FAMILY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
KARIBU GARDENS wins big for Melnyk/Carroll – CANADIAN STUFF

 

 

Sky Classic (Grade 2) stakes winner KARIBU GARDENS was up to win an allowance/optional claiming event at Gulfstream on Friday the 13th for Eugene Melnyk and trainer Josie Carroll. The dark bay son of Flower Alley, a Kentucky bred, rallied from behind a hot pace to win the 1 1/16 mile turf race in 1:39.51, good for a 94 Beyer Figure. The 5-year-old was making his 2nd start since heading south and he had been 7th beaten 3 lengths behind a slow pace in the Tropical Park Turf Stakes in November, a Grade 3 event.

More Winners – FINN’S JEWEL, owned and bred by Sam-Son Farms, won an allowance race on the grass at Gulfstream yesterday, the first win for the stable of 2015. The Giant’s Causeway 4-year-old out of champion Catch the Ring by Seeking the Gold was up to win by a head at 9 to 2 under Javier Castellano. Malcolm Pierce trains.

Trainer SID ATTARD sent out his first winner of 2015 when SHEZAFIRECRACKER romped by 8 1/2 lengths in a maiden $25,000 claiming race at Gulfstream yesterday. The dark bay 3-year-old, owned and bred by Norseman Racing, was making her first start since November when she was 2nd at Woodbine. She is by Sharp Humor out of Grenade by Lite the Fuse and she scampered 6 furlongs in 1:11.48.

How about that 17 3/4 length win by Debmar Stables’ LEOMBRUNO at Gulfstream on Friday? This Discreetly Mine colt, trained by Ricky Griffith was 5 to 1 and making his 4th career start and 2nd at the GP meeting. Off a 24 length drubbing for $25,000 claiming, he won this race for $12,500 as the “handiest of winners” under Luis Contreras.

GINA AND MIKE WRIGHT have enjoyed a good stint at Tampa Bay Downs and on Friday, SIMPLY CLASSIC won a $25,000 claiming race on the grass by 5 3/4 lengths at odds-on.  Mike Wright is 3 for 10 in 2015 and this was his 725th career win.

In claiming news, Horse ‘n Around and Martha Gonzalez claimed WINSTANLEY (Ire) from a maiden $25,000 race at Gulfstream on Wednesday. The Dandy Man colt was making his 11th career start and was 2nd in the turf race.

At Penn National, Steven Chircop’s DANCING SPARKS, claimed in January for $6,250, won for $8,000 yesterday at 1 mile and 70 yards. It was the mare’s 10th career win in 57 races and Chircop is her 7th different owners of her long career.
Chircop is 2 for 8 in 2015 with 4 more top three placings and $36,000 in earnings.

LAWRENCE CORDES, owned of Valedictory Stakes winner Turkish, paid $25,000 to claim TRIGGER FINGER at Gulfstream on Thursday. The filly won her that starter allowance at 2 to 1 in a 1 mile grass event. She is by U S Ranger and will be trained by Tino Attard.

 

QUEEN’S PLATE NEWS

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONQUEST BOOGALOO, winner of the Swynford Stakes last year and 3rd in the Cup & Saucer, had his first recorded workout of 2015 on Feb. 10. The son of Scat Daddy breezed 5 furlongs at Winding Oaks Farm in Ocala, Florida for trainer Mark Casse, logging in at 1:02 1/5.

NIPIGON, owned and bred by Chiefswood Stables, had his first workout as a 3-year-old as he had an easy 3 furlong breeze of :40 at Payson Park on Feb. 7. The Niigon colt is trained by Rachel Halden and he was 2nd by a head in the Coronation Futurity.

AMI’ S FLATTER, 2nd in the Mucho Man Man Stakes and in the money in the Sam F Davis at Tampa Bay Downs, is nominated to next weekend’s Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park. He is a homebred for Ivan Dalos.

Tickets for the 156th Gallop for the Guineas go on sale beginning April 1. For early access to tickets, fans can visit the official race website, www.queensplate.com, the premier source for Plate news, notes, photos, event information and much more.

The popular Hats & Horseshoes party, which features fashion, food and fun will return on Queen’s Plate day in 2015.

 

GETTING REAL – Conquest Typhoon in Kentucky Derby prep in San Fran

 Casse hopes to celebrate birthday with Conquest

 

Canadian-bred CONQUEST TYPHOON, on the Thoroughblog list of Queen’s Plate contenders and a possible champion 2-year-old in Canada (awards are April 10) will try 9 furlongs on a synthetic dirt surface at Golden Gate Fields on Saturday in the El Camina Real Derby.

The son of Stormy Atlantic – Swanky Bubbles by Ascot  Knight won the Grade 3 Cecille B DeMille – Grade 3 at Del Mar at 1 mile on turf in November and he has been working in sizzling times since then on the Santa Anita dirt. Owned by Conquest Stables LLC and bred by Josham Farms, the Typhoon won the Grade 2 Summer Stakes at 1 mile on the grass at Woodbine.

From SFgate – by Larry Stumes

Conquest Typhoon is the only graded stakes winner in the field, taking the Grade 3 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes at Del Mar and the Canadian Grade 2 Summer Stakes at Woodbine — both on grass last year.

“I wouldn’t totally rule out the Kentucky Derby, but we have some concerns about how far he wants to go,” trainer Mark Casse said of Conquest Typhoon, who has excelled in 1-mile races.

http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Star-studded-field-of-jockeys-for-El-Camino-Real-6076118.php

 

Saturday, Golden Gate Fields, post time: 6:45 p.m. EST
EL CAMINO REAL DERBY-GIII, $200,000, 3yo, 1 1/8mA (AWT)
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT

1 Donji Big Brown Terrero Gonzalez 122
2 Indianaughty  Indian Charli Lanerie Romans 122
3 Metaboss  Street Boss Solis Bonde 122
4 Ernest Shackleton (Ire) Dke of Mrmlde (Ire) Van Dyke O’Neill 122
5 Cross the Line Line of David Hernandez Hollendrfr 122
6 Harmonic  Congrats Gonzalez Hollendrfr 122
7 Soul Driver  Street Boss Carr Mullins 122
8 Stand and Salute Saint Anddan Baze Hollendrfr 122
9 Conquest Typhoon K Stormy Atlantic Smith Casse 122
10 Mischief Clem Papa Clem Desormeaux Hess Jr. 122

 

WHO’S THE BOSS?  FACEBOOK GROUP HAVING FUN WITH HORSE OWNERSHIP

and Metaboss tackles big guys in Derby prep

 

 

Racing fan Julie Wright and her family will be glued to the TV or computer screen later today to watch the El Camino Real Derby from Golden Gate near San Francisco.

From Burlington, Wright is actually out of town this weekend, escaping the bitter Ontario cold for a few days but the excitement of her current trip cannot match the possibility that a racehorse she owns a little tiny piece of (“I have a few of his tail hairs”) could win a big race and stamp a ticket to the Kentucky Derby.

Wright and a handful of other Ontario racing  fans and horsepeople are part of a group of about 40 who were able to buys shares in METABOSS, a Street Boss colt owned by Mersad Metanovic, Michael Arndt, Daniel Priess, S. McFetridge and C. Azcarate.

It was Metanovic who paid $10,000 for the colt as a weanling, the second foal of the Free House mare Spinning Yarns. It was Arndt and others, members of a fun little Facebook group called HOMELESS HANDICAPPERS, who organized getting some shares in to the colt out to his HH friends.

Joshua Taylor, from Shelbyville, Tennessee, is also a member and he explains the creation of HH.

“Homeless Handicappers was founded by half a dozen horse racing fans and bloggers. The group were followers of various racing blogs including that of Justin Dew. We chatted together on various websites until one day were without a permanent site together.

“It looked as if we weren’t going to be able to find a “Home” for our group. Facebook was becoming more popular than Myspace so the Justin moved his Derby Bloggers group to Facebook. However, Justin took a hiatus, and the group activity level quickly began to dwindle. At times it seemed like only the 6 or 7 of us were left. We kept at it, and slowly started to regain interest and added membership. About a year later Justin returned and all seemed like it was going to return to normal.”

However, said Taylor, the Derby bloggers site became quite competitive and soon led to much arguing and some nasty post-exchanges. Taylor started a new Facebook page in which an interested person can join if invited.

“As a joke, I called it Homeless Handicappers. Everyone had a good laugh, because it fit us so well, though we could not come up with a name to beat it. The name grew on us so we voted to keep it, and we made the group public.”

Taylor describes the people who have joined:

“Some of our founders were either very lively and well known characters around the racing blogosphere or top notch handicappers with their own little following. Others were horsemen, genetics gurus, and new to the sport, but up and coming handicappers. We shared some really fresh perspectives, and wanted a place where you could offer opinions without being treated disrespectfully. We wanted to pursue every opportunity we could think of to promote the sport we love.

Following a special trip for the HH group to Delaware Park, membership exploded and it currently stands at 3,151 members.

It was Michael Arndt who took the reins and organized  a horse-ownership syndicate for HH members that has sparked a love of the game to friends and family of the members.

Enter Wright and her sister who paid $300 for a share in the colt with about a $30 per month fee for care.

“It is a total bargain for all the fun I am having,” said Wright. ” It has been fun getting to know everyone. There should be more organizations like this… it lets people join in without a big cash investment.”

The HH group has various members in on a few different horses and each horse has its own syndicate price and cost. The perks include winner’s circle photos, perhaps a monetary profit should the horse be sold and of course, bragging rights.

Metaboss comes off his maiden win on the grass and is an improving colt whose career is guided by Metanovic (thus ‘Meta’boss) and trainer Jeff Bonde.

Metaboss has his own Facebook page with already 1,100 likes and that is sure to grow as the colt goes along in his career. And should the colt do well in the El Camino Real Derby, the following for the Homeless Handicappers is sure to burst.