HOME TURF

“She just seems to have matured a bit,” said Doyle, of the bay filly, who won her career bow on June 9 before doubling up in the aforementioned score on July 1. “She’s grown up. She’s starting to put things together in the morning. Week in, week out, she’s getting

better.”

Dancing Raven paid $7.30, $5.10 and $2.90, combining with Attitude Included ($17.40, $5.90) for a $101.10 exactor. Jacally ($2.20) completed a $159.60 triactor. The $1 superfecta returned $374.65.

DANCING RAVEN is by local sire TOMHAWK out of Captivating by Arch.

WOODBINE WRAP WED – SATURDAY

Busy week for horsefolks and fans and media – yearlings selling last Tuesday and then yesterday made for consigners being busy, owners and trainers studying their catalogues and their runners and everyone else trying to keep up!

So what happened this week at Woodbine heading into today`s card? Who is hot, who did what?

here’s some notes from the week:

SATURDAY – The last race on Saturday looked more like a baby dash at Ajax Downs quarterhorses than Woodbine. NITA MARU, owned by Osprey Stable, was making her 2nd career start in the 2yo maiden allowance but was not happy. She came out bearing hard left and fractious, bolted, finally rid herself of her jock Slade Callaghan and then raced wide down the backstretch before she was caught by the racing outrider.

It certainly distracted everyone from watching the race. Meanwhile, tough time for the firster NIIGON’S PRINCESS who was wiped out at the start by the errant rivall and then wiped out again when that rival and outrider veered past her.

Meanwhile, winning the race was Bull Market Stables’ NAUTICAL QUEEN, a Mobil filly traine dby Anne Cameron, who pressed the pace all the way and held off the popular beginner Soap Opera Star.

Another maiden allowance, for older gals, was won by Paul Buttigieg’s SHUFFLED AROUND, a Where’s the Ring – Debina, Sea wall filly bred by Ray Beitz in Ontario. The winner was 11 to 1 and was ridden by Patrick Husbands.

Freshman sire BEST OF THE BESTS had hsi 5th winner (in North America) when GOOD BETTER BEST won his debut on the grass for Harlequin Ranches and trainer Roger Attfield.

The colt is out of the owner’s good mare MISS CRISSY, dam of recent stakes winner MESA CIELO.

WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY AND FRIDAY – The hot names were almost any first-time starter sent out by any trainer – gosh, the beginners are coming out fast and ready these days. Beginners from barns like MARK FROSTAD, NICK GONZALEZ MALCOLM PIERCE and others did some nice moves all week.

Wednesday – the track seemed to play fair and former western canadian jock Real Simard rode a winner for the Reade Baker stable as he guided the promising FANTASTIC COUSIN to an allowance win on the grass for Jim and Susan Hill.

Winning types PREAKNESS LAUGHER and the old mare KNOCKER won again but the latter, a 7yo, was claimed once again – she has raced a lot for the Very Dry Stable over the years. Now she races for Dunne Stable and trainer Kevin Attard.

Preakness Laugher, a winner for Bear Stables Inc. was claimed by Norm McKnight.

Thursday the track was very anti-speed, have to come from out of it folks…BARB MINSHALL sent out a nice winner in DARE TO BE THE BEST, by 1st crop sire Best of the Bets for owner John Unger. Pierce sent out a Pulpit firster, MACKIE STREET to win at 5 furlongs while dave Clancy’s BOLT WEST won a maiden allowance in the finale and he is a Mobil colt out of Launch the Rocket, bred by Roger Tanel.

FRIDAY – Trainer DARWIN BANACH won a pair of racesa and the Gonzalez family won with an Ontario bred firster, WINNING WILDCAT, who came from far back to win by a nose. He is a son of Margie’s Wildcat bred by Love 2 Win Stable.

The Attfield, Baker, banach, Liz Charalambous and Mark frostad barns have been hot while jocks Chantal Sutherland, Steve Bahen, Omar Moreno and Emile Ramsammy have been doing well in the last week too.

AVERAGE, GROSS INCREASE AT PREFERRED SALE

rebounds from 32% drop in average in 2009

FROM THEBLOODHORSE.COM

Four days after many breeders left the selected session of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society`s yearling sale at Woodbine racetrack in Toronto disappointed, the preferred session on Sept. 11 showed marked increases.

The average yearling price for 165 sold zoomed up to $7,575 from $5,755 a year ago with the gross sales totalling $1,249,900, up from $851,800 last year.

The median also increased to $4,000 from $3,200 in 2009. The sale continued to be plagued by rising buy-backs, however, as 61 went unsold compared to 49 last year.

Unlike the selected session when the buyer depth seemed to be weak, seemingly more buyers, mostly the smaller stables, bid enthusiastically at the preferred session.