There is a lot going on, lots of stakes action at Woodbine on what will be another humid weekend, PRINCE OF WALES is Tuesday evening, weather expected to be great, Saratoga racing through Monday this week – let’s go!
GOLDEN HORN scratched from King George/QE – 10:40 a.m. – watch on HPIBET.COM or HPI
Golden Horn was scratched from today’s King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Sponsored by QIPCO) leaving a field of 7 for the British classic at Ascot.
The three-year-old son of Cape Cross, trained by John Gosden for his breeder Anthony Oppenheimer, is unbeaten in five starts.
His latest magnificent victory came in the Group One Coral-Eclipse over 10 furlongs at Sandown Park on July 4, when he defeated The Grey Gatsby impressively by three and a half lengths to earn an official BHA rating of 130 – the highest rating for a three-year-old since Frankel in 2011.
Golden Horn won the Investec Derby at Epsom Downs on 6 June just as impressively, beating his stable companion Jack Hobbs, who has since won the Irish Derby, in the 12-furlong Classic.
Saturday’s renewal of the great race over 12 furlongs will be the 65th running, with prize money standing at a new record of £1,215,000. There was one supplementary entry today at a cost of £75,000, with Snow Sky (Sir Michael Stoute), impressive winner of last month’s Group Two Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot, added to the tremendous line-up.
SPA DAZE
Horse racing lovers, from fans to owners or horses, are glued to their sets for the new few weeks as the legendary Saratoga meeting got underway yesterday. Some 34,000 fans were at the famous track to watch day 1 and there will be a lot of Canadians and Woodbine based horsepeople at the meeting with starters.
Locals who have trips to the Spa in mind include Nick Gonzalez, Reade Baker in addition to Brian Lynch and Mark Casse who are already stable in the US.
Mark Casse gave Thoroughblog a list of “5 to watch” for the meeting from his stable:
Conquest Big E – UNRACED 2YO BY TAPIT
Conquest Windycity – UNRACED 2yo by TIZNOW
Moon King – ENTERED TODAY
Gametown – unraced 2YO BY STREET SENSE
Sky My Sky – unraced filly by BERNARDINI
Casse will sent out Grade 1 winner TEPIN today in the Diana and she will take on the Canadian-bred star HARD NOT TO LIKE:
TVG DIANA S.-GI, $500,000, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/8mT
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER ML
1 Tepin Bernstein Leparoux Casse 3-1
2 Stephanie’s Kitten K Kitten’s Joy Ortiz Jr Brown 7-2
3 Kitten’s Queen Kitten’s Joy Ortiz Brown 15-1
4 Hard Not to Like K Hard Spun Velazquez Clement 5-1
5 Waltzing Matilda (Ire) Danhill Dncer (Ire) Castellano Albertrani 8-1
6 My Miss Sophia K Unbridled’s Song Rosario Mott 5-2
7 Lady Lara (Ire) Excellent Art (GB) Alvarado Mott 10-1
THE TOM DURKIN REPLAY CENTRE unveiled at Saratoga – cool. NYRA PHOTO
PRINCE OF WALES
Roger that! Trainer enters Plate runner-up in last minute decision
Hello! DANISH DYNAFORMER will indeed run at Fort Erie on Tuesday in the Prince of Wales Stakes. CINDY PIERSON DULAY PHOTO
The field for the 80th running of the Prince of Wales Stakes was drawn Friday afternoon at Fort Erie Race Track. A group of seven of Canada’s finest 3 year olds will go to post on Tuesday, July 28th for $500,000 with a post time of 7:40pm. This is Canada’s richest race on dirt and will be run at one mile and three-sixteenths.
Adena Springs homebred Shaman Ghost, a rallying winner of the 1-million Queen’s Plate, heads a field of seven in the 00,000 Prince of Wales Stakes, second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown.
The 80th edition of the Prince of Wales for Canadian-foaled three-year-olds will be televised live on TSN 1,3,4 and 5 from 7:00 – 8:00 pm ET. Post time for the Prince of Wales is set for 7:40 p.m.
Shaman Ghost has won four times from seven starts including wins on the dirt at Gulfstream and Keeneland.
“He’s been a good horse and showed up at a lot of places he’s never really seen before,” said Lynch, who won the Prince of Wales in 2010 with Golden Moka. “He trained at Palm Meadows and went up to Gulfstream and won. He’d never been to Keeneland and he went there and won. He’s an adaptable sort of horse.”
Roger Attfield, a multiple Hall of Fame trainer, will send out Queen’s Plate runner-up Danish Dynaformer in the 1 3/16 classic as the rivals face each other for the third time in as many starts.
Danish Dynaformer finished a rallying third to Shaman Ghost in the Grade 3 Marine Stakes on May 16, prior to winning the Plate Trial.
As recently as 7 days ago, Attfield told Thoroughblog he was not racing either of his 3yos, Billy’s Star pr Dansih Dynaformer in the ‘Wales’ but as we know in racing, things can change on a moment’s notice.
“’Danish’ went too soon (in the Queen’s Plate), but that’s race day luck and the good horse (Shaman Ghost) closed on them,” said Attfield.
Danish Dynaformer breezed in company with stablemate Billy’s Star on July 21 covering five furlongs over the Woodbine dirt training track in 1:01 flat.
“They had an easy work. I wanted to see their action on the dirt,” said Attfield of the energetic Dynaformer bay owned by Charles Fipke. “He’s been tearing the place down and in very good shape.”
Attfield has won the Prince of Wales on five occasions, the last coming in 2005 with Ablo. The other winners include Norcliffe (1976), and Triple Crown winners With Approval (1989), Izvestia (1990) and Peteski(1993). Gordon McCann boasts the most wins by a trainer with seven.
FIELD OF COURAGE, will try to follow Uncaptured, Gallant and Dixie Strike as Casse’s Wales winners MICHAEL BURNS PHOTO
Post Horse Jockey Trainer M/L
1 Scorch E.J. Wilson George Strawbridge Mark Frostad 12-1
2 Conquest Boogaloo S. Bridgmohan Conquest Stables Mark Casse 4-1
3 Field of Courage E. DaSilva John Oxley Mark Casse 8-1
4 Shaman Ghost R. Hernandez Stronach Stables Brian Lynch 7/5
5 Danish Dynaformer P. Husbands Charles Fipke Roger Attfield 9/5
6 Breaking Lucky J. McAleney Gunpowder Stables Reade Baker 6-1
7 Cut to the Chase L. Contreras N Nosowenko N. Nosowenko 15-1 – supplemented
FRIDAY – WEDNESDAY WRAP
FRIDAY – from freaky (last week, which means lots of longshots) to a busy day for the stewards this week.
EMILY WALKER won her first race of the year with her own filly TUS NUA in race 1. The Singing Saint 3yo filly won the $20,000 maiden claiming event despite racing 4 wide all the way around and she beat 2 to 5 shot Rebel with a Chance. Luis Contreras rode.
He does not race much but GRENFELL, who won off a layoff of more than a year last November, won his return in this 2015 opener for $40,00 claiming at 1 1/16 miles. The Chiefswood Stables gelding was well prepared by the farm and Paul Attard to win his 2nd race in just 3 races. He is a 5yo and Justin Stein rode.
Scary business here, a filly sprint for $16,000 as RITZY LASS shifted out off the turn for home under Patrick Husbands causing WANNABITOABREW to clip heels and fall with Terry Husbands aboard. The jocks are related.
Scary business here, a filly sprint for $16,000 as RITZY LASS shifted out off the turn for home under Patrick Husbands causing WANNABITABREW to clip heels and fall with Terry Husbands aboard. The filly appeared to be okay, trainer Steven Chircop told Thoroughblog this moring she is banged up but o.k. despite crashing hard to the ground and rolling over. Husbands also sat up. Ritzy lass was disqualified from wining the race and placed last and SCINDIA, owned by Beclawat Stable and trained by Bob Tiller, was placed first. Scindia and Dan’s Girl were claimed from the race.
Race 4 was virtually the exact same situation as race 3 with winner ETHANOL (Thoroughblog’s best bet) moving out and causing BOLD DIAMOND to steady late. Ethanol, ridden by David Moran, was disqualified and placed 5th. Getting placed 1st was 22 to 1 shot LAYOVER IN TOKYO for Norm McKnight, winning in the 3rd race off the layoff under Jeff Alderson. That race featured a wild 21 3/5 pace battle between Concorde’s March and Imperial dream, the latter who was claimed by Alec Fehr.
Race 5- an allowance race for fillies and mares at 7 furlongs on the grass was run in 1:20.59 (!!) and the winner, from last place, was CITY WELLS, an Ontario bred for Robert Evans and trained by Roger Attfield. The furious pace helped closers and the rails were not out far from the inside of the course. Alan Garcia had the nice ride.
Race 6 – a maiden allowance for 2yo fillies went to the mischievously named PULLED THE GOALIE (oh baby!), who rallied wide and from behind heavily favoured Conquest Soprano to win her debut for Donato Lanni. The Parading – Bagof Stars by Devil’s Bag filly is trained by Dan Vella. David Moran rode.
Some horses that won from Wednesday night…BANGKOK, getting a chance to run on the grass for the first time since a super effort in last year’s Breeders’ Stakes, rallied to win a 1 3/8 mile event, allowance, under Emma-Jayne Wilson. This was the 2nd straight win for owner Gail Wood, who owns (and bred) the son of Street Hero with her sister Ruth Barbour. Phil Gracey trains. The time of 2:15.79 was translated by DRF into a 78 Beyer Figure.
CONQUEST STRATE UP remained unbeaten with a win in a 6 1/2 turf allowance/optional claiming race with a 74 Beyer Figure. The Ontario sired and bred filly, owned by Conquest Stables (who bought her for $57,000 as a 2yo last year) came from far back to win in 1:15.27 on firm turf. Patrick Husbands rode for trainer Mark Casse.
The winner is by Not Bourbon out of Deputy by Hadif.
BREAD WINNER won an allowance race at 5 furlongs in 57.20 for Gary McMaster and trainer Norm McKnight. The son of Where’s the Ring – Crumpet, was a $10,000 claim 2 starts ago. Gerry Olguin rode the 3yo dark bay who ran a career best 76 Beyer Figure.
KINGSPORT was a fat 7 to 1 in the DEPUTY MINISTER STAKES even though he had just won an allowance race over older horses with an 82 beyer Figure. The son of Milwaukee Brew – Green Jewel by Green dancer, bred and owned by Goldmart Farms, had a lovely stalking trip and went on to win the 7 furlong event in 1:21.82 god for an huge 87 Beyer Figure, a career best. Patrick Husband rode and Sid Attard trains. Royal Laser Racing is a co-owner of the colt this year.
The red-hot DAN VELLA stable struck with REJOICEFUL as a big favourite in race 7, an allowance event at 7 furlongs. The Corinthian mare is from Josham Farms breeding and James Perron racing claimed her for $20,000 late last year. Luis Contreras rode and she ran a 71 Beyer Figure.
