WE’RE BAAAACK, TROUBLE IN CYBER SPACE led to the entire HORSE-CANADA FAMILY BEING DOWN FOR A BIT BUT LET’S GET GOING AGAIN!
A morning at Payson Park, looks different than here today. We have more snow and will get a ton more over next 2 days!
Janet Black photo
CANADIAN BREDS in big 3yo races on SATURDAY IN FLORIDA
BOWMAN in Youth, ROXY in ‘Dale
Canadian-bred 3yos are getting geared up for the Queen’s Plate on June 26 but a few of them have been strutting their stuff in the U.S, this winter. Notably ELITE ALEX (see write up below) and QUEEN’SPLATEKITTEN and then there is BOWMAN’S CAUSEWAY, who is already a winner at 9 furlongs this year and would seem to be a serious Plate factor if he keeps his aim on the Plate.
The Giant’s Causeway 3yo is entered in the FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH at one mile (around one-turn) on Saturday but perhaps he has other options also.
From DRF last week:
“Our main focus is to prepare him for the Queen’s Plate but things can change,” said Biancone. “I’d like to try him in the Florida Derby and there are several ways to get there, including the Fountain of Youth. I know a mile isn’t really his game but that first mile race really sharpened him up so that new race they just put up could be interesting. Maybe we’ll just go ahead and run against Uncle Mo.” – Patrick Biancone, trainer for Martin Schwartz.
Also Saturday, EUGENE MELYNK’S hotshot 3yo filly ROXY GAP is in the Davona Dale at 1 mile with Alex Solis on board. The filly was a bit outrun when she lost for the first time in her season debut in January but rallied and now she gets to stretch out.
Saturday, Gulfstream Park, post time: 5:25 p.m. EDT
FASIG-TIPTON FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH S.-GII,
$400,000, 3yo, 1 1/8m
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT
1 Soldat K War Front A Garcia McLaughlin 120
2 Gourmet Dinner Trippi Dominguez Standridge 120
3 El Grayling K El Prado (Ire) Maragh Maker 116
4 Casper’s Touch Touch Gold Solis McPeek 116
5 Bowman’s Causeway K Giant’s Causeway Leparoux Biancone 116
6 Racing Aptitude Aptitude Lezcano Tesher 120
7 To Honor and Serve K Bernardini Velazquez Mott 122
8 Shackleford K Forestry Castanon Romans 116
Saturday, Gulfstream Park, post time: 4:23 p.m. EDT
DAVONA DALE S.-GII, $250,000, 3yo, f, 1m
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT
1 Mending Hearts Street Cry (Ire) Lezcano Wolfson 116
2 Hot Summer K Malibu Moon Bravo Fawkes 116
3 Evil Queen Hear No Evil Sanchez Gold 116
4 Oh Carole K Unbridled’s Song Castellano Kenneally 116
5 R Heat Lightning Trippi Velazquez Pletcher 116
6 Bellaridge Cactus Ridge Farina Bradley 116
7 Roxy Gap Indian Charlie Solis Casse 118
8 Pomeroys Pistol Pomeroy Dominguez Tarrant 116
9 Dancinginherdreams K Tapit Leparoux Ward Jr 120
In the HUTCHESON, probable Canadian 2yo colt champion MADMAN DIARIES (an American-bred) returns to action in the 7 furlong dash for Wesley Ward.
Also in the Hutcheson is Canadian-bred BLACK N BEAUTY, the Zyata-owned colt who seemingly has come off the Kentucky Derby trail to cut back and try sprinting.
Saturday, Gulfstream Park, post time: 4:52 p.m. EDT
HUTCHESON S.-GII, $150,000, 3yo, 7f
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT
1 Crossbow Bernardini Dominguez McLaughlin 116
2 Madman Diaries Bring the Heat Sanchez Ward 120
3 Travelin Man Trippi Velazquez Pletcher 116
4 Razmataz K Forest Wildcat Castellano Pletcher 116
5 Flashpoint K Pomeroy Velasquez Dutrow Jr 116
6 Little Drama Burning Roma Bravo Fawkes 120
7 Leave of Absence Harlan’s Holiday Maragh Violette Jr 116
8 Black N Beauty K Devil His Due Desormeaux Romans 116
9 Manicero Mass Media Saez Azpurua Jr 120
10 Royal Currier Red Bullet Trujillo Farro 118
More on FOY:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/02/23/2081672/to-honor-and-serve-favored-in.html
YAY FOR RAHY!
Rahy’s Attorney made his folks proud with a close 2nd place finish in the Grade 2 MacDiarminda Stakes last weekend at Gulfstream. He was in the middle of a Canadian superfecta as Canadian trained PRINCE WILL I AM won and Roger Attfield trainee MUSKETIER was 3rd and canadian-bred POOL PLAY was 4th.
Here are some photos from Janet Black:
RAHY’S ATTORNEY on his way to the post
JOE MACLElLAN watches as Rahy’s Attorney gets ready for his big race
Chiefswood Stables’ KUROGANE, a Queen’s Plate hopeful, goes out to Payson to train with Emma-Jayne Wilson up and Rachel Halden on the pony
The more things change… this could be the site at the rail at Woodbine! Mike Doyle, Rob Landry, Bill Graham, Roger Attfield (on pony) and Ian Black talk racing – right?
STORMY LORD heading out to train at Payson Park
STAKES SKED FOR WOODBINE RELEASED
International and Northern Dancer drop in purse
Citing the waning betting on Woodbine racing by local fans, two big events on the Woodbine stakes schedule had a purse cut and there is a 2% purse cut coming on races when the season starts on April 2.
From Daily Racing Form:
“We needed to cut some purses,” said Steve Lym, racing secretary and a director of racing for Woodbine, adding that an overall reduction of approximately 2 percent has been planned.
“Even though our handle was up last year a lot of that increase was coming from outside Ontario, which means lower commissions for us, and the contribution to the purse account was minimal.”
The Canadian International had its purse increased to $2 million in 2005 when the Canadian dollar was worth slightly more than 80 cents compared with its U.S. counterpart. The two currencies lately have been close in value and Lym said he believes a $1.5 million Canadian International will be well able to hold its own on the international front.
The Hill ‘n’ Dale Stakes has been discontinued and there have been some changes made to the Canadian grades
ELITE ALEX POSTS 85 BEYER FIGURE IN 3RD IN SOUTHWEST
Canadian-bred ELITE ALEX (Afleet Alex – Catch the Moment, by Unbridled) rallied 7 wide off the turn of the one-mile Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn yesterday and finished 3rd to ARCHARCHARCH in his 3rd career start.
The 3yo, owned by Elite Alex LLC and trained by Tim Ritchey earned a career best Beyer Speed Figure and is certainly a major player on the road to the Queen’s Plate (if he does not head to the Kentucky Derby).
The colt was bred by a former owner/trainer Alison Register who bought the mare Catch the Moment (by Unbridled) in a package deal through Marette Farrell who organized the breeding. The mare has since been sold for $43,000 to Dr. John Cummins, who breeds horses in Kentucky and Ontario. The mare is from a Sam-Son Farm family – From Sea to Sea is the 2nd dam.
Register is no longer involved in racing but is proud of Elite Alex and told Thoroughblog she hopes he will be a star in Canada.
Jockey Calvin Borel, third on Elite Alex:
“I just couldn’t get out when I needed to. This colt is going to be alright. He wants to stretch out. I was a little wide and it hurt us.”
DRAW DAY IN BARBADOS
A packed card of races for Gold Cup day at the Garrison Savannah will be drawn today including the country’s biggest race, the SANDY LANE GOLD CUP. This year’s race features GRAND CASH and SAFETY ZONE from North America. The latter represents Canada as the gelding is owned by Eugene Melnyk and trained by Mark Casse.
GRAND CASH, by Belong to Me, is a stakes winner for Wesley Ward, who just claimed the horse 2 starts ago for $25,000.
PATRICK HUSBANDS is expected to ride SAFETY ZONE and JEFFREY SANCHEZ will ride Grand Cash.
Both will carry 129 pounds.
Post positions will be drawn today.
THE VII SANDY LANE SPA SPRINT STAKES AND TROPHY (GR.1. – BAR)
3-YEAR-OLDS AND OVER (WFA)
EMERALD CRESCENT (El Prado) competes for Eugene Melnyk. He is a promising sort who has had one outing in a year but he did win a maiden race on the grass at Keeneland last year. He meets up with GRAND TIMES (Greatness) who is owned and trained by Wesley Ward. Grand Times just ran 5 furlongs at GUlfstream and went the first two furlongs in 20 3/5!
The Spa Sprint is 1100 metres – 5 furlongs?
JOSHUA TREE IN QATAR TODAY
Canadian International winner JOSHUA TREE races in Qatar today in the country’s richest race:
