CARELESS JEWEL owned by Canadians Donna and Vern Dubinsky (Donna – blue gress, Vern, yellow tie), ridden by a Canadian, Rob Landry, and trained by a Canadian, Josie Carroll (left, white pant suit) wins the Grade 1 Alabama! Sweet!
Photo courtesy EQUIDAILY. COM
JEWEL THIEF
106 Beyer Figure for Canadian-owned filly
First it was Zenyatta, then Rachel Alexandra, and now Careless Jewel has thrown her bridle in the ring.
CARELESS JEWEL, owned by the Canadian couple Vern and Donna Dubinsky, scampered away to an 11 length win in the Alabama Stakes on Saturday and the Josie Carroll trainee can now be considered at least a contender for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.
Of course, the almost white Tapit gal won’t likely meet Rachael Alexandra since that superstar, whose Beyer Figures are higher, will not go to the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anota.
But hey, if Careless Jewel makes her final pre-Breeders’ Cup run at Woodbine in the $300,000 SELENE STAKES on SEPTEMBER 16, then she can win champion 3yo filly in Canada and, very likely HORSE OF THE YEAR.
(she must race in Canada one more time to be eligible for the Sovereigns)
But the Selene would be a turn-back to 1 1/16 miles for the gal who cost just $40,000 at the Keeneland sale 2 years ago. It will be interesting to see if the barn turns her back to race her on Polytrack (and the Distaff will be on synthetic dirt), or keep her at the 10 furlong distance of that race. Anyway, Careless Jewel was stunning in her effort – she almost fell down on the first turn and acted up a lot in post parade and behind the gate.
“She’s a very, very good feeling horse, she just wants to go out there and do her job,” said Rob Landry Monday morning to THOROUGHBLOG. “I was trying to get my position on the first turn and I didn’t want to go head and head on the lead but the other horse came down a bit on me.”
For Landry, a longtime leading rider at Woodbine who hit the heights a few years ago when he won the Queen’s Plate on Niigon, this was by far his biggest win south of the border. “To reach a new level at this point in my career, it’s unbelievable.”
Let’s hope she comes back to Woodbine!
FROM DAILY RACING FORM
3-YEAR-OLD BEYER FIGURES THIS YEAR
Horse Track Date Dist Beyer
Rachel Alexandra (f) MTH 02 Aug 1 1/8M 116
This Ones for Phil GP 24 Jan 6F 115
I Want Revenge AQU 07 Mar 1 1/16M 113
Notonthesamepage GP 03 Jan 6F 113
Quality Road GP 28 Feb 1M 113
Warrior’s Reward CD 01 May 7F 113
Munnings BEL 05 Jul 7F 111
Quality Road GP 28 Mar 1 1/8M 111
Rachel Alexandra (f) BEL 27 Jun 1 1/8M 111
Cash Refund CD 25 Apr 6F 110
Munnings BEL 06 Jun 7F 110
Quality Road SAR 03 Aug 6 1/2F 110
Zensational DMR 08 Aug 6F 110
Just Ben BEL 06 Jun 7F 109
Light Green (f) BEL 15 May 6F 109
You Luckie Mann GP 24 Jan 6F 109
Big Drama GP 28 Mar 7F 108
Dunkirk GP 28 Mar 1 1/8M 108
Munnings CD 01 May 7F 108
Rachel Alexandra (f) CD 01 May 1 1/8M 108
Rachel Alexandra (f) PIM 16 May 1 3/16M 108
Elusive Heat (f) GP 29 Jan 6F 107
The Pamplemousse SA 28 Feb 1 1/8M 107
This Ones for Phil GP 28 Mar 7F 107
Careless Jewel (f) SAR 22 Aug 1 1/4M 106
Custom for Carlos MTH 05 Jul 6F 106
Everyday Heroes PIM 16 May 6F 106
Kensei SAR 01 Aug 1 1/8M 106
Mine That Bird PIM 16 May 1 3/16M 106
Musket Man PIM 16 May 1 3/16M 106
Summer Bird MTH 02 Aug 1 1/8M 106
A Jewel of a filly
New names to Saratoga take home Alabama title
By MATT GRAVES, Special to the Times Union
First published in print: Sunday, August 23, 2009
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saturday’s premier stakes races have been kind to some unfamiliar faces so far during the first four weeks of this Saratoga Race Course meeting, and the trend continued in the 129th running of the Alabama.
Careless Jewel, a filly making only her fifth career start, vaulted to the front turning for home and sped off to a stunning 11-length victory over Milwaukee Appeal Saturday as owner, trainer and jockey all posted their first Grade I victories at Saratoga in front of 25,263 fans on a track labeled good.
“It’s the first Grade I we ever ran in and we won it,” said an elated Vern Dubinsky, who along with wife Donna comprises the aptly named Donver Stable. “Can you believe this bleep?” Long shots Bullsbay and Telling had won the Grade I Whitney and Sword Dancer, respectively, on recent Saturdays here.
Jockey Robert Landry gave the 3-year-old daughter of Tapit a perfect ride
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=834184&category=SPORTS
WOODBINE WRAP
It’s August and in Ontario throoughbred racing that usually means it’s the ‘ugly season’. The phrase was used more than a decade ago byhandicappers/reporters to descrive what usually happens in August: small fields and drab racing.
But the fields are always huge at Woodbine these days – right now the ugly season means just a lot of very perplexing winners.
For example, Friday’s card at Woodbine was packed up large fields, super betting races but some weird results and even weirder trips.
Friday wrap:
Things started off normally when the 5-year-old first time starter, PREAKNESS LAUGHER, a Distorted Humor gelding that trainer Mark Casse said was a very unlucky horse not to have raced by now, won at 3 to 5 quite easily in 1:09.81 for an 83 Beyer Figure.
Casse was in the winner’s circle again later with the 2yo filly ATTITUDE INCLUDED, who won her maiden under Corey Fraser. The Mobil filly has a yearling half sister coming up in the CANADIAN THOROUGHBRED HORSE SOCIETY sale on Sept. 8.
Congratulations to trainer GORD COLBOURNE who won his first race ofthe meeting with 45 to 1 shot BEAR’S SWAN, who won for $20K claiming under Emma-Jayne Wilson. The El Corredor filly had been claimed for $20K two races earler.
Bear’s Swam reeled in SIX PACK SAMMY, who was overbet in the race and had a clear lead late under Patrick Husbands but got caught.
The 8th race made little sense. MY PRETTY, a Christopher and Patrick Fung homebred who had shown little in 2 races at the maiden allowance level and was back in at the same class but somehow rallied from the back alongside one of the favourites, Executive Star, could not keep up with that one on the turn, and then angled out to win on the wire. The winner is by Where’s the Ring and is the first foal of the unraced My Beauty, a daughter of the Fungs’ good grey mare Gipsy Moth.
Later, POETIC FAN won her 3rd race in succession and 4th in her last 5 starts at 7 to 1 fore trainer Mike DePaulo.
Poetic Fan is one of 2 four-time winners at Woodbine this season.
Saturday started off bizarre too:
RAGING STAR became the first winner for trainer Nick Nosowenko at the meeting when he led all the way a few paths removed from the rail to win the 6 horse 1st racE at 19 to 1. The Five Star Day gelding had 5 previous races at Woodbine, at four different distances and was blasted or eased in every one.
He ran on Fort Erie dirt last time and was 5th.
The nicely bred filly TEE GAME drove to a nice win in the 2nd race for maiden $50,000 claiming 2yo fillies. An Ontario bred by El Corredor – Steph’s Tee, is owned by Hendrie Stables and trained by Mike Doyle. Sh is ia grey bred by Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings. It was her 4th career start and first for maiden claiming.
Race 3 went to the well bet CLEVER RULES, 2 to 1 in the morning line, and racing off the claim by Abraham Katryan and the In front Enterprises. The chestnut was aggressive on the pace all the way and surged clear then held off KEEP SIX at the finish of the $16,000 claimer for non-winners of 2.
More Saturday and Sunday wrap up comes tomorrow in THOROUGHBLOG!
BEST 3YO COLT IN CANADA?
TOMMY DANZIGGER, WIRE TO WIRE IN CAN, DERBY
3yo High Demand – Freedom Meeting by General Meeting
Breeder: Thomas Newton Bell & Ross John McLeod (BC)
$12,353 Canadian sale yearling TOMMY DANZIGGER led all the way through 1 3/8 miles to take the Canadian Derby on Saturday at Northlands Park in Edmonton, Alberta.
The Ted Smith owned fellow RACED THE DISTANCE IN 2:23 AND EARNED A 95 BEYER FIGURE. He had run a 94 ina previous stakes score.
EDMONTON JOURNAL STORY
EXCERPT: BY DAN BARNES
Don’t ask Ted Smith how many horses he’s owned during more than 30 years in the thoroughbred game, because there have been too many to count.
“Oh God, I have no idea. Ask me how many good ones I’ve had,” he said Saturday.
OK, Ted, how many good ones?
“Two,” he beamed, while standing in the winner’s circle at Northlands Park, still vibrating over his horse Tommy Danzigger’s dominant win in the 80th running of the Canadian Derby.
Tommy Danzigger is most certainly one of them, fresh off Saturday’s triumph and a two-length stakes victory on Aug. 3 in Vancouver.
“This one is going to be hard to beat,” he said.
Remarkably Easy was the other, a winner for Smith in a stakes race at Santa Anita some years ago.
READ THE REST AT: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/Veteran+owner+savours+Derby+triumph/1921601/story.html
TERRY JONES REFLECTS ON THE BIG DAY AT NORTHLANDS IN SLAM
It may be a stretch to suggest it was “The Best Day Of Your Summer” as advertised. But it was the best day in maybe a quarter-century of summers at Northlands Park.
The 80th Canadian Derby was a day to behold and beyond. You could go so far as to say, and I do, that it was a great day in Edmonton sports history.
It was certainly the best Derby day here in at least a couple decades, and was a testimonial to a ridiculously small race management team of Jason Teague, Jonathan Huntington, Sandra Symbaluk and Kevin Behm, who had the guts to go against the flow, to think big, to believe in one of the worst economic recessions of our lifetime that they could return the race to its former glory.
read the rest at: http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Columnists/Jones/2009/08/23/10573756-sun.html
HISTORICAL DERBY DAY CARD STATS:
2008 handle: $1,044,236
2007: $988,787
2006: $844,551
2005: $924,828
2004: $834,633
2003: $723,403
2002: $780,217
2001: $757,303
AND NOW FOR THE WILDEST FINISH OF THE YEAR….
6 HORSES IN A LINE, yours truly needed any one but one of them to win for a PICK, 4, guess which one won?
http://blog.timesunion.com/horseracing/now-thats-a-photo-finish/2800/
DON’T FORGET – the HORSES request your attendance at the LONGRUN GALA on Sept. 25 at the Woodbine Tent.
It’s the splashiest shindig of the year!
Call LongRun now to get tickets…the horses will thank you.
416-675-3993, ext. 3440.
