HAPPY FRIDAY! and, sounding like a skipping CD, more snow tomorrow, like the snowbanks are not high enough already!
Puzzles today – SQUARE EDDIE? EQUIBASE CHART CALLER? ALBERTA?
LAST DAY FOR SOVEREIGN AWARD VOTING TOO!!
Dave Landry photo
THOROUGHBLOG CRUSHES!
In 2010, Thoroughblog attracted some 53,000 UNIQUE VIEWERS! GET ON BOARD, ADVERTISE ON THOROUGBLOG OR JOIN CANADIAN THOROUGHBRED, IT’S OUR 50TH ANNIVERSARY!!
Think of the folks who will see your ad!
MORE KEENELAND BUYS… BY CANADIANS
Shannondoe, Josham and Ivan Dalos (Tall Oaks) in action
Hip Description Purchaser Price
0727 B.M. Falling Snow Spring Farm 1,000
Keith Lancaster, Agent
0728 CH.M. Famous Story Tall Oaks Farm 22,000
Bluewater Sales LLC, Agent XC
0749 DB/BR.F. Lion Heart — Ghost Bell Tall Oaks Farm 11,500
Taylor Made Sales Agency, Agent LXXIX
0757 DB/BR.M. Got Smarts J.A. Everatt-Meeuse 3,000
Denali Stud (Craig and Holly Bandoroff), Agent XVI
0795 CH.M. Lochrea J.A. Everatt 1,000
Bluewater Sales LLC, Agent LX
0808 CH.C. Street Boss — Merit Josham Farms Limited, Agent 43,000
Baccari Bloodstock, Agent III
0809 DB/BR.F. Mettled Ardell Sayler 2,250
Denali Stud (Craig and Holly Bandoroff), Agent X
0897 GR/RO.M. Silver Chieftress J.A. Everatt 6,500
Hill ‘n’ Dale Sales Agency, Agent
0921 B.M. Staid Ron Clarkson 35,000
Sienna Farm LLC
0973 B.M. Wendy’s On to Me Josham Farms Limited, Agent 34,000
Taylor Made Sales Agency, Agent VIII
1033 DB/BR.F. Badge of Silver — Champagne Punch Clayton Gray, Agent 3,700
Elkview Farm, Agent
1087 B.C. Aptitude — Horah Clayton Gray, Agent 5,000
Shawhan Place LLC, Agent for Theodore Kuster
1095 DB/BR.C. Repent — Steve’s Lil Girl Clayton Gray, Agent 6,500
Darby Dan Farm, Agent XII
1099 B.C. Quest — Executricker Martin Drexler 5,500
Shawhan Place LLC, Agent for Theodore Kuster
1101 DB/BR.C. Horse Greeley — Fancy Drinks Cal Britton 2,200
Elm Tree Farm LLC (Mr.and Mrs. Jody Huckabay)
1103 CH.C. English Channel — Favored One Bernard McCormack, Agent 1,200
Cara Bloodstock (Bernard McCormack), Agent I
1128 B.F. Goody Two Shoes Clayton Gray, Agent 11,000
Gainesway, Agent for Bentley L. Smith Revocable Trust
1135 B.F. Hannah Sue Jennifer Leuty 1,200
Ashview Farm LLC (Mr. and Mrs. Wayne G. Lyster III), Agent
1142 DB/BR.F. Harlington — Heliotrope Bernard McCormack, Agent 4,000
Cara Bloodstock (Bernard McCormack), Agent I
1452 B.G. Pierre Lapin Clayton Gray, Agent 6,500
Bluegrass Thor. Services, Inc. (J. Stuart), Agent for FoxRidge Farm
SHAPE OF THINGS – NOT GOOD
Canadian-bred comes back from breeding 30+ mares and injuries
Square Eddie returns from retirement, injury at Santa Anita
By Steve Andersen
.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Square Eddie, winner of the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity in 2008 but a horse plagued by injuries and setbacks for the last two years, comes out of retirement after an 11-month layoff in an optional claimer over 6 1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita on Friday.
Despite the gap between races, and Square Eddie’s seven-race losing streak dating to the Breeders’ Futurity, trainer Doug O’Neill is highly confident about the 5-year-old’s chances.
“He’s ready to win,” O’Neill said. “His times are solid, and he’s bouncing out of his works.”
Square Eddie has not started since finishing sixth in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes in December 2009, when he was plagued by a breathing disorder, owner Paul Reddam said last year. Last February, while being prepared for the Strub Stakes, Square Eddie was diagnosed with a suspensory injury that led to his retirement to stud.
CANADIAN STUFF
OILTON, a son of Mobil – Valid’s Best Lady, bred by Bernard and Karen McCormack, won his maiden by 15 lengths yesterday at Charles Town in a maiden allowance. Owned by Richard Butts, the gelding won the 1 1/16 mile race under a rand rde.
JOHN AND SHARON SIMMS won the 1st race at Tampa Bay yesterday with KEY POSITION, an Ontario bred by Tomahawk – Curiosity, bred by Joe Stritzl. The filly was winning her maiden for $8,000 claiming.
Gainesway Thoroughbreds’ homebred AUSSI AUSTIN won his maiden at 1 mile on the grass WEDNESDAY at Gulfstream and was subsequently claimed for $35,000.
The son of Forestry (same sire as Old Forester) was one of the favourites and was trained by Mark Casse.
It was a better result for Casse who had to watch stakes calibre BARRACKS ROAD get cooked in a speed duel in an allowance race the event before and finish 3 lengths back and on the edges.
YOU’RE KIDDING, RIGHT?
RACE 3 at CHARLES TOWN yesterday – CONQUISTADOR’S CAT, owned and trained by Scooter Davis, broke down in a $5,000 claiming race and according to EQUIBASE chart the horse was “euphanized”
Hope that was just a really bad typo….
IT’S CARNIVAL TIME!
from guaradian.co.uk
Mike De Kock the man to follow as Dubai racing carnival gets under way
South African trainer should have plenty of winners in the lead up to this year’s World Cup
* Laura King
British trainers will once again be well represented when the Dubai International racing carnival, which culminates in the Dubai World Cup in March, kicks off tonight. However, with the local handlers having the benefit of home advantage and the big international yards of Godolphin and Mike De Kock already sending out warning signals, it won’t be easy for the raiders to get on the score sheet.
Realistically, only horses rated over 100 are guaranteed a run and as such it is shaping up to be a fascinating 10 weeks of racing, held for the second time at Meydan. The turf track opens for the first time this year tomorrow and is expected to be on the firm side of good, while the Tapeta all-weather surface has been riding fast in recent weeks. Only a handful of horses have made all, but
even fewer have come from way off the pace, so it pays to support horses with the ability to sit up with the speed.
MENDIP WINS YESTERDAY’S ROUND 1 – “EASILY”
Thursday, Meydan, Dubai, post time:1:15 p.m.
AL MAKTOUM CHALLENGE-R1-G3, $200,000, 4yo/up,
1600m (AWT)
SC PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER
1 1 Mendip Harlan’s Holiday Dettori bin Suroor
2 2 Fencing Master (GB) Oratorio (Ire) Moore H Brown
3 3 Mr Brock (SAf) Fort Wood Shea de Kock
4 9 Colonial (Ire) Cape Cross (Ire) Durcan bin Suroor
5 5 King of Rome (Ire) Montjeu (Ire) Dobbs de Kock
6 6 My Indy (Arg) Indygo Shiner Cosgrove bin Shafya
7 7 Frozen Power (Ire) Oasis Dream (Ire) Ffrench Al Zarooni
8 8 Win For Sure (Ger) Stravinsky Benoist Nakkachdji
9 9 Mac Love (GB) Cape Cross (Ire) Fenton Higgins
10 10 Imbongi (SAf) Russian Revival Soumillon de Kock
11 11 Green Coast (Ire) Green Desert O’Shea Watson
12 12 Sea Lord (Ire) Cape Cross (Ire) Mullen Al Zarooni
13 13 Storm Ultralight (Arg) Bernstein Ajtebi Al Zarooni
14 14 Mabait (GB) Kyllachy (GB) Fallon Cumani
Reserves:
15 Third Set (Ire) Royal Applause (Ire) N/A Mohammed
16 Derbaas Seeking the Gold N/A Al Raihe
17 Hot Six (Brz) Burooj (GB) N/A Martins
18 Reynaldothewizard Speightstown N/A Seemar
All carry 125 pounds.
CANADIAN-BRED RIDES ON
D’wild Ride Earned Her Way Back into Sugar Swirl
D’wild Ride finished an uncharacteristic sixth in last year’s Sugar Swirl (G3) over a sloppy Gulfstream Park oval, but trainer Joe Orseno believes the 6-year-old mare with more than a half-million in career winnings has earned another shot at the $100,000 six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares.
“She’s doing great. She’s been so honest for us, we felt she deserved a shot with graded company and let her step up to the plate,” Orseno said. “She takes her race out there every time. We’ve never been disappointed with her. We found out that an off track is not her best track, but other than that she tries every time. It’s a graded stake, and we have to give her a chance.”
D’wild Ride, who has won 11 of 31 starts and has finished first or second 17 times, won two of her last three starts, including a $110,000 allowance and a $75,000 stakes at Parx Racing.
“This year, she’s holding her weight really well. She’s actually filled out over the year with age,” Orseno said. “She’s not really a nervous type filly, but she seems to have really settled in. We hope to have a good year with her and start the year off right.”
Saturday, Gulfstream Park, post time: 4:52 p.m. EST
SUGAR SWIRL S.-GIII, $100,000, 4yo/up, f/m, 6f
PP Horse Sire Jockey Trainer Wt
1 D’wild Ride K D’wildcat Lopez Orseno 119
2 Landing My Way Southern Image Velazquez Plesa Jr. 117
3 Jessica Is Back Put It Back Trujillo Wolfson 123
4 Moontune Missy K Forest Wildcat Prado Quast 117
5 Noisy Feet K Tapit Solis Proctor 117
6 Tar Heel Mom Flatter Garcia Hough 123
7 Ms Vanenzza K Successful Appeal Maragh Vazquez 117
8 Bronx City Girl K Yankee Gentleman Leparoux Wolfson 117
9 J Z Warrior K Harlan’s Holiday Lezcano Matz 117
10 Hilda’s Passion K Canadian Frontier Castellano Pletcher 123
SANTA ANITA, MORE WOES
“the sport would not survive without the horse owners, but the owners need to recognize there would be no horse racing without the bettors. It’s a two-way street, fellas.” – Art Wilson
Read more: http://www.sgvtribune.com/sports/ci_17092476#ixzz1B0ibYhy6
Bickering has left Santa Anita stumbling
By Art Wilson, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/13/2011 11:09:09 PM PST
That dream season Santa Anita was envisioning this winter after installing its new dirt main track and advertising a 25 percent increase in purses is off to less than a rip-roaring start.
The overall handle is down about 17 percent and field sizes, which were supposed to increase with the larger purses, are still ridiculously low.
To be fair, we’re only 12 days into a 76-day meet and hopefully the situation will improve, but that might be expecting too much when you examine the whole picture.
Why is handle down so much?
Depends on whom you ask.
The bad weather that has blanketed much of the country the past few weeks undoubtedly is a contributing factor, cutting into the out-of-state betting figures.
Another possible reason is an ongoing horse players’ boycott of California racing because of a new bill that increased the takeout on exotic bets as much as 3 percent and has many bettors keeping their wallets in their pockets.
“We don’t want to boycott,” said Roger Way, California representative of the Horseplayers Association of North America. “We don’t want to harm California racing permanently. We don’t want to harm the little guy who works at the track, or the tellers or anything.
Read more: http://www.sgvtribune.com/sports/ci_17092476#ixzz1B0iLJEyd
IN ALBERTA…
Northlands, Alberta horsemen’s association head to arbitration over schedule
By Curtis Stock, edmontonjournal.com
EDMONTON — Northlands and the thoroughbred horsemen’s association of Alberta are headed to arbitration following a Northlands announcement this week outlining their racing schedule for 2011.
In 2009, thoroughbred horsemen signed a three-year contract with Northlands calling for 100 days of racing which would take them into October.
However, the Northlands release only shows 82 days and no racing in October — the meet, in fact, ending on Sept. 24 after beginning on May 6.
“There is an arbitration clause in our contract,” said Mat Monaco, executive director of the thoroughbred Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA).
