ONTARIO HORSE HAS LOST ANOTHER FRIEND:
GREG DE GANNES 1963-2013
It is with great sadness that I write this after learning about this today. It appeared on social media early this morning and T-Blog has had confirmation from friends.family.
Born in Trinidad & Tobago in 1963, Greg De Gannes came to Canada in 1973 when his father, Dr. Rolph De Gannes, accepted a position as Resident Veterinarian at Windfields Farm in Oshawa. During his youth at the famous nursery, personal exposure to such stars as Deputy Minister, The Minstrel, Sunny’s Halo and Vice Regent only inspired him further to want to become involved in the industry.
He proceeded to obtain a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree from the University of Guelph in 1988. Upon graduation, De Gannes went to work for the firm of Fishman & Chris at Woodbine Racetrack, specializing in the care of thoroughbred race horses.
In 1991, when Windfields closed its Maryland Nursery, his father moved back to Ontario and started his own rural practice, specializing in equine reproduction. Greg teamed up with his father to form a mixed equine practice.
However, in 1988, he met trainer Mark Casse and went to work at Mockingbird Farm in Ocala, Florida as head veterinarian and principal assistant for Casse. During that time, he was involved with such standouts as Valid Appeal, End Sweep, Successful Appeal, Swept Overboard and Exciting Story.
De Gannes took out his trainer’s licence in 2003 and has been well supported by owners from his native Caribbean. Since then, he’s trained several stakes winners, in addition to Mobthewarrior, such as C Karma, Southern Exchange, Crown’s Path and Jenny’s So Great
Greg, always approachable and interesting to talk to, leaves two children.
It’s Kentucky Derby prep season, let the madness begin!
ORB – 97 BEYER IN FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH – he was a 5 to 1 contender, got lucky with wild pace up front
IVE STRUCK A NERVE – 95 – he was 140 to 1, he came from far off a slow pace but finished fast
Let’s put up the replays of the two Derby prep races from yesterday to kick things off on a Sunday morning:
FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH – CLICK HERE:
GIMME SOME SHUG-A
Shug McGaughey has never won the Kentucky Derby – what? really? Yep (Easy Goer should have won but I digress).
He says he has been bothered about it since 1972.
Maybe ORB is his circle of light?
Well, he can go the distance, he is from the great female family of STEEL MAIDEN from the Janneys and he has a cool name.
ORB took advantage of a wild pace in the FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH yesterday and blew past a game, and previously unbeaten VIOLENCE (who moved early into the ridiculous pace set but Majestic Hussar and jockey L. Saez).
VIOLENCE ran a huge race and is a very good one too. He just needs to be ridden a bit more patiently perhaps.
Meanwhile…over in New Orleans…
SOME NERVE
Sold by the well known AIRDRIE STUD as a weanling for just $1,700, IVE STRUCK A NERVE, owned by Matt Bryan came from miles behind to win the Risen Star Stakes, boosting his previous Beyer Figures by more than 20 points.
The winner was then a $17,000 yearling and then an $82,000 2yo purchase. Keith Desormeaux won his first graded stakes race and James Graham took over from Kent Desormeaux.
The race was a weird one as NORMANDY INVASION, the big fave, broke slow and then bobbled but he closed well. Willing to give him another chance.
Fair Grounds writer GRAHAM ROSS kinda liked this gelding to post the upset….
NOW LOOK WHO LEADS IN DERBY POINTS!
Rank Horse Points Owner(s) Trainer Non-Restricted
Stakes Earnings
1. Ive Struck a Nerve 51 Big Chief Racing, LLC (Matt Bryan) Keith Desormeaux $268,000
2. Orb 50 Stuart Janney III & Phipps Stable (Ogden Mills “Dinny” Phipps) Shug McGaughey III $240,000
3. Violence 30 Black Rock Thoroughbreds LLP (Steven Marshall) Todd Pletcher $575,000
4. Shanghai Bobby 24 Starlight Racing (Jack & Laurie Wolf & Donald & Barbara Lucarelli et al), Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith Todd Pletcher $1,731,000
5. Goldencents 24 W.C. Racing (Josh Kaplan & Glenn Sorgenstein), Dave Kenney & RAP Racing (Rick Pitino) Doug O’Neill $740,000
6. Code West 20 Gary & Mary West Bob Baffert $80,000
7. Oxbow 16 Calumet Farm (Brad Kelley) D. Wayne Lukas $196,000
8. Speak Logistics 11 Hardaway Stables, Inc. (Ralph Nabavi) Eddie Plesa Jr. $52,500
9. Itsmyluckyday 10 Trilogy Stable (Marion Montanari & David Melin) & Laurie Plesa Eddie Plesa Jr. $393,600
10. Overanalyze 10 Repole Stable (Mike Repole) Todd Pletcher $296,381
11. Uncaptured 10 John C. Oxley Mark Casse $292,374
12. Den’s Legacy 10 Westrock Stables LLC (Scott & Joe Ford) Bob Baffert $265,000
13. Power Broker 10 Gary & Mary West Bob Baffert $210,000
14. Super Ninety Nine 10 Tanma Corporation (Susan Chu) Bob Baffert $200,000
15. Will Take Charge 10 Willis D. Horton D. Wayne Lukas $152,971
16. Falling Sky 10 Newtown Anner Stud, James Covello & Joseph Bulger John Terranova II $122,500
t-17. Flashback 10 Gary & Mary West Bob Baffert $120,000
t-17. Revolutionary 10 WinStar Farm LLC (Kenny Troutt) Todd Pletcher $120,000
19. Palace Malice 10 Dogwood Stable, Inc. (W. Cothran “Cot” Campbell) Todd Pletcher $40,000
20. Dynamic Sky 8 John C. Oxley Mark Casse $271,668
21. He’s Had Enough 6 Reddam Racing LLC (J. Paul Reddam) Doug O’Neill $442,000
22. Fear the Kitten 6 Frank Irvin Mike Maker $84,890
23. Tesseron 5 Donver Stable (Donna & Vern Dubinsky) Josie Carroll $49,017
24. Majestic Hussar 5 Joseph Witek Eddie Kenneally $22,000
25. Bern Identity 4 George & Lori Hall Kelly Breen $572,000
26. Capo Bastone 4 Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners (Aron Wellman et al) Todd Pletcher $246,000
27. Texas Bling 4 Hall’s Family Trust (Lewis A. Hall) Danele Durham $211,200
28. Know More 4 Reddam Racing LLC (J. Paul Reddam) Doug O’Neill $210,000
29. Fury Kapcori 4 Rick Awtrey or Jerry Hollendorfer or George Todaro Jerry Hollendorfer $205,050
30. Normandy Invasion 4 Fox Hill Farms Inc. (Rick Porter) Chad Brown $58,000
TWITTER IS JUST CRAZY – rich and famous horsepeople need to go back to school
Twitter – ya, I was always against it until been heavily encouraged to get on it – has gone berserk.
And the trouble is, it is easy to say silly things, we all do it. And then some writes back and it’s a war. Hey, we’ve all done it, said something mean or hurtful but it’s when we simply give our opinion and get lambasted, that’s the problem.
It gets even sillier when the rich and famous, who make money off of those of us who bet on the races, want to argue our opinion in sarcastic or a mean way.
Many of us who bet on races with the few dollars we earn in the business have had experience with other horse people taking offense at comments. That is fine but it’s the way these guys and gals treat us is a concern.
Some even read a comment and take it the wrong way (insecurity, immaturity) and still can’t resist to write something deorgatory of hurtful anyway.
Okay, some people (e.g. athletes who make way too much money) will just never grow up, and will always act like children, but GARY STEVENS’ response to a comment on his ride in the Risen Star Stakes yesterday was not smart.
PULL THE POCKET blog (have no idea who this person is, but he/she writes a decent blog) discusses the event from last night after his own experience with the very bizarre Bob Baffert.
In my opinion, if you are going to derive your salary from bettors, or fans in the stands like an NBA or NHL player does, this stuff comes with the territory. How you respond is a responsibility. I respectfully suggest that Gary failed himself; not with his ride, but how he responded to it. – PULL THE POCKET BLOG
DECEPTIVE VISION – 81 BEYER, 2 FOR 3
Sam-Son homebred a star in the making
By Graham Ross, Staff Writer
NEW ORLEANS (Friday, February 22, 2013) – Sam-Son Farms’ Deceptive Vision justified her role as the choice in Friday’s Starlight Racing feature at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots when she got up for a half-length score in the last strides of the $47,000 allowance and $50,000 optional claiming event at a mile and 70 yards.
Never far back, the sophomore daughter of A. P. Indy rallied outside Donarra Thoroughbreds’ Irish Lute in the late stages to return $4.40, $2.80 and $2.40, tour the distance in 1:44.26 and increase her career earnings to $65,096 with her second victory in three lifetime starts.
CANADIANS ELSEWHERE
DYNAMIC SKY, Ontario bred from the John Oxley, Mark Casse Stable, worked 5 furlongs in Ocala yesterday, 1:00 2/5. He is headed to the Tampa Bay Derby where he may have to compete against Verrazano, the fleet and freaky Todd Pletcher trainee.
SAFFRON HALL,bred in Ontario by Eugene Melnyk, won a starter allowance at Tampa Bay Downs yesterday and is 4 for 10 in his career.
RIDGEWOOD GRUSHA, bred in ONtario by Firestone Farms Ltd. won a maiden allowance at Charles Town on Staurday for Don Brown and Tena and Stephanie Beattie. The Tomahawk filly is out of multiple winner Hollywood Ending by Eage Eyed and she was even money.
SO LOVELY, bred by Lemico Farms in Ontario, won at Charles Town on Saturday for Kevin Buttigieg. The filly is by One Way Loveout of Trinnon by Anshan and was a 6 length victress for $5,000 claiming.
OF OSCAR, REEVA AND HORSES
Oscar Pistorius owned a collection of racehorses and his girlfriend’s father BARRY STEENKAMP is a well known thoroughbred trainer:
BY MIKE MOON – SPORTLIVE
THE media mayhem surrounding the Oscar Pistorius affair, and the frenzied exchanges of opinion in chat rooms and pubs, hardly need adding to. But central characters in the case have strong horse racing connections and I’ve been prevailed upon to stick in an oar.
Pistorius has owned racehorses for a few years and his racing silks are all white with a bright red star on the body of the jacket. Is it melodramatic to think that’s a bit spooky?
http://www.sportlive.co.za/opinion/article8191471.ece
BET ON HISTORIC RACES..again
horse racing video machine – making a comeback!
http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/02/horse_racing_machines_could_br.html
