DAN IS IN DA HOUSE!! Michael Burns photos
It is all WISE DAN, all the time here in Toronto, Ontario as we welcome back the winner of last year’s WOODBINE MILE and last year’s HORSE OF THE YEAR in North America.
He’s currently on an 8 race winning streak, all graded stakes, all grass.
He has only lost once on the turf, hard to believe he lost the Shadwell Mile in 2011. People forget he has won on dirt and synthetic but now that he is a monster on grass, why move him?
One of the great geldings…let’s see how he does tomorrow!
The forums and blogs are abuzz with a couple of items about the WOODBINE MILE..
BRIDGE JUMPING and PICK 4 Value.
Could this be one of the biggest BRIDGE JUMPING moves of the year? Will someone plunk down $100,000., $500,000 to show on WISE DAN? Interesting to watch.
As for betting value, eeks, well, if FORTE DEI MARMI and WISE DAN win, the $200K guaranteed PIck 4 is likely worth $50. The big hitters will be betting big tickets. If you can get one of them beat you have a chance at a $100-$200 payoff.
WISE DAN PHOTO SIGNING AT WOODBINE
Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, regular rider of reigning U.S. Horse of the Year Wise Dan, will take part in an autograph signing on Sunday’s Woodbine Mile card.
Velazquez, who guided Wise Dan to a 3 1/4-length score in the 2012 Woodbine Mile, will sign free commemorative photos for fans from 1:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. on the second floor, next to the customer service desk.
John Velazquez, inducted into the U.S. Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2012, capped a phenomenally successful 20-year career as a jockey with a victory in the 2011 Kentucky Derby aboard long shot Animal Kingdom, a mount he only obtained one day before the big race as a replacement for Robby Albarado.
Velazquez, a two-time Eclipse Award winner, took over as Wise Dan’s regular rider with a 3 3/4-length score in the 2011 edition of the Grade 1 Clark Handicap, at Churchill Downs. Since that victory, Velazquez and Wise Dan have teamed up to win six additional graded events.
The Hall of Fame jockey is full of admiration for the champion chestnut with the high-cruising speed.
“He can be pretty tough,” admitted Velazquez. “I think that’s why he’s a little bit better (than other horses). He allows you to control the first part of the race and that’s why he’s become the horse that he is, because he can do what he wants in the first part of the race.”
TWO-YEAR-OLDS WILL TRY TO WIN, GET IN TODAY AT WOODBINE
The Grade 2 Natalma and Summer Stakes are BREEDERS’ CUP Win and You’re In races today at Woodbine, both 1 mile on the grass. An interesting development occurred as there was supposed to be a hot 2yo sent up from New York to run in the Summer, DUE DILIGENCE, but he was privately purchased by Magnier, et al and was not sent here.
So 2 fillies who entered in the Natalma were both entered in the Summer as well..Mark Casse will run MY CONQUESTADORY in the SUMMER STAKES, thinking it is an easier race. This is a first time starter going 1 mile in a graded race in her debut and she is by ARTIE SCHILLER, a 5% debut sire. She was a fancy 2yo purchase by the Conquest team and she will have to knock off
Woodbine handicapper JIM BANNON picked the filly to win both races so she must be held in high regard.
But there is not way I would pick her in the Summer, even if the field is fairly drab.
The 2 colts that were 1-2 in a maiden race, ASSERTING BEAR and TROPIC OF ARTIE have to avoid dueling themselves into submission. The Arlington winner SCHOOL ON A HILL won a turf race first time out at 40 to 1 and looks like a nice prospect.
And I have gone to DIG ALITTLE DEEPER to win it..a maiden who is impeccably bred for the grass. He was 2nd to a Conquest 2yo SW last time…
The NATALMA is a tough little race and SPRING LIKEACOBRA is the logical choice along with APPRECIATING, both are Makr Casse trainees. READY TO ACT looked super good winning her debut at Saratoga but that was at 5 1/2 furlongs.
Meanwhile, SKYLANDER GIRL has the best grass breeding in the race by a turf star out of a turf star!! PHOTO OF SKYLANDER GIRL BY MICHAEL BURNS.
FREE STUFF FROM DAILY RACING FORM!
Watch replays of all major races leading up to the Breeders’ Cup and read SUPER LOOKS for big races this weekend!
WOODBINE WRAP
PEYTON won the DURHAM CUP prep, race 3, a 5 horse field, with an off the pace rally under Luis Contreras. The 4yo by TALE OF THE CAT edged front runner AWESOME OVERTURE who was under a very heavy drive through the stretch. The winner ran n 88 Beyer. He is a homebred for Bill Graham and trained by Mike Doyle.
ADJALA ANGEL a homebred filly for Grandview Thoroughbreds Ltd. by OLD FORESTER won the 8th race on Friday, an Ontario sired allowance event. This 4yo was moving turf to Polytrack for trainer Robert Gerl and she dueled favoured ROSIE JANA and then pulled away. She won despite the #2 filly warheart bearing into her badly out of the gate. Her winning Beyer was 60.
Interesting to watch PATS ON THE BAY in that race. This is a maiden by peaks and Valleys who blew the starts badly and then came flying through the stretch to get 2nd and she galloped out strongly.
Trainer HAROLD LADOUCEUR won his first race of the year when SEANAIEH rode the inside on the pace to his maiden win in the 9th race for $15,000 claiming. The Vibank 3yo is a homebred for Charles Boyd and he was making his 13th career race (on Friday the 13th!).
And the hot stables of IAN BLACK and GREG COX continue to roll on.Cox won with WHSPERING WALL for the 3rd time this year, she took a $10K claiming race, and Black won 2 races – his own GIRL’S GOT SOUL won a maiden $12,500 race and Double D Stables’ CONSECUTIVE won a $10,000 claiming race. The Black team also won the last race on Wednesday night with PEGGY’SANEXEUCTVE owned by Osprey Stable.
KEENELAND SALES UPDATES
Well, at least there is some big news in horses sales. KEENELAND’S first 4 days show an averaGe of nearly $300,000 a yearling…gadzooks there are lots of people out there with a lot of money.
Canadians or Canadian-based people who have been buying at the same include:
REGIS RACING/FARMS.. 5 $2,720,000
REGIS RACING AND STONESTREET STABLES 1 1,550,000
MARK CASSE 6 for $1,105,000
JIM AND SUSAN HILL 5 705,000
WINSONG FARMS 1 380,000
ROBERT MCMCARTIN, AGENT 1 160,000
CROP CIRCLES
North American Foal Crop
Year – Foal Crop – % Change (year over year)
2007 – 37,493
2008 – 35,250 – (-6.0)
2009 – 32,304 – (-8.4)
2010 – 28,260 – (-12.5%)
2011 – 25,500 – (-9.8%)
2012 – 23,500 – (-7.8%)
2013 – 23,000 – (-2.2%)
2012 Mares Bred 2012 Live Foals 2013 Live Foals Percent Change
Kentucky 15,569 10,960 10,726 -2.1%
Florida 3,187 1,642 1,751 6.6%
California 2,475 1,600 1,582 -1.1%
Louisiana 2,306 1,344 1,172 -12.8%
New York 1,664 713 971 36.2%
Ontario 1,350 700 684 -2.3%
Pennsylvania 1,124 628 608 -3.2%
New Mexico 1,127 585 503 -14.0%
Oklahoma 1,124 509 470 -7.7%
Texas 1,014 444 417 -6.1%
The statistics include 322 progeny of stallions standing in North America but foaled abroad, as reported by foreign stud book authorities at the time of publication. In this category, 103 live foals by North American stallions were reported from Republic of Korea, 60 from Great Britain, and 42 from Ireland. Remaining countries on the list are Philippines, 23; Japan, 19; Mexico, 17; Brazil, 13; France, 11; Jamaica, 10; Argentina, 5; India, 5; Thailand, 5; Qatar, 3; Chile, 2; Dominican Republic, 2; Ecuador, 1; Sweden, 1.
ONTARIO STALLIONS/live foals in 2012
Philanthropist (78 ); exported
Court Vision (51);
Old Forester (43);
Victor’s Cry (31);
Plan (30);
Perfect Soul (25) exported
Sligo Bay (23)
Marchfield (23) exported
Niigon (21) deceased
Exhi (20)
Giant Gizmo
Leonnatus Anteas (18)
Mast Track (17)
GET THE FEVER..FRIDAY NIGHT FEVER!!
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FRIDAY NIGHT FEVER IN 6 DAYS!!
Let’s party like it’s 1979 and support our horses!
Wear your velvet and you bell bottoms, let’s party at an informal gathering for LongRun Friday Sept. 20 at Woodbine.
Tickets are just $150 and you get tons of stuff including an awesome meal for that price – just look at the sponsors and then at the list of some of the auction items!! Wow, it’s gonna be a great night.
You better be there! SHAME ON YOU if you are not!
AUCTION ITEMS include..
Polo weekend at Polo Parc Farms (I will send you details) as well as a $500 travel voucher.
Tickets to the Arc de Triomphe weekend in members’ enclosure as well as a $1,000 travel voucher.
Bike tour, wine tasting, dinner and overnight stay in Niagara-On-The-Lake.
Dinner hosted by Roger Attfield, Ian Black and other racing notables.
Hockey or horse camp for a week at Teen Ranch.
Date with the gate……..lunch for two at Woodbine combined with an up close and poersonal experience with Woodbine’s starting gate and gate crew.
LONGRUN WANTS TO THANK
OUR FRIDAY NIGHT FEVER SPONSORS!
SAM-SON FARMS
Sponsor of the Evening’s Meal
BEN & MAY HUTZEL
Sponsors of the Evening’s Entertainment
GUSTAV & ANNE SCHICKEDANZ
Sponsor of the Evening’s Décor
ADENA SPRINGS NORTH
Sponsor of the Evening’s Florals
MARK CASSE & JOHN OXLEY
Sponsors of the Scotch Bar
COLIO ESTATE WINES
Sponsor of the Evening’s Wines
EUGENE MELNYK
Sponsor of the Welcoming Cocktail
SPONSORSHIPS HONOURING HORSES OF THE 1970S
FLORENCE BEGG
TED BURNETT
CANADIAN THOROUGHBRED HORSE SOCIETY
CENTENNIAL FARMS
MIKE DOYLE
LOU & WENDY MYLES
MALCOLM & SALLY PIERCE
SAM-SON FARMS
YVONNE SCHWABE
CATHERINE WILSON
THIS IS VERY COOL, retired thoroughbred showcase at Emerald Downs, come and browse, pick one out!
TWELVE STEPS FOR THOROUGHBRED ADDICTS
Step Number One: stop reading now!
In case you didn’t stop, I should be upfront. This blog post isn’t really designed to help you quit TB’s but rather to suck you deeper.
Perhaps you weren’t able to attend the Thoroughbred Showcase at Emerald Downs last Saturday, sponsored by the Prodigious Fund and masterminded by the newest director of marketing at Emerald Downs, Sophia McKee
http://blog.seattlepi.com/horsebytes/2013/09/06/twelve-steps-for-thoroughbred-addicts/
