Arch Support (Arch) with Emma-Jayne Wilson up wins Allowance at Gulfstream on Monday.
Owner: Lee Pokolk, Trainer: Gary Contessa, 03.17.2012 Gulfstream Park 9th race
Photo by Joe Ganley edit
SHOOTING FOR THE STARS!
Tu Endie Wei, expected to be named 2011 champion 2yo filly on April 5 at the Sovereign awards, has her final Florida workout on Tuesday before heading out this weekend for Woodbine. Brereton Jones’ homebred gal is pointing for the STAR SHOOT STAKES (Apr. 14)
Sheena Ryan, on board the fill, is headed to Northlands Park to pursue a jockey career. – Janis Maine photo
ONTARIO SIRED MAIDEN ALLOWANCE PURSES ADJUSTED
Ontario-sired maiden allowance races at Woodbine will be plentiful in 2012 but the purse for these events have dipped to bolster lower-end claiming races.
There will be more Ontario sired maiden allowance races, for example, for 3yo and up, worth $50,000 instead of $55,900 last year. Thus the purse structure is intact, just moved around a bit.
A level Maiden allowance races will be worth $67,000, same as last year.
“PLEASE DON’T MAKE US EXECUTE OUR HORSES”
We should be worried about the horses too!
That was one of the signs at a rally at the Fort Erie Town Hall Tuesday afternoon.
The rally was an information – protest session.
What seems to be lost through these trying times for Ontario horse racing is: where will these horses end up that have been racing at Fort Erie or these smaller tracks.
Sure, some will be packed up to Finger Lakes and other US tracks etc. but if they can’t cut it there, or if it’s too much expense to ship…well, hopefully there are A LOT of homes down Fort Erie way and elsewhere to house these horses.
Very scary thought.
FORT ERIE TIMES STORY:
FORT ERIE – Fort Erie has had enough.
The planned closure of the Fort Erie slots and the uncertain future of the 115-year-old Fort Erie Race Track has been too much to take for those who live in the community and their elected representatives.
“How much further down can they kick us?” Fort Erie Mayor Doug Martin asked Tuesday during a press conference at town hall.
“We are looking at everything we can to go back to them and say this is not acceptable. You can’t make these decisions that impact this many people’s lives and just walk away. You are tearing their lives apart and going to Toronto to create new jobs. This is not job creation for Toronto. This is job elimination here.”
The press conference was called by Martin to outline the problems the province has caused Fort Erie.
“If they are going to abandon us the way that they have, then give us the opportunity to do it ourselves. We are going to keep making noise about this until we get some kind of resolution to this.”
Martin said the system put in place at the track through the town’s Economic Development and Tourism Corporation was working well.
“Yet, with absolutely zero consultation, the slots are being closed by this government and the revenue sharing program cancelled.”
Martin said workers had no warning, no transition, no care for the employees’ future except they get good severance packages.
http://www.forterietimes.ca/2012/03/20/this-is-not-the-way-to-treat-partners-martin
OHRIA LETTER
I wanted to take the time to write you to thank you for your efforts to support Ontario’s horse racing and breeding industry to date. We have come a long way in the few short weeks since Dwight Duncan dropped a bomb shell on our industry, but there is much more for us to do.
OHRIA acted quickly and retained the professional services of public relations and government relations experts to help protect our industry. This has assisted in our ability to effectively reach the public through media outlets, and opened doors at Queen’s Park as we seek to resolve this.
There have been hundreds of newspaper articles, and dozens of radio and TV appearances that have helped us get our message out there. We’ve also undertaken a bill board and transit shelter advertising campaign in more than three dozen communities, and have radio ads playing on eight radio stations that cover most of southern Ontario.
Our website value4money.ca has allowed thousands of people to write MPPs directly and while each and every form email likely is not read, they are certainly being counted. We’ve also initiated a petition drive, and have received more than five hundred pages of signatures by mail in the first few days alone.
Soon OHRIA will be launching an ad-mail campaign to more than 250,000 households to directly explain the benefits of Ontario’s horse racing and breeding industry and the importance of the OLG Slots at Racetrack Program. We’ve got a number of other exciting initiatives we will begin rolling out in the days and weeks ahead as well.
We continue to represent the entire horse racing and breeding industry in our meetings with government officials and are asking that each and every person who is impacted by our industry do all that they can to help.
Please take the time to download our petition, get friends and family to sign it and mail it back to the OHRIA office. Petitions can be downloaded by clicking here:
http://value4money.ca/take-action/
If you have not visited value4money.ca and sent a message to MPPs using our ‘Take Action’ form, please do today. If you have not mailed a letter to the Premier or Minister Duncan and your own MPP, please do so today. You can find their contact information at http://ontla.on.ca
There is strength in numbers and unity of purpose when representatives from horsepeople, breeders, racetracks and importantly from all three breeds work together with all members and associated equine industry partners to preserve our future. We are proud of the work so many are doing to assist and I want to end by underscoring how important your involvement and activism is in all this.
Welcome! – Here is a Macho Uno colt out of Cry of the Wild (Unbridled’s Song), born at Woodlands on March in Hillsburgh for Donver Stable.
CAN YOU HEAR? – GAIL COX ANOTHER LAYOFF WINNER
Considered one of the best layoff trainers in Ontario, Gail Cox won a $50,000 claiming race on the grass yesterday with DUBAI ECHO, making his first start since August at Woodbine. The Mr. Greeley gelding, who began his career in England and then raced for Hickory Tree Farm until he was bought privately by Cox and John Menary, is a 6yo.
He was ridden by Luis Contreras.
Cox is well known for her layoff winners in the spring at Woodbine. She trains her horses at Payson Park. Her star runner is the 3yo filly HARD NOT TO LIKE.
RUNWAY FOR RACEHORSES IN MAY!!
LongRun is very excited to be working with noted U.K. fashion house, Jacques Vert, in presenting “Runway for Racehorses”, a fashion show in celebration of the Queen’s Plate to benefit the horses who run for our pleasure. Festivities will take place at Woodbine Racetrack’s Trackside Tent on the afternoon of Saturday, May 26th, 2012.
Jacques Vert will be displaying spring selections from their 4 collections, including newly-acquired line Olsen, all fantastic options for the 2012 Queen’s Plate!
Ticket price of $100.00 includes the fashion show, a light lunch, wine compliments of Colio Estates, a gift bag, a tax receipt for the allowable amount and an exciting afternoon of big league Thoroughbred racing . Lunch and first race post time is 1:00 p.m. while the fashion show will begin at 2:00.
More information will be posted about the event as details become available! We also invite you to wear your Queen’s Plate finest to the show, in support of our fabulous horses!
PLEASE CONTACT THE LONGRUN OFFICE TO ORDER YOUR TICKETS TODAY!!!!
BILL WERNER/ROGER A – SIMMARD SET FOR PAN AM
Perfect Shirl sidelined
Saturday, Gulfstream Park, post time: 5:35 p.m. EDT
PAN AMERICAN S.-GII, $150,000, 4yo/up, 1 1/2mT
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT
1 Newsdad K Arch Leparoux Mott 117
2 Simmard K Dixieland Band Husbands Attfield 123
3 Harrods Creek Langfuhr Lezcano Mott 117
4 Hailstone K City Zip Rocco Jr. Ribaudo 117
5 Cause of Freedom Alphabet Soup Prado McGaughey 117
6 Center Divider K Giant’s Causeway Bravo Brown 117
Simmard on Target for Pan American Saturday
Roger Attfield and William Werner’s 7-year-old Simmard, winner of the Mac Diarmida Stakes (G2) last out at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 26, breezed five furlongs on turf in 1:01 2/5 Friday morning at Payson Park for trainer Roger Attfield in preparation for a start in Saturday’s $150,000 Pan American Stakes (G2) at 1 ½ miles on turf.
“He’s really just come around to his best in the last year-and-a-half,” said Attfield. “Some horses just get better as they get older. He was knocking on the door (placing) in some of the big races and deserved to win a good one.
Musketier (10-year-old that finished third in the Mac Diarmida) will need a little more time and will probably run at Keenland next.”
Simmard is a chestnut horse by Dixieland Band and raced for breeder Haras Santa Maria de Araras through last winter when he won an allowance race over the Gulfstream course in late March, but was purchased privately by Attfield and partner during the Keeneland meet before returning to Canada.
Simmard finished fourth in the 12-furlong Elkhorn Stakes (G2) over a ‘yielding’ course at Keeneland in April, a race stablemate Musketier won. Simmard had two tough beats in big races after that, finishing second by a neck in the Northern Dancer Stakes (G1) at Woodbine on September and second by a half-length behind stablemate
Musketier in the 12-furlong W.L. McKnight Handicap (G2) at Calder in late November.
“Musketier (10-year-old that finished third in the Mac Diarmida) will need a little more time and will probably run at Keenland next,” Attfield added.
Attfield won the Pan American in 1985 with Selous Scout and in 1988 with Carotene. He had very good season in 2011 with his veteran team of long-distance turf stakes runners and topped off the year sending out Charles Fipke’s Perfect Shirl to post a 28-to-1 upset victory in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) at Churchill Downs on Nov. 4.
A 5-year-old Kentucky homebred daughter of Perfect Soul, Perfect Shirl was set to board a flight Tuesday bound for Dubai and a start against male rivals in the $5 million Sheema Classic (G1) at Meydan on Sat., Mar. 31, but will not make the trip.
“She was scheduled to work yesterday (Friday) but strained an ankle and we had to cancel,” said Attfield, who is among the nominees this year for induction into the Saratoga Hall of Fame. “It isn’t serious, but she will need time. It’s been a disappointing winter for her after having to cancel the trip to Argentina in December (mechanical problems with plane). She’ll be back at some point as the seasons goes on.”
Hey, trainer D. Wayne Lukas has a Kentucky Derby candidate in OPTIMIZER, a colt from a strong Ogden Milss Phipps family. Steve Queen photo
FIVE ONTARIO BREDS IN KEENELAND 2YO SALE
4 F. Candy Ride – Kenzo by Touch Gold
48 c. Tapit – Redness, by Tale of the Cat (a $220,000 RNA last year at Kee. Sept.)
58 c. Exchange Rate – Seven of Nine, by Meadowlake $12,500 ‘short yearling, KeeJan; $55,000 Kee Sept yearling
61 c. Stormy Atlantic – Silent Beauty, by Gone West $37,000 yearling bought by Donver Stable
129 c. Curlin – Danceroftherealm (GB) by King of Kings (Ire)
THOROUGHBLOG’S KENTUCKY DERBY LIST!
You asked! Here are the top 10 choices
1. UNION RAGS
2. TAKE CHARGE INDY
3. GEMOLOGIST
4. SECRET CIRCLE
5. CREATIVE CAUSE
6. EL PADRINO
7. I”LL HAVE ANOTHER
8. CASTAWAY
9. BODEMEISTER
10. OPTIMIZER
CANADIAN TRAINERS IN 2012
31 Robertino Diodoro 147 28 21 20 $432,244 19% 69 47%
189 Mark E. Casse 84 9 11 15 $733,923 11% 35 42%
189 Barbara Heads 30 9 3 3 $77,730 30% 15 50%
294 Josie Carroll 32 6 4 1 $171,443 19% 11 34%
363 Troy Taylor 44 5 9 3 $136,169 11% 17 39%
479 Scott H. Fairlie 35 4 8 5 $144,460 11% 17 49%
CONTRERAS GETS SUNLAND MOUNT
Mexican jockey Luis Contreras, who currently rides at Woodbine during the year, returns to his hometrack this weekend and the very rich SUNLAND DERBY.
ISN’T HE CLEVER has won 2 recent stakes events at Sunland, one with a 976 Beyer Figure, and he is a son of SMARTY JONES.
Sunday, Sunland Park, post time: 7:45 p.m. EDT
SUNLAND DERBY-GIII, $800,000, 3yo, 1 1/8m
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT
1 Castaway K Street Sense Bejarano Baffert 122
2 Ender Knievel Distorted Humor Velazquez Pletcher 122
3 Stirred Up K Lemon Drop Kid Garcia Baffert 122
4 Isn’t He Clever K Smarty Jones Contreras Dominguez 122
5 No Spin K Johannesburg Hill Ice 122
6 Daddy Nose Best K Scat Daddy Leparoux Asmussen 122
7 Tequila Factor K Pure Prize Hernandez Wilson 122
8 Justanoldsong K Unbridled’s Song Eikleberry Wolochuk 122
ANDY BEYER – SLOTS THE DANGEROUS FRIEND
At a time when the horse racing business has suffered serious a decline, one segment of the sport is enjoying a bonanza. These are great times for horsemen in states where purses are subsidized by revenue from slot machines.
Owners and trainers at Parx Racing — the former Philadelphia Park — must think that they have died and gone to heaven when they run a bottom-level $5,000 claimer in a race with a $25,000 purse — plus a bonus if the animal was bred in Pennsylvania. Horsemen at minor-league tracks such as Charles Town (W.Va.) Presque Isle Downs (Pa.), and Zia Park (N.M.) regularly compete for big-league purses because of slot money.
These windfalls exist because many states, when they legalized slots, opted to install them in racetracks and decided to aid the sport by earmarking a certain percentage of revenues for purses and breeder awards. But what the state gives, the state can take away, and many are taking a fresh look at their largesse to the horse business:
http://www.drf.com/news/beyer-slots-racing-marriage-rocks
