MILD

**As we prepare for the holidays, racing fans who are still in Ontario are tuning in to Gulfstream racing, Aqueduct and more. There are plenty of Ontario horsepeople in action in the next few days at Gulfstream including Bill Tharrenos and Pat Parente who each had solid 2015 campaigns.

**Wild temperatures here in T.O. with a string of days coming up – 9, 10 and 11 degrees! Foggy, mild and muddy!

 
CATCH A GLIMPSE under tack – early goals pinpointed

 

Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filly Turf winner CATCH A GLIMPSE, owned by Canadians Jeff Begg ,Mike Ambler and Greg Lang along with Gary Barber, has returned to light training and is under tack and walking the shedrow at Palm Meadows, said Jeff Begg from Florida.
The Kentucky-bred 2yo by City Zip, the likely Canadian champion 2-year-old filly with a chance to be named Horse of the Year, has a couple of early races on her schedule.
The Jan. 30 Sweetest Chant Stakes – Grade 3, at Gulfstream on the turf, is one possile start for the filly while the main goal, early in the season, is the Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs in March.

“After the Breeders’ Cup she went to Ocala for two days and then to Palm Meadows where she was turned out,” said Begg. “Now she is walking the shedrow under tack.”

Begg, who purchased Catch a Glimpse as a yearling at Keeneland September in 2014 for $75,000 also updated Thoroughblog on some other runners. Beliveau, an Ontario bred by Where’s the Ring, is walking and trotting in Ocala as he makes a comeback from being quite ill last summer. The colt was a stakes winner for Begg and partners in 2015 as a 2-year-old.
Sweetwater is in Ocala in training and this 2yo by Twirling Candy was placed last year. She is out of a half sister to the Beg-bred Grade 1 winner EL BRUJO.

Begg, chief steward of the Jockey Club of Canada, has a couple of unstrated horses with trainer Mark Casse alsi in training.

The JCC recently had its final metting of 2015 at Woodbine racetrack with guest speakers Michael Bloewen of Old Friends and Darren MacDonald of Hastings Park.

MacDonald spoke about the popular Hastings Racing Club that took off in 2015 in Vancouver and is gaining in popularity.
Incredibly, the Hastings Club’s 3-year-old runner of 2015, SQUARE DANCER, was named Open Horse of the Year at the BC Awards ceremony on Tuesday evening (read more on the BC Awards below)

Begg said the JCC has been working on developing a similar type of racing club in Ontario for several months and reports that the four industry groups, HBPA, CTHS, WEG and the JCC will back the project to get it underway.

“We are looking at more of a marketng and educational type of idea for the club,” said Begg. “You have a larger group of owners for a small dollar committent that ends at the end of the season. People can follow their horse, watch him train and race and be involved with the horse’s career.”

The Hastings Club has some 200 members and they range in age from their 20s to 80s. Some of the members have never owned a horse and others have been owners but can’t afford the cost of ownership on their own.

“When we have people call us and ask about owning a racehorse, we don’t really have anywhere to send them,” said Begg.

 

HONG KONG RACES – 4 RACE SERIES – 56 ENTRANTS, 33 GROUP 1 WINNERS

 

A total of 33 international group I winners, including Twinspires Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (gr. IT) victor Mongolian Saturday, are among the 56 entries for the Longines Hong Kong International Races Dec. 12 at Sha Tin.

The four-race event will offer a combined HK$83 million ($10,708,779) in purses.

The Hong Kong International Races comprises the HK$25 million Longines Hong Kong Cup (at about 1 1/4 miles), the HK$23 million Longines Hong Kong Mile, the HK$18.5 million Longines Hong Kong Sprint (at about six furlongs), and the HK$16.5 million Hong Kong Vase (at about 1 1/2 miles). This year’s selected runners—including 23 Hong Kong-trained horses—are from eight countries/jurisdictions spread across four continents.

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/96279/33-group-i-winners-entered-for-hk-races

 

SQUARE DANCER HORSE OF THE YEAR, BENNETTS TOP BREEDER, OWNERS

Ontario-bred Academic Champion 3yo filly (open)

with files from Paulick Report

Russell and Lois Bennett didn’t just visit the podium at the 2015 Thoroughbred Awards Dinner. They owned it.

Affectionately known as the Royal Couple of British Columbia’s racing industry, Mr. & Mrs. Bennett proudly walked off with six honors and shared in a seventh at the annual salute to outstanding performances at Hastings Racecourse.

Members of the Canadian and British Columbia Horse Racing Halls of Fame, the popular Kelowna couple swept both the Leading Breeders and Leading Owners awards for the 2015 season.

They then returned to the prize table to collect silverware in five more categories, including the prestigious B.C. Bred Horse of the Year as owners of three-time stakes winner Touching Promise.

“We’ve been breeding and owning horses since the 1950’s and it never gets old,” Russell said. “I cannot say enough about our trainer Barb Heads and her team in the backstretch. They’ve been great.”

Touching Promise was recognized as Champion Older Filly/Mare in the B.C. Bred and Open Divisions. The Bennett’s Brass & Gold was named Champion Older Male B.C. Bred Division while Catz on Fire shared Champion 3-year-old Male B.C. Bred Division honors with Cederberg and Mighty Fraser, both trained by Hall of Famer Troy Taylor.

Calling it “an amazing run”, trainer Steve Henson happily accepted Open Horse of the Year honours representing the 200 equal ownership partners of Square Dancer, the 5-year-old gelding who authored a true Cinderella story in 2015.

Running under the blue and white colors of the Hastings Racing Club, Square Dancer won three races in four starts, including the $100,000 Redekop Classic on BC Cup Day (Aug. 3) and the $75,000 S.W. Randall Plate (Sept. 13) before finishing second in the $100,000 Grade 3 Premiers Handicap (Oct. 12).
Glenn Todd, along with Hastings Racecourse General Manager Darren MacDonald and Club Manager Richard Yates received the Diamond Award of Excellence for their input in introducing the initiative whereby 200 racing fans each invested $250 to become ownership partners in the Hastings Racing Club.

The concept caught on to the point that the Club will be expanded to 300 members in 2016 and already a second Club of 200 members is well into its formation for next season.

read more about Hastings Racing Club here – http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/new-vancouver-club-aims-to-make-horse-racing-more-accessible/article25334104/
2015 BC  Thoroughbred Industry Awards

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Leading Breeder

R.J. and Lois Bennett

HBPA Backstretch Award for outstanding contribution
to the betterment of racing and the backstretch environment

Harold J. Barroby

Diamond Award of Excellence

Glen Todd
Richard Yates
Darren MacDonald

Hall of Fame Inductees

Dan Jukich
Dixie Jacobson
Strait of Dover

Leading Owners

R.J. & Lois Bennett

Leading Trainer

Mike Anderson

Leading Jockey
Richard Hamel

Champion Two-Year Old Filly
BC-bred & Open Division

C U At Eau Claire

Owner :Don Danard
Trainer : Greg Tracy
Breeder: Tod Mtn. Thoroughbreds

Champion Two-Year-Old Colt/Gelding
BC-bred & Open Division

Stanz in Command

Owner: Robert Scott
Trainer: Charlene Miller
Breeder: White House Stables

Champion Three-Year-Old Filly
BC-bred Division

Quatre Cat

Owner: Stuart & May Carmichael & David & Sylvea Gregory
Trainer: Sylvea Gregory
Breeder: Rob McDonald

Champion Three-Year-Old Filly
Open Division

Academic

Owner: Bear Stable Ltd & Riversedge Racing Stables Ltd.
Trainer: Tim Rycroft
Breeder: Spring Farm

Champion Three-Year-Old Colt/Gelding
BC-bred Division

Catz on Fire

Owner: Mr. & Mrs. R. J. Bennett
Trainer: Barbara Heads
Breeder: Mr. & Mrs. R. J. Bennett

Cederberg

Owner: North American Thoroughbred Horse Company, Inc., Peter Tom & Troy Taylor
Trainer: Troy Taylor
Breeder: John D. Gunther

Mighty Fraser

Owner: North American Thoroughbred Horse Company, R Morrison & Peter Tom
Trainer: Troy Taylor
Breeder: Prescott Farms

Champion Three-Year-Old Colt/Gelding
Open Division

Bluegrass Angus

Owner: Copper Water Thoroughbred Company
Trainer: Craig MacPherson
Breeder: Mr. & Mrs. Richard S. Kaster

Champion Older Filly/Mare
BC-bred Division & Open Division

Touching Promise

Owner: Mr. & Mrs. R. J. Bennett
Trainer: Barbara Heads
Breeder: Mr. & Mrs. R. J. Bennett

Champion Older Male
BC-bred Division

Brass and Gold

Owner: Mr. & Mrs. R. J. Bennett
Trainer: Barbara Heads
Breeder: Mr. & Mrs. R. J. Bennett

Champion Older Male
Open Division

Square Dancer

Owner: Hastings Racing Club
Trainer: Steve Henson
Breeder: Brent & Crystal Fernung

Champion Sprinter

Modern

BC-bred Horse of the Year

Touching Promise

Open Horse of the Year

Square Dancer