IMPROVE

 

Introducing….SPORT OF QUEENS RACING!

Always wanted to own a racehorse on a small scale?

 

 

Francine Villeneuve and Amanda Roxborough are well known names in Canadian racing circles and beyond.
The former jockeys who have trained and been involved in the industry with unwavering passion for years have put together an initiative for a racing club that gives people a chance to experience ownership without the significant cost.

Sport of Queens Racing (http://www.sportofqueensracing.com/ is set to launch its first option in which 200 shares will be offered on a horse to be purchased in March at the Ocala Breeders’ Two-Year-Old Sale.

The cost per share is $200 plus a one-time administrative fee of 15% per share. There is a $200 annual fee for operations. For just $430, you can have your first share in a racehorse who will be sent to Ontario to race at Woodbine.

Villeneuve, of course, is certainly a pioneer in the sport in this country, becoming the winningest female rider in Canada upon her retirement in 2012 with 1,001 victories  and over 3,000 top three placings in 8,000 mounts. Villeneuve rode competitively with the best not only in Canada but throughout the United States, riding in the Breeders’ Cup and finishing second in the Queen’s Plate in 1991 aboard Wilderness Song.

Villeneuve was awarded the prestigious Avelino Gomez Award in 2004. Now a trainer, Villeneuve is ready to share her experiences in racing with people who have not yet had the chance.

Roxborough also comes from a childhood surrounded by horses, riding from the age of nine and becoming a jockey in 1984. Roxborough rode for the great Canadian trainer Art Warner before setting out as an assistant trainer and then a stakes winning trainer. Roxborough continued to exercise rider horses for top stables throughout the US before a serious injury in 2004 ended her years on horseback.

Roxborough has since gone on to launch her successful Kylar Production company, specializing in television documentaries, advertisements and promitional material for a variety of clients around the world (http://equineinfoexchange.com/index.php/health-education/services/361-international-horsewoman-and-award-winning-producer-amanda-roxborough)

The formation of the Sport of Queens racing club is a dream fulfilled for both Villeneuve and Roxborough who are hoping to promote the sport they love.

“Sport of Queens is geared towards people who have never owned a horse and who love horse racing and want to learn more about it,” said Villeneuve. “The idea is to have members be a part of a club and get an opportunity at something they might never get.”

Shareholders will get to become part of the racehorse ownership experience from every aspect.

“We want members to be able to see their horses train, visit the barn, watch their horse race and get the entire experience,’ said Roxborough. “We plan on having monthly ‘get-togethers’ for members with special guests from throughout North America, trips to farms and a chance to learn everything about the industry.”

Sport of Queens has a Facebook page and will have a full website up and running shortly as the first option, the first horse, is acquired. Those who get into the Sport of Queens racing club in this first option will become Gold Members with a chance at first selection for future horses.

To find out more, check out the Sport of Queens website main page or its Facebook page or contact Amanda at amanda@kylarproductions.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“REWARDING QUALITY”

Thoroughblog recently had a chance to talk with Jeff Begg, chief steward of the Jockey Club of Canada and owner and breeder of Thoroughbreds in Canada for over 30 years. The topic was the recent adjustments made to the restricted races by Woodbine Entertainment Group in which some categories (such as Ontario-sired maiden allowance 3-year-olds and up) have been eliminated.

(Language of these reports should be clarified – the Ontario Sires Stakes program, TIP, HIP are all  successful programs and are not part of this Woodbine announcement –  which refers to OS races- but are referred to in this conversation)

“There are two things that should be noted,” said Begg. “The Thoroughbred Improvement Program’s advisory board set out a program that was designed to reward quality. OSS bonuses for breeders has rewarded quality. Restricted races for Ontario sired horse has not incentivized people to buy better mares.”

“And restricted races for Ontario sired horses penalizes Ontario bred horses, horses bred by plenty of mare owners who have worked just as hard, suffered the same heartaches and spent their life breeding horses.”

According to the notice sent out by the Woodbine racing department:

        As declining horse supply becomes a growing factor, WEG can no longer support a parallel program of open races and restricted OS races.

      Therefore maiden allowance OS races for three-year-olds and older will be eliminated. MSW OS races for three-year-olds will be offered until midsummer, and           continue all season for the two-year-olds.

      In 2015 Woodbine dropped the NW3 OS category, but added an optional to the NW3 $20,000 and $40,000 Claiming. For 2016 the optional portion will be dropped leaving the races as nw3 for both the $20,000 level and the $40,000 level.

Opening up the races to ‘open’ competition is necessary for the improvement of the industry in Ontario, said Begg.

“We are creating false value for Ontario sired horses. Many go through their conditions and then they are running for $16,000 claiming.”

That is not to say, emphasizes Begg, that a good number of Ontario sired horses cannot compete on the open scale. In fact, it was the victories by Ontario sired horses in the optional events mentioned above, that swept up so much bonus money that the reward of 40% bonus was dropped to 30% (the initial item on the WEG letter)/

“We have lots of good breeders and lots of good trainers, Hall of Fame trainers who won stakes races before there even was the restricted programs,” said Begg.

“We should be aiming to get better horses, better mares. Does that mean some people will breed less? Perhaps. But we have to encourage people to breed better.”

 

 

JOEY GEE CONTINUES SPENDING SPREE

Ocala sale underway, Gr SW Reporting Star sells today

 

JOE GUERRIERI’S JOEY GEE THOROUGHBREDS has been in a shopping frame of mind in the last few weeks. Fresh from collecting a bunch of mares from the Keeneland January Fasig Tipton Winter Mixed sale, the Ontario owner was in action on the first day of the OBS Mixed Sale in Ocala.
Joey Gee purchased MY CHRISTINI, a Flatter mare carrying her first by First Samurai for $19,000 from Kaizen Sales (Richard Kent), agent.

Guerrieri also paid 7,000 for the Silver Deputy mare SILVER BREEZE, a half sister to Cup and Saucer winner Slew’s Saga. The mare is the dam of 2 winners and is in foal to multiple graded stakes winner Alternation, a son of Distorted Humor.

BARBARA MINSHALL has added to her broodmare band with VEGAS BABE, a winning daughter of Bernardini out of multiple stakes winner Very Vegas. The young mare has 2 Macleans Music offspring (2yo and yearling) was bought by Minshall in foal to Sidney’s Sandy (Santa Anita Derby etc.) for $20,000.

 

CANADIANS ELSEWHERE

Local horsepeople were busy buying through the claim box in Florida on Thursday as RCC Stable and John Mattine, Bill Tharrenos and John Simms all claimed horses.

RCC and Mattine claimed the winner of race 6, OPENING REMARK, who won his maiden for $25,000 and Tharrenos claimed the winner of race  11, Reagan’s Odyssey. Simms claimed back his former mare Sandy’s Hurricane for $5,000 at Tampa Bay.

MIKE AND GINA WRIGHT won with GTMEOUTAHERESEAMUS at Tampa Bay Downs in an $8,0o0 claiming race. The Florida bred by Giacomo was 5-1.

 

HOLY BIG RACE BATMAN!

Grey Tapit colts ‘M’ and ‘E’ get Bullish

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nine weeks after ending 2014 with an unblemished record and a spot among the Eclipse Award finalists for champion 2-year-old male, Shadwell Stable’s Mohaymen will make his much-awaited sophomore debut in Saturday’s $350,000 Lambholm South Holy Bull (G2) at Gulfstream Park.

The 27th running of the 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull headlines five stakes on the 12-race program that also includes the $200,000 Forward Gal (G2) and $150,000 Swale (G2) at seven furlongs on dirt and the $100,000 Sweetest Chant (G3) and $100,000 Kitten’s Joy going one mile on the turf.

Regarded as the top 3-year-old prospect on the East Coast, Mohaymen is the third major Triple Crown contender to open his sophomore season in the Holy Bull for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. Cairo Prince won in 2014 before having his career cut short by injury, and eventual Grade 1 winner Frosted was second last year.

Since arriving in South Florida last month Mohaymen, a gray or roan son of Grade 1 winner Tapit, has worked four times at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County. The latest was a bullet five furlongs in 59.40 seconds Jan. 21 that wowed Team McLaughlin and onlookers alike.

“It’s very exciting to have a horse in this position. Obviously, we’ve had some good 3-year-olds in the past but never one that’s three-for-three as a 2-year-old and one of the favorites from the start of the spring races,” McLaughlin said. “It’s very exciting. He’s training great and done everything right. He works well every time and comes back and doesn’t blow out a match.”

Though he didn’t join McLaughlin until last summer due to immature knees, Mohaymen has progressed steadily since a professional half-length debut victory Sept. 19 at Belmont Park. He overcame some antics in the paddock and at the starting gate to win the Nov. 4 Nashua (G2) and returned to Aqueduct take the Remsen (G2) 24 days later.

In his brief career Mohaymen has stretched out successfully from six furlongs to a mile to 1 1/8 miles, and in the Remsen showed the ability to settle off the pace and take dirt and the tenacity to split a narrow opening between horses and draw away to a 1 ½-length victory. Regular rider Junior Alvarado comes in from New York for the mount.

“He’s pretty seasoned for only starting three times,” McLaughlin said. “The work behind horses was very important in between the Nashua and the Remsen, for jockey and horse I think. Junior was real confident with him on Remsen day because he had sat behind two horses and taken dirt in the morning. We know he can handle most things thrown at him at this stage. We just hope we have a good trip and a clean trip.”

Mohaymen will carry Alvarado and 120 pounds from post two.

Greenpointcrusader and Conquest Big E, separated by a half-length in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) finishing seventh and eighth, respectively, will hook up again in the Holy Bull. Trained by Dominick Schettino for St. Elias Stable, MeB Racing and Brooklyn Boys Stables, Greenpointcrusader has not raced since the Oct. 31 Breeders’ Cup.

A son of champion Bernardini based at Palm Meadows, Greenpointcrusader lost by a neck in his July 25 unveiling at Saratoga Race Course but came back to win by the same margin second time out Sept. 5. Stepped up to graded stakes in his third start, he overcame a rough start to come from off the pace and cruise by 4 ½ lengths in the Champagne (G1) at Belmont Park, four weeks before the Breeders’ Cup.

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez will be aboard for the first time from post 5 at topweight of 122 pounds.

Conquest Stables’ Conquest Big E had a similar start to his career, finishing second in his debut before capturing his second start and being thrust into stakes company third time out in the Breeders’ Cup. He capped his juvenile season with a two-length optional claiming allowance victory Nov. 28.

Stabled with trainer Mark Casse’s string at Palm Meadows, Conquest Big E is another Tapit colt that has thrived in South Florida. He shows four works, two of them bullets, and will have the services of Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith for the first time at 116 pounds.

“He’s been training as good as a horse can train. My feeling’s always been that he trains like a really good horse and I think he’s run well but so far I think in his career he’s been an underachiever,” Casse said. “I do see things in him that make me think that he is a really good horse, but he’s still got to prove it. This is going to be a big test this weekend. We’d rather find out now.”

CASSE’S CANADIAN BRED STARTERS THIS WEEKEND

Gulfstream Saturday

(* ‘Conquest horses are entered)

Spring Spirit Race 1 Allowance Optional Claiming $35,000
Conquest Daddyo Race 5 Kitten’s Joy S.
AE – Conquest Sandman Race 7 Maiden Special Weight
Conquest Typhoon Race 8 Allowance Optional Claiming $62,500

January 30 – Sam Houston

Kaigun Race 8 John B. Connally Turf Cup S.
*Theogony Race 9 Houston Ladies Classic S. (Canadian-owned)
NATIONAL HANDICAPPING CHAMPIONSHIP PURSE $2.5 MILLION

33 Canadian Handicappers in the field

http://www.drf.com/blogs/field-629-chases-national-handicapping-championship-title