Today’s post dedicated to Wizard.
It is SIMCOE DAY, or the CIVIC HOLIDAY or B.C. DAY – well, whatever part of Canada you are in today, this holiday is called something else but there is a lot of horse racing action from coast to coast.
It is B.C. CUP day T Hastings Park with a blockbuster card of racing celebrating horses bred in that province. In Manitoba, some top names in racing are racing horses in the Manitoba Derby.
At Woodbine, the SHEPPERTON honours on our great Canadian horses..
JET AGAIN, by Going Commando, is a local hope in the Manitoba Derby at Assiniboia Downs today
STEVE ASMUSSEN STARTS STREET PRANCER in MANITOBA DERBY
American invaders MASTER LIGHTNING (Pulpit) and STREET PRANCER (Street Sense) are the morning line favourites for the 1 1/8 mile Manitoba Derby, no. 66, today at Assiniboia Downs. The former was a recent $75,000 claiming and he is trained by Shelley Brown, He looks very tough.
Two Ontario breds are in the Manitoba Derby: WILKO RUM and ON ANDY’S ADVANCE. Both were bred by Andy Stonach and are by WILKO, former Ontario sire now standing in Manitoba.
Post positions, morning-line odds, owners, jockeys and trainers for Monday’s 66th running of the $75,000 Manitoba Derby:
Master Lightning (2-1), Danny Gargan & K5 Stable, Paul Nolan, Shelley Brown
Wilko Rum (6-1), Pan Am Stable, J.D. Acosta, Wally Pugh
On Andy’s Advice (15-1), Wood River Ranches Ltd., Tyrone Nelson Wally Pugh
Northern Contract (8-1), Don Schnell & Barry Arnason, Adolfo Morales, Don Schnell
Jet Again (3-1), Barry Arnason, Cam Ziprick & Charles Fouillard, Chris Husbands, Jim Meyaard
Storm Chance (10-1), Hy Road Stable, Quincy Hamilton, Marvin Buffalo
Street Prancer (5/2), Mike McCarty, Jalon Samuel, Steve Asmussen
CHECK OUT THIS GREAT PRESS KIT from Assiniboia with PP’s on starters:
http://www.assiniboiadowns.com/userfiles/files/2014-Manitoba-Derby-Presskit.pdf
PREVIEW FROM WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Jet Again has upset potential for Derby
Favoured Master Lightning, Street Prancer will be tough to overcome
By: George Williams
EVERYONE loves an underdog and there’s a doozy for you in the 66th running of the Manitoba Derby on Monday.
Manitoba-bred Jet Again will face six rival three-year-olds including classy New Yorker Master Lightning and Indiana speedster Street Prancer in the $75,000 Manitoba Derby and he definitely has upset potential.
BC CUP DAY AT HASTINGS PARK
FROM DERBY BAR & GRILL NEWSLETTER
PREVIEW BY MIKE HEADS
WILO KAT LIKELY FAVORITE IN BC CUP CLASSIC
Race five is the $75,000 Redekop Classic for older colts and geldings going a mile and an eighth. The field of five starts with the speedy Payton’s Best who breaks from the rail for owners Roy McLellan and Harold and Sandra Barroby. He ran his career best race running second last out in an allowance event and will be the one to catch this afternoon. Oliver, Fiorviento and Cowboys and Indians Stable’s Wilo Kat will be the likely betting choice. He has been hitting the fringes in open stakes company and will definitely appreciate the easier assignment that is ahead of him today. Trainer John Snow saddles Wilo Kat as well as Rod and Ursula Bolivar’s El Capone who enters this race after a solid runner-up effort behind multiple stakes winner Senor Rojo. George Gilbert’s Go for Guinness was an easy winner over restricted allowance runners in his latest and is looking to repeat as a B.C. Cup winner, he took home top honours in the $50,000 Stellar’s Jay last year. The North American Thoroughbred Company’s recent $35,000 claim The Gov has the ability to beat this group which makes for an entertaining five horse field that has been served up in the Classic.
Race six is the $50,000 Debutante for two year old fillies at six and a half furlongs. Stuart Carmichael and Dave and Sylvea Gregory’s Quatre Cat appears to the one to beat after her impressive debut effort at six furlongs early last month. The other major contenders are Swift Thoroughbreds’ Biscuit who just wired a field of fillies at six panels and Finality’s Charmer an impressive winner of her first start back in May.
read more…
http://www.derbybarandgrill.com/railbird/
THE PROVINCE FEATURE
by Tom Wolski
Among the top trainers with horses racing on Monday’s ten-race BC Cup program (12:50) is trainer Barb Head.
During her long and successful career, she has garnered her share of winning races, including tying for leading trainer at Hastings with Terry Clyde, the first time two females have done that in North American racing.
Province horse racing columnist Tom Wolski recently sat down with Head to talk about BC Cup Day, this province’s biggest afternoon of horse racing.
Q: How many horses will you be starting on BC Cup Day?
A: I have five horses racing BC Cup Day, including Touching Promise in the Distaff ($50,000), Bubbly On Ice and Zenya in the Dogwood Handicap ($50,000), our stables going to be busy all afternoon.
http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Hoss+Talk+biggest+afternoon+racing/10086697/story.html
IT WAS HIS RACE TO WIN – WOODBINE SUNDAY
It was a bit of a head scratching afternoon at WOODBINE RACETRACK on Sunday as longshots ruled the day. If someone could have predicted that Seagram Cup favourite ALPHA BETTOR, the champion older male of 2013, was going to be last in the race, well, that would have been tough to believe.
It was simply a weird race from start to finish. SKY CAPTAIN, the Dominion Day winner, broke very slowly from the gate and lost almost half a dozen lengths. The pace was not fast but by the time the field was moving down the backstretch, there was a 4 horse duel, so it was a contested duel. The only 2 not in the duel were ALPHA BETTOR and Sam-Son Farms’ HIS RACE TO WIN.
But Alpha Bettor never did get a clear path to run and he eventually gave up and was last but only a few lengths behind HIS RACE TO WIN,who rallied wide under the red-hot Eurico da Silva to win in 1:43 1/5, good for a 94 Beyer Figure.
That Beyer was anywhere from 16 to 62 points higher than any horse ran on the Sunday card.
HIS RACE TO WIN is by STORMY ATLANTIC out of Fleet of Foot by Gone West. He won the Ontario Derby last year and he was 3rd in the Dominion Day in his latest start. The 4yo colt is 5 for 16 in his career and has earnings of close to $450,000.
Earlier in the day, the co-featured NANDI STAKES, for Ontario sired 2-year-old fillies, went to EFF BEE EYE, a 2yo by Philanthropist out of Victoria’s Destiny by Doneraile Court.
Bred by Paradox Farm, this $14,000 purchase won her debut after a ton of trouble and then had a really tough outing in the Shady well Stakes when she had the rail post. Under Patrick Husbands, who rode a stakes winner for trainer Robert Tiller on Saturday, Eff Bee Eye was nicely rated of a maniacal speed duel between the overbet MEL’S RING and maiden SHE’S EXPLOSIVE.
Eff Bee Eye is owned by Tiller and Rolph Davis and they also now own the mare, Victoria’s Destiny. The 1:11 time was a 57 Beyer Figure.
COMING UP – AUGUST 20 – WOODBINE APPRENTICE JOCKEY CHALLENGE
Bray, Morrison, Ryan, Webb..just some of the riders who will be in the APPRENTICE JOCKEY CHALLENGE on Aug. 20 at Woodbine.
TWO RACES FROM THIS CARD WILL BE PICKED FOR “THE APPRENTICE JOCKEY CHALLENGE. THESE RACES WILL BE LIMITED TO 10 STARTERS AND 2 ALSO ELIGIBLES. RIDERS WILL BE PICKED BY LOT AT THE TIME OF THE DRAW
More on the jockey challenge and racing from Woodbine Sunday, and from today in tomorrow’s THOROUGHBLOG
EFF BEE EYE charges past the weary SHE’S EXPLOSIVE (far right) and MEL’S RING, 2nd from left) to win the NANDI – MICHAEL BURNS/WEG PHOTO
