LOOK OUT FOR THE CAT!
COURAGEOUS CAT – works at the Spa and is headed to Woodbine. Trainer BILL MOTT confirmed to Daily Racing Form yesterday that the Cat is coming to the Woodbine Mile and that makes the race already a sparkling event for its 2011 renewal on Sept. 18.
This is a superstar turfer who has really only run one bad race in his 13 start career and that was in Dubai last spring when he was 9th beaten about 6 lengths (no Lasix).
The son of Storm Cat, owned and bred by Pam and Marty Wygod is 2 for 2 this season with a pair of 103 Beyer Figures.
Here is his awesome run late in 2009 in the BREEDERS’ CUP MILE
when he was a winner until inside the eighth pole – GOLDIKOVA beat him:
DANCE AND DANCE (Royal Academy) joins WOODBINE MILE list too. While trainer BILL MOTT confirmed yesterday that the white faced turf star COURAGEOUS CAT is an absolute starter in the Sept 18 WOODBINE MILE, trainer Ed Vaughn is ready to send the 5yo gelding Dance and Dance from England.
Below is the ROYAL HUNT CUP video:
At about 1:20 of the replay you can see, bottom of screen, Dance and Dance try to come up the rail before he had to angle out. He was post 30 in a 30 horse field.
WOODBINE WEDNESDAY NIGHT
As the weather is about to get very wet, and very warm (39 celcius with humidity tomorrow, that’s over 100F), we move into a long weekend at Woodbine with yearling sales stakes day and the sale itself highlighting the events on Monday.
No racing today but there was so cool stuff last night at the continent’s greatest track:
STARTING SPREADING THE NEWS – He cost $1,200 but the Old Forester 3yo OLD BLUE EYES is now up to $121,339 in earnings following his 3rd win in his 7th race last night in the featured allowance, race 1.
Bought and co-owned and trained by Pat Parente, OLD BLUE EYES was bred by Jim Sabiston and this guy is yet another example of how much money you can win with a local yearling purchase!
More stuff from last night – Leanne Hester’s wonderful mare NAME IN LIGHTS HAD A BUNCH OF 2ND PLACE finishes in succession including a near miss2 starts ago for trainer Alison Crook.
Race 7 – JOJO found his MOJO and won his maiden for $25,000 last night on the big class drop. The grey 3yo JOJO’S MOJO, a $75,000 purchase, had run well in tougher maiden races this year but broke through ont he drop last night when he won in his 10th career race for the Samotowka Stakes. Mike DePaulo trains the Jan. 27 born colt.
Barb Minshall’s homebred gelding NAMATH won his maiden last night for $25,000 claiming, his first run for claiming. The Where’s the Ring fellow, also owned by Avelino Gomez Jr. actually won his maiden by 7 lengths last year but he was dsiqualified. He has won over $70,000 in his career.
Trainer BEV CHUBB celebrated a win by her recent claim A MATTEROFSPEAKING, who led all the way to win her maiden for $12,500 in race 5. The Gilded Time filly, under David Garcia, is owned by Horsepower Racing and D. Carmen.
race 4 – the class plungers are starting to pop up frequently and YANKEE BAILEY WEST dove down from $32,000 claiming which he was in for his debut to just $12,500 last night, was bet down to 7 to 2 and was up to win by a nose. Emma-Jayne Wilson rode the Track West runner who was adding Lasix for his 2nd career race.
Dave and Stephanie Whitford bred the Yankee Gentleman gelding in Ontario.
Hip no. 41 on Monday night at the local sale is a filly by Sky Classic and a half sister to Yankee Bailey West.
race 3 – lots of bling these days – BLING BLING QUEEN, the light grey gal, won her 3rd consecutive race (one was in a dead heat) for Bret Biamonte and Ron Braley in a 6 furlong sprint for $11,500 claiming. She is 4 for 9 in her career and was battling on the rail all the way.
race 2 – GONDORF is the latest winner for the suddenly hot Brian Lynch Stable. The Theatrical fellow was dropping to $40,000 claiming and won by a long margin in the 1 mile grass race. He is an Ontario bred.
HAY! help for the horseplayer?
This is not a new subject and in fact, the Horseplayers Association (HANA) has been working hard at helping out in all aspects of it – helping the horseplayer, the fan, the bread and butter of the game.
Recently, form reversals of horses have been frustrating to bettors, fans and on-air folks working for Woodbine alike.
A discussion last Saturday between hosts on the Woodbine simulcast show finally announced these frustrations…that no longer are fans getting the explanations from the Ontario Racing Commission and its stewards on what exactly is going on with some of these events.
And this cannot happen.
Last night, the favourite in the 4th race at Woodbine, YO TAMBIEN, was eased up a few strides out of the gate and then cantered around the track to the wire. That is a lot of betting money from a Wednesday night crowd, those watching on BET NIGHT LIVE etc. that went down the tubes because this horse seemingly did not appear to be fit to race. Or was he? Did something in his equipment break?
That’s the problem – there needs to be a page on a website somewhere that includes all explanations to what happened to this horse.
The increased amount of secrecy going on through the ORC or the stewards, seemingly with events during races etc., is of serious concern. Top trainer GREG DE GANNES has not been seen for several weeks, his horses are trained by Danny O’Callaghan, but there has been no ruling, no news on where this trainer is.
Horses run last and then win – pile on 30-40 Beyer Figure points for no apparent reason. And still, no where can bettors/fans find out how this was possible.
As for YO TAMIBIEN, he was in the first leg of the ever popular, much publicized PICK 4 with a guaranteed pool. Fans trackside taking part in Bet Night Live or watching on TV were no doubt entranced by the horse and he was tipped and touted on the broadcast. Those with sharper eyes may have noticed that perhaps he was not all that smooth on his way to the gate – that must be left up to the track vet and the rider and 90% of the time, horses will work they way out of kinks.
But the point is, the horse was eased and we want to know why.
The ORC needs to crack down on its information dispersion process – let’s get explanations out there – on form reversals, horses pulling up and why a horse was disqualified or was not.
And let’s do it soon.
ANDY BEYER weight in on LASIX
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/horse-racing/after-all-th
ese-years-lasix-is-a-polarizing-topic-in-horse-racing-again/2011/
COMING UP SATURDAY
WOODWARD S.-GI, $750,000, 3yo/up, 1 1/8m
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT
1 Ice Box K Pulpit Lezcano Zito 126
2 Mission Impazible K Unbridled’s Song Velazquez Pletcher 126
3 Giant Oak Giant’s Causeway Bridgmohan Block 126
4 Rule Roman Ruler Castellano Pletcher 126
5 Convocation K Pulpit Maragh Jerkens 126
6 Havre de Grace K Saint Liam Dominguez Jones 123
7 Flat Out Flatter Solis Dickey 126
8 Mambo Meister King Cugat Jara Gleaves 126
