Hello, and Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to everyone out there – THOROUGHBLOG took a few days off to enjoy family and friends including the super team at Horse-Canada, parent company of Canadian Thoroughbred and Thoroughblog. It’s a team of hard working, dedicated horse sport enthusiasts and horse lovers.
We wish everyone a Happy New Year and a prosperous 2012!
Hello from T.O. –
Toronto’s CN Tower by ‘Jamie in Bytown’
WHAT CANADIANS HAVE BEEN DOING…
Stay tuned to THOROUGHBLOG all winter as we track Canadian horses around the continent.
CHARLES TOWN – DEC. 23 Ontario bred RIBOT SUN won a maiden allowance at 6 1/2 furlongs for owner Winifred Hess. Bred by Rocco d’Alimonte, the 3-year-old is by The Fed out of Slick Prospector, Bold Ruckus and he won by 4 1/2 lengths at even money.
Later on that card BLINDSIDEHIT (Bluegrass Cat – Heart Lake, Unbridled) won a $12,500 claiming race for fillies and mares at 7 furlongs. Bred by Windhaven, the filly is now owned by Farhat Khalaf.
At Mountaineer on Dec. 23, owner FRED BAHR and trainer TOM GOSLTIN won with IMITATION OF LIFE (Strageic Mission) , a Lentucky bred who won for $5,000 claiming at 1 1/16 miles on the muddy strip.
MEGA RUSH, an Ontario bred by Megas Vukefalos out of Solina, by Wild Rush, won a strater allowance fo 6 furlongs also that day at Mountaineer. The gelding was bred by Knob Hill Stable and is now owned/trained by Gary Welsh.
PARX RACING – Dec. 24, the 7 year-old ontario bred TALE OF THE FOX is still going strong. The mare, by Tale of the Cat – Foxy Connection (Phone Trick) won for $7,500 claiming for owner Marya Montoya.
PENN NATIONAL – Alberta-bred PAYTON’S VICTORY (Vying Victor – Payton’s Pride by Exclusive Era) won a $32,00 allowance race for owner/trainer SCOTT FAIRLIE. The 4yo sped 1 mile and 70 yards in 1:43.28.
Later in that card, FAIRLIE sent out LAUREL BYRNE’S 4yo ENGLISH BREAKFAST to win a $7,500 maiden claiming race in his first race since competing at Woodbine in Novewmber. The son of Tomahawk – Tea n Thing by Brave Shot (GB) paid just $3.00 to win.
RAMSAMMY, MORENO ride Boxing Day card in Trinidad..
TRINIDAD EXPRESS.COM feature
Racing season to end with big bang – Get ready for Ramsammy show
By Shammi Kowlessar
TODAY’s horse racing card is more reminiscent of Boxing Day at Queen’s Park Savannah than any other since the sport was centralised at Santa Rosa Park, Arima, way back in 1994.
For the benefit of younger fans who have never had the pleasure, there was a magical feeling about racing at the “Big Yard” and the experience was at its pinnacle on Boxing Day.
However as wonderful as it was, the most treasured racing day of the year lost some of its lustre in the 1980s when three of the four classics where moved to other days on the calendar.
But in order to facilitate the inaugural Caribbean Nations Racing Challenge on December 3, there was a shifting of the classics and today will be the first Boxing Day since 1980 to contain as many as four classics.
The 40th and last day of the Arima Race Club’s 2011 Season will also feature the biggest card of the year, with as many as 11 races and a record 138 horses were declared on Wednesday.
And if all of that is not enough, Emile Ramsammy, this country’s most celebrated jockey of all time, has returned from his base in Canada to be part of the spectacular day.
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/sports/Racing_season_to__end_with_big_bang-136212093.html
Bruce on the Loose (out of Canadian bred mare Road to Justice) is going today in Trinidad – guardian.co.tt photo
IT’S BOXING DAY! That means it’s SANTA ANITA!! (and the famous Malibu Stakes)
Monday, Santa Anita Park, post time: 7:35 p.m. EST
MALIBU S.-GI, $300,000, 3yo, 7f
PP HORSE OWNER BREEDER TRAINER/JOCKEY ML
1 El Pocho (Chi) Green Grass Stable Haras Sumaya-CHI Cardenas 50-1
(c, The Mighty Tiger–Troisieme Age {Chi}, by Jeune Homme) Krigger
2 Centralinteligence K Amerman Racing/Bongo Racing/G Finder Patricia L Chapman-KY Ellis 8-1
(g, Smarty Jones–Shootforthestars, by Seattle Slew) Rosario
3 Luckarack Samo/W C Racing/WestsideRentals Mr & Mrs Larry D Williams-CA O’Neill 30-1
(c, Lucky Pulpit–Tamarack Bay, by Dehere) Berrios
4 Rothko Padua Stables Padua Stables-KY Asmussen 9-2
(c, Arch–Raspberry Eggcream, by Time for a Change) Nakatani
5 Racing Aptitude Donald R Dizney Donald R Dizney-FL Baffert 8-1
(g, Aptitude–Ecclesiastes, by Saint Ballado) Smith
6 Hoorayforhollywood George Krikorian George Krikorian-KY B Baffert 8-1
(c, Storm Cat–Hollywood Story, by Wild Rush) Gomez
7 Light Up the Score K Millennium Farms Millennium Farms-KY Asmussen 12-1
(c, Even the Score–Agiftfromservice, by Service Stripe) Espinoza
8 Smash Kaleem Shah Inc Peter E Blum-KY Baffert 9-2
(c, Smart Strike–Dixie Holiday, by Dixieland Band) Bejarano
9 Associate JMJ Racing Stable/Sullivan Lane Dixie Farm-KY Dutrow Jr 6-1
(c, Wando--Free as Tristan, by Crafty Friend) Dominguez
10 Wine Police K J Kirk & Judy Robison John & Martha Jane Mulholland-KY Asmussen 8-1
(c, Speightstown–Deputy Cures Blues, by War Deputy) Talamo
11 The Factor K Bolton & Fog City Stable H & W Thoroughbreds-KY Baffert 7-2
(c, War Front–Greyciousness, by Miswaki) Garcia
All carry 118 pounds, except The Fac tor, 123.
LA DAILY NEWS SANTA ANITA PREVIEW: BY EDDIE WILSON
Santa Anita opens for business with high stakes
By Eddie Wilson, Special to the Daily News
ARCADIA – Santa Anita Park’s 75th winter/spring meeting opens today, and the meeting is often the best present horseplayers get during the holiday season.
New state-of-the-art video boards in the infield and paddock areas will enhance fans’ enjoyment, as will nine Grade I races throughout the meeting, including the $300,000 Malibu Stakes on opening day Monday.
The new infield video monitor measures 53 feet by 29 feet.
“One of our top priorities is to continually work to improve the on-track experience for our fans,” Santa Anita vice president of sales and marketing Chris Quinn said. “The big board in the infield is going to be fantastic.”
The 79-day meeting runs through April 22 and once again will be highlighted by the $750,000 Santa Anita Handicap on March 3 and the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby on April 7. Both are Grade I events.
The Malibu Stakes will be one of four stakes races run on opening day. The others are the Grade II $150,000 Sir Beaufort Stakes, the $100,000 California Breeders Champion Stakes and the $100,000 California Breeders Champion Stakes for fillies.
Set to make an impact on the 2011-12 meeting is Eclipse Award-winning trainer Steve Asmussen, who returns to Santa Anita for the second consecutive year. Assistant trainer Scott Blasi will once again oversee Asmussen’s operation at Barn 27, which will include managing recent Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Regally Ready.
“We were very happy with how things went here last year,” Blasi said. “Steve said last year that we wanted to do a better job on the top-end of racing and coming here helped us meet that goal.
http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_19620045
SANTA ANITA ALSO GOING MOBILE TOO…
“Santa Anita Park’s system is designed to make lines shorter, wagering easier, and increase the overall simplicity of the betting process.”
WHAT ARE HORSE RACING FANS DOING DURING THE NEXT FEW WEEKS?
Reading racing books, watching War Horse perhaps? Placing a bet?
Did you get any racing books for Christmas, the latest FEIX/DICK FRANCIS? The new book on SHAM?
TORONTO STAR REVIEW ON WAR HORSE, the Movie
“He’s a master emotion jockey, and War Horse finds him in full gallop, skillfully riding Michael Morpurgo’s well-liked 1982 novel (which also begat a Broadway stage play, soon headed to Toronto) across the battlefields of World War I.” – Peter Howell
http://www.toronto.com/article/708171–review-steven-spielberg-s-war-horse-a-tour-de-force
