BREAKING LUCKY, winner of the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie last year, had a 3 furlong workout at Palm Beach Downs, 37.71, on Feb 1 – photo courtesy JANIS MAINE
STEP UP TO THE QUEEN’S PLATE – TICKETS ON SALE!
Tickets for the 157th edition of the Queen’s Plate are now on sale through Ticketmaster.
The 2016 edition of Canada’s celebration of horse racing and the first jewel in Canada’s Triple Crown of Racing, is set for Sunday, July 3 at Woodbine Racetrack.
“The Queen’s Plate is a great slice of Canadiana,” said Paul Lawson, Senior Vice-President of Marketing and Communications. “It’s Canada’s horse race at one of the country’s most picturesque settings and it’s all happening on the Canada Day long weekend. It’s a terrific combo.”
Reserved grandstand seating starts at $30, while a grounds admission ticket, required in 2016, is $15. Pre-launch VIP ticket access has already resulted in some areas being sold out.
Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster via www.QueensPlate.com.
This year, a live performance by a major recording artist will be added to the entertainment lineup. The celebrated headliner, expected to be announced in the coming weeks, will perform after the races.
SPECIAL TO THOROUGHBLOG –
4 MONTH STUDY OF MAIDEN ALLOWANCE RACES, WOODBINE 2015
Thorougblog did a quick study of 4 months of racing at Woodbine last year, April, June and July, to get a picture of the number of maiden special weight races for Ontario sired runners and for open company.
The study does not paint a complete picture since only 3 months were examined, but it does note how many races were run in each category, the number of starters, how much was bet on the race and the amount per race.
Below are the charts I have compiled and much of the addition was done by hand so the numbers of approximate.
APRIL 2015
OSS MSW RACES – 9
OSS MSW RACE STARTERS – 66
STARTERS PER RACE – 7.3
BETTING WPS, EX, TRI, SUPER – 1,153,000
PER RACE WAGERING – 128,000
OPEN MSW RACES – 5
OPEN MSW RACE STARTERS – 35
STARTERS PER RACE – 7
BETTING WPS, EX, TRI, SUPER – 528,000
PER RACE – 105,600
******************************
JUNE 2015
OSS MSW RACES – 18
OSS MSW RACES STARTERS – 163
STARTERS PER RACE – 9
BETTING WPS, EX, TR, SUPER 6,022,00
PER RACE 334,000
OPEN MSW RACES – 10
OPEN MSW STARTERS – 78
STARTERS PER RACE – 7.8
BETTING WPS, EX, TRI, SUPER – 3,239,00
PER RACE $323,900
***********************************
JULY 2015
OSS MSW RACES – 17
OSS MSW STARTERS – 175
BETTING – 6,209,000
PER RACE 365,200
OPEN MSW RACES – 14
OPEN MSW STARTERS – 105
BETTING 4,007,000
PER RACE 286,000
*************************************
NOVEMBER 2015
OSS MSW RACES 20
OSS MSW RACE STARTERS 182
STARTERS PER RACE – 9.1
BETTING 6,100,000
PER RACE – 305,000
OPEN MSW RACES – 12
OPEN MSW RACE STARTERS – 105
STARTERS PER RACE – 8.75
BETTING $3,200,000
PER RACE – 267,000
The first look may indicate that the wagering on the OSS races is consistently higher than the open maiden races, however what was noted is that there were a few more grass races for OSS maidens versus open maidens.
The 2-year-old races in June and July for open company really kept the numbers down in the open category as these races had field sizes in the 4-6 range on many occasions.
The OSS maiden allowances for 3-year-olds and up (a category that will no longer be available in the condition book this year) were often in the 8-10 horse range in field size in the summer but a quick look in the fall shows those numbers shrink. (The occurrence of first time starters at ages 5 and 6 also increases and these horses tend to have little impact on the outcome of the race).
Those Ontario sired maiden allowance races for 3-year-old-up in November (almost 1/3 of all the OSS MSW race) mostly had 1 or 2 entrants at odds of 3-1 or less and others are 50-1 to 100-1. There were many more horses over 100-1 in this fall MSW races for 3yo and up.
Certainly an entire year of statistics would show a more detailed picture but the OSS maiden races do seem to hold their own.
FREE CONTEST – 10WINS10.C0m
(with files from Standardbred Canada)
Hoping to attract ‘millennials’ to the horse racing industry, a prominent horse owner is putting up $10,000 to the first person in his online game who can correctly pick ten horse races in a row.
The game, which is launching on Tuesday, February 2, is called ‘10 Wins 10’ and it allows people play for free.
“10 Wins 10 doesn’t even ask for credit card information. We are a non-gambling site and everyone around the world is invited to play. How’s that Draft Kings and FanDuel!” stated Benson, of J L Benson’s Stable.
The online game picks start February 2 with Wednesday’s fifth race at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fl. Races from other leading horse tracks, including Belmont Park, Santa Anita, Yonkers Raceway, the Meadowlands Racetrack and Woodbine Racetrack, and others, will follow. If players lose a race, their streak goes to zero, but they can start again the next day.
To add interest and racing education, the game includes programs, tutorial instructions, professional handicapper tips, and links to view live racing, results and video replays.
“We need to reach the millennial and make them aware of the new entertainment, social excitement, and fun there is at the tracks,” stated Benson. “We know they’re online and we know they’re looking for fun and excitement, so we’re putting up the prize money and offering this free game.”
Registration is ongoing. The contest will run through Tuesday, March 15. Players have until midnight prior to each race day to make their selections.
“The game is easy to understand and play,” Benson said. “Who wouldn’t take a few minutes to pick the winner of a horse race with the hopes of winning $10,000? No gimmicks, no credit cards. I guess you can say I’m putting my money where my mouth is!”
For more information, visit 10wins10.com.
THURSDAY MORNING – FROSTED READY FOR MAKTOUM CHALLENGE
(Dubai, this morning Toronto time)
STORY BY GEOFFREY RIDDLE – Kiaran McLaughlin does not expect Frosted to experience any difficulty on Meydan’s dirt surface when the US import makes his debut at Dubai in the second round of the Al Maktoum Challenge on Thursday.
The Godolphin colt will line up in the US$250,000 (Dh918,236) event alongside stablemate Elnaawi, both of whom will become the American handler’s first runners at Meydan.
Thursday, Meydan Racecourse, UAE, post time: 8:45 p.m.
AL MAKTOUM CHALLENGE R2-G2, $250,000, NH4yo/up, SH3yo/up, 1900m
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT
1 Munaaser (GB) New Approach (Ire) Hanagan Al Raihe 127
2 Mind That Boy (Ire) Acclamation (GB) Barzalona bin Ghydr 126
3 Elnaawi K Street Sense O’Neill McLaughln 127
4 Gold City (Ire) Pivotal (GB) Mullen Seemar 127
5 Frosted Tapit Buick McLaughln 126
6 Faulkner (GB) Pivotal (GB) Dobbs Watson 127
7 Prayer for Relief K Jump Start Soumillon de Kock 127
8 Special Fighter (Ire) Teofilo (Ire) Jara Al Muhairi 127
9 Layl Street Cry (Ire) Hitchcott Watson 127
AMI’S FLATTER SET FOR FRED HOOPER STAKES – GRADE 3 SATURDAY
Ivan Dalos’ Ami’s Flatter is scheduled to follow up an auspicious recent 2016 debut in Saturday’s $100,000 Fred W. Hooper Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park.
The 4-year-old son of Flatter’s victorious return from a six-month layoff came in an allowance race at Gulfstream Park Jan. 13, but the manner in which he scored by a dominating four lengths ranks among the most outstanding performances of the Championship Meet regardless of race status.
The Josie Carroll trainee pressed the pace of the seven-furlong sprint before powerfully drawing away to victory in a swift 1:21.59 over a ‘good’ track.
“I expected this horse to come back and run well. He had been training exceptionally well,” Carroll said, “but performances like that always surprise you.”
Not that a strong performance was outside his range of ability. The Ontario-bred colt finished second in the Mucho Macho Man and third in the Florida Derby (G1) last season during a 2015 campaign that concluded with two off-the-board finishes over Woodbine’s Polytrack surface, including an eighth-place finish in the $1 million Queen’s Plate on July 5.
“We were on the (Kentucky) Derby trail, but it didn’t look like he was going to peak at the right time to compete with those horses, so we switched focus to the Queen’s Plate,” Carroll said. “By that time, he was tired and had some bruising on the ends of his cannon bones we found out about later. Nothing serious. After two mediocre performances, we took a look at this horse and sent him for a scan. He just wasn’t himself and that’s when we found out about the bruising on the cannon bones.”
Ami’s Flatter returned for his 2016 in peak form under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, who’ll once again be aboard for the somewhat quick turnaround in the Hooper.
“We weren’t sure whether to come back quite this quickly, but he bounced out of the race very well,” Carroll said. “So it seems like this race is the logical race to go in.”
CORRECTION – CANADIAN-BREDS NOMINATED TO US TRIPLE CROWN
Thank you to reader Andrew who pointed out Riker appeared on the Canadian bred list – he’s a Woodbine, Canadian owned and trained fellow but he is a Kentucky-bred, of course.
Thoroughblog regrets the error.
AMIS GIZMO – Ivan Dalo owns this unbeaten colt by Giant Gizmo
ESPOSITO – Ghostzapper colt, American owned
GLEN COCO – Zayat Stables, Reade Baker grey colt looked good at 2
HAMMERS VISION – Terry Hamilton’s Court Vision turf winner
RIKER – Tucci Stables’ top 2yo of 2015 in Canada
SCHOLAR ATHLETE – Einstein colt from West Point Thoroughbreds
SHAKHIMAT – Coronation Futurity winner
THE BIG MO – Uncle Mo owned by Lieblong’s, Tony Dutrow trains
https://www.kentuckyderby.com/uploads/wysiwyg/files/2016/01/u10/NOMS_-_2016_Triple_Crown__Early_.pdf
CPMA ELIMINATION GUIDELINES
2016 booklet – CPMA elimination guidelines
On January 20, 2016, the Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency (CPMA) released a Memorandum to provincial regulatory bodies, horse racing associations and horse
persons groups. The memo announced that the 2016 edition of Elimination Guidelines is now available. This publication replaces all previous editions of the Schedule of Drugs
booklet. Changes are effective March 1, 2016.
REVISIONS TO PENALTY GUIDELINES FOR EQUINE DRUG
The Ontario Racing Commission at its meeting of Friday, December 18, 2015,approved the Revision to Penalty Guidelines for Equine Drug, TCO2, and NonTherapeutic
Drug Offences as follows:
For the purposes of Policy Directive No. 1-2008 Penalty Guidelines for Equine Drug, TCO2, and Non-Therapeutic Drug Offences (the Penalty Guidelines), acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin),
will be considered a Class V drug and furosemide and procaine will be considered Class V drugs upon the receipt of a certificate of positive analysis indicating a prohibited quantitative
level.
http://www.ontarioracingcommission.ca/docs/default-source/default-document-library/2016-directive-no-1—revision-to-penalty-guidleines-with-chart.pdf?sfvrsn=0
OCALA MIXED SALE WRAP UP
JOE GUERRIERI’S JOEY GEE THOROUGHBREDS has been in a shopping frame of mind in the last few weeks. Fresh from collecting a bunch of mares from the Keeneland January sale, the Ontario owner was in action on the first day of the OBS Mixed Sale in Ocala.
Joey Gee purchased MY CHRISTINI, a Flatter mare carrying her first by First Samurai for $19,000 from Kaizen Sales (Richard Kent), agent.
Guerrieri also paid 7,000 for the Silver Deputy mare SILVER BREEZE, a half sister to Cup and Saucer winner Slew’s Saga. The mare is the dam of 2 winners and is in foal to multiple graded stakes winner Alternation, a son of Distorted Humor.
BARBARA MINSHALL has added to her broodmare band with VEGAS BABE, a winning daughter of Bernardini out of multiple stakes winner Very Vegas. The young mare has 2 Macleans Music offspring (2yo and yearling) was bought by Minshall in foal to Sidney’s Sandy (Santa Anita Derby etc.) for $20,000.
(Update: PHOTO BELOW – VEGAS BABE produced a Sidney’s Candy colt 4 days after Minshall purchased the mare. Photo courtesy of Barbara Minshall)
Other Canadian buyers from 2nd session of Ocala sale:
12 F Lo and Behold Concerto – Cutoffs Kelli Mitchell, Agent I Nick Nosowenko 1,700
15 C Distinctively L B With Distinction – Isle of Tunes On The Muscle Racing Wilfred Jones 6,200
13 G Society’s Chairman – Romanced M & M Ventures Forgione Equestrian 42,000
13 F Manos Arriba Big Drama – Showmethegreencard Kim Harrison (Top Speed Farm), Agent X Shelley Brown 7,000
JOIN THE SPORT OF QUEENS RACING CLUB!
Look for an expanded and updated report on the Sport of Queens Racing Club on the www.canadianthoroughbred.com main site soon!
Shares are selling fast in this exciting new venture!
Francine Villeneuve and Amanda Roxborough are well known names in Canadian racing circles and beyond.
The former jockeys who have trained and been involved in the industry with unwavering passion for years have put together an initiative for a racing club that gives people a chance to experience ownership without the significant cost.
Sport of Queens Racing (http://www.sportofqueensracing.com/ is set to launch its first option in which 200 shares will be offered on a horse to be purchased in March at the Ocala Breeders’ Two-Year-Old Sale.
The cost per share is $200 plus a one-time administrative fee of 15% per share. There is a $200 annual fee for operations. For just $430, you can have your first share in a racehorse who will be sent to Ontario to race at Woodbine.
Villeneuve, of course, is certainly a pioneer in the sport in this country, becoming the winningest female rider in Canada upon her retirement in 2012 with 1,001 victories and over 3,000 top three placings in 8,000 mounts. Villeneuve rode competitively with the best not only in Canada but throughout the United States, riding in the Breeders’ Cup and finishing second in the Queen’s Plate in 1991 aboard Wilderness Song.
Villeneuve was awarded the prestigious Avelino Gomez Award in 2004. Now a trainer, Villeneuve is ready to share her experiences in racing with people who have not yet had the chance.
Roxborough also comes from a childhood surrounded by horses, riding from the age of nine and becoming a jockey in 1984. Roxborough rode for the great Canadian trainer Art Warner before setting out as an assistant trainer and then a stakes winning trainer. Roxborough continued to exercise rider horses for top stables throughout the US before a serious injury in 2004 ended her years on horseback.
Roxborough has since gone on to launch her successful Kylar Production company, specializing in television documentaries, advertisements and promitional material for a variety of clients around the world (http://equineinfoexchange.com/index.php/health-education/services/361-international-horsewoman-and-award-winning-producer-amanda-roxborough)
The formation of the Sport of Queens racing club is a dream fulfilled for both Villeneuve and Roxborough who are hoping to promote the sport they love.
“Sport of Queens is geared towards people who have never owned a horse and who love horse racing and want to learn more about it,” said Villeneuve. “The idea is to have members be a part of a club and get an opportunity at something they might never get.”
Shareholders will get to become part of the racehorse ownership experience from every aspect.
“We want members to be able to see their horses train, visit the barn, watch their horse race and get the entire experience,’ said Roxborough. “We plan on having monthly ‘get-togethers’ for members with special guests from throughout North America, trips to farms and a chance to learn everything about the industry.”
Sport of Queens has a Facebook page and will have a full website up and running shortly as the first option, the first horse, is acquired. Those who get into the Sport of Queens racing club in this first option will become Gold Members with a chance at first selection for future horses.
To find out more, check out the Sport of Queens website main page or its Facebook page or contact Amanda at amanda@kylarproductions.com.
MY NAME IS JIM, an Ontario bred by Society’s Chairman, was purchased at the Ocala sale by Mario Forgione’s Forgione Equestrian. The grey 3yo gelding is training at Palm Beach Downs with Reade Baker.
