THREE THINGS FOR ONTARIO RACING – coming up! OLG, CTV AND CTHS…
“We’re all in this together”
In the news this week is the much anticipated, long overdue planning meetings between OLG chair Philip Olsson and the Ontario Horse Racing Industry. There have been hundreds of weekly meetings between John Snobelen and others representing racing and the OLG but now things are in place for products and initiatives to be decided upon. The OLG has many ideas ready to implement to get horse racing some steady revenue stream, making up, somewhat, for the cancellation of the slots-at-racetracks program 2 years ago. OHRIA will also go through the dozens of products and ideas out there before both decide on what program will be best for both.
The TORONTO STAR has comments from OLG spokesperson Tony Bitonti about how important the integration of racing is to the OLG – let’s hope that something is worked out quickly and to benefit of both groups. The breeders and horsepeople have waited long enough.
Thank you to JOE TILLEY of CTV as his proposal for a horse racing TV show has been accepted and TALKIN’ HORSES debuts on Sept. 6 (schedule is at hbpa.on.ca). Tilley, an avid racing fan and longtime sports broadcast, will be joined by another familiar TV/horse racing face, JASON PORTUONDO for the half hour show that will promote racing and help to get the public interested in our great industry. The show was endorsed by the Ontario HORSEMENS BENEVOLENT and PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION which has continually looked for ways to get racing out to the masses. CTV is a great spot for the racing show – be sure to tell friends and co-workers about it so they can see how great horse racing is.
Next Wednesday night, the CTHS (Ontario) is holding its 2nd annual CANADIAN MILLIONS RACE NIGHT AND V.I.P. PARTY where blind mailings are done to people in the GTA to get them interested in horse racing and the yearling sales. The first event, last year, was a success and it is is sure to be bigger. The night includes 6 yearling sales stakes races and celebrities and lots of information on how to become a horse owner.
Everyone is trying hard to promote the sport of horse racing, which, by the way has been around for hundreds of years. Do you part and join in – pass along ideas, be ready to welcome the camera crew from the TALKIN’ HORSES show (which includes Tilley’s daughter Maddie-Jo) and talk up Ontario horse racing!
WOODBINE WEDNESDAY NIGHT
Canadian Apprentice Invitational
DROP TO POP and apprentice Octavio Vergara Jr romp in race 5 – the 2nd Canadian Apprentice Invitational race. The grey drew in from the also eligible list and was an overwhelming choice. He is owned by Mark Fournier and Chris McEachern and trainer by Fournier. The seeking the Best grey was bred by Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings.
Octavio Vergara Jr., a regular at Arlington Park, captured the inaugural Canadian Apprentice Invitational at Woodbine by recording a win and a second-place finish from two races on Wednesday evening’s card.
The event featured 10 apprentice jockeys from across North America competing for bragging rights and a trophy in a two-race riding event where points were assigned based on finishing position.
Vergara Jr. finished with a total of 45 points, having earned 25 points for his victory and an additional 20 points for a second-place effort.
The event added a bit of spice to the night card ($1.8 million was bet compared to $1.5 million last Wed. night) but there may have been a bit too much action. Firstly, one jockey did not make it for the evening – Santo Sanjur, one of the more impressive apprentices in the US. Brittany Vandenberg, who now rides Quarter Horses south of the border, came into town to take Sanjur’s place.
Them in the first apprentice event of the evening, favoured Mahvelous Dahling, with Damario Bynoe up, rallied fast around the turn, clipped heels and crashed to the ground causing the trailing Just Blake, with Katy Morrison aboard, to tumble.
Fortunately, both riders and horses involved walked away from the incident. But neither could return for the 2nd race of the competition. Instead, journeyman riders took the two horses in the next race.
Raise a Glass ($7.00) went on to win the first challenge race, with Smilovsky as the pilot, over long shot Eli Ana, with Vergara Jr. up, paying $20.40 to place.
Vergara Jr. secured the title with a win on favoured Drop to Pop($6.10) who made the field off the also eligible list following the scratch of Another Niigon.
Vergara Jr. rode patiently in the finale as Drop to Pop broke from the outside post in a 10-horse field and tracked the early pace of Rengas Last Chance and Natorious Zapper, with Smilovsky up, from third position in the seven furlong ‘Poly’ tilt.
The apprentice urged Drop to Pop into action through the turn, putting away the pacesetters en route to a comfortable score. Smilovsky’s mount, Natorious Zapper, faded to fourth.
“I did all I could to hold him together and not move too early,” said Vergara Jr. “There were many times he wanted to go, but I did not want to pull the trigger too early.”
The apprentice, born in Hollywood, Florida in 1986, arrived at Woodbine with 419 career mounts and a record of 32 wins, 34 seconds and 56 thirds. Vergara Jr. certainly appreciated picking up his first win at Woodbine
“It was awesome, I love it. The track at Arlington is similar, but I took a real liking to Woodbine and would love a chance to come back here,” he said.
The top three finishers, by total points scored, were Vergara Jr. (45), Smilovsky (39) and Laura Carson (32)
RAISE A GLASS canters to an easy win under ERIKA SMILOVSKY in race 1 of the Canadian Apprentice Invitational. The betting dollars poured in on this filly in the last couple of minutes and she won like a champ for Natural Eight and T C Stables and trainer Bill Tharrenos. NORM FILES PHOTO
HEART TO HEART loves Saratoga
Canadian-bred wins for Terry Hamilton
POSTSTAR.COM by BRETT HUDSON, WILL SPRINGSTEAD
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Trainer Brian Lynch had a list, albeit a short one, of criteria for when he would run Heart to Heart. In that way, Wednesday’s first running of the Better Talk Now came calling for Lynch as opposed to him planning around it.
“You’re getting to the end of the season, there’s only so many straight 3-year-old races left, especially on the turf,” Lynch said. “I just felt like this horse was very impressive.”
The field let Heart to Heart take the lead out of the gate without a fight and never challenged again as the 3-year-old won by three lengths at Saratoga Race Course.
“He got (the lead) comfortably. He was unpressured and they sort of left him alone there,” Lynch said.
FIVE CLASS 2 POSITIVES AT AJAX DOWNS
Rulings released by the Ontario Racing Commission this week show that five (5) horses have been suspended for 90 days for testing positive for the same drug – Ractopamine, a Class II drug. These rulings came against various trainers/owners. Woodbine Thoroughbred racing is still working with a couple of Class I positives that barred Queenstown for 90 days (Murray Stable, trainer Greg Cox) and Seeking the Bay for 90 days (Larry Cappuccitti).
Some information on ractopamine is below:
FEBRUARY 2014 ORC MEMO – SUBJECT: Ractopamine in Feedstuffs
This memo is with respect to several recent positive drug tests that may have been the result of prohibited substances in feedstuffs. This is a reminder to owners and trainers that it remains their responsibility to obtain horse feed and supplements that are free from substances that may trigger a positive test.
One of these prohibited substances is ractopamine, which is used to promote weight gain and feed efficiency and is licenced in Canada for use in beef cattle, pigs and turkeys.
Following several positive tests in Ontario, the Ontario Racing Commission undertook an investigation that found ractopamine in batches of horse feed. Similar findings were heard from Alberta and Quebec. Upon receipt of this information, CPMA initiated discussions with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) wherein it was determined that the CFIA has set allowable limits of ractopamine to be present in feed. However, even if horse feed passes these allowable limit tests, the feed may contain enough ractopamine to cause a positive result in the CPMA’s drug testing program.
CFlA also advised that it has a program for feed mills that minimizes the likelihood of ractopamine being found in feed for animals destined for international markets that do not allow any amounts of ractopamine in exported meat. The threat of an unintended positive test result to Canadian horsepeople may be minimized in several ways including but not limited to obtaining feed from manufacturers certifying that ractopamine is not used in feed produced at their facility.
It is suggested that owner and trainers make agreements with feed suppliers that their feed come from sources that minimize the risks of contamination. As mentioned at the outset of this memo, positive tests remain the owner’s/trainer’s responsibility.
Medicating ingredients permitted in Canadian feeds that may cause a positive test in the CPMA’s drug testing program include but are not necessarily limited to: ractopamine, zilpaterol, procaine penicillin and levamisole.
SAFFIR DIES – Letter from Dr. John Brown, Spring Farm
SAFFIR (Unbridled – Storm Alert),owned by Brushwood Stable and Spring Farm, was found dead in his pasture recently from an apparent heart attack. There had been no signs of any problems, having eaten his breakfast, he was keen to be led out of his stall to run in his usual paddock. There were no signs of a struggle or any pain prior to his death. SAFFIR, with limited opportunity had proven to be one of the most successful sires in Ontario, having produced one of the highest Average Earning Index. From small crops, he produced such Stakes Horses as LANGSTAFF, COURTVILLE, SAFFRACTION and the popular, HAVERHILL, though not a Stakes Winner, was a top class Race Horse, to name only a few. We have no doubt that his future offspring yet to be born and those that will reach the track in 2015 & 2016 will continue his legacy. We will miss him.
John P. Brown D.V.M.
