again this season. She was in the Keeneland November sale last year but was bought back for $425,000 only to be sold privately soon after to Blue Heaven Farm.
Kevin was kept on to train the mare and she is back in winning form and on her way to Woodbine.
Thirteen proved to be a lucky number Starship Jubilee, as the multiple Grade 2 winner overcame the far outside post to overpower 12 rivals and defend her 2018 victory in Saturday’s $150,000 Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf at Gulfstream Park.
The 16th running of the 1 1/16-mile Filly & Mare Turf for females 4 and older was the third of four Florida-bred stakes worth $600,000 in purses on a 12-race Sunshine Millions Day program anchored by the $200,000 Classic.
Beaten as the favorite from Post 12 in her previous start, the Claiming Crown Tiara Dec. 1 at Gulfstream, Starship Jubilee ($4.20) put away main challenger Picara at the head of the stretch and drew off to win by 4 ½ lengths under Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano. The winning time was 1:43.33 over a firm turf course.
She earned a Beyer Figure of 93.
“She hasn’t been lucky with the post positions, that’s for sure, but she had trained really well heading into this race,” winning trainer Kevin Attard said. “She had some excuses in her last race. I don’t think we saw the best of Starship Jubilee that particular day.
“Javier rode her really well. Obviously, coming out of the 13 hole you’ve got to use them up a little bit, but he managed to kind of get her settled down and tried to tuck in as best as possible,” he added. “The pace seemed like it kind of came back to a crawl early, but she ran well.”
Madame Uno, sent off at 30-1 from Post 12, was quickest from the gate and established the early lead, going the opening quarter-mile in 24.81 seconds and the half in 48.68, pressed by Picara, winner of the Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf Preview Nov. 10 at Gulfstream Park West in her previous start.
Castellano kept Starship Jubilee in the clear three wide down the backstretch, looming a threat in third. Hall of Famer John Velazquez moved to challenge the leader around the far turn after six furlongs in 1:12.63 with Starship Jubilee glued to his outside, and they straightened for home together.
“I was very concerned about the post,” Castellano said. “I had to come out running and use her a little bit, and then nobody wanted to go to the lead. It was a difficult decision to make. I let two or three horses go and got her covered up a little bit. The trainer told me before the race, the best thing for her is to be covered up a little bit and let her make one run. That’s what I did and she finished up strong.”
Once in the stretch, Castellano set Starship Jubilee down for a drive and the even-money opened up on the field for her 12th career win and first in the second start since being purchased privately from Attard and Soli Mehta by Bonnie Baskin of Blue Heaven last November.
“It’s just nice to see her kind of run to her potential,” Attard said. “Obviously, she’s run against horses in graded, open company so when you see them in a restricted race it almost feels like there’s more pressure on you. I was just happy to see her perform as she did and win for the new connections, as well.”
Starship Jubilee has won nine times, including victories in the 2017 Nassau (G2) and Dance Smartly (G2) and 2018 Canadian (G2) at Woodbine, in 17 starts since being claimed.. The 6-year-old Indy Wind mare won the Sovereign Award as Canada’s champion turf female in 2017 now owns eight career wins over the Gulfstream turf.
“I think we’ll probably give her a little bit of a break and then gear her up toward Woodbine,” Kevin Attard said, “but we’ll discuss it with the owners and take it from there.”
