JOCKEY GETS CAUGHT WITH WRONG WHIP
TORONTO STAR REPORT
On the first night of the new whip rules at Woodbine racetrack, implemented by the Ontario Racing Commission, jockey Chantal Sutherland inadvertently carried the wrong whip to victory in the second race.
Under the new “urging rules”, each rider must carry the kinder ‘cushion crop’, featuring a much softer end of the whip (“popper”) or their horse will be disqualified.
But because none of the three O.R.C. or the paddock judge or clerk of scales noticed Sutherland carrying the old whip, Sutherland’s mount, favoured Sans Sousi, was declared the winner of the $66,800 allowance race for betting purposes.
“We were made aware of it by a couple of other trainers after the race,” said steward Bill McMahon. “I am shocked that this happened, we are not happy about it.”
McMahon said there will be a hearing into the matter on (FRIDAY) to determine if Sans Sousi, owned by Thor Eaton’s Eaton Hall Farm, will be disqualified post-race and lose the $40,080 winner’s share.
“I realized my mistake on the way to the gate,” said Sutherland. “The gate crew gave me another whip that they had there but it was not a cushion crop either.”
Sutherland, the second-leading rider at Woodbine, said she accepts full responsibility.
“It was totally my fault, I forgot,” said Sutherland. ‘I apologized to everyone. I hope they don’t disqualify the filly.”
WEDNESDAY NIGHT
FIFTY PROOF, the cleverly named Whiskey Wisdom chestnut gelding, owned by Kinghaven Farms, John Fielding and Ben Hutzel won his maiden in only his second career start in last night’s first race, a 9 furlong maiden allowance on the turf.
UPDATE – You can bid on FIFTY PROOF’s half brother by KAFWAIN in the yearling sale next week – hip no. 439.
Justin Stein rode the 3yo who beat a pairing from trainer Sue Leslie – Hat Trick Kid and I’m a Little Fish.
FREE TO FLY won again and has been part of a super year for veteran trainer John Cardella. The Horse Chestnut gelding rallied late and wide as he likes to do to win for $12,500 despite trailing fractions of 25 and change and 50 and change.
ANDERSON FARMS and CECIL SILVERA won race 4 with DRUMBLARE, who battled on the pace all the way under Todd Kabel and won the maiden $25K race by a tiny nose over a closing AHOLENEWBALLGAME. The 5 furlongs was raced in 58.39.
Heis a 3yo by Smart Strike out of Marimba Belle by Nureyev.
SIX PACK SAMMY, a lovely, white faced bay gal, won a 7 furlong race for $16,000 for George Farr and trainer Scott Fairlie in the nextrace. The well bred Yonaguska Ontario-bred has been traded about this season but was not claimed last night. Her 1/2 sister by BELLAMY ROAD is hip no. 3 in the select sale on Tuesday.
Owner/trainer AUDRE CAPPUCCITTI had a big night with back-to-back wins with recent claim BEARURSA who was claimed last night for $25K, and MOREISEELESSIKNOW, a 17 to 1 shot who rallied around to win the race for $12,500.
And hours after SANS SOUSI scored the controversial win in race 2, EATON HALL FARMS’ won again, with the maiden filly EMBLA for $16,00 claiming. The Mike Doyle barn was 1st and 3rd in the race.
Embla is a grey Deputy Commander filly.
LOTS OF NEW STUFF IN EQUIBASE CHARTS
Go to www.equibase.com and its results charts have been beefed up a la Daily Racing Form, with recent races, running line previews in order of horse number and other details.
Also EQUIBASE offers FREE HISTORICAL CHARTS back to 1999 for every track – a serious bonus for the ace racing fans.
RACHEL ON TRACK FOR WOODWARD
RACHEL ALEXANDRA – trying to do the unthinkable. Sarah K. Andrew photo.
by Jenny Kellner
NYRA WEBSITE
What a gal!
She’s soundly beaten the boys (twice), completely overwhelmed her peers, and Saturday at Saratoga Race Course, 3-year-old Rachel Alexandra lines up against the older fellas for the first time as she looks to re-write racing history yet again and stake her claim to Horse of the Year honors in the Grade 1, $750,000 Woodward Stakes.
The Brooklyn Bridge had only been open a few years and Grover Cleveland was president of the United States when Lady Primrose won the 1887 Manhattan, then a 1¼-mile race on dirt, as the last 3-year-old filly to beat older males in a Grade 1 dirt route race in New York.
“We want to prove she’s a great horse, one for the history books,” said Barbara Banke, wife of Stonestreet Stable’s Jess Jackson. “We pointed her to this race to tackle history.”
Only a handful of fillies and mares have even competed in the 1 1/8th mile Woodward, which will be run for the 56th time Saturday as the 10th race on a stellar 12-race card that also features the 30th running of the Grade 1, $300,000 Forego at seven furlongs. The only other 3-year-old filly to run in the race was Summer Guest, who finished second but was disqualified to third in the 1972 edition.
“She was entered off her talent, not her age,” said assistant trainer Scott Blasi of Rachel Alexandra, who beat 3-year-old colts in the Preakness and Haskell Invitational and in between ran off to a 19¼-length win over fillies in the Grade 1 Mother Goose at Belmont Park. “For all of us involved, this was kind of a new frontier, and the timing was good into this race.”
With Saratoga’s gates opening at 7 a.m.
http://www.nyra.com/saratoga/stories/WoodwardStakesAdv.shtml
DAYLIGHT COMES – WOODBINE MILE NEWS
He’s won 9 of 14 races in Barbados and took the Gold Cup this spring. Now DAYLIGHT EXPRESS, as reported by DAILY RACING FORM and NATION NEWS, is ready to try Woodbine.
The task is never as easy one for these Gold Cup guys. BLAST OF STORM won three GOLD CUPS in succession in the early 2000’s but was outrun in the 2001 Woodbine (Atto Mile).
This is what it looks like when DAYLIGHT EXPRESS wins in Barbados, Geared down. PHOTO BY JUNIOR FRANKLYN, courtesy Barbados Turf Club.
Barbadian colt to give Mile a shot
By Bill Tallon
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Daylight Express, who has been knocking them dead in Barbados, checked in last weekend with an eye toward the Sept. 20 Woodbine Mile.
A Virginia-bred 4-year-old colt who is owned by Lord Michael Taylor and trained by Robert Peirce, Daylight Express has won four of his five races over the Garrison Savannah turf course this year, with the latest a 3 1/2-length romp over about one mile under his regular rider, Andy Ward.
The streak began in the Barbados Gold Cup, one of the country’s most prestigious races, on March 7.
“He’s been winning his races so, so easily,” said Peirce, who is overseeing Daylight Express’s preparation here along with Ward and groom Ivan Greenidge. “When he swings for home he’s 10 to 12 lengths in front, looking around and pulling up.”
Pierce, 35, has roots that go deep in Barbados racing, as his father, T.A. Peirce, and grandfather, T.N. Peirce, were both high-ranking administrators in the Barbados Turf Club
