TRANQUILITY. A runner from the Steven Chircop barn at Penn National prepares for training on a foggy Thursday morning. courtesy Steven Chircop
CANADIANS BUSY ALREADY THIS SATURDAY
Ivan Dalos and trainer Josie Carroll will try to keep the roll going as they race horses in stakes events at Gulfstream Park on Saturday.
AMI’S HOLIDAY, the 2014 Breeders’ Stakes winner who has been trying to get back on track since then, is in the $100,000 Harlan’s Holiday Stakes on the dirt in a very tough field. The 4yo colt was recently 3rd in the Labeeb Stakes behind Glenville Gardens.
A race later, VICTORY EXCHANGE, the 5yo who won on Nov. 15 off a 1 1/2 year layoff, makes his grass debut in the El Prado Stakes worth $100,000. Javiar castellano rides the 3-time winning son of Exchange Rate.
TOWER OF TEXAS, 7th in the Woodbine Mile – Grade 1 in his last outing, is also in the field for trainer Roger Attfield as is REPORTING STAR, winner of the Grade 2 Play the King Stakes over Tower of Texas for Pat Parente and Copper Water (read more below).
Queen’s Plate prospects are also in action on Saturday as Ken and Sarah Ramsay’s SIR DUDLEY DIGGES is in a maiden race at 7 1/2 furlongs on the grass for trainer Mike Maker. The son of Gio Ponti – My Pal Lana was second beaten a neck in his latest at Churchill Downs. He was bred by Bernard and Karen McCormack.
Also in the race is ARCTIC JOY. an Ontario bred by Kitten’s Joy bred by Josham Farms. The colt has raced exclusely on the grass and has shown improving form. Wesley Ward trains.
In race 1, the Ontario bred HAPPY’S CAUSEWAY, owned by Happy Alter, makes his 4th career start in a 1 1/16 mile maiden allowance on the dirt. He is a Giant’s Causeway colt bred by Bill Graham.
MORE ON THE EL PRADO STAKES..
Copper Water Thoroughbred Company’s Reporting Star seeks his first win at Gulfstream in the El Prado. The Pat Parente-trained Florida-bred was fourth by neck as the favorite in the Sunshine Millions Turf Preview Nov. 7 at Gulfstream Park West last time out.
Winner of the seven-furlong Play the King Stakes (G2) in August at Woodbine, his last time at a sprint distance, Reporting Star was second in the Sunshine Millions Turf Jan. 17 and the Tropical Turf Handicap (G3) during his South Florida stay last winter. He shares the 123-pound topweight with War Correspondent and 2015 King Edward Stakes (G2) winner Tower of Texas.
After making his first six starts on dirt or Polytrack, Ivan Dalos’ Victory Exchange is set for his turf debut in the El Prado. A 5-year-old son of Exchange Rate is coming off a neck allowance victory going six furlongs Nov. 15 at Woodbine, his return from a six-month layoff.
“I thought it was a big, big race off the layoff,” trainer Josie Carroll said. “We’ve always liked this horse. We’ve just always for various reasons had to stop on him. Now he’s doing well and hopefully we can move forward.”
Victory Exchange has gone as far as seven furlongs once, when he was fifth in the Vigil Stakes (G2) last May at Woodbine. In his only other stakes try he was second in the 2014 Jacques Cartier Stakes, a head in front of Vigil winner Really Sharp.
“I think he’s going to just love the distance,” Carroll said. “We’ve been looking to get him on the turf for quite a while, it just never happened. He trained really well over it at Woodbine and for various circumstances we were unable to get him in up there, so now we have the opportunity. I don’t think he’s a real dirt horse, so if we’re going to be in
South Florida I think that’s our best option.”
Zayas and Gaffalione Off Mounts
Jockeys Edgard Zayas and Tyler Gaffalione were both taken to Memorial Regional Hospital Wednesday after incidents during Wednesday’s program.
Zayas, the leading rider at Gulfstream Park West, was unseated in the gate before the fourth race aboard Summer Chant. Zayas was taken to Memorial for further evaluation after complaining of a headache. Gaffalione was taken to Memorial when he was unseated in the fifth race aboard Sweet Summer Sweat. Gaffalione was taken for further evaluation after complaining of knee and arm pain.
Who’s Hot: Todd Pletcher, seeking his 13th consecutive training title, won two more races Wednesday. He saddled first-time starter Broadway Gal ($4.20) to victory in the fifth and Tinto Mesa ($2.80) to victory in the eighth. Trainer Howard Mills also won two races Wednesday. He saddled longshot Pachanga Party ($29.60) to victory in the first and Fee and Sugar ($7.40) to win the third.
Jockeys Luis Saez and Vicente Gudiel won two races each.
Saez won back-to-back races with Tinto Mesa and The Imposter ($14.20) in the ninth while Gudiel won with Pachanga Party and Keep Me Grounded ($13.80) in the seventh.
ALSO on Saturday at Gulfstream, Ontario bred BEST BEHAVIOR is competing in the Grade 3 Rampart Handicap:
Saturday, Gulfstream Park, post time: 1:05 p.m. EST
RAMPART S.-GIII, $100,000, 3yo/up, f/m, 1m
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT
1 Cali Star K Street Cry (Ire) Gaffalione Wolfson 117
2 Stiffed Stephen Got Even Bocachica Mazza 121
3 Pink Poppy Tiznow Castro Werner 117
4 Curlin’s Princess Curlin Saez Wolfson 117
5 Legal Laura Wildcat Heir Lopez O’Connell 119
6 Danessa Deluxe K Summer Bird Zayas Navarro 114
7 Best Behavior K Into Mischief Velazquez Wolfson 119
8 Moment of Delight A. P. Warrior Leyva Kaplan 118
Owners: 1-Ben P. Walden, Jr. & Larry Taylor, 2-Holly Crest Farm, 3-Arindel,
4-Alter’s Racing Stable, Inc., 5-Gilbert G. Campbell, 6-Gelfenstein Farm, LLC,
7-Miller Racing, LLC, 8-Pinnacle Racing Stable, LLC & Norman Stables, LLC.
Breeders: 1-Besilu Stables, LLC, 2-Holly Crest Farm, 3-Arindel Farm LLC,
4-Happy Alter, 5-Gilbert G. Campbell, 6-Calvin Crain, 7-James A. & Janeane A.
Everatt & J. Arika Everatt-Meeuse, 8-Jimmy Randolph
MORE CANADIANS
ANDY STRONACH breeds late double of Ontario breds at Gulfstream on Wednesday.
Nick and Martha Gonzalez are off to a flying start at the Gulfstream meeting as they won the last race on Wednesday with the Ontario bred THEYWONDERWHYIDRINK. The son of Ontario sire EINSTEIN from the mare Soccor Princess by E Dubai led all the way in the $12,500 maiden claiming race at 6 furlongs and won by 2 lengths under jockey Jose Caraballo.
The 2yo was making his first start since Nov. 12 at Woodbine.
Andy Stronach bred this colt and also bred the winner of the previous race…
THE IMPOSTER, a 4yo Ontario bred by Wilko – Our Girl Harmony by Concorde’s Tune won an allowance/optional claiming race (he was offered for $25,000 claiming) for Ken and Sarah Ramsay at Gulfstream Wednesday. The grey gelding was 6-1 in the 7 1/2 furlong turf race. Finishing 3rd was the Nick Gonzalez trainee SEVENTHFLEETHUMOR.
the Andy stronach-bred/Ontario bred late Double paid $95.60.
HONG KONG RACES SATURDAY – not available in Ontario
There are 4 races in the Hong Kong International series with lots of top horses including the Woodbine Mile and Canadian International winners. However, racing fans over here will not be able to watch or wager on the races with Mondialiste or Cannock Chase in the fields as the regulations have come between hhorse racing fun and the fans.
The websites from the Hong Kong Jockey Club also do not seem to be working either but you can find some updates scattered about Twitter @HKJC
Here is a neat preview of the top horses in the events from the Racing Post:
Flintshire sets standard but best to look elsewhere
BY SAM WALKER
WORLD CLASS: an analysis of the international scene according to Racing Post Ratings
FLINTSHIRE tops the RPRs and the betting for the Hong Kong Vase on Sunday, but Andre Fabre’s globetrotter has a better record of hitting the frame than winning and it could pay to look to one of the up-and-coming European raiders.
On his best form the French five-year-old is clearly the one to beat – he finished second in two Prix de l’Arc de Triomphes and a Breeders’ Cup Turf – but throughout his distinguished international career he has proved consistently vulnerable at the finish.
In his last 14 starts he has won twice, but finished second eight times.
While he has mixed it with some of the best horses in the world, both his wins have come in softer Group 1s against vastly inferior rivals.
In last year’s Hong Kong Vase he ran 9lb shy of his best with an RPR of just 115, getting the better of one of Hong Kong’s lesser lights Willie Cazals by half a length. The Vase looks stronger this year and if he runs to just 115 on Sunday he will be in trouble.
Next best on RPRs is Cirrus Des Aigles. The old boy has been on the downgrade this year but a bigger negative for him is that he has never been able to run to his mark at this meeting. At the age of nine and at the sixth time of asking, he’s unlikely to improve his lacklustre record at Sha Tin.
KEENELAND JANUARY SALE
ON RAINBOW BRIDGE (Bold Executive), ROAN INISH and CONQUEST HARLANATE are among the Canadian stakes winners up for auction at the Keeneland January sale.
