JOHN CALHOUN
Woodbine’s close community lost a dedicated horseman on Monday when JOHN CALHOUN passed away. John not only owned and bred and trained horses for decades, starting more than 3,000 horses, but his own family lines have given horse racing some wonderful horsepeople.
Calhoun’s recognizable pink and white silks were seen frequently during any racing week at Woodbine. He has had many good runners – JAMMED PRINCE won the Autumn Stakes – and he had lots of winners from his own mares, doing well with small numbers.
You have to go back to the mare JAMITO, by Mito, to get to the heart of the John Calhoun breeding line. This mare, born in 1967, produced the aforementioned Jammed Prince, plus Jammed Flight, a stakes winner, Jammed Gold, a multiple winner and Jammed Vixen, another producer for John.
Jammed Vixen (1987 by Red Ryder) produced $200,00 earner Jubalani. Her daughter Vixen Road produced Vixen Star, the dam of current multiple winner Flaring Star as well as Barbasgo.
His last winner was BARBASGO (Old Forester – Vixen Star) in the fall of 2013, his final year of training.
Of course, John is grandfather to jockey Tyler Pizarro, whose father Jorge Pizarro was a jockey and married to Donna, John’s daughter. KERRI DUGGAN, an accomplished horsewoman, is a granddaughter of John.
On a personal note, my first experience with John Calhoun came in the 1980s when, as an excited new horseowner, claimed my first horse in partnership. For $8,000 (yes, my Dad was horrified) my friend an I claimed the dark bay gelding JOE DEUCE, who just happened to be from the John Calhoun barn. Little did I know at the time is that the family not only took great care of their horses but cherished them and I was hearing that they were not too happy I claimed Joe from them. We ran him back (for $10,000 I think) and the family claimed him right back.
From then on (I think it was 1987 or ’88) trying to catch one of those super John Calhoun longshot winners as a handicapper was an almost impossible task for myself so he certainly had the last laugh!
Condolences to everyone in the Calhoun family.
Career Statistics:
Starts: 3,069
Firsts: 235
Seconds: 339
Thirds: 371
Earnings: $4,459,187
IT’S SALE DAY!
The March Ocala 2-year-old sale begins at 11 a.m. and there are plenty of Canadians in town to take a look at new prospects.
The Ontario-breds in the sale are listed below.
57 10.0 C Gemologist Kick’em Jenny Ontario de Meric Sales, Agent for Golden Legacy Stables 12
145 10.0 F Into Mischief Narrate Ontario Niall Brennan Stables, Agent IV 8
213 out C Candy Ride (ARG) Roan Inish Ontario Hidden Brook, Agent II 9
399 10.1 C Super Saver American Armada Ontario Niall Brennan Stables, Agent I 8
481 10.2 C Tiznow Cotton Bay Ontario Secure Investments 9
528 10.3 F Court Vision Druidess Ontario Wavertree Stables, Inc. (Ciaran Dunne), Agent I
Frost Giant, Twirling Candy fillies quickest at March Under Tack Show’s final sesson
Fillies by Frost Giant and Twirling Candy worked quarters in :20 2/5 to share honors for the fastest work at the distance at the third and final session of the Under Tack Show for the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s 2016 March Sale of Two Year Olds in Training. Hip No. 532, cialis consigned by Dormellito Stud Sales, is a dark bay or brown filly by Frost Giant out of Easy Erin, by Johannesburg, a daughter of graded stakes winner Dancin Renee. Hip No. 558, a dark bay or brown filly by Twirling Candy consigned by de Meric Sales, Agent, is out of Felicitee, by Menifee, a half sister to graded stakes placed Mazella.
Three youngsters worked quarters in :20 3/5. Hip No. 435, a bay colt by Tapizar consigned by Thoroughbred Champions Training Center LLC, Agent, is out of Black Chocolate, buy cialis by Harlan’s Holiday, a half sister to graded stakes winner Sharp Impact. Hip No. 460, now named Starstruck Kitten, a full brother to Breeders’ Cup winner Bobby’s Kitten, is a bay colt by Kitten’s Joy out of Celestial Woods, by Forestry, consigned by Eddie Woods, Agent. Hip No. 585, consigned by All Dreams Equine, Agent, is a bay filly by After Market out of Garden of Eden, by Curlin, a half sister to graded winners Millenary and Head in the Clouds.
A pair of colts turned in the session’s fastest eighth, stopping the timer in :9 3/5. Hip No. 449, consigned by Halcyon Hammock Farm, Agent, is a bay colt by City Zip out of Cap’s Legacy, by Stroll, a daughter of stakes winner In My Cap. Hip No. 606, a chestnut colt by Kantharos consigned by de Meric Sales, Agent, is out of Gracious Assault, by Glitterman, a full sister to graded stakes placed Glitman.
Watch the sale at
http://www.obssales.com/index.php
HANDICAPPING NOT JUST ABOUT THE HORSES
DRF FEATURE – MIKE WATCHMAKER – STRANGE RIDES
The saying at the track when one is handicapping a race often includes the words, “on paper”. When one looked at the Tampa Bay Derby horses last Saturday in the Daily Racing Form, it appeared to be a race full of speed, at least on paper.
Of course, it doesn’t always happen that way and handicapping horses also means handicapping trainer intent and jockey instructions or style.
Sure it is frustrating when you expect something to happen with the shape of a race and then it does not, but occasionally it might be possible to read between the lones.
MIKE WATCHMAKER in DRF wrote a piece this week about some of the big stakes races on the weekend and his opinion on the race set-ups.
The Tampa Bay Bay Derby sure was odd as the pace was actually slow but it really was not that surprising.
Horses getting ready for something like the Kentucky Derby may have their styles altered as trainers experiment race by race. AWESOME BANNER is a prime example. He had just run like a maniac on the lead in the Fountain of Youth Stakes and by reading the after-race comments of his trainer, Stanley Gold, you could tell that the colt probably would try something different in his next 2-turn race…
http://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/awesome-banner-to-tampa-bay-derby/
There was likely no way that colt was going to be sent hard to go to the lead if Gold saw that horses like Riker, etc. were front runners.
So Awesome Banner was allowed to settle, to see if he could rate and go a distance. Riker, coming off a layoff, track the speed and was also allowed to run easily in the beginning: it is his first race off the layoff and they want to see if they have a Derby horse so he won’t be sending.
So, the pace was slow and the leader, Outwork, ran a huge race. Take this with you the next time you handicap these horses and take note. (Awesome Banner is a sprinter it seems and Riker, well, he has something to prove at the distance and the level as well)
here is the DRF column
from DRF…
The following, which has been addressed in this space before, is not jockey bashing. However, when jockeys alter the established running styles of horses, whether in concert with the connections they ride for or on their own, it has repercussions on the game that are far deeper than many might realize.
This is something that horseplayers encounter every single day – unfortunately – and is an endless source of frustration. But there were three examples of this in big stakes races on Saturday, and these examples present a good opportunity to explain to a perhaps more casual fan why this is such a big deal.
http://www.drf.com/news/watchmaker-strange-rides-several-major-stakes
