WOODBINE WRAP
The stretch of racing of Friday-Sat. and Sunday was very good to folks like trainers DAN VELLA, BRIAN LYNCH, EARL BARNETT and jockeys JIM MCALENEY ROB LANDRY and EMMA-JAYNE WILSON.
Sunday highlights include a litany of longshot winners that helped a $15,000 Pick 4 payoff to end the day.
The VICTORIANA STAKES resulted in a clean sweep for trainer EARL BARNETT, who won the race last year with YOU WILL LOVE ME. That gal ran in this year’s renewl but was 2nd to stablemate SAN NICOLA WHISKEY, owned by the PIRONE FAMILY.
A daughter of Whiskey Wisdom – San Nicola Flyer by Alydeed, SAN NICOLA WHISKEY had lost twice in her last 3 races as a big favourite against non-winners of 3 lifetime but had not been on the grass since her maiden win in July 2008.
Ridden by Wilson, the 4yo dark bay came from last place to win in her 14th career start. She earned an 81 Beyer.
The victory was the second Ontario stakes score of the afternoon for trainer Robert Barnett, who also won the $125,000 Rainbow Connection at Fort Erie with Anne’s Purse.
“I don’t think I’ve done that before. I’m kind of in a fog,” said Barnett. “We wanted to get her on turf. She brok(e her) maiden on the grass. The Ontario-sired division, non-winners of three, has never come up on turf going long.”
ROB LANDRY, who has a big ride coming up on the super filly CARELESS JEWEL at Saratoga, rode 3 winners on Sunday including the Ontario sired allowance winning filly LOOKINOUTFORNAGELS. The Valid N Bold filly, owned by Silver Duck Racing (for more news on a sale coming up at Silver Duck, read more in the news brief below), was winning for the 2nd time in her 6th race. She was bred by Saraj Jane Parkin and is trained by Suzie Drake.
Landry also won on the 9yo gelding AWESOME ACTION, the classy dude who races for Sue Leslie and Curtis Jospeh and Don Meehan. He won for $40K claiming in the last on the grass.
Champion WANDO sired his first winner when D’S WANDO, owned by D’s Stabe, Riviera and York Tech, won his maiden in race 7. Trained by Ian Black, the bay colt, bred by Gus Schickedanze, was making his 3rd career start.
he came from 9th along the rail to win with a 70 Beyer Figure. His dam is stakes winner Silver Taler.
On Saturday, JIM MCALENEY celebrated his 40th birthday with 3 winners.
The featured races that day were won by FANNY FREUD, a 2yo filly by Frued who won the Ontario Debutante Stakes for trainer John Terranova who had shipped the filly in to Woodbine for a 2nd place finish is a previous stakes event.
Champion GINGER BREW was given a confident rider by TODD KABEL to win the BELLE MAHONE STAKES for older mares. The Milwaukee Brew gal had not won since last fall but coasted on the pace and then held off a hard charging Simply Splendid to run a 98 Beyer Figure.
Ginger Brew raced three times in Florida over the winter, finishing
third in two stakes events. After a layoff, the Ontario-bred returned in
July with a strong second-place finish in the Dance Smartly Stakes over
the E.P. Taylor Turf Course.
“When you’re running at that level, it does take its toll. I’m happy to
see her back off the freshening. We have the Canadian (September 20) in
mind. There are good things ahead,” he said. “She’s developed into a
lovely mare. She’s very versatile. She can go to the lead if there’s no
pace, or she can sit off of it.”
Ginger Brew, who is now a six-time winner of almost $950,000, returned
$5.30, $4.30 and $2.40, combining with Simply Splendid ($7.10, $3.20)
for a $34.70 exactor. Smart Surprise ($2.10) rounded out a triactor
worth $67.
Goofy results at Saratoga all weekend. In the Grade 1 Sword Dancer, a silly-fast pace, set in part by Woodbine-based MUSKATIER, set the race up for 33 to 1 short TELLING.
Vanessa Ng photo.
BREEDERS’ WINNER HEADED TO SARATOGA
from Saratoga stable notes
Perfect Shower, who scored a shocking victory at odds of 46-1 in the $500,000 Breeders’ Stakes on the turf at Woodbine on August 2, will be pointed toward the Grade 3 $100,000 Saranac, a 1 3/16-mile grass race for 3-year-olds on September 6, trainer Roger Attfield said.
The son of Irish stallion Perfect Soul won a $25,000 maiden claiming race on the all-weather track at Woodbine in his seventh start July 17 and then wheeled back 16 days later to take the Breeders’ Stakes, beating 12 others including Queen’s Plate winner Eye of the Leopard.
The Saranac is a favourite race of Woodbine horses. The race has been won by JAMBALAYA and last year, MARLANG, both Canadian bred 3yo stars.
BLUE SKIES AHEAD FOR ALABAMA GALS
Canadian-breds MILWAUKEE APPEAL, WYNNING RIDE and TASTY TEMPTATION will go battle with Canandiwn owned and trained CARELESS JEWEL in the Grade 1 ALABAMA STAKES on Saturday at Saratoga.
The race will surely be a pivotal event for the Sovereign Award for champion 3yo filly, although CARELESS JEWEL/WYNNING RIDE are not currently eligible since they raced in Canada only twice.
MILWAUKEE APPEAL worked 5 furlongs in 59.24 seconds at Saratoga on Friday “while drifting out” according to DAILY RACING FORM.
DON’T FORGET GIL, Be Fair, Funny Moon, Bon Jovi Girl, Gozzip Girl, and Sweet and Flawless are other likely entrants.
CARELESS JEWEL, Canadian owned and trained, is a favourite for the Alabama. Norm Files photo.
WHIP RULES SET to debut SEPT. 1
They received mixed reviews from riders but the new cushion whips will be the law in racing at Woodbine beginning Sept. 1.
A trial perid was held this summer for a few races each day and while some riders remarked on television broadcasts they preferred the longer, slimmer whips of old, the Ontario Racing Commission has set out new rules.
New York jockeys will start riding full time with equine friendly riding crops beginning Wednesday, Aug. 19, at Saratoga.
DAILY RACING FORM’S BILL TALLON REPORTS:
New rules involving the use of the whip in Ontario and new penalties for its misuse will go into effect on Sept. 1, the province’s racing commission has announced.
Whips will have to be be cushioned, be no more than 30 inches in length, and have a padded noise-making “popper.” Whips complying with the new rules were used in a one-month pilot project by Woodbine jockeys in the first two races of each card earlier this summer.
Use of a non-approved whip will lead to the disqualification of the horse.
Also, a horse cannot be hit with the whip more than three times in a row without being given time to respond, and the whip is not to be used when a horse is not visibly responding or is not in contention for a meaningful position.
Minimum penalties range from $200 for a first offense, $300 and a one-day suspension for a second offense within one year of the first, and $500 plus a three-day suspension for a third offense within one year of the first.
A fourth such offense would call for an immediate suspension and referral to the racing commission’s director.
Special penalties may be imposed for whip infractions in races worth $100,000 or more, including minimum fines of 20 percent of a jockey’s earnings. If the stewards find an offense worthy of a suspension, then the calculation will be one day for each $200,000 of total purse money.
Cases in which a horse has been cut or severely welted by the use of the whip automatically will be considered a third offense.
The process of developing the rules was announced by the Ontario Racing Commission one year ago. Working groups from the racing industry were established and submitted proposed changes which were approved this summer.
OTHER NEWS
THE KING TOWNSHIP SENTINEL paper is currently advertising an INNKEEPER’S ACT sale of THOROUGHBRED HORSES including graded stakes winning stallion UNION PLACE.
The sale will be held at SILVER DUCK RACING STABLE, 13980 Jane Street, King, and is a set of 14 horses owned by William Sorokolit Sr.
The ad can be found:
http://www.kingsentinel.com/ROP/large/classifieds-Classifieds.htm
