Peace and love and the disco dream were alive and well at the LongRun Friday Night Fever party last night at Woodbine. There were tons of great costumes for a party than began with complimentary Melnyk Martinis…blueberry!..continued with a great meal that only Woodbine could make, fun hosts in Jeff Bratt and Dawn Lupul and a live auction. Then when DONNA SUMMER took the stage, well…. the dance floor was full! The DJ afterwards was also very good as there was Soul Train and costume and dance contests and so much fun. The 50-50 draw and Silent Auction were very well received.
Photo – Mark and Stacey Krembil accept VOLTERRA AWARD from Vicki Pappas at LongRun Friday Night Fever party
The 8TH ANNUAL VOLTERRA AWARD went to CHIEFSWOOD STABLE – Mark and Robert and Barb Krembil and Stacy Krembil.
The live auction items were:
Weekend at the Arc de Triomphe donated by France Galop with Travel voucher donated by Jim and Susan Hill – it sold for $5,000 to Robert Krembil.
Dinner made by MARK FROSTAD, ROGER ATTFIELD, MIKE DOYLE AND IAN BLACK...now that sounds like a great time, could not afford it though, it went for $2,000 to Lauri Kenny.
Polo weekend donated by Don and Carol Pennycook, sold for $2,000 to Mike Luider.
Niagara Bike and Wine and Stay, donated by Grand Victorian, Zoom Leisure Bikes and Wine Country Catering – $1,000
Sandy Hawley in his disco best and Emma-Jayne Wilson, the dancing queen’ ham it up at the LongRun Friday Night fever party!
Dessert! It followed a beautiful meal of Ice Water Prawn Cocktail, an selection of vegetarian or main meals and this Chocolate tarte!
Corey Couto and Robbie King, peace up!
Mark and Pam Frostad cut the rug at the LongRun gala – great costumes!
WOODBINE WRAP
WEDNESDAY NIGHT – Whew, it’s been warm this week, pretty nice..action has been hot too. Track notes – been tough to rally wide on main track and on the grass this week.
Unfortunately, Wednesday was marred by a very scary accident that led to the death of a horse. In race 5, SUGAR GLIDER, owned by Colebrook Stables made an inside move in early stretch and appeared to clip heels. She plunged to the crowd and crashed into MOTLAWA BLUES who really went down hard. Nick Webb rode Sugar Glider and Katy Morrison rode Motlawa Blues. SUGAR GLIDER was put down after the race.
It looked as if the riders were okay.
The winner was APRIL HALO (14 TO 1) for Sam Parro.
The fastest winner WEDNESDAY NIGHT was COLLEEN’S SAILOR, winning with an 81 Beyer Figure for $40,000 claiming for Tierra di Sienna Stable and trainer Roger Attfield. Third in the Prince of Wales last year, this colt by Northern Afleet seems to be worth every penny of $40K but he was not claimed. Tyler Pizarro rode him.
Race 4- playful – EMMA’S LOVE held off EMMA-JAYNE WILSON on Cavalier’s Destiny to win her maiden in race 4. This flashy chestnut gal is a 3yo by one Way Love – Princess Rokeby by Rokeby -GB, bred and owned by John Curtis and Gino Panza. The gal was making her 4th career start and was dropping to $12,500 for trainer Mike DePaulo. Justin Stein rode.
Race 7 – another accident – OROLUCE stumbled badly out of the gate and Jermaine Bridgmohan was unseated. The $40,000 claiming race was won by Funin D’Sun for Derek Chin and the red-hot Laurie Silver stavble, Skye Chernetz rode.
FRIDAY
Box Arrow Farms’ homebred SNIPPETS OF TIME rallied up the rail to win her maiden for $20,000 in race 2. She is a Wando filly out of Hideout by Dixie Union. The filly had posted a 53 Beyer on July 26 when in for $20K but was coming off a 22 3/4 length drubbing, Justin Stein rode for trainer Gord Colbourne.
TAPITS BREW, a 7yo, won his 12th career race in a 423,500 claiming event. It was his first win of the season for Heritage Hill Farm and trainer Scott Fairlie. Luis Contreras rode and it was a brilliant steer as the pace was slow and this tough gelding battled on the rail all the way – he almost never races on the pace.
CHEDINGTON wo the last race on the grass for $37,500, leading all the way under Nick Webb for Mike Doyle, owner and trainer. The Ontario bred is by Langfuhr and was bred by Edmund Odette.
WOODBINE THIS WEEKEND
No grass racing today for sure, not likely tomorrow. That leaves some very nice 2yo races on the main track.
The stakes races continue to be tiny fields: the DEPUTY JANE WEST overnight stake today is race 3 and is for 2yo fillies. Yesterday there was an allowance race for 2yo fillies and next weekend is another 2yo filly stake. Contender for the ‘Jane West is LAPSANG, an Ontario bred debut winner for Suzie Drake and partners.
The LA LORGNETTE is a match between champion SPRING IN THE AIR and the fleet LEIGH COURT for Eugene Melnyk.
Tomorrow – the OVERSKATE STAKES is a nice sprint with champions FIFTY PROOF and PENDER HARBOUR trying to get back to the winner’s circle.
CANADIAN-BRED WATCH
Black Hornet competes at Parx today on a big card of racing. Canadian-owned Clearly Now is a big factor.
Saturday, Parx Racing, post time: 4:35 p.m. EDT
GALLANT BOB S.-GIII, $300,000, 3yo, 6f
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER ML
1 Res Judicata Smarty Jones Carmouche Servis 12-1
2 Distinctiv Passion With Distinction Maldonado Bonde 8-1
3 Black Hornet Pioneering TBA Parente 8-1
4 Take It Like a Man Run Away and Hide Saez Gorder 20-1
5 Salutos Amigos Salute the Sarge Leparoux Guillot 12-1
6 English Manor K Toccet Montanez Wyner 20-1
7 City of Weston Holy Bull Lopez Sano 20-1
8 Majestic Hussar Majestic Warrior J Ortiz Kenneally 20-1
9 Amarish Scat Daddy J Ortiz Asmussen 10-1
10 Heaven’s Runway Run Away and Hide Mello Martin 20-1
11 Rainbow Heir Wildcat Heir Smith Perkins Jr. 3-1
12 Clearly Now K Horse Greeley Saez Lynch 4-1
13 Zeewat K Harlan’s Holiday Maragh Hollendorfer 6-1
14 Purple Egg K Lion Heart Alvarado Jr. Cibelli 20-1
POOL PLAY TO START IN HOMECOMING STAKES
POOL PLAY, AGENT DI NOZZO WORK TOWARD RUNS IN HOMECOMING CLASSIC
LOUISVILLE, KY (Friday, Sept. 20, 2013) – Two horses that have enjoyed some of their finest moments over the main track at Churchill Downs worked at the track Friday in preparation for their respective bids for next week’s first running of the $175,000-added Homecoming Classic, the last of eight stakes races conducted during the September meet.
William S. Farish Jr.’s Pool Play, winner of the 2011 Stephen Foster Handicap (GI), and Robert and Lawanna Low’s Agent Di Nozzo, an impressive allowance winner over the stakes-winning Taptowne in a May 31 allowance race at the track, each worked five furlongs Friday. The Homecoming Classic, a 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds and up, is set for the “Downs After Dark” program on Saturday, Sept.. 28.
Trainer Mark Casse’s Pool Play zipped five furlongs in 1:01, which tied as the fourth fastest of 27 works at the distance. The eight-year-old son of Silver Deputy will be looking to snap a seven-race losing stretch when he faces a tough field in the Homecoming Classic field headed by Janis R. Whitham’s reigning Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI) winner Fort Larned, who was a romping winner of the 2013 Stephen Foster Handicap (GI) at Churchill Downs.
“He had a bullet work last week and came back and worked really good this week,” said Norman Casse, the trainer’s son and the assistant who oversees the stable’s Churchill Downs division. “We’re going to give him a chance, although the race is coming up a lot tougher than we were expecting it to. He’s back training the way he was when he was really on top of his game.”
Pool Play’s last victory was a triumph last October in the Hawthorne Gold Cup (GII). He comes into the race off a third-place run over a muddy track in the Greenwood Cup (GIII) at Philadelphia’s Parx. The veteran has made 39 career starts with a record of 7-7-7 and earnings of $1,311,459.
Miguel Mena will ride Pool Play in the Homecoming Classic.
John C. Oxley’s Uncaptured, winner of the 2012 Kentucky Jockey Club (GII), the recent Prince of Wales at Fort Erie and runner-up in the Matt Winn (GIII), zipped five furlongs in 1:00 Friday workout at Churchill Downs. The work was the fastest of 27 at the distance. Assistant Norman Casse said Uncaptured is being pointed to the Indiana Derby (GII)
LIKE A BALLOON WITH A SLOW LEAK…
“We’re working towards trying to crystallize this Final Report. It’s coming along… we’re trying to put a number together that [government] can swallow which will make sure that the industry has a future.” – Elmer Buchanan, Transitional panel
The above quote is from a Stratford Beacon Herald/ Standabrdbred Canada piece on the panel responding to a report on its spending through March of this year…
http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/news/9-13-13/panel-comments-price-tag.html#comments
