ANY PALADIN IS A PAL OF MINE
Paladin Bay and My Conquestadory battled to the wire in the Grade 3 Selene Stakes. It has been 9 years since the Selene winner has come back to win the Oaks. MICHAEL BURNS/WEG PHOTO
PALADIN BAY stamped herself the early favourite for the WOODBINE OAKS on June 8 with a head-bob win in the 1 1/16 mile selene at Woodbine on Sunday. The racy bay, white striped gal by Sligo Bay (Ire) continued the remarkable story of a young couple took a chance with the little money they had (and some help from a friend) to buy a $10,000 yearling from a young woman who similarly passionate about horses and bred this taleneted filly.
The Selene was supposed to be the coming out party for Grade 1 winner My Conquestadory, the Alcibiades, Summer Stakes winner who was 4th in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies turf last fall.
It took a while for My Conquestadory to get back to action but she sure looked the part at 2 to 5 on Sunday. Under Eurico da Silva, My Conquestadory loped on the lead and led her three rivals by a short margin to the last turn. When idnight Bliss made a quick, early move on the turn, the pressure went up and Da Silva gave her a cue to go and she coasted clear into the stretch.
Meanhile Gerry Olguin was sitting chilly on Paladin Bay on the rail and tipped his tough filly out for a bid at the favourite. Da Silva and the filly looked like they had something left but once the challenge was on, it was too hard for her to make a re-bid and the win came down to a photo.
Harold and Jessie Ladouceur are the owners and Erick Rusnak is the breeder of this filly. Their story was well documented here:
https://canadianthoroughbred.com/thoroughblog/stories/
Not only did Paladin Bay pick up the winner’s share of $90,000, but she also reaped an additional bonanza, since, as an Ontario-bred, she earns 20% of the winner’s share plus an additional 40% for being an Ontario-sired product, by Sligo Bay out of Stormin Wife. The race purse was initially $150,000. That brought her total take for the race to $144,000, some of which is donated to the Racetrack Chaplaincy on the Woodbine backstretch by the Ladouceurs.
Paladin Bay enjoyed a banner juvenile campaign, winning three of her nine outings, including the prestigious Princess Elizabeth Stakes and the Ontario Lassie over arch-rival Lexie Lou. She banked $378,500 for the year, and was a close runner-up in balloting to Ria Antonia for a Sovereign Award as Canada’s top two-year-old filly.
“She’s so sweet,” said Olguin. “She’s got a beautiful stride and she just loves to win. I just leave her alone, give her her head. I didn’t want to go with that horse (My Conquestadory) for more than an eighth of a mile. I knew she’d be tough to pass. So I kind of wanted to get her right at the end and I got lucky. It worked out.”
Olguin has been aboard for all 11 career starts. “She’s just a beautiful animal and the owners are beautiful people.”
“It’s unbelievably exciting,” said trainer Ladouceur. “It’s so awesome. I don’t really know what to say at times like this. I’m just happy, really really happy. We’re not scared to do that (donate a portion of her earnings). We’re blessed. It makes me feel good.”
TOP 10 WOODBINE OAKS CANDIDATES
www.horse-races.net
1. PALADIN BAY
2. HOT AND SPICY
3. WILD CATOMINE
4. LEXIE LOU
5. LLARNMON
6. UNSPURNED
7. COOL FAITH
8. SPLASHY GIZMO
9., GDANSK
10. NEESA
More WOODBINE SUNDAY
Race 1- REEL GOOD MOVIE worked hard on the pace and held on to win her local debut for JOhn Pastorek and trainer John Simms. Simms won 2 races in 2 days. The winner is a Silent Name filly out of Feel Good Movie by Yes It’s True, bred by pastorek but she was claimed by Alan Desruisseaux.
Race 2- another route race but this one went to an off-the-pace runne, REEVES HILL, a well bred Bernardini 4yo gelding out of Kingsland by Mr. Prospector. The gelding was making his first start of the year for $40,000 claiming and he has won 2 of 12 races in his career. He was a $40K claim in Dec. 2012 by Michael Loughrey and Michaey Lay and Don macRae trains, Eurico da Silva rode.
Race 3 – Another stone closer wins – QUEENSTOWN, making her season debut for trainer Greg Cox and the Murray Stable. The Cox runners have been hitting on all cylinders and this 5yo mare was wearing blinkers for the first time in her life, in her 15th race. She is a Peaks and Valleys gal out of Fleet Kris by Northern Afleet and she won the allowance/optional claiming/Ontario sired route race un der Emma-Jayne Wilson.
Race 4- The babies are back and the heavily favoured entry from trainer John Ross ran 1-2 as expected. The colt R U WATCHINGBUD (named for Bud Reynolds, the late owner of Jam Jar who had horses with Ross) led most of the way to become a nice winner for the local sire Kentucky Bear. The $30,000 yearling purchase is out of Bonay by Wild Again and was bred by Bear Stables.
Race 5- UNSPURNED posted am 82 Beyer Figure in this allowance win and the 3yo Ontario bred could be headed to the Woodbine Oaks. Owned and bred by Christine Hayden of Lucan, ON, this chestnut Lemon Drop Kid filly is out of Banga Ridge, a multiple stakes winner by Snow Ridge. She was 3rd in the Princess Elizabeth last year to Paladin Bay. This was her first race of the year so her schedule is tight but she is one of two Oaks players for Hall of Famer Roger Attfield.
Race 6 – THAT SONOFAGUN, he won! Jennifer Armata-Barrett’s 5yo by Mingun – Czipra by No Louder led all the way under Luis Contreras to win the maiden $15,000 claiming race in his 5th career start and 2nd race this year. He was 1st time with Lasix.
Race 7 – Trainer Steven Chircop got his first winner of the meeting when DESTINY’S SONG barged up the rail to win the $19,000 claiming race under Jesse Campbell. The 5yo gelding, a 7-time winner, was making his 2nd start of the year after a terrible trip. He beat heavy fave Consolidator Joe, who was plunging in class to $20,000 claiming and was claimed by Gary McMaster and trainer Daryl Ezra.
Race 9 – an allowance optional claiming race and SKY CAPTAIN is now 2 for 2 this season as he won the 1 1/16 mile race from just off the pace for John Oxley and trainer Mark Casse. Patrick Husbands, who has been on a roll, was on board this 4yo colt by Sky Mesa
Race 10 and if you did not bet MISS VICTORIA on the Victoria Day weekend, well..The 4yo North Light filly is 2 for 2 at the meeting and she is 3 for 14 in her career for Victoria Meadows and partners and trainer Peter Berringer. Luis Contreras rode the filly who came from off the pace to win the $12,500 claiming event.
**More Woodbine wrap-up notes tomorrow!
IN BRITISH COLUMBIA – APPRENTICE WINS FOUR
Corrine Andros won four races on Saturday at Hastings Park
VANCOUVER — A petite but tenacious young apprentice jockey from Vanderhoof was the centre of attention Saturday at Hastings Racecourse.
Corrine Andros, 22, rode four winners on the eight-race card, including three in a row in races 5, 6 & 7. She showed a flare for the dramatic with wins by margins of a head, one length, a length-and-a-half and a nose.
“I didn’t plan it that way,” the sole female jockey on the Hastings grounds joked in the aftermath.
Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Apprentice+rider+creating+buzz+Hastings+Racecourse/9854540/story.html#ixzz32A3mq9Kv
