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TRIPLE TIARA WRAPS UP SUNDAY AT WOODBINE

Both the Canadian Triple Crown and the filly equivalent, the Triple Tiara won’t have horses sweep the series this year with Plate and Prince of Wales winner WONDER GADOT headed to the Grade 1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga and with Dixie Moon winning the Woodbine Oaks and Safe to Say winning the Bison City.

However, Dixie Moon and Safe to Say are the two big names in the 3rd leg of the Tiara on Sunday, the challenging Wonder Where Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on turf worth $225,000.

Sean and Dorothy Fitzhenry’s homebred Dixie Moon who, in June, held off the heralded Wonder Gadot to capture the Woodbine Oaks, presented by Budweiser, will attempt to pick up a second Canadian classic victory in Sunday’s $225,000 Wonder Where Stakes, at Woodbine.

Trained by Catherine Day Phillips and piloted by Eurico Rosa da Silva, Dixie Moon used a prominent approach to win the Woodbine Oaks, first leg of the filly Triple Tiara, digging in gamely down the lane to repel the advancing Wonder Gadot.

The two fillies renewed their rivalry in The Queen’s Plate, but it wasn’t Dixie Moon’s day as the Curlin chestnut was eased while Wonder Gadot romped to a famous score.

“She was very determined and tried hard. That’s normally how she is,” said Day Phillips of the Oaks coup. “Obviously things did not go her way at all in the Queen’s Plate. We’ve had a bit of time to re-group and re-organize and hopefully we’ll be back at it again and see the old ‘Dixie’ back on Sunday.”

Dixie Moon won three of five starts as a two-year-old with her only losses coming in Grade 1 events when second in the grassy Natalma Stakes (a head in front of Wonder Gadot) and sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

While Dixie Moon failed to respond over yielding turf in her sophomore debut in the Grade 2 Appalachian at Keeneland, the versatile filly rallied strongly to be second, defeated just a neck to Miss Mo Mentum, in the Grade 3 Selene Stakes which set up her game Oaks score.

Day Phillips believes the Queen’s Plate effort was an anomaly and notes that the chestnut is in good order ahead of her return to action.

“A combination of three weeks (between the Oaks and Queen’s Plate) isn’t that much time when you ran as hard as she did in the Oaks and it was very, very hot on Plate day. A few factors came together and created a perfect storm that wasn’t good for Dixie Moon. She’s had a bit of a break and she’s certainly doing well, eating well and very happy now,” said Day Phillips.

To win the Wonder Where, a 1 ¼-mile trip over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course, Dixie Moon will have to deal with fellow classic winner Safe to Say who won the second leg of the Triple Tiara, the Bison City Stakes, the day after the Queen’s Plate. Trained by Mark Casse for owners Gary Barber and Windways Farm, Safe to Say arrives at the Wonder Where from a fifth-place run in the Grade 3 Ontario Colleen Stakes. Jerome Lermyte will ride.

Ivan Dalos’ homebred Avis’s Mineshaft, a dueling second in the Bison City when defeated just a neck, will be chasing her first added-money score. The Mineshaft-Avie’s Empire dark bay is often in the thick of it with a nose loss in the prestigious Princess Elizabeth and strong fourth-place runs in the Grade 3 Mazarine and Grade 3 Selene Stakes to her credit. Gary Boulanger retains the mount.

 

CTHS ONTARIO SALE NOTES BACK FOR ANOTHER YEAR

Thank you to Vicki Pappas for the annual notes on entries relevant to the CTHS Ontario yearling sale. This popular addition to Thoroughblog notes the horses racing each day at Woodbine with siblings in the upcoming sale. Have your catalogue handy to update your book as we head to the popular sale on August 30.

Friday’s entries with sales siblings:

RACE 1 MSW

# 6 One for Nicki Hip 246 half-sis by Stormy Atlantic

RACE 3 MDN $25,000

# 3 Candycreet Hip 85 half-bro by Street Boss

# 8 Jimbo Five Hip 57 half-bro by Frac Daddy

RACE 4 MDN $8,000

# 3 Dontdropurcrop Hip 202 half-bro by Milwaukee Brew

# 5 Duchess of Lynn Hip 69 half-sis by Silent Name

RACE 5 MSW

# 6 Katia’s Fury Hip 207 full sis

# 9 Speedy Soul Hip 65 half-sis by Giant Gizmo

# 11 Notice Me Hip 205 half-bro by Giant Gizmo

# 12 Ishiyaya Hip 187 half-sis by Silent Name

RACE 7 CLM $10,000 NW@

# 6 Ready’s Princess Hip 134 half-sis by Macho Uno

 

ARLINGTON MILLION SATURDAY – FORMER WOODBINE TRAINER LOOKS FOR OSCAR

The 36th running of the Grade I $1,000,000 Arlington Million drew a field of 11 entrants for the 1¼-mile turf event at Arlington International Racecourse. Chicago’s marquee race attracted a bevy of worldly talent, but Amerman Racing Stables’ Oscar Performance, victorious in last season’s Grade I Secretariat, will star from stage right when they break from the gate on Saturday, Aug. 11. The winner of the Arlington Million, a “Win and You’re In” event, will receive an automatic berth into the Grade I $4,000,000 Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf at Churchill Downs on Nov. 3.

Trained by Brian Lynch, the multiple graded stakes-winning son of Kitten’s Joy will look to become just the fifth horse to complete the Secretariat-Million double. A three-time Grade I winner over the grass, Oscar Performance tops the Million field in career earnings with $1,967,632. The 4-year-old colt will break from post 11 under Jose Ortiz.

Aidan O’Brien will look to capture the coveted Million trophy for a third time in his career. The Ballydoyle-based conditioner will saddle Mrs. Fitri Hay, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor and Derrick Smith’s Deauville (IRE) following close third-place finishes for the son of Galileo (IRE) in the past two editions of the Million. The 5-year-old draws in post nine under Ryan Moore.

Shadwell Stable’s Almanaar (GB), Al Shahania Stud’s Money Multiplier and Convento Viejo’s Robert Bruce (CHI), all hailing from the barn of last year’s winning conditioner Chad Brown, will be on target to give the trainer back-to-back victories in the Million. Almanaar, a 6-year-old gelded son of Dubawi, joined Brown’s stable in 2016 following a pair of Group 3 victories in France. He returned from a lengthy spell in June to fire off a win on the Belmont turf over graded stakes winner Ticonderoga. Joel Rosario will ride from post three.

Money Multiplier enters the Million off a half-length loss in the Grade I United Nations at Monmouth Park in June. The 6-year-old son of Looking At Lucky traveled to Qatar in February to finish third in the Group 1 Emirs Trophy before returning stateside to land a win in the Grade II Monmouth Handicap by three-quarters of a length over Million-competitor Divisidero. John Velazquez will be in the irons as the duo breaks from post eight.

Saturday, Arlington, post time: 7:08 p.m. EDT
ARLINGTON MILLION XXXVI S.-GI, $1,000,000, 3yo/up, 1 1/4mT
PP HORSE SIRE OWNER TRAINER JOCKEY WT 

1 Circus Couture (Ire) Intikhab Chapple-Hyam, Jane & Hirst, Bryan Chapple-Hyam Egan 126
2 Spring Quality Quality Road Augustin Stable Motion Prado 126
3 Almanaar (GB) Dubawi (Ire) Shadwell Stable Brown Rosario 126
4 Divisidero           Kitten’s Joy Gunpowder Farms LLC Rubley Toledo 126
5 Century Dream (Ire) Cape Cross (Ire) Rabbah Bloodstock Crisford Buick 126
6 Catcho En Die (Arg) Catcher In The Rye (Ire) Chatterpaul, Naipaul & Sakatis, Sotirios Chatterpaul Valdivia, Jr. 126
7 Twenty Four Seven City Zip Midwest Thoroughbreds, Inc. Brueggemann Emigh 126
8 Money Multiplier K Lookin At Lucky Al Shahania Stud Brown Velazquez 126
9 Deauville (Ire) Galileo (Ire) Hay, Mrs. Fitriani, Smith, Derrick, Magnier,
Mrs. John & Tabor, Michael, B. O’Brien Moore 126
10 Robert Bruce (Chi) Fast Company (Ire) Convento Viejo LLC Brown Ortiz, Jr. 122
11 Oscar Performance Kitten’s Joy Amerman Racing LLC Lynch Ortiz 126
Breeders: 1-Azienda Agricola Mariano, 2-George Strawbridge Jr., 3-Shadwell Estate Company Limited, 4-Hinkle Farms, 5-Rabbah Bloodstock Limited, 6-Livschitz, Jorge Eduardo, 7-Richard Maynard, 8-Machmer Hall & Haymarket Farm, 9-Mrs F. H. Hay, 10-Haras Convento Viejo, 11-Mrs. Jerry Amerman

Saturday, Arlington, post time: 6:25 p.m. EDT
BEVERLY D. S.-GI, $600,000, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 3/16mT
PP HORSE SIRE OWNER TRAINER JOCKEY WT 

1 Daddys Lil Darling Scat Daddy Normandy Farm McPeek Hernandez, Jr. 123
2 Nyaleti (Ire) Arch 3 Batterhams & Reay, A. Johnston de Sousa 117
3 Sistercharlie (Ire) Myboycharlie (Ire) Peter M. Brant Brown Velazquez 123
4 Dona Bruja (Arg) Storm Embrujado (Arg) Dom Felipe LLC Correas, IV Valdivia, Jr. 123
5 Thais (Fr) Rio de La Plata Allen Stable, Inc. & Brant, Peter M. Brown Geroux 123
6 Oh So Terrible Cape Blanco (Ire) Carol Hammersmith Ross Doyle 123
7 Fourstar Crook Freud Dubb, Michael, Bethlehem Stables & Aisquith, Gary Brown Ortiz, Jr. 123
8 Inflexibility Scat Daddy Klaravich Stables, Inc. & Lawrence, William H. Brown Rosario 123
9 Athena (Ire) Camelot (GB) Smith, Derrick, Magnier, Susan & Tabor, Michael B. O’Brien Moore 117

Breeders: 1-Normandy Farm, 2-SF Bloodstock LLC, 3-Ecurie Des Monceaux, 4-Gasparotto, Ivan Roberto, 5-G. Sandor & Mrs. G. Sandor, 6-Carol Hammersmith, 7-Kathleen M. Feron, 8-Anderson Farms Ont. Inc., 9-Roncon & Chelston

 

HEART TO HEART IN FOURSTARDAVE

CTHS Ontario sales grad HEART TO HEART, millionaire and multiple Grade 1 winner brings a wealth of experience with him to the Grade 1 Fourstardave at Saratoga on Saturday, which will mark making his 37th career start. The 7-year-old by English Channel enters off a second-place finish in the Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita on May 28, and owns two Grade 1 victories in the Gulfstream Park Turf, and the Maker 46 Mile at Keeneland. The Ontario-bred is perfect through two starts at Saratoga after winning the $100,000 Better Talk Now in 2014 and the Grade 2 Bernard Baruch last year.

Owned by Albertan Terry Hamilton and trained by Brian Lynch, Heart to Heart was bred by Darrell Bauder’s Red Hawk Ranch.

Heart to Heart drew post 5, and will be ridden by Julien Leparoux.

Saturday, Saratoga, post time: 5:02 p.m. EDT
FOURSTARDAVE H.-GI, $500,000, 3yo/up, 1mT
PP HORSE SIRE OWNER TRAINER JOCKEY WT

1 Weekend Hideaway Speightstown Red and Black Stable Serpe Saez 114
2 Delta Prince Street Cry (Ire) Stronach Stables Jerkens Castellano 118
3 Divisidero K Kitten’s Joy Gunpowder Farms LLC Rubley Toledo 119
4 Made You Look K More Than Ready Three Chimneys Farm Brown Saez 115
5 Heart to Heart English Channel Terry Hamilton Lynch Leparoux 124
6 Voodoo Song English Channel Barry K. Schwartz Rice Lezcano 118
7 Yoshida (Jpn) Heart’s Cry (Jpn) WinStar Farm LLC, China Horse Club International Ltd., SF Racing LLC, Head of Plains Partners LLC Mott Franco 122

Breeders: 1-Flying Zee Stables, 2-Adena Springs, 3-Hinkle Farms, 4-The Robert and Beverly Lewis Trust, 5-Red Hawk Ranch, 6-Stonewall Farm, 7-Northern Farm

 

FAME!

Dan Loiselle, Reade Baker, John Sikura Jr., Dave Landry and Bill Andrew joined the wall of Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame members Wednesday night at the annual dinner and induction ceremony in Mississauga.

The lavish evening was complete with a live auction of some great items including several stallion seasons donated by Frank Stronach. Among those was a season to Queen’s Plate winner Shaman Ghost, who was also inducted along with the mare Judy the Beauty.

The love of horse racing, its horses and its people was evident with each inductee as they made their way to the stage.

Owner and trainer Wesley Ward, who came a long way to attend the ceremony, called Judy the Beauty, his $20,000 yearling purchase, the horse that changed his life.

Dan couldn’t believe he was now in the Hall of Fame alongside the great Northern Dancer. Reade Baker became emotional and John Sikura emphasized his love for Canada and his family. Dave Landry, who was nominated by the Standardbred divsion as he has done most of his recent photography work for that breed in recent years, made sure to note that it was CANADIAN THOROUGHBRED magazine that put him on the map in the 1980s.

One of the most touching moments of the night came when Standardbred trainer (and soon to be Hall of Famer himself, no doubt,) BEN WALLACE, surprised owner Daniel Plouffe with the original winning blanket from the horse Blissful Hall’s Little Brown Jug victory in 1999. Blissful Hall was inducted this year and Wallace, who is also a Thoroughbred owner, gave a cool speech from the viewpoint of the horse.

REGAL MAX SETS TRACK RECORD IN SUNDAY’S ALBERTA DERBY

Regal Max led wire-to wire in the 87th running of the Alberta Derby at Evergreen Park on Sunday afternoon, setting a new track record on the 1 1/16 dirt carpet south of town, crossing the line in 1.44:23.

Regal Max and his ownership, Almac Racing Stable and Kerredge Farm, received $31,111 for the win. Coming into the race, the three-year-old bay gelding had placed top-three in his nine previous starts. The Stone Ranches Ltd. bred horse has earned $85, 299 in career winnings and $26,557 this year alone.

The gelding is a son of Max Forever from the Regal Intention mare My Miss Emily.

Read more here.

 

SARATOGA YEARLING SALE – FINAL CANADIAN STATS

The prestigious Saratoga select Sale’s 2 days yielded an 8% increase in yearling average, just over $369,000 and Canadians selling at the auction did quite well. 11 Canadian-breds sold for $4,395,000 for an average of $399,546.

Below are the Canadian-breds catalogued for the two days:

Hip  Price  Buyer  Sex Breeding Prov. foaled Consignor

7 $275,000   LIVE OAK PLANTATION C TIZNOW JULES BEST JULES ONTARIO 8 SOUTH POINT SALES AGENCY AGENT III (bred by James and Janeane Everatt and Arika Everatt-Meeuse)

20 $400,000   F CURLIN LEAVEMINTHEDUST DANZIG ONTARIO 9 EATON SALES AGENT FOR WILLIAM D. GRAHAM (WINDHAVEN FARM)

26 $1,200,000   F AMERICAN PHAROAH LIFE AT TEN MALIBU MOON ONTARIO 6 GAINESWAY AGENT VI (bred by Adena Springs)

51 $200,000 QUARTER POLE ENTERPRISES  F TALE OF THE CAT MY SISTER SANDY MONTBROOK         ONTARIO 3 VINERY SALES AGENT II (bred by Ballycroy)

Tonight:
131 $225,000 CROMWELL BLOODSTOCK     C PALACE MALICE TIMELESS SILVER SILVER DEPUTY      ONTARIO 8 SOUTH POINT SALES AGENCY AGENT I

133 $375,000  KENJI HOLDINGS      F MACLEAN’S MUSIC TOULA BOLD EXECUTIVE                 ONTARIO 2 HILL ‘N’ DALE SALES AGENCY AGENT (bred by Josham Farms)

140 $400,000 GODOLPHIN              C UNCLE MO UNSPURNED LEMON DROP KID                    ONTARIO 5 CARA BLOODSTOCK AGENT FOR SAINTSBURY FARMS INC. (CHRISTINE & JAY HAYDEN)

144 $485,0o0 JOHN OXLEY              C FLATTER VICTORIOUS AMI VICTORY GALLOP                  ONTARIO 1 WARRENDALE SALES AGENT FOR TALL   OAKS FARM

158 $635,000  LOTHENBACH STABLES   C MEDAGLIA D’ORO ANDROEAH ARCH                                ONTARIO 6 GAINESWAY AGENT VI (bred by (Anderson Farms/ Peter Berglar bred, $350,000 weanling last year sold to Blue Sky Stables)

170  OUT                   C AMERICAN PHAROAH BANGA RIDGE SNOW RIDGE     ONTARIO 5 CARA BLOODSTOCK AGENT,       SAINTSBURY FARMS INC. (CHRISTINE & JAY HAYDEN)

217     $460,00 CHEYENNE STABLES         F HONOR CODE FLAWLESS DIAMOND SAINT BALLADO    ONTARIO 2 ANDERSON FARMS

226      $225,000      F HARD SPUN GAUZE SAINT BALLADO               ONTARIO 2 ANDERSON FARMS

237 RNA $195,000 F UNION RAGS HAPPY VALE DISTORTED HUMOR ONTARIO 9 EATON SALES AGENT FOR WILLIAM D. GRAHAM (WINDHAVEN FARM)

 

FAMED KENTUCKY THOROUGHBRED FARM STARTS EXCITING STANDARDBRED TONIGHT

Lazarus N will be the first Aussie/NZ pacer to race in US & Canadian Pacing Derby at Woodbine Mohawk

He’s been immersed in the horse industry nearly his entire life, but Duncan Taylor admitted there is plenty of emotion involved when it applies to Lazarus N’s North American and Grand Circuit debut in the 25th edition of the $325,000 Dan Patch Stakes on Friday (Aug. 10) evening at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino.

“When we had the opportunity to become partners on California Chrome and preparing to watch him race for the first time we were truly over the moon,” said the CEO of Taylor Made Sales and Stallions. “To have a horse like him was a dream come true, but I feel the same way about Lazarus. Like California Chrome he has proven himself, but it is very exciting to see what he will do in the U.S.”

The world will most certainly be watching when Lazarus N takes on eight extremely competitive rivals in this year’s edition at the Anderson oval. Trained by Jimmy Takter, the horse will commence his journey from post position nine with Yannick Gingras holding the lines in the 11th race on the card.

Despite the outside post, Lazarus N has been installed as the 6-5 morning line selection. His journey, however, will certainly be impacted by the presence of Dan Patch Award winner and World Champion McWicked (post position six, Brian Sears, 2-1), 2017 Levy Memorial victor Bit Of A Legend N (post position five, Jordan Stratton, 12-1) and Breeders Crown winners Beckham’s Z Tam (post position five, Ricky Macomber Jr., 20-1) and Split The House (post position two, Trace Tetrick, 20-1).

“We realize there are some very nice horses in this field and are not taking this lightly,” Taylor, who operates his business in conjunction with his brothers Ben, Frank and Mark and partner Pat Payne, said. “We just hope the horse provides a true account of himself. Jimmy has totally been the decision-maker in all things when it comes to him, but we trust his judgment.”

Although Lazarus N is not a two-time Horse of the Year like California Chrome, his credentials are just as impressive. Known as the Wonder from Down Under, the 6-year-old son of Bettor’s Delight-Bethany earned $2.66 million while capturing 35 of his 45 career engagements. He has failed to hit the board on only one occasion. Read more here.