TODAY’S SUNDAY NEWS – QUALITY ROAD bounces back to win Woodward in workmanlike fashion , he got a 106 Beyer Figure, HOOH WHY upsets, TWISTED WIT is retired!
guess who is having fun?? TWISTED WIT!
Finally, thanks to a super group of folks out there, this guy has been retired from racing after winning so much money in Canada and elsewhere
WHO? WHY?
One thing is certain about last year’s champion horses in Canada – they are having a tough time coming back in 2010.
Other than the ones who were retired – the Marchfields, Champs Elysees, etc. it’s been tough sledding for the champions of last season this year.
Hollinger, the champon 2yo, Negligee, a co-owner of top 2yo filly, Eye of the Leopard, all struggling at best.Field Commission has been a bust, he was the champion sprinter of last year and yesterday, the champion female sprinter of 2009, Tribal Belle, ran one of the worst races of her career when 4th beaten 4 3/4 lengths in the 5 horse SEaway Stakes- Grade 3. She has not been out of the top three in 2 seasona and only 3 times before in her career.
Tribal Belle pressed the pace with Hooh Why, that Grade 1 winner from last season who is a well travelled miss that can still chip away at wins. The 4yo Cloud Hopping gal, is currently residing in the stable of Don MacRae, as co-owner Mark Hoffman elected to keep the gal at Woodbine for a while.
This is a filly who has bee in the barns of 4 other trainers in her 22 race career.
She was strong on the pace yesterday, however, under new rider Emile Ramsammy. The time of 123 2/5 was good for a 93 Beyer Figure.
A 2yo maiden allowance yesterday went to WELLOILEDMACHINE, a cleverly named Mobil colt out of Sleek and Powerful, owned by Christine and Dennis Windsor, the former who has worked for her colt’s trainer Mike Keogh for years. This colt, a handsome dude, was racing for just the 2nd time yesterday and he strolled away to a smart win. He was bought for about $20,000 and was bred by John Kennedy.
For the 2nd time in a couple of weeks, the team of trainer Joe Walls and jockey David Clark have orchestrated a bizarre upset. Not long after Sangore popped up as a longshot on turf at 9 to 1 with a career best 88 Beyer Figure, Beauseant pulled off a 48 to 1 upset yesterday.
This result made no sense and if you were at the races betting (yours truly was not) it would have been a tough result to take.
This gal had one top three placing in ehr last 14 races, a win on Polytrack early in 2009, and she had won all of $800 on turf in 2 runs.
She had been 7th in four consecutive races heading into yesterday’s $37,500 turf event.
Congrats to trainer Andrew Smith who won his first race of the meeting when SIMPLY BOLD took an allowance race on the grass for ONtario sired guys. The son of Bold Executive had not hit the board in 5 races this season. He has a full yearling sibling in the sale on Tuesday, offered by Mik Colterjohn’s Paradox Farm.
THE STORY OF TWISTED WIT
files courtesy of Wikipedia page at alexbrownracing. com. and Gail Hirt.
“Only 2 times in 72 races did he NOT make money”
Twisted Wit is a 9 year old gelding that was born March 2, 2001. He is by Distorted Humor of Winstar Farm in Versailles, Kentucky, and out of Sandhill Charm owned by Ron Clarkson, his breeder, of Ontario, Canada. As a yearling, Twisted Wit was sold at the 2002 Woodbine Yearling Sale for $32,202 (US)to Rolph Davis with his trainer Robert Tiller, both in Canada and racing at Woodbine.
Twisted Wit ran his first race, and broke his maiden on 7/27/03, by winning a $60,600 race at Woodbine. He went on to win the 2003 Vandal Stakes on 8/17/03. Two weeks later Tiller entered Twisted Wit in the $139,750 Simcoe Stakes turf race, a seven-furlong dash for 2-year-old colts and geldings,on 9/1/03 and he won. Tiller was attempting to orchestrate a championship campaign for Twisted Wit. Twisted Wit was nominated to the Swynford, an open race at seven furlongs, but Tiller elected to wait for other opportunities. Tiller’s ultimate goal for Twisted Wit was the $250,000 Coronation Futurity, a 1 1/8-mile stakes for Canadian-bred 2-year-olds in Nov. 1. On October 5th, Twisted Wit was entered in the $277,250 Grey Breeders’ Cup Stakes. This Grade 2 race is the richest and most important stakes for 2-year-olds at Woodbine. Twisted Wit finished fourth for the first time as he tried a route of ground. In the Coronation Futurity in November, he was a fading sixth after breaking awkwardly. By the end of Twisted Wit’s first year in racing, he had earned $234,855.
2004 brought Twisted Wit’s best year, beginning on 5/8/04, with Twisted Wit winning the Queenstown Stakes. Then it was on to the Plate Trial in June. For reasons unknown at this time, Twisted Wit did not finish the Plate Trial race. July 1, 2004 Twisted Wit was entered in the Achievement Handicap Stakes. He went on that day to win and set a stakes track record at 1:08.99. Eleven days later he came in second in the Bold Venture Handicap. On October 15, 2004, Twisted Wit was entered in a $76,000 allowance race and beat Wake At Noon by a neck. Twisted Wit ran 8 races by the end of 2004 and brought his earnings to $540,088.
As of November 9, 2005, Twisted Wit had run 6 races in 2005 and had not won a race that year. He had also not run since July. That all changed on 12/3/05 when he went on to win his final race of the year. At the end of 2005, Twisted Wit had earned $67,932 that year with a racing career total of $608,020.
During 2006, Twisted Wit competed in 9 nine races, winning 2, including the Kenora Stakes on September 9, 2006. He was nominated for the Kennedy Road, but was sent home for the season. Total earnings for 2006 were $165,172 with a total earnings of $755,591.
In 2007, Twisted Wit saw nine more races in lower levels, never saw first place and saw second place twice. Twisted Wit was entered in his first Claiming race on November 7, 2007 for $50,000. His earnings for 2007 were only $37,458, with career earnings of $792,155.
The year 2008 brought many changes to Twisted Wit’s racing career. After his normal winter rest, he was entered in 12 races in 2008, all of them being claiming races. In April he was entered into a $50,000 claimer and ended the season with a $16,000 claimer. Somewhere in November, 2008, Twisted Wit was sold by Rolph Davis in a private sale to Jack Armstrong. Twisted Wit saw one more race at Woodbine after that and was moved to Philadelphia Park. He did not see a layup that winter as he was used to. His earnings were now at $865,809.
Twisted Wit was now on a downhill swing. The year 2009 saw Twisted Wit jumping owners and tracks beginning with a private sale to Robert Mosco at Philadelphia Park. Jennifer Morrison, who was concerned about Twisted Wit, started writing about him on April 7th on her blog for Horse-Canada: “TWISTED WIT, a multiple Canadian stakes winner, is now toiling in the bottom claiming ranks, but he was a winner at Philadelphia Park yesterday, at a new low level of $7,500 claiming. Owned by Jack Armstrong, the 8yo gelding led all the way for his 13th win.”
On May 31, 2009 he was claimed by Survivor Stables, trainer Patrock Marrotta for $7,500 at Monmoth Park. Jen wrote on June 2: “Multiple stakes winner TWISTED WIT, with earnings of $917,000 in his career and 15 wins from 58 races, won on May 31 at Monmouth Park for $7,500 claiming for owner and trainer Robert Mosco and he was claimed. The Distorted Humor Canadian-bred, previously raced by Rolph Davis and trained by Robert Tiller at Woodbine, is now owned by SURVIVOR STABLE and trained by Patrock Marrotta.” After looking at his race records, it seems that this is when Twisted Wit’s racing career was in jeopardy. He was no longer winning and was being placed in claiming races consistently. Five weeks later, July 9, 2009, he was claimed by Kasey K Racing Stable, trainer Bruce Brown for $10,000. July 12, 2009 Jen Morrison wrote: “Stakes winner, $900,000 earner and 15-time winner TWISTED WIT, now racing for $10,000 claiming, finsihed 2nd in such a race at Monmouth Park on Thursday and was claimed. Bred by Ron Clarkson and raced for most of his life by Rolph Davis and trainer Robert Tiller, the gelding was claimed away and has been racing in the United States for numerous different barns for low claiming amounts. The son of Distorted Humor is now trained by Bruce Brown.”
Two weeks later he was claimed by Mat Stables. Jen Morrison’s blog said: “Old timer, stakes winner, nearing $1 million in earnings – TWISTED WIT was 2nd for $12,500 claiming yesterday at Monmouth Park and was claimed by MAT STABLES and PATRICIA FARRO (Trainer).” In October 2009 he was moved to Meadowlands and claimed by Leo-Sag Stable and Philip DiCosmo, trainer Bobby Dibona for $7,500 and moved to Gulfstream Park in Florida. There he was claimed by R V Stable in January, 2010, trainer Monte Brinsley for $6,200. He ran two races for them before being placed on a rest period in February.
A little over four months later, Twisted Wit showed up at Calder Race Course and was entered to race on July 11, 2010 in a $5,000 claiming race. He was now owned by P F Quadrato and trained by Herman Wilensky. He placed second in this race. August 5, 2010 Twisted Wit was entered in another $5,000 at Calder. He ran a hard race and was up in front for most of the race, but place 3rd and was once again claimed.
For most of Twisted Wit’s career, he ran at Woodbine in Canada, from July 2003 until November 2008. In the last year and a half, he has raced at Philadelphia Park, Monmouth, Delaware, Meadowlands, Gulfstream Park and Calder in Florida. At Woodbine, his jockeys included E. Wilson, J. McAleney, T. Pizzaro, D. Clark, Bahen Sr., M. Moore and P. Husbands. Twisted Wit has had ten different owners since his purchase at Woodbine by Rolph Davis, nine of those since November, 2008. His average racing distance is 6 to 7 furlongs. Only in 2 of his 72 starts, did he NOT make any money. His total earnings to date are $944,699.
READ ABOUT HOW TWISTED WIT’S RETIREMENT CAME ABOUT….
http://alexbrownracing.com/wiki/index.php/Twisted_Wit
WOODBINE MILE GETS 30 NOMS
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YOUR ROUND»
b.h.5 by Distorted Humor(Forty Niner) – Another Round(Affirmed)
Lawrence Doyle Gregory de Gannes
