HAPPY DECEMBER 1 – Coming up in the next issue of Canadian Thbrd – here’s our COVER BOY – OLD FORESTER, the hot young sire with 8 debut winning 2yos this season.
DAVE LANDRY PHOTO
THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, JOIN THE CANADIAN THOROUGHBRED/ THOROUGHBLOG TEAM!
Get a subscription to CANADIAN THOROUGHBRED, sales stats, photos, racing stories and features and health and training tips. You get everything each month and then get up to date info on THOROUGHBLOG…
Next year, it IS the 50th ANNIVERSARY OF CANADIAN THOROUGHBRED MAGAZINE (formerly Canadian Horse) and look for us to show some of the cool covers of the past, some neat forums and viewpoints and stories.
It is the also the 50th anniversary of the both of the greAstest Canadian horse of all time – NORTHERN DANCER.
GET IN THE GAME, Canadian Thoroughbred and Thoroughblog offer great deals in advertising….
And…readers send in notes all the time to ThoroughBlog, thanks for staying in touch…
…” thanks to your blog – someone that had Run A Buck as a baby contacted me and sent me photos of him. It made our day.”
Scott & Lynn
http://www.christmas-treasures.com/KSA/Fabriche/KSASportsman.htm
AND THEN THERE WAS 5
racing days left in Woodbine meeting
Neither rain, nor sleet, nor…well, you get it. And we here in Ontario are getting lots of different stuff on the weather scale. Weclome to Dec. 1, where did the year go?
5 days of 167 carded for the 2010 meeting are all that remain.
Tonight there are 8 races including the SIR BARTON STAKES, in which SAND COVE could make a big case to be named Canada’s champion older horse if he wins. The grey son of Bold Executive has done wonders this year and even wom a Grade 3 event.
His rivals are well overmatched but this race is often upset – minded. If you are looking for some sneaky sneaks to play – use PIRATE’S LEGEND and MAMMA’S KNIGHT.
Thursday has nine races and Friday has a whopping card of 11 races and some 138 entries.
In the days to come, THOROUGHBLOG will get some summary stats on just how business was for the tb’s at Woodbine this year. Certainly, the racing was strong, the purses and fields similarly strong and while the success has made it tougher for locals to win – MIKE PINO, WESLEY WARD etc, cleaned up almost every time they went to post – it’s a popular place to race.
photo of SAND COVE by NORM FILES
FRANK PASSERO
“There was not a word of criticism of [horse of the year] Cigar when he won 12 in a row,” Passero said. “I don’t have a Cigar in my barn, but I do have lots of Cigarettes.” – 1996, Frank Passero on his world record streak at Gulfstream
Michael Burns photo
He was often called Frank the Bank, you could bet on his trainees with confidence as he was one of the winningest trainers in the business in the 1980s.
He still holds the record for most wins at one Woodbine meet by a trainer.
He won an astonishing 14 consecutive races at a Gulfstream meeting, still a world record, and endured a lot of scrutiny during that incredible roll.
The popular, controversial, humourous and often well-dressed Passero passed away Tuesday morning in Toronto. Born in Fort Erie, he succumbed after a long battle with cancer.
He was 77.
Based at Woodbine for most of his excellent career, Passero collected two other Woodbine training titles in 1981 (Autumn meet) and 1992, in addition to his still-standing record mark of 89 wins in 1995. He also
recorded five Ontario training championships, including titles at
Greenwood and Fort Erie, in 1981, 1982, 1988, 1992 and 1995.
Characterized as the *King of the Claimers* for much of his career, he also won dozens of stakes races, including multiple added-money wins by I Can*t Believe, Fleet Wahine and Wild Zone. He earned his
training license in 1965 and finished with 2,061 lifetime scores.
He is probably best known for his remarkable accomplishment of winning a world-record 14 consecutive races at Gulfstream Park in Florida in 1996.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
Here’s some media about Frank from 1996…
http://www.nytimes.com/1996/02/02/sports/horse-racing-king-of-the-claimers-wins-10th-in-a-row.html
WOODBINE MIXED SALE
Rexdale, ON – November 29, 2010 – Horsepower took several forms over the weekend, as the CTHS hosted its annual Winter Mixed Sale on November 27th in front of a solid crowd at the Woodbine Sales Pavilion, Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto.
By day’s end, gains were seen in the broodmare, weanling, and yearling sessions, which included a 33% increase in purchase price for yearlings sold over last year’s sale. Overall, 124 horses were sold for a total of $506,700 with an average of $4,086.29.
The Queen’s Stamp, by Grade 1 winner Prized in foal to Sky Conqueror, a Canadian champion and Grade 1 winner, topped the Sale being purchased for $63,000 by Cantium Bloodstock through the consignment of Richard Moylan, Agent. In the yearling session, a Successful Appeal colt was a $39,000 purchase for Arravale Racing Inc. through Huntington Stud Farm, Agent. While in the weanling session, a Bold Executive colt sold for $29,000 to Richard Hogan Bloodstock through Paradox Farm Inc., Agent for Howard Walton. Rounding off the final session was the purchase of Sleipnir, a Tethra gelding purchased for $9,000 by Sue Leslie through the consignment of Woodlands (Gail Wood), Agent.
For hip-by-hip results of the Winter Mixed Sale, please visit www.cthsont.com or contact the CTHS office at 416-675-3602.
DID YOU KNOW…
BLOOD-HORSE MAGAZINE has a new publisher and perhaps changes are on the way for the most popular weekly horse racing publication in the world…
Canadian-bred, graded stakes winners TWILIGHT METEOR and SQUARE EDDIE are back in training and working regularly after being retired and at stud earlier this year…stallion plans for graded stakes winner SOUTHDALE have not been finalized…
WOODBINE ENTERTAINMENT has a toolbar if you want to download it for quick access to its local news..http://woodbineracetrack.ourtoolbar.com/…
Prince of Wales Stakes winner GALLANT was sold by Lane’s End at the Keeneland Nov. sale for just $7,000 to Roger Speiss. The grey gelding was raced by Woodford Racing and trained by Mark Casse. Another Prince of Wales winner, ABLO. was another classic winner who has fallen off the radar as he was last seen racing in low claiming events.
HORSE RACING IN THE U.S., CRUMLING IN MANY PLACES
Paul Moran, ESPN
“Lack of uniform rules; medication abuses; a void of centralized national authority; ineffective, short-sighted leadership — the much discussed issues — while serious, are not the sport’s most pressing problems. The most ominous threat to the future of racing in America is the political class in places where people were breeding and racing horses before the founding of the Republic. “
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/columns/story?columnist=moran_paul&id=5863756
MORE LETTERS:
TWISTED WIT UPDATE
from Gail Hirt, CANTER MICHIGAN
Mentally, Twister is doing great. He has adjusted quite well here in Michigan. Gets along with all the horses here. He has put a little weight on and looks great. On the other hand, seems over the last year and a half, with all the different owners and farriers working on him, his feet have developed some problems. Michael and I saw some problems with him during his second from last race. We saw him running on 3 legs and weren’t sure what it was. When he arrived here in Michigan, the vets at Blue Water examined him, and at that time, thought he had some arthritis in his front. After some time, it turns out it was more than that. First of all, he has very thin soles. His toe area on his sole had been hollowed out for a better grip on the track while running. Not knowing this, when he arrived, we pulled his shoes to see how he would do barefoot. At first he did okay. Six weeks ago he went lame. He was xrayed and the farrier came out. Seems he had developed abscess’s in both front feet in the toe area. It also showed that he had laminitis from this. He was treated and re-shoed. Last week he was showing some lameness again in the front. The vets were called out to xray him again. This time I asked that the xrays be sent to Michigan State University to Dr. John Stick, who is the head guy of the Large Animal Clinic and also on the executive board for CANTER USA and CANTER Michigan, he is also on the board for the AAEP and has worked with Rood and Riddle in KY. After looking at these, Dr. Stick says that: yes he has foundered from all his hoof problems, with very little rotation (2%) and he has developed white line disease from this whole mess. Yes it is treatable and yes it is manageable with time. He has asked that Twister be brought to MSU to be taken care of by their specialists. With it being a holiday weekend, I cannot call until tomorrow, which I will do first thing, to make an appointment. The plan is to take him there on Friday to be treated and shoed by them. Until then he is getting soaked with Cleantrax to get rid of the infection. My farrier will continue with his trimmings and shoeing when he comes home. For now he must be stalled 24/7 and not turned out for a while. He is currently in a stall with dutch doors that the top opens so he can mingle with the other horses. He seems quite happy with this. They all take turns grooming him. The plan was to keep Twister here until the spring anyway, so this is not a problem. He can stay as long as he needs to. We all love him here.
This boy is such a people horse. He loves the constant attention he gets here with endless peppermints and carrots. He’s so easy to work around and loves to get his regular brushings. Him and I have developed quite the bonding. He gets a hug nightly and he has even turns his head around me as if to hug me back. When I walk in the barn his head is sticking out of his stall, literally begging for treats, and he gets them. Who’s got who trained?
Just wanted to assure all of you that he is getting the best possible care and attention. He has his own stall that is now 10 inches in shavings to make it easy on his feet, a heated water bucket, endless hay and all the company he needs from the other horses and visitors. I am ordering a biotin supplement to get him on that will hopefully help his hooves grow out better. He’s doing great and seems to be very happy here. I’ll let everyone know how he is progressing as we go along.
