HAPPY FRIDAY – today’s news includes the woes of Santa Anita, the Canadian-breds who are in action today and the locals in action tomorrow at tracks around the U.S…was that MINE THAT BID on Conan last night? Uh, no…
SANTA ANITA DROWNING
CANWEST NEWS SERVICES REPORT
Artificial surfaces fail the test in California; ; Santa Anita track went through two tracks in 3 seasons
Friday, January 22nd
W hen it comes to taking a big financial hit, what is happening at Santa Anita racetrack in California is amazing.
For the last several years, all the talk of improving racing surfaces has been about going from natural dirt tracks to supposedly safer synthetic surfaces.
When these synthetic surfaces were first installed, even at costs estimated between $8 million and $10 million, several racetracks and groups could not wait to make the change.
Among these groups was the California Horse Racing Board, who in 2006 mandated all racetracks in the state to switch to any of various synthetic surfaces at their cost.
Because of the heavy rain that caused slow track drainage, Santa Anita resurfaced their synthetic track twice.
In 2007, the original surface was Cushion Track and they lost 11 days of racing due to rain.
Needless to say, Cushion Track was replaced with Pro-Ride in 2008.
Now, after heavy rains hit Southern California this past week, Santa Anita cancelled three days of racing, including today’s card.
IN ACTION TODAY
Queen’s Plate hopeful GIANT’S TOMB will go on turf or dirt
Fair Grounds – January 22, 2010
Race 6 – 3:39 PM Exacta / Trifecta / $0.10 Superfecta Pick 3 (Races 6-7-8) / $0.50 Pick 4 (Races 6-7-8-9)
ALLOWANCE OPTIONAL CLAIMING $50,000
Purse $45,000. (Includes $5,500 – Other Sources) (Plus $1,500 – ALBSS-Accredited LA Bred Slot Supplement). For Three Year Olds Which Have Never Won A Race Other Than Maiden, Claiming, Starter, Or Trial Or Which Have Never Won Two Races Or Claiming Price $50,000. Weight, 122 Lbs. Non-winners Of A Race At A Mile Or Over On The Turf Since December 22, 2009 Allowed 3 Lbs. (Races Where Entered For $25,000 Or Less Not Considered In Allowances). (If deemed inadvisable by management to run this race over the turf course, it will be run on the main track at One Mile and 1/16.). About One And One Sixteenth Miles. (Turf)
P# PP Horse Virtual
Stable A/S Med Claim $ Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 Ice Climber (IL) 3/C L $0 C J Lanerie 119 R R Scherer 6/1
1A Striking Hight (IL) 3/G L $0 J Graham 119 R R Scherer 6/1
2 Nocknonheavensgate (KY) 3/G L $0 S J Sellers 119 S M Asmussen 8/1
3 Coffee Break (KY) 3/C L $0 J Theriot 122 N J Howard 7/2
4 Pegasus Prancer (KY) 3/C L* $0 S Bridgmohan 119 S M Asmussen 9/2
5 Why Not Be Perfect (KY) 3/C L $0 P A Valenzuela 119 R Sibille 10/1
6 Tale of the Court (KY) 3/C L $0 M Mena 119 D M Carroll 6/1
7 Royal Stepper (TX) 3/G L $0 C Gonzalez 119 W B Calhoun 10/1
8 Giant’s Tomb (ON) 3/C L $0 R Albarado 119 M R Frostad 5/2
Also Eligibles:
9 Daddy Forty Nine (KY) (MTO) 3/G L $50,000 J Graham 119 T M Amoss 4/1
10 Walking the Beach (KY) (MTO) 3/C L $0 M Mena 119 W B Calhoun 9/2
Also on today’s FAIR GROUNDS card, Canadian-bred stakes horses DEPUTIFORMER and WESTMORELAND are in a $17,500 claiming event on the grass for trainers Steve Asmussen and Daniel Smithwick respectively. The latter is a half brother to champion Marchfield.
AT GULFSTREAM, the allowance feature, scheduled for grass, is almost like a stakes race: stakes winners SOCIETY’S CHAIRMAN and STERWINS are in the race.
STERWINS has a new trainer currently in Mark Casse. He was trained last year by Malcom Pierce.
Gulfstream Park – January 22, 2010
Race 8 – 4:43 PM Exacta / Trifecta / Superfecta / 10 Cent Superfecta / Daily Double (Races 8&9)
ALLOWANCE OPTIONAL CLAIMING $100,000
Purse $56,000. (Includes $13,000 – FOA – Florida Owners Awards). For Four Year Olds And Upward Which Have Never Won Four Races Other Than Maiden, Claiming, Starter Or State Bred Or Which Have Not Won $19,000 Twice Other Than Maiden, Claiming, Optional Or Starter Over A Mile On The Turf Since August 1, 2009 Or Claimingprice $100,000. Weight, 124 Lbs. Non-winners Of $34,000 At A Mile Or Over On The Turf Since December 22, 2009 Allowed 2 Lbs. $21,000 Over A Mile Since October 22, 2009 Allowed 4 Lbs. (Races Where Entered For $80,000 Or Less Not Considered) (Condition Eligibility). (If deemed inadvisable to run this race over the turf course, it will be run on the main track at One Mile and One Eighth) . One And One Eighth Miles. (Turf) (Rail at 96 Feet)
P# PP Horse Virtual
Stable A/S Med Claim $ Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 Hujum (IRE) 6/H L1* $0 A Garcia 120 K P McLaughlin 3/1
1A Danak (IRE) 7/H L $0 C H Velasquez 120 K P McLaughlin 3/1
2 Wheels Up At Noon (FL) 6/G L $0 C H Marquez, Jr. 120 H Pitts 20/1
3 Society’s Chairman (ON) 7/H L $0 J Lezcano 120 R L Attfield 12/1
4 Pickapocket (FL) 6/G L $0 L Saez 1155 M D Wolfson 8/1
5 Staying On (IRE) 5/G L1* $0 J Bravo 120 C Clement 5/2
6 Sterwins (ON) 7/G L $0 J R Leparoux 120 M E Casse 5/1
7 Bittel Road (KY) 4/C L $0 J R Velazquez 120 T A Pletcher 10/1
8 Yate’s Black Cat (KY) 7/H L* $0 K J Desormeaux 120 D L Romans 6/1
9 Simmard (KY) 5/H L* $0 R C Landry 122 R L Attfield 8/1
STERWINS has had a litany of trainers and caretakers over his career. Today he starts for new trainer MARK CASSE.
Dave Landry photo
SATURDAY DURING BIG STAKES DAY AT FAIR GROUNDS
from Fair Grounds press releases..
Good and Lucky – Again in Saturday’s Louisiana Handicap?
He’s probably been more good than lucky over the past year – especially at Fair Grounds – so Laconian Racing Stable, Steve Organ and Josie Carroll’s Good and Lucky has finally been shouldered with the favorite’s mantle at 9-5 in the morning line for Saturday’s $75,000 Louisiana Handicap.
He won the 2009 Louisiana Handicap at better than 9-1 and was clearly second best in last year’s Grade III Mineshaft Handicap at almost 8-1, but despite those performances Good and Lucky was still not the favorite when he won this season’s $59,000 Tenacious Handicap by almost two lengths.
“For some reason, he just flourishes when he gets down here,” said Ruth Schmidt, assistant to Good and Lucky’s part owner and trainer Josie Carroll during training hours Thursday morning. “He just keeps responding for us, and he’s been training very well coming into this race.
“He’s become a lot more versatile as he’s gotten older,” said Schmidt of the 7-year-old gelding. “You used to have to go to the lead with him, but in recent times he has learned to relax. We gave him a nice gallop earlier in the week, so now all we have to do is lead him over Saturday. We’re ready to rock ‘n’ roll.”
Sand & Cee Stables’ Secret Getaway, second to Good and Lucky in this season’s Tenacious but the winner over that rival in last year’s renewal, is the second choice at 5-2 in Saturday’s Louisiana Handicap morning line.
MINE THAT BIRD SPOOF ON CONAN
The late TV wars are getting bizarre as Conan O’Brien’s penultimate show apparently brought in MINE THAT BID with a mink stole on.
Of course, it was not MINE THAT BIRD, it was some chestnut horse but it is a funny bit nevertheless..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDaD5qdJnqU
CANADIANS ELSEWHERE
DAVE COTEY-owned LOST N SOUND was sent out by Sam Webb to win a $5,000 maiden claiming race yesterday at Penn National by 8 lengths at 40 cents on the dollar. Cotey appears to be cleaning house with his Penn National runners. Lost N Sound was claimed.
GOB SMACKED?
1. (chiefly British, slang) Flabbergasted, astounded, speechless, overawed.
The new TAPETA surface was unveiled at MEYDAN RACECOURSE earlier this week (season opens Jan. 28 with start of Dubai Racing Carnival) and jockey FRANKIE DETTORI said…
“I’m gob smacked after what I’ve seen, and I just can’t find the words to describe the amazing experience
of racing at the Meydan Racecourse, it’s just out of this world,”
OPEN HOUSE TOMORROW!
head out to NORSE RIDGE tomorrow for 11 a.m. and see all the stallions at the King City Farm (click on ad at right for directions). Pictured is the stallion ALUMNI HALL. Next Saturday – Gardiner Farms has an open house in Caledon East.
(Dave Landry photo)
THOROUGHBRED NIAGARA
Thoroughbred Niagara was formed in 2005 to provide a place for trainers and owners of Thoroughbred race horses to network with others. In 2010 we are going to add a whole new dimension to the Association TBN/Southern Ontario Thoroughbred Association will be including all aspects of Thoroughbred ownership to appeal to a broader membership base.
TBN/Southern Ontario Thoroughbred Association hopes to help its membership network with other horse owners, and to promote the versatility of the Thoroughbred breed and the thrill that comes with ownership, either through the Newsletter or our Message Board. We will be offering the following to your membership:
* An Annual Awards Program to recognize Thoroughbred horse and owner achievements in many categories.
* We hope to promote and manage several Thoroughbred Horse Shows in 2010.
* A Quarterly Newsletter.
* Bring in clinicians and speakers.
* Hold other horse related events that would be of interest to our members.
As part of our fund-raising efforts we are holding a Stallion Season Auction starting January 24th 2010 till
February 6th 2010. We have a great variety of breeds to offer, so pay us a visit!
www.thoroughbredniagara.com
THE MATCHUP
Views from San Gabriel Valley Tribune
It’s time for dream race to become a reality
By Art Wilson, Staff Writer
Jerry Moss, owner of two-time Eclipse Award winner Zenyatta as best older female, says it’s time his brilliant 6-year-old mare put it all on the line against 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra.
“Someday we’ll meet, and we’ll decide at that time who is the best,” Moss said Monday night following the Eclipse Awards ceremony in Beverly Hills.
Rachel Alexandra’s owner, Jess Jackson, not only wants to meet Zenyatta once, but as many as two or three times.
“We have to talk to Jerry and plan things through, but I’d be very much in favor of racing more than once,” Jackson said. “It would really excite the fans and give people repeated views of these magnificent animals. I think the races would be something spectacular.”
So does NTRA president and CEO Alex Waldrop, who should help bring these parties together because he’s the closest thing this sport has to a commissioner.
Read more at
http://www.sgvtribune.com/sports/ci_14241484
