TOP CANADIAN WINNING BEYER FIGURES LAST WEEK
97 – SINGANDDRYINDUBAI (turf)
89 – GAMBLE’S GHOST (Ontario Matron)
84 – HANSEN’S VICTORY (allowance, Hastings Park)
82 – CALGARY CAPER (Lt. Governor’s Stakes)
81 – DEA (turf)
81 – BIG DRINK OF WATER (Victoria Stakes)
81 – THE YOUNG LORD
81 – MARTEN LAKE (turf)
GAMBLE’S GHOST WINS ONTARIO MATRON STAKES (G3)
GAMBLE’S GHOST was pretty darn impressive on the weekend considering the 5-year-old mare appeared to be in deep water around the turn for home. The Ghostzapper gal, owned and bred by Ivan Dalos, was toiling in next-to-last place and being ridden along by Eurico da Silva. She turned on the jets in the stretch as she inhaled a pile of rivals and won in the last couple of jumps. Have to show the race as the pace was slow (although contested) and this amazing mare was simply stunning. This is her 9th win in 19 races (she is 9 for 13 on synthetic dirt) and she has earned over $720,000. Josie Carroll trains.
Another notable Woodbine winner was SINGANDCRYINDUBAI, an Ontario-bred by Victor’s Cry. He won the 6 1/2 furlong turf dash, and as you can see from last week’s top Buyer Figures (above), he was incredibly fast and he just missed the course record as he ran in 1:12.98 (course record 1:12.93) for that 97 Beyer Figure.
Trained by Norm McKnight for Jaroslaw Kowalcyzk, Singandcryindubai had not won in 10 recent races and had been at Oaklawn Park where he was a fringe player. Grass seems to be his thing, however (he’s 2 for 5 on turf now). Eurico da Silva rode the 4yo who was bred by Goldmart Farms and was purchased at the CTHS Ontario sale in 2015 for just $5,500. His record is now 18-5-2-1 and $169,000.
SUMMERLAND WOWS THEM AT HASTINGS PARK
SUMMERLAND, by He’s Tops, is an exciting 2-year-old in Canada – photo by Patti Tubbs
Classy star MODERN is retired
with files from Richard Yates at Derby Bar and Grill Racing:
The filly Summerland ($2.30) devastated the three geldings and one colt that ventured out to face her in the Spaghetti Mouse Stakes, the first such race of the season for two-year-olds. As far as the betting public was concerned, the race was over before it was run. The fans made Summerland a 15-cents to the dollar favorite and she turned the bet into a 6-furlong investment that required precisely 1:10.82 seconds to pay a 15% dividend.
The final time (72 Beyer Figure) represents some serious stepping by Summerland who was 7 ¼ lengths ahead at the wire only because Enrique Gonzalez did not see the need to win by more. Vintage Man ran second all the way around. He attempted to test the winner going into the last turn, but he was unable to pose any question that Summerland did not have an answer for. She left him on the turn and put more distance between them all the way home. Still, Vintage Man easily held the place ahead of Bugsy who ran an even third the whole way.
Summerland set the track record for 3 ½ furlongs in her debut and her 6-furlong time today was about as fast as any two-year-old ever runs at Hastings. She has quickly emerged as a bright star in the local racing firmament. No two-year-old in these parts is going to beat her sprinting, and it is difficult to see who is going to beat her if she can carry her blazing speed beyond sprint distances. The sky is the limit.
Summerland was bred in Kentucky by Tres Hombres and George Gilbert. She races for Gilbert now and Philip Hall trains the daughter of He’s Tops and the Honour and Glory mare, Otero. The mare won stakes at two and three at Hastings.
Later in the day, CALGARY CAPER, a 7-year-old son of El Corredor, zoomed past a slowing late pace to win the $50,000 Lieutenant Governors’ Stakes over 8-year-old Modern, a mulitple champion in B.C. Calgary Caper is also trained by Philip Hall. The gelding’s time of 1:43.65 was good for an 82 Beyer Figure.
“So proud of our Modern. So game in defeat in his final race of his career. Thx for all the battles you fought for us.” – trainer Dino Condilenios on Twitter
As for MODERN, the son of Tiznow – Interior Design, by A.P. Indy is now retired and will become a riding horse for a daughter of one of the Swift Thoroughbreds owners.
Trainer Dino Condelinios tweeted a photo of Modern’s post race bath after his gallant runner-up finish.
He retires with a record of 36 – 11 – 7 – 7 and earnings of $338,000. He won nine stakes races and was bought privately from breeder Darley Stud by The Swift team.
One of the most impressive runs of the Hastings Park weekend was that from the 3-year-old gelding HANSEN’S VICTORY, who won an allowance race on Sunday by 4 1/2 lengths in 1:43.49 for 1 1/16 miles, good for an 84 Beyer Speed Figure according to Daily racing Form.
The flashy fellow, owned by North American Thoroughbred Horse Company, R. Morrison and P. Tom and trained by Glen Todd, is a Kentucky bred by Hansen from the Canadian mare Victory With Class by Storm Victory.
WONDER GADOT CONFIRMED FOR PRINCE OF WALES
HORSE-RACES.NET PHOTO – Terence Dulay of Wonder Gadot
Filly needs one more start in Canada to be eligible for Sovereign Award
Queen’s Plate winner WONDER GADOT is headed to Fort Erie for the $400,000 Prince of wales Stakes on Tuesday evening, July 24.
This was reported by Canadian Press’ Dan Ralph on Monday as the filly’s trainer Mark Casse confirmed that FLAMEAWAY, who was expected to take part in the ‘Wales, will now go to the Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga on July 28.
Certainly the fact that Wonder Gadot, owned by Gary Barber, needs 3 starts in Canada to be eligible for a Sovereign Award (she has 2 starts) comes into play.
WONDER GADOT worked at Woodbine on Sunday, 48 1/5 for 4 furlongs. One thing is certain, the filly will not go to the 3rd jewel of the Triple Crown, the 1 1/2 mile Breeders’ Stakes on grass.
Also working well again is HOME BASE, who won two straight dirt races in Kentucky, one with a 90 Beyer Figure, before he was beaten 26 lengths in the Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs in June. In that race, this colt had quite an awkward bobble at the start and raced off the pace before he lost touch.
Trainer Mike Tomlinson had told Thoroughlog before the Plate that the Wales was on the radar for this colt who was bred by Christine and Jay Hayden.
And Brian O’Leary’s ABSOLUTION is headed to the ‘Wales with trainer Tony Gattellaro. Rafael Hernandez will ride the homebred son of Singing Saint who won an allowance race 2 starts ago but then had no pace to run at in the Plate Trial when behind Telekinesis.
The field for the Prince of Wales, which is run on traditional dirt, could look like this:
WONDER GADOT – Oaks, Plate winner, graded stakes winner on dirt
AHEADBYACENTURY – 2nd in Queen’s Plate, worked in 1:00 on dirt on July 14, would be making first dirt start
COOLER MIKE – 3rd Queen’s Plate, worked in 46 for 4 furlongs on dirt Monday
HOME BASE – American based colt by Street Sense
ABSOLUTION – won an allowance/optional claiming race, 6th in Plate Trial
JACK OF HEARTS – JOHN ROSS GOING FOR 2ND STRAIGHT POW
FEATURE FROM Bernd Franke, St Catherines Standard
The winning connection from 2017 is looking forward to defending its championship.
“Aheadbyacentury has done a lot of training over the winter on the dirt surface at Payson Park Training Centre in Florida, and on the training track at Woodbine and he handles it well.
“Fort Erie has a really nice dirt track with a good bottom, we don’t think it will be a problem.”
Contreras will be racing for his third consecutive Prince of Wales victory and his fourth overall in the $400,000 purse race. Before steering Cool Catomine to victory, he was in the saddle for Amis Gizmo’s win in 2016 and Pender Harbour’s pace-setting run in 2011.
CBC INVESTIGATION ON DAVID AND JASON SMALL
A father and son accused of letting 13 horses die while starving 15 others in Whitchurch-Stouffville, Ont., have a history of fraud, theft and starving animals, a CBC Toronto investigation has found.
David Small, his wife, Victoria, and their son Jason are facing charges of nine animal-cruelty offences following an investigation in May by the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals at a rural property, some 50 kilometres northeast of Toronto.
