WISE DAN and MUCHO MACHO MAN highlight the Breeders’ Cup
MUCHO MACHO MAN, trained by Kathy Ritvo, ridden by 50-year-old Gary Stevens, had a race over the track and won an incredible stretch run in the Classic over the white face of Will Take Charge and Euro-star Declaration of War. BREEDERS’ CUP PHOTO
WISE DAN was the talk of the Breeders’ Cup – what a horse. BREEDERS’ CUP PHOTO
DAN AND THE MAN
Wise Dan’s miraculous rally, Mucho Macho Man’s thrilling Classic score highlights of Breeders’ Cup
The 9-race, day 2 of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships got underway at 3 eastern yesterday and set off 5 hours of very exciting horse races, many puzzling results, one very sad moment and capped by two heartwarming, incredible races.
WISE DAN, to these eyes, had every rason not to catch up and win the Breeders’ Cup Mile again. He bobbled and wobbled out of the gate and was farther back than he normally is. Not to mention that Jose Lezcano was his new rider after John Velazquez was injured in the breakdown of Secret Compass in the Juvenile Fillies. Velazquez, who had to have his spleen removed, is Wise Dan’s best buddy and things did not start well for Dan and Jose. He raced wide and off the pace as Za Approval took off to a clear lead off the turn and the pretty grey, who had been 2nd to Dan in the Woodbine Mile, looked like he was gone.
But Dan turned on the jets and would not be denied and it was simply rivetting to see him get up and win.
Morton Fink believes this wonderful horse is the reason he feels good every day – he says Wise Dan makes him feel young.
Too bad the son of Wiseman’s Ferry lost the Keeneland race when he stayed in despite the race coming off the grass. He had been so exciting at Woodbine and let’s hope we see him again next year.
He’s my HORSE OF THE YEAR again!!
MUCHO MAN MAN , owned by Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and trained by Kathy Ritvo, this year won the Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI) by inches, bettering last year’s result when he lost by inches. This year’s score was so very close, a lot closer than it looked to some of use watching on TV. He lasted by a teeny weeny nose over the incredible 3yo WILL TAKE CHARGE, trained by D. Wayne Lukas. Bteween those 2 was the top European colt DECLARATION OF WAR, who had a great trip and hard under his very tall and wildly finishing jockey Joe O’Brien.
REEVES THOROUGHBREDS (http://www.reevestr.com/)
DREAM TEAM RACING https://www.dreamteamracingstable.com/pages/stable_alumni
**The Remarkable story of MUCHO MACHO MAN
Born in a field in the afternoon on JUNE 15 (!!), five years ago, , he looked dead when he was born. Steve Haskin writes about MUCHO MACHO MAN, his breeders, his early owners, his current owners.
MORE BREEDERS’ CUP NOTES from the eyes of Thoroughblog
Congrats to Thoroughblog and Jake who picked quite a few winners and horses who hit the top 3 in the 9 races yesterday, it sure was a tough day of betting!
How about the BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE FILLIES? this race was a mess and it started off the day.
The breakdown of SECRET COMPASS with 3 furlongs left to run was horrific and caused a big traffic mess for the gals behind her. Track announcer Trevor Denman did not notice the breakdown but it was sure hard to miss. Meanwhile, the ridiculous speed favouring Santa Anita surface was still going strong and carrying SHE’S A TIGER all the way to the finish in front while longer RIA ANTONIA, a former Woodbine runner, came charging on the outside.
Then, the inquiry sign went up and the replay showed that She’s a Tiger drifted out and brushed Ria Antonia late in the race. It was hard to imagine the winner would be disqualified, but she was. RIA ANTONIA, a $9,000 yearling purchase by Ricky Griffith and his son Kyle last year at the Fasig Tipton October sale, was placed 1st for new owners Looch racing and Chris Dunn.
Dunn, from Jackson Bloodstock, picked out RIA ANTONIA after she had:
debuted in the My Dear and been 5th to Skylander Girl, won her maiden over colts with a 55 Beyer and 1st Lasix and been 4th in the Swynford to colt, Conquest Titan was the winner.
The prospective owners, RON PALUCCI and Dunn, owned a horse that they bought off Griffith before, so they knew the connections and organized a deal to buy the filly. She was in the US for 7-8 days before the Frizette where she ran 5th.
“You should see the stride this filly, she covers ground like crazy,” said Palucci.
Funnily enough, the filly workedf in 46 2/5 on the dirt on Sept. 15, during negotiations and Griffith “raised the price on her 30 per cent”.
The 2yo is by the late Rockport Harbor out of Beer Baroness by Mr. Greeley.
Trainer Jeremiah Englehart, a leading trainer at Finger Lakes, is a son of Chris Englehart. Palucci has 50-60 horses and has only been in the business 2 years.
Will catch up with more Breeders Cup tomorrow….
BEYER FIGURES ON FRIDAY’S BREEDERS’ CUP
1 3/4M LONDON BRIDGE BCMrthon-G2 500,000 FT 10 12 87
1M OUTSTRIP BCJuvTrf-G1 1,000,000 FM 13 7 93
1M GOLDENCENTS BCDirtMi-G1 1,000,000 FT 11 12 105
1M CHRISELLIUM BCJvFlTf-G1 1,000,000 FM 14 F 7 88
1 1/8M BEHOLDER BCDistaf-G1 2,000,000 FT 6 F 12 105
CROWNING MOMENTS FOR THE LITTLE GUYS
HAROLD AND JESSIE LADOUCEUR attended the 2012 CTHS Woodbine yearling sale with some other prospective buyers and became very interested in a filly by Sligo Bay out of Stormin Wife by Stormin Fever. Their friends were not as keen so Jessie bought her herself.
The rest is a very cool story:
WOODBINE SATURDAY – DREAMING IS FREE!
The smaller stable ruled the day at Woodbine on Saturday when Jessie and Harold Ladouceur’s PALADIN BAY won the $250,000 Princess Elizabeth Stakes with a huge 84 Beyer Figure. The 2yo filly, bred by Ericka Rusnak, who also only has a handful of mares and works as Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms’ manager in Aurora, was winning her first stakes race.
Ridden by Gerry Olguin, Paladin Bay rocketed around fillies on the last turn and then out-battled another offspring of Ontario sire SLIGO BAY (ire), Lexie Lou, owned by John Ross. The pair were well ahead of race favourite Unspurned a daughter of American sire LEMON DROP KID.
Paladin Bay was a $10,000 yearling purchase. She placed in the Shady Well, Nandi and Muskoka Stakes in a span of just about 5 weeks before she returned to maidens on Sept. 14 and won by 5 lengths.
She is the 3rd foal of Stormin Wife, a Stormin Fever mare that Rusnak bought privately from John Sikura in 2009. The mare was a $200K yearling early in her life and bred by Edward Evans.
WOODBINE OFFERED up this photo montage of the Princess Elizabeth winner and her ecstatic owner Harold Ladouceur.
Paladin Bay as a foal with Stormin Wife – photo by ERICKA RUSNAK
PHIL IS A DREAM – is he champion sprinter in Canada?
photo by Terence Dulay/ www.horse-races.net
That strong win in the Ontario Jockey Club Stakes yesterday at Woodbine by Paul Buttigieg’s homebred PHIL’S DREAM may have earned the giant 5yo son of Philanthropist the champion sprinter SOVEREIGN AWARD, maybe even HORSE OF THE YEAR.
This guy is 7 for 9 this year under Justin Stein and he missed all of 2012 and half of 2011 due to a leg issue.
He won the Overskate and then the Grade 1 Nearctic in his last race.
He ran a 100 Beyer Figure yesterday for 6 furlongs in 1:08 4/5.
