Cat Scratch Fever – COURAGEOUS CAT and his white face are coming north!
WOODBINE MILE NOMS
GIO PONTI flirting once again, but will he come this time??
The WOODBINE MILE has its marquee horse – COURAGEOUS CAT is considered one of the top milers on the continent and this pretty boy is headed here for Pam and Marty Wygod.
The noms came out for the race and once again, GIO PONTI, one of the world’s best racehorses on any surface, is nominated. He has often flirted with coming to Woodbine but in the end trainer Christopher Clement rarely pulls the trigger. Be cool to this horse here.
The locals will be plentiful although there is no really, really top local older horse so the invaders should have a field day:
Nominees such as SIDNEY’S CANDY (Forego stakes) and RIGHT ONE (Cliff Hanger) are in action this weekend.
BAY TO BAY
b.f.4 by Sligo Bay (IRE)(Sadler’s Wells) – Bala(With Approval)
Robert Smithen Brian A. Lynch
BRIDGETOWN»
ch.c.4 by Speightstown(Gone West) – Ellesmere(Tabasco Cat)
Melnyk Racing Stable Inc. Todd A. Pletcher
COURAGEOUS CAT»
b.h.5 by Storm Cat(Storm Bird) – Tranquility Lake(Rahy)
Pam and Martin Wygod William I. Mott
COURT VISION»
dk b/.h.6 by Gulch(Mr. Prospector) – Weekend Storm(Storm Bird)
Spendthrift Farm LLC Dale L. Romans
COURT OF THE REALM»
b.c.4 by Powerscourt (GB)(Sadler’s Wells) – Grand Fan(Lear Fan)
Aurora Meadows & Oxbridge Farm Peter Berringer
DANCE AND DANCE (IRE)»
b.g.5 by Royal Applause (GB)(Waajib (IRE)) – Caldy Dancer (IRE)(Soviet Star)
Mohammed Rashid Edward Vaughan
FANUNALTER (GB)»
b.g.5 by Falbrav (IRE)(Fairy King) – Step Danzer (IRE)(Desert Prince (IRE))
Scuderia Rencati SRL Marco Botti
FORTE DEI MARMI (GB)
b.g.5 by Selkirk(Sharpen Up (GB)) – Frangy (GB)(Sadler’s Wells)
Stella Perdomo Luca M. Cumani
GIO PONTI»
b.h.6 by Tale of the Cat(Storm Cat) – Chipeta Springs(Alydar)
Castleton Lyons Christophe Clement
GRAND ADVENTURE»
dk b/.h.5 by Grand Slam(Gone West) – Val Marie(Coronado’s Quest)
Sam-Son Farms Mark R. Frostad
GYPSY RING
dk b/.g.5 by Where’s the Ring(Seeking the Gold) – Gypsy Genna(Varick)
Paul M. Buttigieg Paul M. Buttigieg
HAVELOCK»
b.g.4 by Great Notion(Elusive Quality) – Piconeach (NZ)(Spectacular Love)
Silverton Hill LLC Darrin Miller
HOLLINGER»
gr/ro.g.4 by Black Minnaloushe(Storm Cat) – Dynamite Cocktail(Dynaformer)
Robert Harvey and A. Wortzman Roger L. Attfield
KARA’S ORIENTATION»
dk b/.c.4 by Orientate(Mt. Livermore) – Crissy Aya(Saros (GB))
Max Berketa & Pinnacle Racing Steven Chircop
RIDING THE RIVER
b.g.4 by Wiseman’s Ferry(Hennessy) – Glow Ruby Go(Rubiano)
Dominion Bloodstock, D. Ball & HGHR Inc. David Cotey
RIGHT ONE (FR)»
b.g.5 by Anabaa(Danzig) – Riziere(Groom Dancer)
Ghislaine Head Christophe Clement
SIDE GLANCE (GB)
br.g.4 by Passing Glance (GB)(Polar Falcon) – Averami (GB)(Averti (IRE))
Pearl Bloodstock, Ltd. Andrew Balding
SIDNEY’S CANDY»
ch.c.4 by Candy Ride (ARG)(Ride the Rails) – Fair Exchange(Storm Cat)
WinStar Farm, Rubio B. Stable Todd A. Pletcher
SOCIETY’S CHAIRMAN»
b.h.8 by Not Impossible (IRE)(Sadler’s Wells) – Athena’s Smile(Olympio)
Charles E. Fipke and George Waud Roger L. Attfield
TOGETHER (IRE)»
b.f.3 by Galileo (IRE)(Sadler’s Wells) – Shadow Song (IRE)(Pennekamp)
Smith, Derrick. Magnier, Mrs. John and Tabor, Michael Aidan P. O’Brien
TURALLURE»
gr/ro.c.4 by Wando(Langfuhr) – Personal Allure(Wekiva Springs)
Donna C. Arnold Charles Lopresti
WILD WIND (GER)
b.f.3 by Danehill Dancer (IRE)(Danehill) – Woman Secret (IRE)(Sadler’s Wells)
Michael Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier and Derrick Smith Aidan P. O’Brien
WOODBOURNE»
dk b/.g.7 by Danzig(Northern Dancer) – Checker Hall(Seeking the Gold)
The Very Dry Stable Robert P. Tiller
WORTHADD (IRE)»
b.c.4 by Dubawi (IRE)(Dubai Millennium (GB)) – Wigman(Rahy)
Scuderia Incolinx, Inc. Vittorio Caruso
ZOFFANY (IRE)»
b.c.3 by Dansili (GB)(Danehill) – Tyranny (GB)(Machiavellian)
Michael Tabor
FOLLOW-UP – Handicappers need help
A few scattered comments landed here after my opinion piece yesterday on the ORC and how it should get ready to join the information age.
Forget fining, suspending jockeys, or trainers, just for now, and just tell the fans, the bettors, what is going on when favourites are eased, form in horses fluctuate wildly.
Surely there will be more news centered on this issue in the days to come based on some events both at Woodbine and Fort Erie -events that should be made public and noted somewhere so fans can be confident that we are not the only ones betting on horses that should not be in certain races.
Tampa Bay Downs has this such daily reporting:
http://tampabaydowns.com/documents/Racing/Stewards2010-2011/ReportDay66Mar23.pdf
Why can’t every track do this?
Okay, perhaps not to that extent, we don’t want to have folks on the front side of the track working harder than need be (tongue in cheek) – but between races, why not fire off a note to the website about what just transpired on the track?
Below is a feature at the popular site EQUIDAILY:
http://www.equidaily.com/bestbet/extras/topic/2007/70215.html
Certainly in some instances, there has to be fines and suspensions but maybe we can stop a lot of this stuff before it actually gets to that point?
Next up – Thoroughblog wants to ask questions regarding vets on the backstretch – is it time to get them more involved in the information process for the game?
CANADIAN BREDS/OWNED ELSEWHERE
The Kitten is rarin to go!
Sunday, Saratoga, post time: 5:12 p.m. EDT
SARANAC S.-GIII, $100,000, 3yo, 1 1/8mT
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT
1 Perregaux Distorted Humor Leparoux Howard 117
2 Canaveral (GB) Cape Cross (Ire) Velasquez Donk 117
3 Clement Rock Strong Hope Castro Pletcher 123
4 Queen’splatekitten Kitten’s Joy Nakatani Pletcher 117
5 Brilliant Speed Dynaformer Velazquez Albertrani 117
6 Seal Cove Strong Hope Castellano McGaughey III 119
7 Chinglish K War Front Lezcano Hennig 121
8 King Congie K Badge of Silver Maragh Albertrani 119
9 Moonhanger K Malibu Moon Castanon Alexander 117
10 Sky Blazer Sky Mesa Dominguez Tagg 117
11 Live in Joy Kitten’s Joy Albarado Catalano 119
12 Pass the Dice Lemon Drop Kid Desormeaux Catalano 117
Sunday, Saratoga, post time: 5:45 p.m. EDT
SPINAWAY S.-GI, $250,000, 2yo, f, 7f
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT
1 And Why Not Street Cry (Ire) Leparoux Matz 119
2 Georgie’s Angel Bellamy Road Velazquez Pletcher 119
3 Vukovar Forest Wildcat Nakatani Guillot 119
4 Lady Pecan Concerto Bridgmohan Baffert 119
5 True Feelings K Latent Heat Rose Dutrow 119
6 Born Bullish Flashy Bull Castro Terranova II 119
7 Judy the Beauty K Ghostzapper Sanchez Ward 119
8 Grace Hall K Empire Maker Dominguez Dutrow 119
9 Baffle Me K First Samurai Lezcano Hennig 119
Sunday, Monmouth Park, post time: 5:55 p.m. EDT
CLIFF HANGER S.-GIII, $100,000, 3yo/up, 1mT
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT
1 J Isle J Town Marquez Jr Schwartz 111
2 Yummy With Butter Silvador Lopez Belsoeur 118
3 Sleepless Knight K War Chant Serpa Breen 116
4 Sayif (Ire) Kheleyf Hill Biancone 119
5 Cherokee Lord Sir Cherokee Felix Livesay 116
6 Right One (Fr) Anabaa Bravo Clement 118
7 Get Serious City Zip Fragoso Forbes 116
