**Last chance to buy tickets to LongRun Gala is tomorrow – for tomorrow night’s shindig! Contact LongRun at Woodbine racetrack.
MIKE SMITH TO RIDE BREAKING LUCKY AT DEL MAR
North America’s best know ‘money-rider’ MIKE SMITH will be riding Canadian-bred BREAKING LUCKY in the Awesome Again Stakes on September 30 at Del Mar.
The $300,000 race is a Win and You’re IN for the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
BREAKING LUCKY (Lookin at Lucky) has been chasing around horses such as Gun Runner and the like with starts in 5 Grade 1’s since last fall. His last win was the Seagram Cup at Woodbine.
Owned by Gunpowder Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds et al and trained by Reade Baker, Breaking Lucky worked 5 furlongs at Woodbine in 58 4/5 on the training dirt as he prepares for his trip to the west coast.
Breaking Lucky was the “Best Turned Out” Horse winner Presented by Al Basti Equiworld Dubai for the G1 Whitney Stakes is Breaking Lucky for Trainer Reade Baker https://t.co/NnIqIwCgm8”
AMI’S MESA – 4 for 4 in 17
IVAN DALOS’ Ami’s Mesa won the $300,000 Presque Isle Masters Stakes (Grade 2) earlier this week in track record time, 1:14.68 for 6 1/2 furlongs, and posted a 94 Beyer Speed Figure.
The Sky Mesa – Victorious Ami by Victory Gallop filly was ridden by Luis Contreras and she is trained by Josie Carroll.
Ami’s Mesa is now in contention for Canadian Horse of the Year along with male sprinter Pink Lloyd.
GIGANTIC BREEZE, owned and bred by Stan Dodson’s Hopefiled Farm, won the $200,00 Presque Isle Mile this week also. Trained by Alex McPherson, the son of Giant’s Causeway came out of 2nd and 3rd place finishes behind Melmich in graded stakes at Woodbine to win this big event with a 96 Beyer Speed Figure. Mario Pino rode.
JOCKEY CLUB FOAL CROP NUMBERS RELEASED
Projection is 22,500 foals in North America, same as last 2 years
2016 Mares bred 2016 Live Foals 2017 Live Foals % Change
Kentucky 17,912 12,184 12,396 1.7%
California 2,631 1,720 1,726 0.3%
Florida 2,841 1,577 1,514 -4.0%
New York 1,526 940 912 -3.0%
Louisiana 1,507 893 799 -10.5%
Maryland 929 411 500 21.7%
Ontario 865 447 397 -11.2%
New Mexico 869 452 370 -18.1%
Oklahoma 826 361 341 -5.5%
Pennsylvania 547 349 289 -17.2%
CANADIAN SIRES, mares bred 2016
Society’s Chairman 89 ON
Giant Gizmo 79 ON
Souper Speedy 67 ON
Old Forester 59 ON
Frac Daddy 57 ON
Bakken 52 BC
Cape Canaveral 42 AB
Silver Max 40 ON
Wilko 36 ON
Kara’s Orientation 34 AB
Silent Name (JPN) 33 ON
Milwaukee Brew 31 ON
Second in Command 29 BC
We Miss Artie 29 ON
Edison 24 SK
Signature Red 23 ON
Declassify 22 AB
Schramsberg 20 AB
Singing Saint 20 ON
Lent 19 BC
Big Screen 18 ON
Where’s the Ring 18 ON
for more – http://jockeyclub.com/default.asp?section=Resources&area=16&report=RMB&letter=all
ALL WORLD
Fans bet astounding $13.6 million on Woodbine card
In a brilliant show of speed and stamina, WORLD APPROVAL, owned and bred by Charlotte Weber’s Live Oak Plantation, galloped along the rail on the E P Taylor turf coruse, playing around with some rivals to his outside before shrugging them off on his way to Woodbine Mile heroics.
The grandson of the great Canadian-bred With Approval was only making his 2nd start ever at 1 mile and it was his 2nd straight Grade 1 win at the distance. He had won the Fourstardave at Saratoga over soft grass following a fading 5th place run in the Manhattan at 10 furlongs in June.
A son of Northern Afleet, World Approval posted back to back top Beyer Figures of 108 in this win in 1:33, beating LANCASTER BOMBER, who figured to put in a good rally but he had some traffic delay. Long on Value finished third.
It was an easy day for the gelding’s new rider, John Velazquez, who looked around as he went to the lead on the speedy gelding and saw that no one else wanted the lead.
Mark Casse has trained World Approval since he was moved from Christophe Clement after 2 starts as a 2yo in 2014 on sloppy tracks.
In March, 2015 he debuted for Casse and won 2 straight turf races at 1 1/16 miles.
Interestingly, he would not see 1 1/16 miles again until this past June and instead was kept at longer distances as he traveled to 10 tracks in his next 16 races. When he won at 1 1/16 miles at Pimlico in the Dixie recently and posted a 106 Beyer Figure, the signs were there that he wanted to be a miler.
The 5-year-old light grey is now 10 for 23 in his career with $1.92 million in earnings.
The 21st Woodbine Mile highlighted a very long 13-race card that started off slowly, betting and attendance-wise but picked up by race 4.
By the 13th race, the mandatory payout of the High 5, which had a carryover of $1.4 million, the place was abuzz.
Fans poured money into the races, $4 million more than last year’s Woodbine Mile day – $13.6 million up from $9.6 million.
The pedigree of WORLD APPROVAL is immaculate and look at his paternal grandsire and maternal grandsire – AFLEET onto WITH APPROVAL – 2 great Canadian bred horses.
And World Approval’s amazing siblings have run well at Woodbine. Below, in bold, are the mare, Win Approval’s foals:
World Approval 2012 23 10 2 4 $1,837,363 13
American Derby[G3]
United Nations S.[G1]
Longines Dixie S.[G2]
Saranac S.[G3]
Fourstardave H.[G1]
Sophomore Turf S.
EG Vodka Turf Classic S.
Ricoh Woodbine Mile S.[G1]
Victorious Won 2010 4 0 1 0 $12,647 0
Za Approval 2008 34 9 9 4 $1,394,666 13
(stakes placed at Woodbine)
Knickerbocker S.[G3]
Real Courage S.
Appleton S.[G3]
Red Bank S.[G3]
Highest Approval 2007 0 0 0 0 $0 0
Winning Doe 2006 8 1 0 0 $20,242 0
Siteofawinner 2003 60 7 8 6 $59,880 0
Magnificentaproval 2002 9 1 1 0 $43,626 0
Winabull 2001 46 14 6 4 $145,852 0
Miesque’s Approval 1999 41 12 10 5 $2,648,879 19
(Placed in Summer Stakes at Woodbine)
Pilgrim S.
Firecracker Breeders’ Cup H.[G2]
NetJets Breeders’ Cup Mile[G1]
Bonnie Heath Turf Cup H.
Kent Breeders’ Cup S.[G3]
Sunshine Millions Cloverleaf Farms Turf S.
Maker’s Mark Mile S.[G2]
Red Bank S.[G3]
Old Ironsides S.
Revved Up 1998 43 20 9 1 $1,548,653 22
Stars and Stripes Breeders’ Cup Turf H.[G3]
Bonnie Heath Turf Cup H.
Bonnie Heath Turf Cup H.
Bonnie Heath Turf Cup H.
Caesar Rodney H.
Cape Henlopen S.
Sycamore Breeders’ Cup S.[G3]
Battlefield S.
Bob Harding S.
John’s Call S.
Cherokee River Stables Turf Classic S.
Chris Thomas Turf Classic S.
Chris Thomas Turf Classic S.
Niagara Breeders’ Cup H.[G2]
While 2 to 1 World Approval was considered the most likely winner by some, the results of stakes races that supported the Mile were not quite as believable.
The former Mark Casse trainee IKERRIN ROAD posted a big upset in the Grade 3 BOLD VENTURE STAKES for Alpine Stable and trainer Vito Armata.
This 4yo gelding was bought for $228,112 by Robert Masterson (owner of Tepin) from the Goffs Horses of Racing Age Sale in 2016 after the son of Ifraaj had won a couple of races on synthetic surfaces in Europe.
He began his North American career at Keeneland and Fair Grounds in 2016-2017 racing on turf and dirt but not a lot happened. His first race back on a synthetic surface was a Woodbine for $32,000 claiming and he won easily and was claimed by Armata.
He won that day and has won twice for the new barn.
David Moran rode the gelding to victory in the Bold Venture.
And then there’s JOHNNY...JOHNNY BEAR. Affectionately know as ‘Marshmallow’, Johnny Bear upset the Grade 1 Northern Dancer Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on the grass, bringing dad John Brnjas and daughter Ashlee nearly to tears.
The Canadian Premier Yearling Sale topper from 5 years ago at $325,000, Johnny Bear, bred by Ivan Dalos, was slow to do much of anything on the track until he got older and his races got longer and longer.
An upset winner of the Halton yearling sales stakes in his last race, Johnny Bear somehow reeled in Group 1 winner HAWKBILL, sent across the ocean by trainer Charlie Appleby, and won by a long nose, tking home the bulk of the $300,000 purse.
The son of English Channel – In Return was ridden by Luis Contreras.
