QUEEN’S PLATE WEEK – Post position draw tomorrow morning – ! ONLINE AT WOODBINE’S WEBSITE!
Special guest – INGLORIOUS, recently retired Queen’s Plate champion!
The field is almost set for the 154th Queen’s Plate.. waiting on the status of longshot RACKMAN, who recently won his maiden in a dead-heat. The field is seeking some speed and Rackman may be able to help in that respect.
Meanwhile, the workouts are now on video at Woodbine’s website – what did you think?
http://www.woodbineentertainment.com/Woodbine/RaceTrackNewsPage.aspx?NewsId=941b7c70-b3a9-4124-8f01-1da396ac0221
COUNTY LINEMAN/Ginger Punch Racing/Mark Frostad/Alex Solis
*Bred by Gail Wood, he was a $30,000 yearling purchase by Ginger Punch Racing syndicate, He is a 2-time winner who ran a top 67 Beyer last time.
DYNAMIC SKY/John Oxley/Mark Casse/Joel Rosario
*Bred by the now defunct AROSA FARMS, he was a $25,000 yearling and he is 3 for 10 with a pair of 85 Beyers in last 2 starts.
HIS RACE TO WIN/Sam-Son Farms/Malcolm Pierce/John Velazquez
*Led late in the Plate Trial (would love to see blinkers off!) and posted new top of 85 Beyer. A homebred and one of 2 y Stormy Atlantic.
JAGGER M/Gabe Grossberg/Mark Casse/Shaun Bridgmohan
*Bred by Arika Ervatt Meeuse and her parents Janeane and James Everatt in St. Thomas. He peaked with an 87 in the Queenston and then regressed to a 77 Beyer in the Trial.
KAIGUN/Quintessential Racing, G. Barber, Horse’n Around/Mark Casse/Justin Stein
*Maiden winner ran an 81 when he won by a 76 in the Trial. He was bred by William Sorokolit and was a $37,000 yearling.
MIDNIGHT ARIA/Tucci Stables/Nick Gonzalez/Jesse Campbell
*He was bred by Yvonne Schwabe and was an $80,000 yearling purchase in Kentucky. He was then claimed by Tucci Stables for $35,000 in Florida. Has an 83 and 82 Beyer in last 2 races.
NIPISSING/Chiefswood Stable/Rachel Halden/Steve Bahen
*Homebred is from the late sire Niigon and late dam Kiche but she has an 88 Beyer from her Oaks win.
PYRITE MOUNTAIN/Awesome Again Racing/Mark Frostad/Luis Contreras
*$50,000 yearling purchase by Awesome Again Partnership and bred by Sean Hall who claimed the mare for $12,500.
RIVER SEVEN/Tucci Stables/Nick Gonzalez/Todd Kabel
*Bred by Bill Graham, he was a $60,000 2yo purchase and has an 84 and then a 74 last time when he fell at the start of the Trial
SPRING IN THE AIR/John Oxley/Mark Casse/Gary Boulanger
*Bred by WinStar Farms and foaled at Anderson Farms, she was a $130,000 2yo purchase and she has a pair od 87′s in her last 2 races.
UP WITH THE BIRDS/Sam-Son Farms/Malcolm Pierce/Eurico Rosa da Silva
*Homebred has a 90 Beyer and before that, an 88. He is a neck away from winning his last 5 races.
UP WITH THE BIRDS (named for a Coldplay song) – and his last race – the Marine Stakes
What a better way to spread the love of the Queen’s Plate than to talk about some of the bread and butter horses who are the heart of the racing circuit.
Yesterday at Fort Erie, stakes winner MICHAEL’S BAD BOY, who raced for Joan Agro in years past, was down to the $4,000 claiming level and he was beaten almost 20 lengths. The 14-time winner of $560,000 was claimed by Martha Gonzalez and Nick Gonzalez, who used to train for Agro. The Steady Growth Stakes winner has certainly been a fan favourite for the last few years.
Michael’s Bad Boy – 14 wins
J J FOR DAVE has been retired..the Whiskey Wisdom gelding won 4 of 26 starts and $314,000 for J and J Stables and he was trained by Ian Black.
Here is to the memory of DISFUNCTION, a takes winner in Ontario who had been living the life of retirement with Uli Paulischta.
Uli recently wrote Thoroughblog:
He set a new track record when he won the Vigil Stakes in 2008.
‘Watson’ was a very special horse. An incredible athlete, so smart, willing and kind. He was owned by a very nice couple and ‘had it made’. He was training to be a hunter/jumper.
He colicked severely (June 13) , was taken to MEH but ended up having to be euthanized.
He will be missed, very much indeed.
RIP Watson.
Tracks forced to refocus on racing?
Ontario is forcing the racing industry to learn to stand on its own
By Bill Finley | Special to ESPN.com
For the many years that the slot money was pouring in the Ontario racing industry held itself up as one of the major success stories in the sport. The thoroughbreds at Woodbine and Fort Erie and the standardbreds that competed at the 16 tracks spread across the province ran for big money and the breeders were pumping out horses by the thousands to fill the many racing cards.
But, underneath the fat purses, something was wrong. The sport had veered off the tracks, so infatuated with the slots that racing and racing fans had become a necessary annoyance. Its soul had gone missing, its very existence dependent not on its core product but on a government-run slots program that many politicians saw as a handout to a failing business.
http://espn.go.com/horse-racing/story/_/id/9444706/ontario-tracks-forced-refocus-horse-racing
Did you catch the name of that jet?
Yep, his name was DELEGATION and he posted the 6th fastest BEYER FIGURE for an older horse over 1 mile in North America in 2013. His 9 1/4 length win in the DOMINION DAY HANDICAP – GRADE 3 was a huge, monster run, the biggest at Woodbine all season.
No racing tonight (because we raced on Monday) and the big weekend kicks off Friday with 100 entrants for 9 races.
DELEGATION – Pacfici Classic next at Del Mar or a race between?
Michael Burns photo
TOP BEYERS 2013, OLDER HORSES >1 MILE
Game On Dude SA 02 Mar 1 1/4M 117
Game On Dude SA 03 Feb 1 1/8M 116
Fort Larned CD 15 Jun 1 1/8M 115
Ron the Greek GP 19 Jan 1 1/8M 115
Dreaming of Julia (f) GP 30 Mar 1 1/8M 114
Delegation (A) WO 01 Jul 1 1/4M 110
Graydar GP 09 Feb 1 1/8M 109
Take Charge Indy CD 03 May 1 1/16M 109
Cyber Secret OP 13 Apr 1 1/8M 108
Joyful Victory (f) SA 16 Mar 1 1/8M 108
Manando (A) BHP 03 May 1 1/16M 108
