Three Plate faves – Hollinger, Ghost Fleet (left) and Stormy Lord on the rail.
Norm Files photo
QUEEN’S PLATE WINTERBOOK RELEASE
The July 4 Queen’s Plate – which could be attended by HRH Queen Elizabeth – has a total of 100 nominees currently for the 151st edition of the Canadian classic.
To no one’s surprise, when Woodbine media launched the winterbook odds today, HOLLINGER, the undefeated champion by Black Minnaloushe, is the big fave.
He was installed at 5 to 2 and that is fairly low for a race that is several months from now.
The second choice, HOTEP, recently 10th in the Risen Star Stakes, is surprisingly very close in 2nd spot behind Hollinger while that one’s stablemate, Giant’s Tomb is also close.
It is expected that Woodbine will again offer the Fantasy Challenge contest to build a stable of Plate hopefuls to get points and win prizes.
There are lots of possibilities outside of HOLLINGER, who at this point seems to be miles ahead of most of the other noms.
CAPTAIN CANUCK is an intriguing prospect. The Pulpit – Magna Cum Laude colt had a neat debut last weekend when 2nd on the grass after being checked early and racing 5 wide. The Centennial Farms (Niagara) fellow earned a 73 Beyer Figure in that opener.
He is trained by Josie Carroll and was bred by Shyman Farms. Originally a $230,000 yearling, he was a $190,000 2yo purchase.
STORMY LORD and D’S WANDO, both well ahead of HOTEP in the Coronation Futurity last year, are 2 trained by Ian Black, who has won the Plate.
BIG RED MIKE, with a 77 Beyer Figure from his maiden score is a popular one too.
BIG RED MIKE
Norm Files phot
Top 10 Winterbook Favourites
Hollinger – 5-2
Hotep – 7-2
Giant’s Tomb – 5-1
Ghost Fleet – 6-1
D’s Wando – 8-1
Roan Inish – 10-1 (f)
Stormy Lord – 10-1
Resentless – 12-1 (f)
Mobil Unit – 12-1
Big Red Mike – 12-1
Queen’s Plate nominees (100)
Abogado – 75
Archon – 250
Arrow’s Conquest – 60
Artic Fern – 250
Atlantic Clipper – 300
Badinoff – 25
Barclay’s Park – 100
Beihai Park – 150
Big Red Mike – 12
Big Time – 40
Blind Bluff – 300
Boca Loca – 300
Bolt West – 250
Born to Act – 15
Bristol Indian – 75
Camiling – 300
Captain Canuck – 50
Carnduff – 75
Cashin Ona Dream – 75
Chief Tomahawk – 100
Cognashene – 20
Colorofspeed – 250
Copperelle – 200 (f)
Dark Cloud Dancer – 20
Deafening Silence – 200
Decadent – 250
Devilwood – 250
Disclosure – 75
Dixie Street – 100
Doctor Jack – 40
D’s Wando – 8
Dynamic Royal – 25
El Sombre – 125
Empire Rising – 40
Eurovalentino – 150
Everyone – 100
Final Clearance – 200
Flim Flam – 75
Forest Justice – 200
Forest Run – 50
Forever Awesome – 25
Freeport Bay – 75
Ghost Fleet – 6
Giant’s Tomb – 5
Gibson Land – 150
Gin Kings – 300
Gohomebay – 100
Grail Seeker – 100
Great Gulch – 250
Hameish – 150
Hanson Heights – 20
Hey Batter Batter – 125
Hollinger – 5-2
Hotep – 7-2
Indy League – 200
Kingspiel – 50
Le Mieux – 250
Macallan – 125
Madonnadellegrazie – 300
Major Bravo – 30
Mipote – 100
Mobil Unit – 12
Mobilizer – 60
Molinaro Padrino – 150
Molinaro Tempo – 250
Mr Fuller – 75
Niagara Express – 125 (f)
Oliver’s Soul – 300
Phantom Money – 200
Pinders Gap – 75
Playa Conchal – 300
Powermouse – 100
Race for Gold – 40
Raven Stone – 60
Red Strike – 100
Resentless – 12 (f)
Rhetoric – 60
Roan Inish – 10 (f)
Roman Games – 15
Saffron Hall – 60
Saratoga Thunder – 125
Scalding Rock – 150
Siber Stern – 30
Silent Running – 125
Skip to Heaven – 60
Sky of Grey – 50
Sleipnir – 100
Smart Stake – 50
Spirit Flying – 30
Stallone – 125
Stormonthemove – 200
Stormy Lord – 10
Tipperary Davor – 100
Vicar Street – 25
Where’s Ringo – 75
Who We Gunna Call – 50
Whos Big Daddy – 40
Widmo – 250
Woodland Flute – 150
Yo Tambien – 100
(f): denotes filly
*for horses already nominated, a sustaining payment of $1,500 must be
made by May 1 to be kept eligible for the race
*for horses not currently nominated, a $5,000 late nomination payment
can be made by May 1 to be eligible for the race
*for horses not nominated before May 1, a $25,000 ($15,000 + $10,000
entry fee) supplemental payment can be made at time of final entry to be
eligible for the race
BARBADOS GOLD CUP REPLAY is back
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid9525055001?bctid=70836693001
or it is apparently back on YOUTUBE..
AWESOME! GOTHAM WINNER EARNS 98 BEYER
has lots of Canadian breeding
With WINDFIELDS FARM in the news in the last week – it sold off every last remaining item at the Oshawa, Ontario farm from buckets to bandages to halters and tractors – it is fitting that a regally bred colt from one of the most important lines of breeding foundaed by E.P. taylor’s farm, has emgered on the Kentucky Derby trail.
AWESOME ACT – by Canadian-bred sire AWESOME AGAIN, is a great grandson of RAISE THE STANDARD, a Canadian bred mare, foaled at Windfields in 1978.
RAISE THE STANDARD is a daughter of NATALMA, the legendary mare that Taylor bought in the late 1950s who later produced the great NORTHERN DANCER/
RAISE THE STANDARD (as great granddam, she’s the 3rd dam of Awesome Act) produced a dozen foals, most of them American-bred.
One of them COUP DE FOLIE (by Halo), a Group III winner overseas, is a blue hen mare herself as producer of Group I winners MACHIAVELLIAN, EXIT TO NOWHERE and COUP DE GENIE.
Coup de Folie also produced AWESOME ACT’S DAM, HOUDINI’S HONEY (Mr. Prospector), a winning mare who has had 3 other foals.
chart courtesy Thoroughbred Daily News…
GOTHAM S.-GIII, $250,000, AQU, 3-6, 3yo, 1 1/16m,
1:43 4/5, ft.
1–#@AWESOME ACT, 116, c, 3, by Awesome Again
1st Dam: Houdini’s Honey, by Mr. Prospector
2nd Dam: Coup de Folie, by Halo
3rd Dam: Raise the Standard, by Hoist the Flag
($240,000 yrl ’08 KEESEP). O-Mrs Susan Roy &
Vinery Stables; B-Flaxman Holdings Ltd (KY);
T-Jeremy Noseda; J-Julien R Leparoux; $150,000.
Lifetime Record: 7-2-2-1, $221,662. Werk Nick Rating: C+.
awesome act – PHOTO BY VANESSA NG
KENTUCKY DERBY FUTURE WAGER 2 – Final Odds
NO. HORSE SIRE TRAINER ML Final
1 Aikenite Yes It’s True Pletcher 50-1 57-1
2 American Lion Tiznow Harty 30-1 38-1
3 Buddy’s Saint Saint Liam Levine 12-1 16-1
4 Caracortado Cat Dreams Machowsky 12-1 19-1
5 Connemara Giant’s Causeway Pletcher 20-1 46-1
6 Conveyance Indian Charlie Baffert 12-1 28-1
7 D’ Funnybone D’wildcat R Dutrow 20-1 38-1
8 Dave in Dixie Dixie Union Sadler 30-1 22-1
9 Discreetly Mine Mineshaft Pletcher 30-1 37-1
10 Dublin Afleet Alex Lukas 15-1 10-1
11 Eskendereya Giant’s Causeway Pletcher 6-1 5-1
12 Jackson Bend Hear No Evil Zito 20-1 47-1
13 Lookin at Lucky Smart Strike Baffert 6-1 9-1
14 Nextdoorneighbor Lido Palace (Chi) Machowsky 30-1 99-1
15 Noble’s Promise Cuvee McPeek 30-1 26-1
16 Odysseus Malibu Moon Albertrani 50-1 25-1
17 Radiohead (GB) Johannesburg R Dutrow 20-1 19-1
18 Rule Roman Ruler Pletcher 20-1 20-1
19 Setsuko Pleasantly Perfect Mandella 50-1 65-1
20 Sidney’s Candy Candy Ride (Arg) Sadler 20-1 33-1
21 Super Saver Maria’s Mon Pletcher 20-1 24-1
22 Tempted to Tapit Tapit Klesaris 50-1 63-1
23 Vale of York (Ire) Invincible Spirit (Ire) bin Suroor 30-1 42-1
24 All Other 3-Year-Olds 7-2 3-1
KENTUCKY OAKS has Canadian content
KENTUCKY OAKS FUTURE WAGER 1 – Final Odds
NO. HORSE SIRE TRAINER ML Final
1 All Due Respect Value Plus Walsh 50-1 30-1
2 Always a Princess Leroidesanimaux (Brz) Baffert 20-1 27-1
3 Amen Hallelujah Montbrook R Dutrow 6-1 6-1
4 Beautician Dehere McPeek 50-1 25-1
5 Bickersons Silver Deputy Breen 30-1 63-1
6 Biofuel Stormin Fever Baker 30-1 19-1
7 Blind Luck Pollard’s Vision Hollendorfer 5-1 4-1
8 Christine Daae Giant’s Causeway Biancone 8-1 7-1
9 Cozi Rosie Pleasantly Perfect Sadler 30-1 45-1
10 Crisp El Corredor Sadler 30-1 20-1
11 Decelerator Dehere Lukas 30-1 44-1
12 Devil May Care Malibu Moon Pletcher 30-1 21-1
13 Eve Giselle Five Star Day Ritchey 50-1 99-1
14 Evening Jewel Northern Afleet Cassidy 12-1 37-1
15 Joanie’s Catch First Tour Rose 50-1 55-1
16 Jody Slew Slew City Slew Calhoun 15-1 29-1
17 Negligee Northern Afleet Terranova 20-1 19-1
18 Quiet Temper Quiet American Romans 50-1 52-1
19 Sassy Image Broken Vow Romans 30-1 34-1
20 She Be Wild Offlee Wild Catalano 12-1 15-1
21 Streaker Forest Wildcat McGaughey 50-1 38-1
22 Switch Quiet American Sadler 12-1 61-1
23 Tidal Pool Yankee Gentleman Lukas 20-1 23-1
24 All Other 3-Year-Old Fillies 4-1 7-1
GAS-MAN CLOSES WOODBINE
FROM ctvtoronto.ca
The Woodbine racetrack and casino were evacuated overnight after a man walked into the building and threatened to harm himself and others.
Police rushed to the Woodbine Entertainment centre in Rexdale just after midnight Wednesday. By that time, security had already placed the 32-year-old suspect in custody.
Authorities worked through the night with the Toronto police bomb squad to make sure the building was safe.
Police say the casino and racetrack were thoroughly searched as was the man’s vehicle which was parked at the Woodbine shopping mall across the street.
Roads in the area were reopened by 8 a.m. when police cleared the scene.
CANADIANS ELSEWHERE
Canadian bred RECORD HIGH won a first-level allowance race at Philadelphia Park recently. The 4yo filly is by Touch Gold–Slumber Party, by Smart Strike and has a liifetime record of 17-3-1-4 with earnings of $100,990. The owner is Equus Farms and the breeder is Adena Springs.
QUEBEC HORSERACE BETTING BACK ON TRACK
For horserace betting fans in the Canadian province of Quebec, the last five months have been pretty harrowing to say the least, after Quebec’s only racecourse shut down in October 2009 leaving racing fans without any legal betting outlets. However, to their relief that has now all changed.
After an agreement was reached recently between Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG) and Le Club Jockey du Quebec (CJQ), horseracing fans in the province can once again resume betting after WEG made its online account-wagering platform, HorsePlayer Interactive (HPI), available to Quebecians.
Under the terms of the five-year agreement, Le Club Jockey du Quebec …
http://www.maplegambling.com/news/2010/03/10/quebec-horserace-betting-back-on-track.asp
