SUPER BOWL 47 – Here is the latest Clydesdale commercial (NAME THE FOAL contest too) – warning, tear jerker!
TWO NICE SKY’S
Tampa Bay Downs photo
FALLING SKY beats Canadian-bred DYNAMIC SKY, 92 Beyer Figure career tops for both
Canadian-bred DYNAMIC SKY ran his best career race in the Sam F Davis at Tampa Bay Downs yesterday and almost gave John Oxley and trainer Mark Casse their 2nd straight win in the race. However the son of Sky Mesa, after sitting a perfect trip, was doing his lugging in-thing through the stretch and just could not get past a fresh FALLING SKY (Lion Heart out of a Sea Hero mare) and he came up a neck short.
In 3 route races now, Dynamic Sky has stalled or lost ground from the stretch run to the wire, sometimes that suggests distance is a problem. The colt is bred for longer distances so he has pedigree in his corner.
The $27,000 (Canadian) yearling purchase) was bred by Arosa Farms.
FALLING SKY is from SEA HERO mare called SEA DRAGONESS, who lived at Bonnie Rowntree’s WILLOW RIDGE FARM for a while a few years ago. The mare produced 2 Canadian-bred foals including LEMON SPLASH, who races at Woodbine for Copper Penny Stables.
from TAMPA BAY DOWNS MEDIA:
Talk about a quick return on your investment.
Less than three weeks after purchasing 3-year-old Pennsylvania-bred colt Falling Sky for $425,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s winter mixed sale, the partnership of Maurice and Samantha Regan’s Newtown Anner Stud, James Covello and Joseph Bulger were rewarded with a thrilling neck victory in the 33rd edition of the Grade III, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes on Festival Preview Day at Tampa Bay Downs.
The son of Lion Heart-Sea Dragoness, by Sea Hero, who was making his first start going two turns, set all the fractions under winning jockey Jose Espinoza and finished the mile-and-a-sixteenth on the main track in 1:44.79. John P. Terranova, II trains the winner.
Dynamic Sky, who won the Pasco Stakes here last month, closed with a rush to be second, three lengths ahead of slight betting favorite My Name Is Michael. Speak Logistics was another length back in fourth in the nine-horse field.
Falling Sky paid $17.80 to win. Angel Serpa, the jockey on Speak Logistics, claimed foul against the winner for alleged interference at the quarter-mile pole, but the objection was quickly disallowed by the stewards.
The winner’s share of $120,000 raised Falling Sky’s career earnings to $164,800. He is 3-for-4 lifetime, his only defeat a fourth-place finish in the Dec. 1 Inaugural Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.
The whirlwind Davis finish was the highlight of a banner day of racing at Tampa Bay Downs, in which a crowd of 5,862 – almost 10 percent higher than last year’s Festival Preview Day – wagered $545,504.80. All-sources handle was $7,811,458.33.
Saturday was the first time in track history Tampa Bay Downs has staged three graded stakes races on the same card, and the Florida Oaks and Endeavour, both on the turf, also produced memorable performances.
The William Mott-trained 3-year-old filly Tapicat set a stakes record in the Florida Oaks and Brazilian-bred 5-year-old mare Old Tune from the Todd Pletcher barn went one better, eclipsing a 14-year-old turf track record for the mile-and-a-sixteenth distance. Joel Rosario rode both distaff winners.
But the majority of spectators left the track talking about the exciting Davis finish, which may have produced as many as four candidates for the Grade II, $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby on March 9 and beyond. The top four finishers earned 10, four, two and one points, respectively, in Kentucky Derby qualifying.
“We’ll talk it over with our group and see how he comes out of the race, but after what he did today, on this kind of demanding track, I don’t think going longer will be a problem,” Terranova said. “Obviously, coming back here (for the Tampa Bay Derby) is an option. I love this place.”
Falling Sky was purchased by his current owners from the consignment of Carlos Morales and Joe Appelbaum’s Off The Hook LLC on Jan. 15. Bloodstock agent Nick Sallusto had followed Falling Sky since his debut victory Nov. 1 at Calder, and even though he had yet to race beyond six-and-a-half furlongs before Saturday, Sallusto clued in Terranova on his fondness for the colt.
In an ironic twist, the sales ticket was signed by Justin Casse – a friend of Sallusto’s and also the brother of Mark Casse, trainer of Davis runner-up Dynamic Sky.
“This is why we bought him,” Terranova said. “We thought he would be a natural route horse. Nick Sallusto suggested the purchase, and we put together a few of our big clients and went and got him for this reason.
“We cross-entered him in the Hutcheson (at Gulfstream) today because we weren’t sure if now was the time to stretch him to two turns or to continue the natural distance progression, but obviously it looks like we made the right call.”
The veteran Espinoza was delighted with the opportunity on Falling Sky after jockey Luis Saez opted to stay at Gulfstream to ride the Hallandale track’s card.
“Mr. Terranova is my main man, and I was glad to get this ride and to win the race for him,” Espinoza said. “It wasn’t a perfect trip. He hopped coming out, and we were chasing horses early on. But I didn’t have to use him to get the lead; he did it pretty much on his own and was relaxed for me getting to the stretch. I wasn’t worried about the objection. I was pretty sure we kept a straight line and he was running really well to the wire.”
Mark Casse, trainer of Dynamic Sky, had no complaints. “I’m happy with his performance. (Jockey) Luis (Contreras) said he was late switching leads, but when he did he came running. It was just too little, too late.”
OTHER KENTUCKY DERBY ‘PREP’ RACES:
FLASHBACK (Tapit) 92 Beyer in winning Robert Lewis
REVOLUTIONARY (War Pass) 86 winning Withers
Speaking of the sire TAPIT, he had 3 big winners yesterday in FLASHBACK, TAPICAT (Florida Oaks) and HONORABLE DILLON (Hutcheson).
CANADIAN STUFF
JIM AND ALICE SAPARA, owners of Winsong Farm and hailing from Alberta, bred GUILT TRIP, the winner of the Grade 2 STRUB STAKES yesterday at Santa Anita. The winner is a Pulpit – Mysterieuse Etoile, by Quiet American 4yo was a $200,000 yearling at Fasig Tipton August in 2010. He was sold by HILL ‘N’ DALE SALES AGENCY.
He is owned by Gary and Mary West and is 3 for 7 in his career.
Owners John Fielding and Fred Hertrich won the last race at Tampa Bay yesterday with HEARTY LAUGH who raced at Woodbine last year for trainer Reade Baker. The Distorted Humor filly was winning her maiden in a 2 turn grass race and she got up in the final jump from virtually nowhere. Leigh Delacour trains the filly at Tampa Bay.
Trainer Brian Lynch won the 1st race at Gulfstream yesterday with the 3yo filly COFFEE CLIQUE, who won her debut at Woodbine last year.
LEIGH COURT, owned and bred by Eugene Melnyk in Kentucky and trained by Josie Carroll won her debut at Fair Gronds on Friday at the maiden allowance level. The filly was bred in Kentucky and is by Grand Slam.
CROATIAN DIVA (Fusaichi Pegasus) won a $7,500 claiming race at Penn National on Friday for Marko Mesic, who is based at Woodbine.
Ontario bred PACKERS VALLEY won his maiden for $7,500 at Penn National on Friday. He is by Flower Alley – Licorish Village by Siphon bred by Eugene Melnyk. He is owned by Leonard Kilnghoffer.
CANADIAN-BRED WORKERS
Queen’s Plate His Race to Win (ON) Colt 3 49.60 b 26/60
Queen’s Plate County Lineman (ON) Colt 3 1:01.01 b 5/14
QP – Dance for Cole (ON) Colt 3 1:01.18 b 7/14
older horse Ojibway Signal (ON) Gelding 5 1:03.02 b 11/14
Grade 1 winner Pool Play (ON) Horse 8 1:00.88 b 4/14
QP -Up With the Birds (ON) Colt 3 49.60 b 26/60
top filly Irish Mission (ON) Filly 4 1:15.11 b 2/3
Graded SW Fifty Proof (ON) Gelding 7 49.00 b 1/10
PYRITE MOUNTAIN, by Ontario
sire Silent Name (Jpn) is working and getting ready to race for trainer Mark Frostad and the AWESOME AGAIN SYNDICATE.
Norm Files photo
TRIPLE CROWN NOMINEES FOR 2013
Fipke, Oxley, Casse on lists
11 Canadian-breds are nominated to the American Triple Crown for this year:
http://www.drf.com/news/2013-triple-crown-nominations
CANADIAN-BREDS:
horse owner trainer where foaled Sire Best Beyer (if raced)
Celebrator Bolton, George and Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC Todd Pletcher Ontario Elusive Quality
County Lineman Ginger Punch Racing Mark Frostad Ontario Silent Name (JPN) 63
Downtown Perfect Sting Racing Reade Baker Ontario Street Sense unraced
Dynamic Sky John C. Oxley Mark Casse Ontario Sky Mesa 92
Honorable Guest G. G. Racing Stables Mark Casse Ontario Old Forester 90
Jagger M Gabe Grossberg Mark Casse Ontario Harlan’s Holiday 75
Ledokol Raut LLC Gennadi Dorochenko Ontario Purge 65
Pyrite Mountain Awesome Again Racing Limited Partnership Mark Frostad Ontario Silent Name (JPN) 73
Segovia Stronach Stables John Shirreffs Ontario Unbridled’s Song unraced
Silent Admirer Ghostzapper Racing Limited Partnership Reade Baker Ontario Silent Name (JPN) 62
Uncaptured Oxley Mark Casse Ontario Lion Heart 96
LEADING OWNERS by # nominees
Bluegrass Hall 7
Gary & Mary West 7
Darley Stable 6
Charles Fipke 5
Alex & John Lieblong 5
John Oxley 5
Kaleem Shah 5
West Point Thoroughbreds 5
WinStar Farm 5
LEADING BREEDERS
Darley 7
Edward P. Evans 7
Ken & Sarah Ramsey 6
William S. Farish 6
Diamond A. Racing Corp. 5
Charles Fipke 5
LEADING TRAINERS
Todd Pletcher 29
Bob Baffert 23
Ken McPeek 13
Nick Zito 13
Mark Casse 11
Wayne Lukas 11
IT’S THE SAME EVERYWHERE…ASSINIBOIA DOWNS in a fight all its own
WINNIPEG FREE PRESS by Paul Wiecek
A proposal by officials with the Red River Exhibition Association to take over and operate Assiniboia Downs is laughably naive, based on bogus numbers and would quickly and inevitably lead to the death of live throughbred horse racing in Manitoba, says the Manitoba Jockey Club.
“If (Red River Exhibition CEO Garth Rogerson) can run this place with $5 million less than we do, then he needs to be running the entire government because they’d have a surplus so fast it would make your head spin,” MJC president Harvey Warner said in an interview Wednesday.
Another racing-industry source characterized Rogerson’s proposal even more bluntly: “He’s been riding the Ferris wheel too long.”
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/jockey-club-has-burr-under-saddle-189157791.html
