It’s CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL TIME AT WOODBINE! Horse racing at its best, come out to Woodbine to celebrate 75 years of this famous race – remember this one?:
IT’S AN INTERNATIONAL CORNUCOPIA
Canadian International highlights big weekend at Woodbine
A field of 11 truly International racehorses will line up in front of the grandstand on Sunday at about 5:44 p.m. for the biggest race at Woodbine, 1 1/2 miles on the EP Taylor grass course.
In addition to the mile and one-half Pattison International, Canada’s richest horse race, two other turf stakes will highlight the undercard – the $1 million, Grade 1 E.P. Taylor, at one mile and one-quarter, for fillies and mares, and the six furlong, $500,000 Grade 1 Nearctic, for three-year-olds and upward.
All three stakes are also Breeders’ Cup ‘Win and You’re In’ races, meaning the winners earn all-expenses paid berths into their respective Breeders’ Cup contests, November 2 and 3 at Santa Anita in Arcadia, California.
The 75th edition of the International will go postward at 5:44 pm ET. The Score will provide special two-hour live coverage across Canada of the racing extravaganza from Woodbine from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm ET. This marks the 10th year that Pattison Outdoor, Canada’s largest outdoor advertising company, has sponsored Woodbine’s turf classic, which rewards the winner with $900,000. All horses carry 126 pounds, except three-year-old Imperial Monarch at 119, and four-year-old filly Lay Time, at 123.
* The International was actually inaugurated in 1938, won by Bunty Lawless, as the Long Branch International. It became the 1 1/2 mile turf test it is today in 1987 (River Memories).
*FORECAST – It’s a bit unnerving listening to Sunday’s forecast – it will be warm, that’s okay somewhere are 19 celcius (about 60 fahrenheit) but rain all day and gusts of 80 KM winds?? Eeeks!
Post Horse Trainer Jockey Odds
1 Lay Time Andrew Balding Jimmy Fortune 20-1
*4yo filly, shades of Sarah Lynx who won last year from post 1
2 Dandino James Fanshawe Jim Crowley 8-1
*almost left flat racing to be a hurdler, has come back into form
3 Forte Dei Marmi Roger Attfield John Velazquez 15-1
*trained by Roger Attfield, lone ‘local’ runner
4 Scalo Andreas Wohler Andrasch Starke 12-1
*German guy gets blinkers, has raced twice at Woodbine this fall
5 Prince Will I Am Michelle Nihei Ramon Dominguez 20-1
* Canadian=born trainer, 2nd race off year layoff for horse
6 Wigmore Hall Michael Bell Jamie Spencer 6-1
*loves Woodbine
7 Reliable Man Alain de Royer-Dupre Olivier Peslier 4-1
*Has been in better form lately, meets easier
8 Joshua Tree Marco Botti Frankie Dettori 5-1
*won this race 2 years ago, was 2nd last year
9 Al Khali Bill Mott Garrett Gomez 10-1
*hard trying dude rarely wins, 0 for 8 at the distance
10 Imperial Monarch Aidan O’Brien Ryan Moore 3-1
*Promising, from powerful barn, may be unbeaten but had awful trip 2 starts ago
11 Air Support Shug McGaughey Javier Castellano 10-1
*New York fellow is improving
SCALO, German Horse of the Year – will have blinkers ON for Sunday’s race – Michael Burns Photography
TORONTO STAR FEATURE ON CANADIAN-BORN TRAINER MICHELLE NIHEI
Almost lost a leg, nrings herself and colt back from injuries..
E.P. TAYLOR STAKES
Sunday, Woodbine, post time: 4:38 p.m. EDT
E. P. TAYLOR S.-GI, C$1,000,000, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/4mT
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT
1 Stars to Shine K Tale of the Cat Solis Frostad 124
2 Pagera (Fr) Gentlewave (Ire) Peslier Pantall 124
3 Siyouma (Ire) Medicean (GB) Mosse Doumen 124
4 Barefoot Lady (Ire) Footstepsinthesand (GB) Hamilton Fahey 124
5 Dream Peace (Ire) Dansili (GB) Dominguez Brown 124
6 Moment of Majesty K Saint Liam Olguin Leslie 124
7 All Star Heart K Arch Blanc McAnally 124
8 Trois Lunes (Fr) Manduro (Ger) Bertras Rohaut 119
9 Princess Highway Street Cry (Ire) Smullen Weld 119
10 Vamo a Galupiar (Chi) Proud Citizen Smith Drysdale 124
11 Kapitale (Ger) Dubawi (Ire) Demuro Woehler 124
12 Kissable (Ire) Danehill Dancer (Ire) Velazquez Attfield 124
13 Havant (GB) Halling Dettori Head 124
Sunday, Woodbine, post time: 3:04 p.m. EDT
NEARCTIC S.-GI, C$500,000, 3yo/up, 6fT
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT
1 Bear Tough Tiger Roar of the Tiger Stein Baker 117
2 As De Trebol Tapit Demuro Sanchez 117
3 Stormy Rush Stormy Atlantic McAleney Richards 117
4 Night Carnation (GB) Sleeping Indian (GB) Velazquez Balding 114
5 Grand Adventure Grand Slam Castellano Pierce 117
6 Hammers Terror K Artie Schiller Gomez Stidham 116
7 Next Question K Stormy Atlantic Dominguez Trombetta 117
8 Big Band Sound Bernstein Pizarro Vella 121
9 Artic Fern Langfuhr Contreras Keogh 117
10 Super Chunky Put It Back Russell Cox 117
11 Fire Lily (Ire) Dansili (GB) Lordan Wachman 115
CANADIAN-BRED KITTEN WINS
from Thoroughbred Daily News…
He came out of the Bernard Baruch Stakes (prince Will I Am was right behind him that day)
8th-BEL, $79,000, Alw, Opt. Clm. ($75,000), C, 3yo/up, 1mT, 1:35 4/5, yl.
1–QUEEN’SPLATEKITTEN, 121, c, 4, Kitten=s Joy Iteration, by Wild Again. O-Mill House; B-Kenneth L &
Sarah K Ramsey (ON); T-Todd A Pletcher. Lifetime Record: SW & MGSP, 14-4-5-1, $386,913. *Full to
Charming Kitten, GSP.
2–Bad Debt, 121, g, 5, Grand Reward–Pleasant Ring,
by Pleasant Tap. ($3,500 RNA yrl ’08 FTMOCT).
3–Grand Rapport, 121, h, 5, Grand Reward–Dance
Moccasin, by Native Uproar. ($75,000 yrl ’08
FTKJUL; $75,000 RNA 2yo >09 OBSMAR).
Margins: 2 3/4, 2 3/4, 4 1/4. Odds: 2.25
DRF COVERS ONTARIO’S PLIGHT
BY MATT HEGARTY
The Ontario racing industry is in the midst of a last-ditch drive to convince the provincial government that a three-year, $50 million assistance package recommended by the province’s finance minister is inadequate to protect the sport in the absence of revenue from slot machines.
The effort has picked up steam over the past several weeks due to the late-September release of an interim report from a three-member committee of former cabinet ministers studying the impact of the province’s earlier decision to terminate agreements that provided revenues from slot machines to Ontario horsemen, breeders, and racetracks. The report provided the racing industry with a ray of hope when it called the $50 million package “insufficient to provide a bridge to sustainability” for the provincial racing industry.
The committee, which has been working closely with racing industry groups, according to officials, is expected to release final recommendations by the end of October. It will then be up to the legislature to adopt, reject, or amend the recommendations, which has led racing groups to focus their lobbying efforts on the province’s lawmakers.
“We’re doing our best to work with key people as far as giving them the numbers we feel best represents the size and impact and importance of the Ontario racing industry,” said Sue Leslie,
http://www.drf.com/news/ontario-racing-industry-marshals-support-better-provincial-aid-package
FRANKEL FEVER!
http://www.racingpost.com/news/horse-racing/sir-henry-
WHAT ARE YOUR MEMORIES OF THE CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL?
In 1977 I attended my first Canadian International. The bright orange program cover with a drawing of a racehorse on it. I was enamoured with horse racing and this year’s race had lured MAJESTIC LIGHT, the great mare MOMIGI, DANCE IN TIME and the great EXCELLER.
Ridden by Angel Cordero, EXCELLER was up to win by a length at even-money on soft grass. A year later, this son of Vaugely Noble beat the greats in the Jockey Club Gold Cup.
The story of Exceller is a poignant one: he went off to stud in Sweden and later was sent to a slaughterhouse when he was retired from breeding. The EXCELLER FUND is a well known horse retirement fund named in his honour.
Here is the race in New York in 1978 when he met AFFIRMED AND SEATTLE SLEW.
