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BUDGET TOMORROW – Will there be any more news about Ontario horse racing and the slots revenue deal? Waiting game…MARITIMER is in the UAE Derby after all…Contreras has 3 Derby mounts and..Florida 2yo sale!

MARITIMER GETS INTO UAE DERBY

Top Canadian 2yo colt from 2011, MARITIMER, has indeed drawn into the UAE DERBY for March 31, having been stuck on the reserve list initially.
MARITIMER, owned by Ramzan Kadryov and trained by Herman Brown, has been training in Dubai for several weeks. He is a Kentucky Derby hopeful and certainly a Queen’s Plate contender (although he is not eligible for the Triple Crown in the US or the Plate currently)
entries for UAE Derby:
http://emiratesracing.com/node/4?id=2499#tab-8862

DUBAI: MONDAY TRACK NOTES FOR EACH RACE:

http://emiratesracing.com/news/trackwork-notes-%E2%80%93-monday-march-26-2012

GOOD DAY FOR CONTRERAS BACK HOME –, NOW HE HAS 3  DERBY MOUNTS!!

100 Beyer Figure for Sunland Derby

Norm Files image of Luis Contreras

It was a fun homecoming of sort for jockey LUIS CONTRERAS, Woodbine’s leading rider of 2011 as he won 2 stakes races, was 2nd in 2 more and won another race at Sunland Park in New Mexico.
The daddy of them all on the card, however, eluded Contreras, as he and his gelding ISN’T HE CLEVER could not quite hold on to a clear lead.
In fact it was DADDY NOSE BEST who wore the pair down to win the $800,000 race at 9 furlongs. on dirt.
The winner, trained by Steve Asmussen, was a $35,000 yearling purchase by the owners, Mary and Bob Zollars.
DADDY NOSE BEST (Scat Daddy out of a Thunder Gulch mare) came off a win in the El Camino Real Derby (with a 93 Beyer Figure, synthetic surface) and he was 3rd at Woodbine last year in the Summer Stakes on the grass to Finale.
The hot pace early in the race, which included a big speed duel between heavily favoured Castaway and Ender Kneival, set things up well for the winner. Isn’t He Clever sat third behind the duel, but moved early to take the lead at the 1/4 pole, opened up a clear lead but then was edged late by about a length. The son of Smarty Jones could have distance limitations based on that big move and then the stalling.
Julien Leparoux rode the winner.
Asmussen said the Derby is the goal –  “maybe this is the right one”.

Contreras also rides PROSPECTIVE, a Kentucky Derby candidate for John Oxley and trainer Mark Casse and Fred Seitz’s FLASHY DRESSER, the Rushway Stakes winner for Contreras at Turfway Park on Saturday.

This has been a big winter for Contreras who won 6 stakes races and now can figure out which colt to ride in the KENTUCKY DERBY.

SUNLAND DERBY REPLAY:

DEAD ON

The 3yo colt DEAD ON,  owned and bred by Sam-Son Farm, put up an 81 Beyer Figure and was 2nd beaten a head in his 3yo debut at Fair Grounds. The off-the-turf race was at 1 1/16 miles. The colt, trained by Malcolm Pierce, was 7th in the Coronation Futurity last year. His stablemate ALDOUS SNOW was unplaced in yesterday’s race.

Dead On has not moved up on Thoroughblog’s QUEEN’S PLATE CONTENDERS list:

FASIG TIPTON 2YO SALE FLORIDA TODAY

Canadians get ready to sell

TWO PROMINENT Canadian pinhookers are in action today at the Florida 2yo sale put on by Fasig Tipton. Verne Dubinsky of Donver Stable and Cory Wagner from Alberta have 2 high prIced youngsters in the sale. See below:

Hip Yearling price 2011 Price   Sale

154 $357,000 FTSAUG
c, Tapit–Cute Cognac, by Hennessy
Purchased by Donver Stable
‘12 Consignor: Wavertree Stables Inc (Ciaran Dunne), Agent V

39 $220,000 FTKJUL
f, Big Brown–Irish Smoke, by Smoke Glacken
Purchased by Cory Wagner
‘12 Consignor: Wavertree Stables Inc (Ciaran Dunne), Agent VIII

The Canadian breds entered in the sale are listed below with workout times:

Canadian-breds, Hip No, and Breeding workout time, T-blog comment

6 f. Street Boss – Firebaby, by Marquetry :10 1/5  – love the way this white faced gal streaked in her work and reached out!

50 c. Street Sense – Leaveminthedust, by Danzig :10 4/5
60 f. Lemon Drop Kid – Mine Alone, by Belong to Me :11 1/5
92 c. Johannesburg – Sans Souci Island by Chester House $80,000 Kee Sept. yearling :10 4/5
OUT 166 c. Macho Uno – Ever Elusive, by Forestry $25,000 yearling Keeneland Sept.

JACQUES CARTIER STAKES SATURDAY APRIL 7

The first added money event of the 2012 season is on the 2nd day of the Woodbine season and its the well known Jacques Cartier Stakes for older sprinters.
Canadian Horse of the Year FATAL BULLET is at Woodbine training for the race as is PASO DOBLE,  as well as last year’s winner ESSENCE HIT MAN, who sizzled 6 furlongs in 1:11 on Friday.
The Hit Man is up for a Sovereign award for champion sprinter of 2011 2 days earlier at the Sovereign Awards.

Grade 3 stakes winner HOOTFIT is also nominated:

HOOFIT (inside) is an Australian import who won the Grade 3 Phoenix at Keeneland last fall for trainer Graham Motion.

Steve Queen photo

ARTIC FERN
dk b/.g.5 by Langfuhr(Danzig) – Wood Fern(Woodman)
Gustav Schickedanz Michael Keogh
BIG BAND SOUND
b.h.5 by Bernstein(Storm Cat) – Ensnare(Seeking the Gold)
Kendel D. Standlee Daniel J. Vella
ESSENCE HIT MAN
ch.g.5 by Speightstown(Gone West) – El Prado Essence(El Prado (IRE))
Audre & Gordon Cappuccitti Audre Cappuccitti
FATAL BULLET
b.g.7 by Red Bullet(Unbridled) – Sararegal(Regal Classic)
Bear Stables Ltd. Reade Baker
GREAT ATTACK
b.h.5 by Greatness(Mr. Prospector) – Cat Attack(Storm Cat)
Houyhnhnm Stable Wesley A. Ward
GYPSY RING
dk b/.g.6 by Where’s the Ring(Seeking the Gold) – Gypsy Genna(Varick)
Paul M. Buttigieg Paul M. Buttigieg
HOOFIT (NZ)
b.g.5 by Mossman (AUS)(Success Express) – Chuckle (AUS)(Danehill)
Mrs. S. K. Johnston, Jr. H. Graham Motion
LONGHUNTER (GB)
b.c.4 by Halling(Diesis (GB)) – Dawnus (IRE)(Night Shift)
Silverton Hill LLC Christophe Clement
MADMAN DIARIES
dk b/.g.4 by Bring the Heat(In Excess (IRE)) – Harper N Abbey(Outflanker)
Robert Teel and Wesley Ward Wesley A. Ward
PASO DOBLE
ch.g.6 by Bold n’ Flashy(Bold Ruckus) – Dance Lessons(Foxhound)
Centennial Farms (Niagara) Inc. Mark E. Casse
SAY NO MORE
ch.g.4 by Langfuhr(Danzig) – Silent Course(Trajectory)
G. Schickedanz and D. Howard Michael Keogh
SIGNATURE RED
b.h.6 by Bernstein(Storm Cat) – Irish and Foxy(Irish Open)
Norseman Racing Stable Sid C. Attard
SOMETHING EXTRA
dk b/.g.4 by Indian Charlie(In Excess (IRE)) – Our Mariah(Mt. Livermore)
John Menary & Gail Cox Gail Cox