TODAY’S NEWS – WHO IS THE CANADIAN HORSE OF THE YEAR? SHOULD IT BE RAHY’S ATTORNEY? CHAMPS ELYSEES? MILWAUKEE APPEAL? Send in your comment!
AND HERE’S A PLUG FOR A NEW BOARDING STABLE!
Former jockey NICOLE UMIKER has stalls for layups and boarders at a very reasonable rate not far from Woodbine racetrack. Call her if you are looking for stalls to rest your athletes! 416-889-5739
Should MILWAUKEE APPEAL be HORSE OF THE YEAR!
Terence Dulay photo
MILWAUKEE APPEAL 4TH, RAHY 2ND
Top Canadians end year and awards still up in air
There was nothing wrong with the performances of top Canadian breds MILWAUKEE APPEAL AND RAHY’S ATTORNEY last weekend in events south of the border. They were good, solid runs, not flashy, but perhaps enough to allow voters for the year-end SOVEREIGN AWARDS a lot to think about (at least those of the litany of voters who take time to fill out their ballot completely).
Rahy’s Attorney ran a 95 Beyer Figure in a gritty 2nd place finish in the Grade 3 River Cities Handicap at Churchill Downs. Milwaukee Appeal was 4th in the Grade 1 Gazelle with an 89.
While CHAMPS ELYSEES is a Grade 1 winner in Canada, eligible for the award because he raced 4 times in Canada, many voters have been heard saying they are not wanting to vote for a horse with one win on the season – no matter how big the win.
But let’s look at the merits of the hard knocking Milwaukee Appeal and Rahy’s Attorney.
RAHY’S ATTORNEY won 3 stakes races this year – 2 Graded events (Nijinsky and King Eddy) plus the Bunty Lawless. He went into a bit of a funk in the fall but his River Cities run was super.
MILWAUKEE APPEAL has done a lot this year too – she won the WOODBINE OAKS and STAR SHOOT STAKES and was 2ND IN THE PRINCE OF WALES, 3RD IN THE QUEEN’S PLATE, 2nd in the GRADE 1 ALABAMA etc. etc.
Tough filly had a 99 Beyer Figure this too.
So who is it going to be – who SHOULD IT BE?
DON ROSS’ RESENTLESS was one of 2 new stakes winners for the Gardiner Farms’ sire TRAJECTORY last weekend at Woodbine.
Her Ontario Lassie score was an 82 Beyer Figure.
Norm Files photo
LAST WEDNESDAY NIGHT – SIR BARTON HONOURED!
It’s cool to look back on why stakes races have their names. Why for instance, is one of the last Ontario sired events of the season called the Sir Barton for the first American Triple Crown winner?
Well SIR BARTON ran in one of the most famous match races in history against the legendary MAN O’ WAR and that match was held at Windsor’s KENILWORTH PARK.
Man O’War won in case you don’t remember.
The Ontario sired event this evening is not too bad – last weekend Ontario sired 2yo stakes were dreadful (Joet’s Best won the Kingarvie with a 63 Beyer Figure).
DANCER’S BAJAN won this race last year but he has been in a slump in a start and stop season.
Trainer ROGER ATTFIELD, who has had another stellar year, has 2 in the race and many figure SAND COVE, that speedy grey, versatile guy, is going to be tough to beat.
There are 9 races tonight at Woodbine, 10 for the rest of the week until the final day (Sunday) when there could be as many as 13 events.
WOODBINE SCOREBOARD – TRAINERS
Mark E. Casse 435 71 65 64 $4,739,308
Sid C. Attard 278 53 38 38 $2,872,552
Roger L. Attfield 190 52 25 23 $3,612,931
Steven M. Asmussen 271 51 39 34 $1,896,704
Robert P. Tiller 328 45 54 53 $2,308,180
Reade Baker 301 44 40 43 $2,602,013
Terry Jordan 94 42 10 14 $1,666,776
Scott H. Fairlie 294 41 41 45 $2,244,305
Nicholas Gonzalez 273 41 37 33 $1,975,962
Malcolm Pierce 191 39 22 25 $3,030,525
Josie Carroll 186 30 32 38 $2,270,519
Brian A. Lynch 122 26 21 13 $1,492,062
Ian Black 221 25 38 27 $2,339,914
Daniel J. Vella 201 24 23 33 $1,761,617
Steve Attard 168 23 16 10 $1,031,627
Michael P. De Paulo 179 20 23 18 $1,193,231
Ralph J. Biamonte 133 20 13 11 $645,297
Paul Attard 108 20 11 11 $735,690
WOODBINE SCOREBOARD – JOCKEYS
Patrick Husbands 949 181 157 144 $10,557,837
Chantal Sutherland 943 133 122 140 $7,414,798
James McAleney 651 119 84 84 $6,191,810
Eurico Rosa Da Silva 675 118 105 80 $6,997,442
Emile Ramsammy 863 116 107 103 $5,360,149
Emma-Jayne Wilson 896 107 133 118 $5,882,844
Tyler Pizarro 623 90 94 81 $4,932,331
Justin Stein 685 67 75 59 $2,868,629
Luis Contreras 368 66 53 47 $2,765,356
Todd Kabel 405 59 41 40 $3,139,798
Corey Fraser 411 45 59 47 $2,394,932
Robert C. Landry 407 44 42 51 $2,797,502
Jono C. Jones 447 36 46 65 $2,947,925
Gerry Olguin 423 36 43 46 $2,105,297
Slade Callaghan 417 33 35 34 $1,952,087
Richard Anthony Dos Ramos 287 33 27 40 $1,963,943
CANADIAN OWNERS JIM AND SUSAN HILL had one of the biggest wins of their years as owners when TIZAHIT (Tiznow) won the Grade 2 DEMOISELLE STAKES.
Vanessa Ng photo
ARRAVALE BOUGHT BACK
(FROM THOROUGHBRED DAILY NEWS)
Canadian Horse of the Year Arravale (Arch) was offered by Ballylinch Stud in foal to Pivotal (GB), but
was bought-in for 1.05-million gns by John McCormack. She went through the ring as lot 1532.
The six-year-old mare captured the GI E.P. Taylor S.
and GI Del Mar Oaks on the track for owner Bob Costigan. “You roll the dice and take your chance, and
the price came close, but it was not quite enough,” said McCormack. AShe=s a very good-looking young mare,
and Bob Costigan feels blue sky is in front of her. She has a special place in his heart, and he=s delighted to
still have her. I=m sure she=ll foal at Ballylinch and could easily stay over here, because she was a good mare on grass and could make a story for herself anywhere.”
IT’S THE SAME ALL OVER…
Warning signs remain in face of Churchill’s fall success
JENNIE REES sums up a lot of aspects of the recently completed CHURCHILL DOWNS meeting, commenting on the race office, the track announcer, trainers and all things racing in a good wrap up piece…good for Rees, some things just need to be said….
excerpt from Louisville Courier-Journal
By Jennie Rees • The Courier-Journal • November 30, 2009
Final thoughts on Churchill Downs’ fall meet:
There was a lot to like but also ongoing signs that Churchill Downs is not immune from the economic ravages
plaguing Ellis and Turfway parks.
The weather was spectacular. The racing on the top end was very good, climaxed by Friday’s $400,000 Clark
Handicap featuring one of the deepest fields you’ll see for older horses outside the Breeders’ Cup. The racing
office did yeoman’s work assembling strong fields in $100,000 stakes. Stakes-quality allowance races were
frequent.
As with tracks in New York and California, conditioned claiming races and cheap maidens have become a fact of life. At least those races had full fields, unlike in the spring…
read more here:
+of+Churchill+s+fall+success
AND NEXT YEAR AT CHURCHILL…
BON JOVI, Kenny Chesney and Dave Matthews Band to play Churchill Downs summer music festival
By Gregory A. Hall • ghall@courier-journal.com • November 30, 2009
Churchill Downs Inc.’s first foray into the concert business as a promoter will be the three-day HullabaLOU
music festival announced Monday to take place at its Central Avenue track on July 23-25.
Organizers are hoping for crowds of 30,000 a day and an economic impact of $38 million for the region.
“Our goal with the HullabaLOU music festival would be to make this music festival — to the music festival
business — what the Kentucky Derby is to horse racing,” said Steve Sexton, president of Churchill Downs
Entertainment, the Louisville-based racing and gambling company’s entertainment subsidiary that was created
earlier this year.
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/200911301601/BUSINESS/911300336
RACHEL, ZENYATTA, VENTURA AND… VODKA!!
Fillies and mares rule racing in 2009
Vodka the toast of Japan Cup 29 Nov 2009
photo from 2008 from Japan Racing Association
Vodka on Sunday finally lifted the Japan Cup in her third try as trainer Katsuhiko Sumii’s superstar won the
29th running of the 2,400-meter race at Tokyo Racecourse in a photo finish over Oken Bruce Lee.
In a new partnership with jockey Christophe Lemaire, the 5-year-old Vodka went off as the first choice in
another glamorous field of 18 for the Japan Racing Association’s international showpiece.
After two defeats this fall in the Mainichi Okan and the Tenno Sho (Autumn) under Yutaka Take, Vodka, by Tanino Gimlet out of Tanino Sister, bounced back to cut a winning time of 2 minutes, 22.4 seconds on firm going at her favorite track, the third fastest Japan Cup of all time.
Vodka and the Hiroyuki Uchida-ridden Oken Bruce Lee, last year’s Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger) champion,
appeared to crash the wire at the same time before the cameras ruled in favor of the mare – by all of two
centimeters, the length she won last year’s Tenno Sho (Autumn) by over Daiwa Scarlet.
The impressive 3-year-old filly Red Desire, this year’s winner of the Shuka Sho, took third a further length
and a half behind.
Two-time defending champion of the Breeders’ Cup Turf, Conduit, the third overall pick, was the highest
finisher at fourth among the five foreign horses. Just as Well came in seventh, Scintillo 11th, Interpatation
14th and Marsh Side 17th. Conduit, set to stand stud at the Big Red Farm in Hokkaido next year, had been
eligible for the Japan Autumn International bonus of 130 million yen but came up short in the final race of his
career.
It was the sixth top level victory at Fuchu for Vodka, who after the race was ruled out for the next month with
a nosebleed, meaning she will not run in the 2,500-meter Arima Kinen at Nakayama, the year’s grand finale. It could also mean that the Japan Cup was Vodka’s final race.
Lemaire, who had originally been scheduled to ride Shalanaya before the French filly pulled out, said he was
far from confident when he crossed the line.
http://www.thoroughbrednews.co.nz/international/Default.aspx?id=44038&page=1&keyword=
NEWS FROM THOROUGHBRED NIAGARA
Thoroughbred Niagara – Southern Ontario Thoroughbred Breeders We are busy adding new incentives for membership for 2010 which will include all aspects of Thoroughbred ownership, we would like to invite you to join our membership at a cost of $30, $50 business membership includes a banner ad on the website and a link to your website. This will include a Newsletter quarterly, an awards banquet, line class shows, performance awards in the following categories:
Hunter
Jumper
Dressage
Eventing
Top “A” Track Earner
Top “B” Track Earner
Stallion
President’s Choice Award
To be eligible for these awards you must hold a valid membership to TBN paid by February 15, 2010. Hunter,
Jumper, Dressage, Eventing includes TB’s and ½ TB’s with proof of at least 1 parent being a TB. Keep track of
all monies earned, show placing including level of show. At the end of the season we will send out forms to all
members to be filled out and sent back with all pertinent information. All awards will be handed out at our new
Annual Awards Banquet. We are also introducing Thoroughbred Niagara News a newsletter which will be produced quarterly for the first year, please send in any information or classifieds that you would like to share with the Southern Ontario Thoroughbred people. Stallion owners we are including a Stallion section in our first
issue so please forward ads to editor@thoroughbredniagara.com as soon as possible including any discounts that you might like to forward to our membership. We would like to get our first issue out by February if at all
possible. Check back often for information and news at our website www.thoroughbredniagara.com Come and check us out on Facebook as well.
We hope that bringing more into our Association will appeal to a broader spectrum of Thoroughbred owners and enthusiasts. Please feel free to let us know if we can add anything else that might interest you. Help support other Thoroughbred owners and come out to our planned events. Check back often for information on plans for 2010.
Membership forms can be found on the website.
