THURSDAY MORNING – heavy rain last night and this morning in the area but there will be a couple of days for htings to dry out – the course figures to be good – which would be more like firm to the Euro’;s.
The races are 8 – 9 – 10 and tricky to handicap. The E P Taylor figures to be a showdown of Euros, with likely favoured CONTREDANSE being a major player.
The Nearctic is wide open and the favourite figures to be Fatal Bullet but it is up for grabs.
CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL – GRADE 1
1 MEMORIAL MANIAC Larry Demeritte James Graham 20-1
2 CHINCHON C. Laffon-Parias Garret Gomez 7-2
3 MORES WELLS Richard Gibson S. Maillot 12-1
4 SIMMARD Roger Attfield J. Castellano 15-1
5 AL KHALI Bill Mott Alan Garcia 6-1
6 MARSH SIDE Neil Drsydale Edgar Prado 4-1
7 JOSHUA TREE Aidan O`Brien C. O`Donoghue 8-1
8 REDWOOD Barry Hill Michael Hills 2-1
9 FIFTY PROOF Ian Black Justin Stein 10-1
It`s a small, modest group but hey, the money is big and the handicapping for the race and the 10 others on Saturday should be challenging.
The CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL features a group of Grade 2-3 horses with some runners who possess good stretch bursts but there does not seem to be a ton of pace in the race. The only Canadian-bred in the field also has the only Woodbine jockey – FIFTY PROOF, the giant locally bred fellow has Justin Stein on board for the 1 1-2 mile classic.
The E.P. Taylor is also on the card – it has a litany of Europeans gals with 2 trained by Roger Attfield to complete the field. Attfield has never won the International or the Taylor (or the Woodbine Mile). He has a reasonable chance to win one of the 2 biggees on Saturday.
But the bad news came when Attfield had to scratch SPICE ROUTE, he has not trained to the conditioner`s liking. His International hopes rest on SIMMARD, the lightly raced, flashy chestnut.
Features for Saturday off-track include SECRETARIAT DAY, bring a non perishable food item for the DAILY BRED FOOD BANK and get a Secretariat movie poster.
All 3 races are WIN AND YOU`RE IN EVENTS for the BREEDERS`CUP on Nov. 5 and 6.
CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL MAKES THE PAPERS:
GLOBE & MAIL:
Jeremy Roenick gets Woodbine going
BEVERLEY SMITH
For a few moments, retired NHL player Jeremy Roenick made a room full of thoroughbred horse people forget all about the $3.5-million in races that will be held at Woodbine Racetrack here on Saturday as he spoke at the draw for the Canadian International championship.
As he said, his best asset is his mouth, and on Wednesday he was putting it to good use, telling tales of his wagering escapades at Del Mar Racetrack in California, where he found himself in the jockeys’ room. “There I was with all these little guys walking around,” he said. “Usually I’m the smallest guy in the locker room.”
Roenick also spoke of his thrill at being a seven-year-old boy whom Gordie Howe picked from the crowd for a prank (Howe scooped up a ball of snow and dumped it on his head), and of his experience being on the wrong
Adena Springs to Stand Stallions at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, Slots-Fueled Initiatives Cited
read more:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/more-sports/jeremy-roenick-gets-woodbine-going/article1756275/
CANADIAN PRESS
Attfield still looking for Canadian International victory
Top trainer sends out longshot in nine-horse field topped by English invader Redwood
Dan Ralph The Canadian Press
TORONTO – He’s been named Canada’s top trainer seven times, won a record-tying eight Queen’s Plate titles en route to three Canadian Triple Crowns, and is a member of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.
But one of the few titles that has eluded Roger Attfield is the $2-million Pattison Canadian International.
He’s been close, settling for second on three occasions — including 2008 with Spice Route — but the affable 70-year-old Englishman is still waiting to visit the winner’s circle of Canada’s richest horse race.
Attfield will try again Saturday (TSN, 5:40 p.m. ET) when he sends Simmard, a 5-year-old installed as a 15-to-1 longshot for the 1 1/2-mile turf event at Woodbine Racetrack. Simmard was a close third to
read more:
Saturday, Woodbine
E. P. TAYLOR S.-GI, $1,000,000, 3yo/up, f/m,
1 1/4mT
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT
1 Shalanaya (Ire) Lomitas (GB) Lemaire Delzangles 124
2 Lahaleeb (Ire) Redback (GB) Egan d’Arcy 124
3 Mekong Melody (Ire) Cape Cross (Ire) Husbands Attfield 124
4 Silver Grey (Ire) Chineur (Fr) Havlin Ingram 120
5 Reggane (GB) Red Ransom Soumillon de Royer-Dupre 124
6 Miss Keller (Ire) Montjeu (Ire) Castellano Attfield 124
7 Contredanse (Ire) Danehill Dancer (Ire) Gomez Cumani 120
8 Gallic Star (Ire) Galileo (Ire) Catlin Channon 120
9 Pachattack K Pulpit Sutherland Butler 124
10 Akarlina (Fr) Martaline (GB) Thulliez N Clement 124
RACING POST STORY ON PACHATTACK and CONTREDANSE
The Gerard-Butler-trained Pachattack was last seen in action when finishing sixh to Eclair De Lune in the Beverley D. Stakes at Arlington in August where a slow start compromised her chances.
Butler, who trains the four-year-old for Michael Deegan, said: “She will be travelling over with Contredanse and they arrive on Saturday afternoon.
“They will be able to exercise on the track and Pachattack will be ridden by either Chantal Sutherland or Eurico da Silva.
“If all goes well, we will head down to Kentucky [for the Breeders’ Cup] and if it just runs respectably then we will stay in Woodbine and go for the Maple LeafStakes on the all-weather there on November 6.”
Contredanse, trained by Luca Cumani for Stuart Stuckey, was beaten only a head by subsequent Group 1 Prix de l’Opera winner Lily Of The Valley on her last start in the Group 3 Prix de la Nonette over 1m2f at Deauville.
Cumani, who has twice landed the E.P. Taylor with Sudden Love in 1988 and Zomaradah in 1998, has yet to finalise riding plans but is pleased with the form of his filly.
He said: “She is in good form and I hope they don’t get any rain as she loves good to firm ground.
Saturday, Woodbine
NEARCTIC S.-GI, $500,000, 3yo/up, 6fT
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT
1 Field Commission Service Stripe Castellano Vella 119
2 Grand Adventure Grand Slam Husbands Frostad 121
3 Bridgetown Speightstown Trujillo McPeek 115
4 Bogue Chitto Crafty Prospector Olguin I Howard 117
5 Towzee (NZ) Towkay (Aus) Bisono Lynch 117
6 Amico Fritz (Ger) Fasliyev Smith Pantall 121
7 Signature Red Bernstein Contreras Attard 121
8 Sneaking Uponyou Snuck In A Garcia Ness 117
9 Fatal Bullet Red Bullet Da Silva Baker 117
10 Serious Attitude (Ire) Mtoto (GB) Gomez Guest 114
11 Balthazaar’s Gift (Ire) Xaar (GB) Morris Cox 121
12 Woodbourne Danzig Sutherland Tiller 117
Saturday, Keeneland
QUEEN ELIZABETH II CHALLENGE CUP S.-GI,
$400,000, 3yo, f, 1 1/8mT
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT
1 Zagora (Fr) Green Tune Leparoux Rouget 121
2 Snow Top Mountain Najran Albarado Proctor 121
3 Evening Jewel K Northern Afleet Espinoza Cassidy 121
4 Check the Label Stormin Fever Dominguez Motion 121
5 Dade Babe Cimarron Secret Geroux Miller 121
6 Harmonious Dynaformer Rosario Shirreffs 121
7 Perfect Shirl Perfect Soul (Ire) Velazquez Attfield 121
8 La Cloche Ghostzapper Alvarado Toner 121
ADENA SPRINGS – STALLIONS IN ONTARIO AND NEW YORK
Following up on the big story that Frank Stronach is moving 8 stallions to his new stallion complex at Adena Springs (open house Oct 30), here is the next move by the farm:
Joe and Anne McMahon of McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, LLC announced that Adena Springs will stand a number of stallions at their Saratoga Springs farm beginning in 2011. “It is a tremendous honor to welcome Adena Springs, a five-time Eclipse Award-winning breeder, and their stallions Touch Gold, Alphabet Soup, Tiago, Harlem Rocker and Silent Name to our Saratoga Springs farm.”
Dermot Carty, Director of Sales for Adena Springs said, “Naturally, the slots initiative in the state of New York is very compelling. The prospect of improved purses as well as stallion and breeder’s awards was a strong motivation for Adena Springs Farm to support the New York State program with our stallions. We will place young stallions Harlem Rocker, Tiago and Silent Name and proven horses Alphabet Soup and Touch Gold in New York with the McMahons. They will be reasonably priced to attract the strong support of New York breeders and to attract mares that will be bred back in-state in order to fulfill New York bred requirements. We will also support our New York stallions with Adena Springs’ mares.”
McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, LLC spokesman Joe McMahon said, “In all of my 45 years in the New York industry there has never been a group of Grade 1 horses assembled the likes of these. This is a grand opportunity for breeders to qualify their foals for what will arguably be the best purses and awards available anywhere in the United States. We are very excited to have North America’s eight-time leading breeder entrust us with their accomplished stallions. Stud Fees will be announced very shortly, and we invite you to visit us to inspect the stallions here in Saratoga Springs.” A fall Open House and Stallion Show is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday October 30 and 31, 2010
PAULICK REPORT – BREEDERS CUP CHARITY MOVE
Edited Press Release The Breeders= Cup and the Paulick Report are teaming up for the second year in a
row to raise funds for Breeders= Cup Charities through the initiative ABreeders= Cup or Bust.@ Paulick Report founder Ray Paulick and business partner Brad Cummings will walk from Lexington to Louisville, culminating at the 2010 Breeders= Cup World Championships, Nov. 5-6 at Churchill Downs. The charities they will be raising money for include The V Foundation for Cancer Research, the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund and Thoroughbred Charities of America. Last years Breeders= Cup or Bust@ raised $75,000 for Breeders Cup Charities in a cross-country drive from Lexington to Santa Anita for the 26th Breeders= Cup,
stopping at five racetracks along the way. Breeders Cup or Bust@ will begin its nine-day journey from
Keeneland Oct. 27 and will arrive in Louisville Nov. 4. The Paulick Report will be chronicling its journey at
www.paulickreport.com. Online donations can be made directly through a secured website through Breeders=
Cup Charities. www.breederscup.com/bcorbust.
