THE SPAAAAA!! – Frankie Dettori arrives late for opening day, had to borrow riding clothes, but wins 2 in his first visit!
AVENTURE LOVE and Frankie Dettori…PHOTO/Adam Coglianese/Susie Raisher
COZMIC ONE, stabled at Saratoga. Oooooooo – the first foal of Zenyatta – .PHOTO/Adam Coglianese/Susie Raisher
THOROUGHBLOG and JMBETS.CA
JMBets. ca, the sister site to THOROUGHBLOG, is a free picks site with occasional notes about racing, stats and historical events.
Yesterday’s JMBets column produced 6 winners on top at Woodbine from 9 races including $21 winner ANFIELD PARK and others. Come and visit JMBets and see how you picks compare, send me your favourite betting angles!
http://jmbets.ca
WOODBINE FRIDAY
The fastest race on Friday’s card was the first race, a maiden allowance (open) for older fillies and mares at 1 1.16 miles. The 3 logical horses included heavily favoured STORM NOW, coming out of the Woodbine Oaks in which she was 6th. a month off, a bullet workout, all pointed to the Tiznow filly finally wining her maiden.
Except that she did not fire and it was MILWAUKEE WOMAN, a stronach Stables Ontario bred, who ralleid to win for trainer Danny Vella and jockey Justin Stein. The 4yo is by Milwaukee Brew and out of Medicine Womanby Siphon (Brz). It was her 5th career race and first race at Woodbine since last May. The Beyer was 76, the top number of the day.
Race 2- maiden 2-year-old fillies and it was favoured GUESSED RIGHT who won for Martha Gonzalez and Lindys Racing Stable. This chestnut filly was up in time to beat speedster Spledid Glory in her 4th career race and it was a $25,000 claiming event. Eurico da Silva rode for trainer Nick Gonzalez. Adena Springs bred the first 2 winners on the card.
Race 3- CLAPHAM HEIGHTS led all the way and won this return off a 1 year layoff for, who else, Nick Gonzalez, Martha Gonzalez and partners. This guy was a Eugene Melnyk gelding who ran well in 2 races last summer. He had been prepared by Mark Casse at Winding Oaks up until June 5 when he changed barns. Patrick Husbands rode this guy in this 7 furlong maiden $50,000 claiming race on turf.
Race 4- Luis Contreras at 9 to 1 on ANFIELD PARK, too good to be true and she won for the 2nd time this year for Mario Maver. The Silver Train filly was just 2nd for $11,500 at a route distance and she enjoyed the turn-back to 7 furlongs.
Race 5– MAR TO THE MAX won her maiden for $16,000 with Nick Webb riding for Sam DiPasquale and Teddy Louie. This grey gal added blinkers for her season debut on June 18 and she was 3rd after a tardy start. The Circular Quay filly was making her8th career start.
Race 6- On a roll! INCLUSA won for the 3rd straight time for owner Gail Wood and trainer Phil Gracey. Thie lovely chestnut mare is by Include out of Smart Angel, bred by Bill Graham. She was not finding a home in 2012 when the horses of brenda Selwyn Waxman were being sold off so Woodbine too her and had to rest her for 9 months. She won 1 of 5 races in 2013, $29K, and is 3 for 5 this year with 95,000 in earnings. She wn this 1 1/4 mile turf race for $30,00 claiming with a 73 Beyer Figure. David Moran rode her.
Race 7- an allowance for ONtario sired gals and the winner was BOURNEVILLE, who came from far back and won as the big favourite for Joey Turcotte and trainer Sam DiPasquale. This is a Tethra 5yo out of Honored One, bred by Curraghmore Farm She is 2 for 10 in her career.
Race 8 – MONEY TALKS cam einto this allowance race as afresh runner off a 2 month layoff and he had a perfect ride by Jesse Campbell who had the 3yo covered up until late. He burst between horses to win this non-winners of 3 and he apparently will come right back in the Prince of Wales on July 29. The Mobil gelding is out of Willow Woodman by Woodman and he was bred by Fred Pace. Bill Tharrenos trains for RPI Stables and Natrual Eight Stables and Fred Harrison and partners.
Race 9 The last race went to SILENT STAR, the 5th winner for trainer David Bell this year. This Silent Name gal has been sitting on a win all season and she is 3 for 13 now with this allowance/optional claiming win at 1 mile on the grass. Justin Stein rode for CEC Stables and Kevin Beswick, of CEC, bred the filly.
NIJINSKY HONOURED
for picks, visit JmBets.ca
The great Canadian-bred NIJISNKY II is honorued today with one of two stakes races at Woodbine on what may be a cloudy, showery day (and weekend).
Looking to get things back in order is UP WITH THE BIRDS, the Horse of the Year in 2013 who has not been very HOY-like in 2014.
The colt was 6th in both an allwoance race at Keeneland when favoured and in the Grade 2 Dixie at Pimlico, when favoured. He has been off for 2 months.
Venturing north for a rare try at 1 1/8 miles in ZA APPROVAL, the pretty almost white gelding from Live Oak who was 2nd to Wise Dan in the Woodbine Mile and Breeders’ Cup Mile last year. He should be the favourite.
FIVE IRON is very tough right now as he recentrly won the Fort Marcy – Grade 3 and was 5th in the Grade 1 Manhattan at 10 furlongs.
Saturday, Woodbine, post time: 4:30 p.m. EDT
NIJINSKY S.-GII, C$200,000, 3yo/up, 1 1/8mT
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER ML
1 River Seven K Johannesburg Campbell Gonzalez 6-1
2 Dynamic Sky Sky Mesa Husbands Casse 10-1
3 Really Sharp Sharp Humor Bahen Black 8-1
4 Za Approval Ghostzapper Bravo Clement 5-2
5 Five Iron K Sharp Humor Contreras Lynch 3-1
6 Dorsett K Artie Schiller Moran Lynch 15-1
7 Up With the Birds Stormy Atlantic Da Silva Pierce 2-1
CANADIAN CHAMPION SOLID APPEAL tries Grade 1 Diana
How good is the field for today’s TVG DIANA at Saratoga? Canadian champion SOLID APPEAL, coming off a graded stakes win at Woodbine, is sure to be 20 to 1 in the race, loaded with Graded 1 winners.
Jim and Susan Hill are perhaps looking for a piece of the $500,000 prize with their star mare as she would have looked really good in the Dance Smartly Stakes at Woodbine 2 weeks ago.
TVG DIANA S.-GI, $500,000, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/8mT
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER ML
1 Solid Appeal K Successful Appeal Leparoux Baker 15-1
2 Abaco Giant’s Causeway Ortiz McGghy 12-1
3 Somali Lemonade Lemon Drop Kid Saez Matz 12-1
4 Emollient Empire Maker Rosario Mott 7-2
5 Strathnaver (GB) Oasis Dream (GB) Velazquez Motion 10-1
6 Discreet Marq Discreet Cat Ortiz Jr Clement 5-1
7 Caroline Thomas Giant’s Causeway Rocco Jr Tagg 20-1
8 Alterite (Fr) Literato (Fr) Castellano Brown 3-1
9 Stephanie’s Kitten K Kitten’s Joy Dettori Brown 6-1
10 Tannery (Ire) Dylan Thomas (Ire) Lezcano Goldberg 6-1
SARATOGA PINKSHEET
Michael Veitch preview of the impossibly good Diana field
REGIS 2YO DEBUTS AT DEL MAR
IRON FIST debuts at Del Mar today and is co-owned by Regis Racing, the Canadian farm and has purchased a lot of high priced youngsters in the last couple of years. Here is a preview from RacingwithBruno.com from Thoroughbred Daily News:
Iron Fist (Tapit), is trained by Jerry Hollendorfer for big time Kentucky
outfit Stonestreet Stables. Purchased for $1.55 Million out of the
Keeneland Yearling Sale last September and consigned by Gainesway,
the grey has trained with consistency and balance. He looked the part
on July 2 in gate work at Santa Anita while working in company and
showing good gate manners. Definitely not a flashy tab, but impressive
in how Iron Fist does it. FQLLQW and place this one on your stable
alert
CANADIAN-BRED WINNER ELSEWHERE
GULFSTREAM PARK 3RD RACE Thursday – $27,650, Opt. Clm. ($62,500), C, 3yo/up,
f/m, 6f, 1:10 3/5, sy.
BEST BEHAVIOR (f, 4, Into Mischief–Queenship, by Line in the Sand) Lifetime Record: 16-5-4-5, $96,978.
O-Frank Carl Calabrese. B-James A, Janeane A & J Arika Everatt-Meeuse (ON). T-Rasharn Creque.
*$10,000 yrl ’11 KEESEP.
