RACING FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE MEETING
Panel discussion today at Woodbine begins 1:30, watch livestream, check Woodbine.com for update on link
Horse racing industry leaders John Hayes (Independent Chair, Ontario Racing), Stephen Rigby (President and Chief Executive Officer, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp.), Jean Major (Chief Executive Officer, Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario) and Jim Lawson (Chief Executive Officer, Woodbine Entertainment) will take part in a panel discussion on important issues facing the Ontario horse racing industry this Friday, August 9 at Woodbine Racetrack.
Moderated by host Jason Portuondo, the panelists will cover topics and issues central to securing a sustainable future for horse racing in Ontario.
The event will take place in the newly opened Trackside Clubhouse (previously known as the Standardbred Paddock) at Woodbine Racetrack. Doors open at 1 p.m. and the panel discussion will begin promptly at 1:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.
If you are not attending you can watch a livestream of the discussion, link to be announced on social media by Woodbine.
TRIPLE TIARA WRAPS UP SATURDAY WITH WONDER WHERE STAKES
Desert Ride, Speedy Soul each have one win in series
After two trips over the Tapeta, the Canadian Triple Tiara shifts surfaces to the world renowned E.P. Taylor Turf Course for Saturday’s $225,000 Wonder Where Stakes, at Woodbine.
Contested at 1 ¼-miles, the Wonder Where drew seven starters, including Desert Ride, winner of the Woodbine Oaks presented by Budweiser, first jewel in the series, and Speedy Soul, who took the second jewel, the Bison City Stakes, on June 30.
A bay daughter of Candy Ride (Arg), Desert Ride enters Saturday’s feature off a fifth-place performance to One Bad Boy in the 160th edition of the Queen’s Plate on June 29.
The Sam-Son Farm homebred has recorded three wins and a second from five starts, including an impressive rally to take the Oaks by a neck over a game Bold Script. Speedy Soul was third.
“She’s coming into this race doing really well,” said trainer Neil Howard. “I’ve been really happy with her. Her effort in the Oaks was fantastic. She’s so classy and she’s been a model of consistency.”
Desert Ride and jockey Steve Bahen winning the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks Presented by Budweiser on Saturday, June 8 at Woodbine Racetrack. (Michael Burns Photo)
Unraced at two, Desert Ride won her career bow on January 17 at Fair Grounds. Sent off at 6-1, the Ontario-bred got off to a slow start, and was last of 11 at the quarter-mile mark in the ‘about’ one-mile grass race. Tenth at the half-mile call and fourth at the stretch, Desert Ride closed strongly to post a 1 ¼-length victory.
After a second in her next start, also at Fair Grounds, Desert Ride won an allowance race at Keeneland on April 18, one race prior to winning the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks on June 29.
“For me, it’s so hard to come by the good ones. But to be part of this for Sam-Son… I have such a great respect for owners in this business. When you have any kind of success for any of them, especially for what they put into it, that’s the most rewarding part for me, to be honest.”
As for the Plate, Howard was pleased, albeit not surprised that his filly gave everything she had in the 1 ¼-mile classic.
“She ran well. Sometimes you get into situations where there is an opportunity to run in a major race, in this case, Canada’s greatest race, and in this instance, there was only three weeks between the Oaks and the Plate. We knew it was going to be a question mark – a big question – but she ran well. It was a tough race on a short turnaround.
“On the flip side, she’s had the requisite time off now and we’re looking forward to getting her back on the grass. She’s just been an all-around great horse for us.”
Speedy Soul, trained by Mark Casse and bred and owned by Joey Gee Thoroughbreds, arrives at the Oaks off a second-place finish in the Grade 3 Ontario Colleen Stakes on July 20.
The daughter of Souper Speedy owns a record of 4-1-1 in seven starts. Last year’s Muskoka Stakes champion will now chase her third career added-money win. This May, the dark bay took the Fury Stakes.
The race is named in honour of the champion filly, Wonder Where, Canada’s 1959 Horse of the Year and Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee.
The stakes is slated as Race 9 on Saturday. First post on the 11-race card is 1:05 p.m.
*SUNDAY’S feature at Woodbine is the Grade 3 SEAGRAM CUP for older horses at 1 1/16 miles on the Tapeta luring champions MR HAVERCAMP, fresh off a win in the Grade 3 Forbidden Apple on turf at Saratoga and ARE YOU KIDDING ME, recent winner of the Grade 3 Dominion Day for his 13th career win.
ALL HAIL THE HALL INDUCTEES
with some files from www.horse-races.net
JOSIE CARROLL became the first woman trainer to be inducted into Canada’s Horse Racing Hall of Fame on Aug. 7. One of her first bosses, Mike Doyle, presented. Terence Dulay – www.horse-races.net
There were many poignant and emotional speeches at the CANADIAN HORSE RACING HALL OF FAME induction ceremony on August 7 in Mississauga as the Class of 2019 were honoured with a beautiful and fun evening.
On the Thoroughbred side, JOSIE CARROLL was inducted into the Trainer’s Category, MICKEY WALLS, jockey, BORY MARGOLUS, builder and horses LEXIE LOU and ALL ALONG also joined the famed Hall.
MICKEY WALLS, whose father Joe passed away earlier this year, was a popular inductee for his incredible career as a jockey. Sandy Hawley presented – TERENCE DULAY – HORSE-RACES.NET
JOSIE CARROLL, two-time Queen’s Plate winning trainer and among the leading conditioners in the country for several decades, brought some of her barn crew with her to the dinner.
“It really means a lot. I am really fortunate to be able to have some of my barn crew here – Victor, Radar, Lorie, all of them who have been with me over 20 years. Without their hard work and dedication none of this would have been possible.
I have been fortunate to follow my dream from the moment I picked up a newspaper and saw pictures of horses racing, it’s always been about these horses.
I think all of us are here for those big racing moments, the big wins and horses crossing the line first but also those quiet moments in the stall with the horses breath on your cheek.
My owners made it happen for me and made it fun. My husband Charlie has supported me, he’s my anchor through it all.
I was raised by a very strong, independent woman. Whatever I thought I wanted to do, she quietly assumed I was going to do it.
I want to thank my Mum for really putting me here.
MICKEY WALLS began riding at the age of 16 in 1990 at Exhibition Park (now known as Hastings Park), before moving his tack east to Woodbine, taking his first Sovereign Award as outstanding apprentice that year. The following season he swept both the Apprentice and Outstanding Jockey trophies in Canada, as well as the Apprentice honor at the Eclipse Awards. His 12 years in the saddle netted him 1432 wins, 112 in stakes, including the Queen’s Plate aboard Woodcarver in 1999, as well as the Prince of Wales, Breeders’ Stakes, and Canadian Oaks. In 1991 he won 286 races, 221 at Woodbine which eclipsed Hawley’s previous record of 190. Arguably the highlight of his career was the 1996 Breeders’ Cup Classic “at home” at Woodbine, where he rode 101-1 longshot Mr. Sassafras to a 4th place finish beaten only 1/2 a length by Alphabet Soup, Louis Quatorze, and Cigar, after leading at the 1/8 pole.
Bory Margolus
Bory Margolus was inducted in the Thoroughbred Builder category. Flying the flag of his native Alberta, he was voted Outstanding Breeder for the inaugural Sovereign Awards in 1976, following that up with Outstanding Owner honors in 1977. Margolus owned the legendary Elmbrook Farm northeast of Edmonton, winning almost every stakes race in Alberta mostly with horses bred out of his own broodmare band, including the province’s most prestigious races, the Canadian Derby and the Alberta Derby. From 1972 to 1975 he won four straight renewals of the Stampede Park Futurity for juveniles. In 1977 he won his first Canadian Derby with Western Reason, but he feels the win was tainted since his horse finished 2nd and moved up to win when the stewards disqualified the first place finisher R.J.’s Diamond for interference against the 3rd place finisher Honey Speed. “I don’t want to win that way especially the Canadian Derby. Its been a long time trying and now that I’ve won it i don’t feel any happiness.” Later he partnered with fellow Hall of Famer Jim Wright in the ownership of Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg.
MANITOBA: CTHS YEARLING SALE SUNDAY AUGUST 11 2:30 CST
There is a good number of yearlings catalogued for Sunday’s CTHS Manitoba yearling sale including a full sister to hotshot 3-year-old filly HIDDEN GRACE.
One of the province’s all-time leading breeders and consignors, Cam Ziprick spoke to Canadian Thoroughbred magazine for it’s current issue now on sale at your local Chapters-Indigo book store:
There are 41 horses in the catalogue this year and that is a good number for us. I don’t think we have that many buyers. We have a few big buyers but they tend to fight over a few yearlings. The track is in pretty good standing right now with good purses and the stakes races all got a $5,000 increase. I can’t see why it won’t be a good sale.
We just have to try and make new trainers and owners aware of how good the Manitoba-bred program is here. At the CTHS level we plan on having some luncheons and events to talk to some of the US trainers that come up here to race in stakes and try to get them to buy Manitoba-breds. If you race here, you might as well have Manitoba-breds.
Our track is like everywhere else, we are short of horses so we need more owners.
Click here to review the entire catalogue.
BRITISH COLUMBIA – UNSUNG HEROES from BC CUP DAY
(if you missed reports on BC Cup winners , check out Thoroughblog’s Tuesday August 6 post)
By Tom Wolski/Derby Bar & Grill
“A schedule is set up for each race day,” Todd says. “On BC Cup Day many of our horses were running in back-to-back races, which meant everyone knew their job like who’s taking them to the paddock, back to the barn or to the test barn. It runs like clockwork. “The success of my stable is because of the people working there, not me.” – Glen Todd, North American Thoroughbred Horse Company
FASIG TIPTON SARATOGA YEARLING SALE WRAP
Canadians Christine and Jay Hayden sell $300,000 filly
This Ontario bred filly by second- year sire Liam’s Map out of Agatha by Distorted Humor was sold for $300,000 by Cara Bloodstock for Christine and Jay Hayden – Bernard McCormack photo
The 99th Saratoga Sale ended Tuesday night on a high note, establishing new sale records in average and median. The band of selected yearlings sold on Monday and Tuesday nights were led by a pair of colts by two-time Horse of the Year Curlin which topped the sale when sold Tuesday for $1,500,000 each.
Hip 153, the first foal out of champion Wapi (CHI) (Scat Daddy), was the first to reach the high mark. Aquis Farm AUS, Let’s Go Stable, and Crawford Farm purchased the $1,500,000 colt from the consignment of Denali Stud, agent. Hip 153 was bred in Kentucky by Don Alberto Corporation and Three Chimneys Farm, LLC.
An hour later, Hip 174, the first foal out of graded stakes winner America (A.P. Indy), matched that $1,500,000 price tag. A power-packed partnership of West Point, Woodford, Siena, Valdes, Singleton, Sandbrook, and Freeman joined together to purchase the co-sale topper from the consignment of Stone Farm, agent. Hip 174 was bred in Kentucky by B. Flay Thoroughbreds.
“It’s really pretty simple,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “Quality Sells. We had a remarkable group of quality horses on offer tonight and the buyers responded very favorably. We thank the buyers, the owners, and the breeders who provided us the opportunity to sell a great group of horses.”
Overall, 135 yearlings sold for $55,547,000, good for a sale-record average of $411,459, an 11.4% increase on last year’s average, and a 7.1% increase over the previous record of $385,259 established in 2001. The median – also a sale record – was $350,000, up 16.7% from the previous record of $300,000, set in 2017 and matched in 2018. The top price of $1,500,000 represented an 11.1% increase over last year’s sale topper ($1,350,000). Forty-four horses sold for $500,000 or more – with 16 unique sires represented, including first-crop sires Frosted, Runhappy, and Upstart – up 18.9% from 37 sold at or above that mark in 2018.
ONTARIO’S Christine and Jay Hayden sold three Ontario bred yearlings for a total of $615,000.
Consigned by Bernard McCormack’s Cara Bloodstock the the trio included a Liam’s Map filly at $300,000 and a Nyquist colt for $220,000.
Canadian-breds in the sale:
21 NOT SOLD $95,000 – EXAGGERATOR-HIGHER WORLD, GRR F CARA BLOODSTOCK AGENT FOR CHARLES HAYDEN
118 $100,000 – MINESHAFT-SMART TIMMIE, CH F FOUR STAR SALES AGENT FOR THE ESTATE OF WILLIAM D. GRAHAM (WINDHAVEN FARMS)
165 $300,000 – LIAM’S MAP-AGATHA, DKB F CARA BLOODSTOCK AGENT FOR SAINTSBURY FARMS INC. (CHRISTINE & JAY HAYDEN)
181 –OUT HARD SPUN-AVIE’S SENSE, DKB F WARRENDALE SALES AGENT FOR TALL OAKS FARM
184 –$220,000 NYQUIST-BANGA RIDGE, DKB C CARA BLOODSTOCK AGENT FOR SAINTSBURY FARMS INC. (CHRISTINE & JAY HAYDEN)
205 – $185,000 BRODY’S CAUSE-DANCE THEWAYYOUARE, CH C TAYLOR MADE SALES AGENCY AGENT XVI
