It may be dark, rainy and cool but there will be bright smiles and hugs all around at Dan Loiselle’s retirement party at Woodbine today.
THE FINAL CALL is race 4, the Lady Angela Stakes today. Cake cutting, meet and greet will follow.
Anyone who has watched races at Woodbine since 1987 has a favourite Dan Loiselle race-call, tag-line or pun.
When I had the chance to interview hockey player/NHL broadcaster EDDIE OLCZYK recently and I mentioned Woodbine, Eddie said whenever he hears Danny’s calls, he thinks about his years in Toronto.
That is quite an impact for one person to make on a sport. Danny is only one of two race announcers that Woodbine has had since it opened in 1956.
A kind and welcoming person, Danny has opened his announcer’s booth to thousands of fans, friends and family of those fans, and friends of anyone who has ever worked there. What a treat to be able to take someone upstairs to meet Danny and watch him call a race.
The few years we had the Media Announcer’s Challenge during Queen’s Plate week were a hoot with Danny helping out media types to call a race, all of us realizing what a skill it is to bring a race to life, quickly, correctly and in interesting fashion.
On Sunday, he will be surrounded by friends and family as he calls the Lady Angela Stakes, race 4, his last call.
Tom Durkin, considered one of the best racecallers in the US in history, is in town to spend the day having been through the big retirement bash himself.
WOODBINE’S TOP 10 DANNY CALLS
GLOBE & MAIL/CANADIAN PRESS FEATURE
For the first time in 30 years, Dan Loiselle can look forward to a summer vacation.
The iconic voice of Canadian horse racing will call it a career Sunday afternoon after 29 years as the race announcer at Woodbine Racetrack. Loiselle’s final call will be the $125,000 Lady Angela Stakes for Ontario-sired sophomore fillies, and afterward he’ll make the trophy presentation to the winning connections.
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WOODBINE WRAP UPS
SATURDAY – Hot and humid and the rain came down hard not long before the Connaught. The track was faster than it was on Friday and got more so when the rain settled in:
LOCKOUT was a nice 4 to 1 and a charging winner of the CONNAUGHT CUP – Grade 2, at 7 furlongs on the grass. The race was shortened a lot with the scratching of SOMETHING EXTRA (going to New York), Goldern Sabre and CHART TOPPER. Popular grey gelding EXCAPER was favoured but he was in an early battle with River Sevem, who surprisingly showed speed. That set things up for LOCKOUT, a son of Limehouse, and Phils Dream, the Ontario bred champ for Paul Buttigieg.
LOCKOUT is the 3rd straight stakes winner for Mark Casse and 2 of those were owned by john Oxley and ridden by Gary Boulanger.
Lockout posted a 96 Beyer Figure for 1:22.56. He was stakes placed a few times last year and is an ace middle distance, sprinting grass horse.
Race 1– HONKYTONK MAN led all the way to win his maiden for $12,500 after being claimed by Fred Bahr and John Simms from his last race. Eurico Rosa da Silva rode.
Race 2- KNOWITALL rallied late to win this allowance race for owner and breeder Brian Cullen. The Milwaukee Brew gelding out of stakes winner Shilla was making his 2nd start of the season. Tyler Pizarro rode.
Race 3 – FLATTERY became the 2nd winner for Colebrook farms in 2 days as he won this $12,500 maiden race under David Garcia. He is a son of Leonnatus Anteas and he was making his first start of the year and 3rd career start.
Race 4- JAVA’S BOURBON cruised to victory in this maiden allowance, yet another winner for Charles Fipke and trainer Roger Attfield. Emma-Jayne Wilson rode this son of Not Bourbon who was bred by Fipke. HUTCHY was a late scratch as he got loose and ran around the track.
race 5 – CORT’N ASONG led all the way through 9 furlongs on turf under Alan Garcia to win at 1 to 5. The Three Chimneys/Bridlewood Farm owned colt was a $550,000 2yo in training and he was making his 2nd career start. 73 Beyer Figure for 1:51.15
race 6 – UNCATCHABLE FIRE won his season debut for Stacy Van Camp and trainer Mike Mattine. He was ridden by Sheena Ryan and it was his 4th career win and 2nd win in 2 years. He sped 7 furlongs in 1:22.67 – a 76 Beyer Figure which matched his career best. He was 17 to 1 and easily the longest shot in the small field.
race 7 – in the driving rain SPIN THE KING led, was passed and then came back on to win this allowance race, Ontario sired 3yo and up, non-winners of 2. Owned by Joe Stritzl and trained by Brian Lynch, the dark bay was ridden by Alan Garcia. He was listed as a first time gelding in this season debut.
race 9 SPANISH RIVER was another, wide,rallying winner as he took this allowance race at 6 furlongs in his 2nd outing of the season, David Moran rode for Ruvee Stable and Frank Huarte and family.
This grey gelding posted an 82 Beyer Figure, easily his best career number in his 15th start. He is by Giant Gizmo out of War River by War Deputy.
FRIDAY WRAP
BEAR’S PRIDE – first race of 2015, won this allowance race on WEDNESDAY NIGHT on the lead all the way for Bear Stables and Reade Baker. Woodbine photo
The track was very slow and very outside biased today, much different than Wednesday night and any other day recently.
Most of the favourites were overbet (Flashaway making his turf debut) and most of them were crushed. Freaky Fridays are back!
race 1- Horses acting up in the gate has been a theme lately – QUIXOTIC LADY was turned right around in the gate in this opener and had to be scratched. The winner was favoured SPRING LIGHTNING, a Spring at Last filly making her 3nd career start for No 1 Stable and Josie Carroll.
race 2 – SHE’S EXPLOSIVE has won 2 straight, this time in a 6 furlong allowance for Ontario-sired allowance fillies. She battled heavy Favourite Dancing on Fire to the far turn before pulling away to win in 1:11.24 for Norseman Racing and trained Sid Attard.. Luis Contreras won the Daily Double.
race 3 JADE DRAGON is now 2 for 2 since his season debut when he bled trough Lasix, fell and then was barred for 14 days. The stakes winner by Trajectory is 5 for 20 in his career and is currently owned by Joey Gee Thoroughbreds and trained by Pat Parente.
Tyler Pizarro rode the 5yo who was bred by DiGiulio, D’onofrio and Peri in Ontario.
The winner pressed the pace 3 wide before going on to victory.
race 4- Tough race for bettors of the Pick 4’s, Pick 3’s etc. The 2-5 shot JOHNNY WHITEBIRD was scratched at the gate and players ended up with Bandamba who was favoured in his first race of the season. The winner of the $10,00 claiming race was PERFECT POUR, who rallied wide from well back to win at 13 to 1 under Erika Smilovsky. Denim Bay was a closing second. The winner is a Kentucky bred by Pleasantly Perfect owned by Colebrook Farms and trained by Ashlee Brnjas. It was his first race of the season.
race 5 – an allowance/optional claiming race marked the return of Kingarvie Stakes winner KINGSPORT, a 3yo Ontario bred by Milwaukee Brew owned by Goildmart Farms. The colt had a delayed start to his sophomore season and was wildly overbet in this 7 furlong dash at 4 to 5. The winner was CSONKA, a flashy chestnut for Phil Lanning and Ron Sadler. The 5yo was making his first start of the year. He is 3 for 18 in his career and Gary Boulanger rode.
Kingsport led led and was 3rd beaten about 2 heads.
race 6- a maiden allowance for fillies and mares and BLURRICANE finally got her maiden win and she ran to her name as she was blur and surged late like a hurricane to win over She’s a Ringer. The winner is a Rebellion filly out of Otra Vez by Rahy bred by Bernard and Karen McCormack and owned by Jim Vlahos. Paul Buttigieg trains. The filly was a $15,000 yearling purchase and David Moran rode.
AMIRA’S PRIDE was one from the race who had a bad start and a bad trip and shoould be tabbed for another race.
1:11.10 for the 6 furlongs.
race 7 – maiden fillies race – the split of race 6, and favoured LADY EKATI continues a good roll for Charles Fipke and Roger Attfield.
The Tale of the Cat gal was making her 2nd career start and she was 2nd in her debut. Eurico Rosa da Silva rode.
Big efforts from DIXIELAND JAZZ and TWELVE JEWELS, the latter who rallied inside.
1:31 for the 6 furlongs.
race 8 – an allowance race at 1 mile on the grass and while FLASHAWAY, a 3yo against older horses making his first start on the grass was way overbet at 4 to 5, he did have a really bad trip in the stretch and could have been 2nd. The winner was BEST COUNTRY who was returning to grass for his 2nd race of the meeting. He is a Roger Laurien homebred by Best of the Bests and Steve Bahen rode. He posted an 84 Beyer Figure.
race 9 Four scratches in the finale as the sickness continues to play havoc with the backstretch. No matter, SOLO PLAYER has been wild this year and he became the first 3-time winner of the meeting with this score at 5 1/2 furlongs for $12,500 claiming. He stumbled badly in his last race so who knows, he could be 4 for 4.
Alan Garcia rides this one for Brad McKnight. His Beyer Figure was 80.
Stakes winner JENNA’S WABBIT, a winner of $544,000, was last and was claimed from his longtime owners/breeder by Kadain Gordon.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT WRAP
The evening’s highest Beyer Figure was 83 earned by BEAR’ S PRIDE in the 3rd race, a turf allowance at 1 mile. It was the Ontario-bred’s first race of the year and while she raced (and lost) for $8,000 claiming last fall, she is a bear on the turf (pun intended). Bear Stables owns and Reade Baker trains. Eurico Rosa da Silva rode the daughter of Kentucky Bear.
A split of a maiden allowance race at 6 furlongs went to: race 5– VIRTADERO, rallying up the rail to win in his 2nd start of the year and 4th career race. Owned by Bill Diamant and bred by Vicki Pappas, this handsome gelding was ridden by Emma-Jayne Wilson. His time was 1:10.79, a 63 Beyer Figure; race 7 – NO MUZZLE took a bite out of the field as he rallied wide to win with a 58 beyer Figure for Abraham Katryan and jockey Tyler Pizarro. The gelding is by Harris Tweed.
