happy Saturday Nov 4…BREEDERS’ CUP DAY 1, LUIS CONTRERAS TAKES JOCKS LEAD FROM HUSBANDS..COME OUT TO WOODBINE FOR BIG CARDS
ROYAL DELTA, the Queen – Cindy Pierson Dulay photo
It’s a brave, brave soul who plungers the cash on horse racing betting and yesterday, Day 1 of Breeders’ Cup, was a prime example.
The results were startling and bizarre right from the outset with the maiden HIGHTAIL taking the drab 5 horse Juvenile Sprint as the longest shot in the field.
Some are saying the track was inside and speed biased but this corner did not see that.
Today’s Cup races begin near 3 and the Classic goes at …gulp 8:30 at night (??).
1. Damascus Stakes 10:05 am
2. Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint Preview Stakes 10:35 a.m.
3. Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filly Sprint Preview Stakes 11:10 a.m.
4. $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (gr. I) 11:50 a.m.
5. $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (gr. I) 12:35 p.m.
6. $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (gr. I) 1:14 p.m.
7. $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (gr. I) 1:57 p.m.
8. $2 million Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. I) 2:36 p.m.
9. $3 million Breeders’ Cup Turf (gr. I) 3:18 p.m.
10. $1.5million Xpressbet Breeders’ Cup Sprint (gr. I) 3:58 p.m.
11. $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile (gr. I) 4:40 p.m.
12. $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I) 5:30 p.m.
HITS AND MISSES
From ARRAVALE RACING…
#NancyO has come out of her race in good shape. She will get a well deserved rest now and relax/grow in a paddock for the next 8-10 weeks
*EDITOR – The Bob Costigan owned gal was rolling up the rail into the strtech but then ran into a jackpot and the first steady ruined her chances and the 2nd steady was just insult to injury. Should have been right there
SPRING VENTURE (and this is before we know if the filly had any pysical issues, like bled without the Lasix) kind of had the trip that wins all kinds of races at Woodbine, very wide, perched, but simply does not cut it against top company.
She was simply not put in a position to do well right from the start.
‘VENTURE is still is a slight leader for champion 2yo filly in Canada but another win by Nipissing may cut her lead.
SPRING IN THE AIR, 1st time dirt? Spun her wheels? The front runner didn’t go all that fast so she didn’t have any pace to chase.
COMMANDER looked great, was the buzz horse on the TV but he melted and faded. Good feature on Mario Gutierrez on ESPN/TSN2 before the race…
MARKETING MIX, she’s the Canadian star for the day but not eligible for any Sovereign Awards – only 2 races in Canada.
Canadian breeding and breeders were noticeable in some of the winners too:
BEHOLDER, the Henny Hughes gal who went into the Juvenile Fillies with a -2 on the Thorograph sheets (yes, -2), came about because Rick Kennedy and Reade Baker bought ONE LAST BIRD in foal to STOP THE MUSIC years ago for $12,500.
Yep, ONE LAST BIRD, who had 13 foals and comes from the family of the good line of PTELIN, produced a few foals for the Baker – Kennedy team inclusing 24-time winner MALCOHA (by Afleet).
A Fort Erie stakes winner and hard knocker, Malcoha 2on $414,000.
ONE LAST BIRD also produced CRYSTAL LADY , the Stop the Music offspring, who was named for the Armstrong Brother’s famous Hackney pony, CRYSTAL LADY.
That gal was a winner but was claimed away from Baker and Kennedy for $5,000 by Nancy Hilts.
Crystal Lady produced 11 foals, all American breds and one was Leslie’s Lady, a stakes winner who is the dam of BEHOLDER.
Chiefswood Stable and Sam-Son Farms have owned mares from this family (Prairie Wildfire, Bravo All etc.).:
http://apps.keeneland.com/sales/Sep11/pdfs/962.pdf
ZAGORA is hip no., 153 on Monday at Fasig Tipton.
Features on the TV broadcasts, ESPN, NBC were very good, but there was a lot of factual errors throughout the day. Plus, Donna Brothers microphone on horseback was barely working and that was just anoying to hear static.
Total commingled handle for the 10 races at Santa Anita on Friday, including six Breeders’ Cup races, was down 5 percent compared with the Friday card at Churchill Downs last year, according to figures released by Breeders’ Cup.
WHAT DO WE LOOK FOR TODAY?
Let’s hope for some better luck for Woodbine starters – DYNAMIC SKY in the Juvenile for one. He is a Canadian-bred born in Caledon at Windhaven.
The Classic is a modest field but certainly GAME ON DUDE will be the hero of the 2 day event if he wins. He is by Canadian-bred AWESOME AGAIN.
Don’t bet favourites and keep an open mind. These are well matched races so essentially, as my friend Alex S. says, they all have the same chance to win.
Zagora edges Marketing Mix in the Mare Turf
Cindy Pierson Dulay/horse-races.net
BREEDERS’ CUP WRAP:
BREEDERS’ CUP JUV SPRINT – maiden HIGHTAIL won a 5 horse race, pinhooked by Canadian Cory Wagner, who won a race earlier on the card
BREEDERS’ CUP MARATHON – Gosh, I watched Calidoscopio’s races in Argentina and thought he was cool but never thought he would win this race.
BREEDERS’ CUP JUV FILLY TURF – French filly FLOTILLA waits and moves last, wins, NANCY O a troubled 9th beaten5 lengths
BREEDERS’ CUP JUV FILLIES – BEHOLDER leads all the way, SPRING IN THE AIR 5th beaten 12
BREEDERS CUP FILLY/MARE TURF -French filly ZAGORA, by Green Tune, beats Canadian bred MARKETING MIX
BREEDERS’ CUP LADIES CLASSIC – ROYAL DELTA takes things into her own hooves, breaks fast, goes fast. holds on
From yesterday, THOROUGHBLOG’S MINUTE BY MINUTE NOTES
7:42 – Catch a flyer, she didn’t tire – ROYAL DELTA sets fast fractions and holds on to win the Ladies Classic and deserves Horse of the Year! Mike Smith, all-time leading active jock for Cup wins.. great mare. Stronach Stables AWESOME FEATHER is outrun by hot pace
ZAGORA’S SIRE? It’s GREEN TUNE, whose 3rd dam is the mighty Canadian mare SOUTH OCEAN!
7:06 – NANCY O beaten 5 lengths with awful trip, SPRING VENTURE 7, SPRING IN THE AIR 12+..
6:51 ZAGORA is the best of the mares on grass, won the BC Turf Filly and Mare over Canadian-bred MARKETING MIX who ran hard for 2nd – THE FUGUE, the favourite, may have been best, tough trip – but yay for MARKETING MIX, bred by Sean and Dorothy Fitzhenry here in Ontario, doesn’t get any SOVEREIGN AWARDS though, she’s not eligible with only 2 races at Woodbine/Canada
6:22 – BEHOLDER, by Henny Hughes out of Leslie’s Lady, from Canadian breeding family – 3rd dam ONE LAST BIRD (out of Last Bird) was broodmare for Reade Baker, produced Canadian bred filly CRYSTAL LADY, dam of Leslie’s Lady (Crystal Lady also raced for Baker and then Nancy HIlts from Fort Erie!)
6:15 SPRING IN THE AIR, Canadian bred, can’t get into race, finishes well back in the BC Juvenile -Fillies
6:14 – BEHOLDER, huge on the sheets, figs don’t lie! leads all the way to win Juvenile Fillies
5:51 TARA FROM THE CAPE, 4th in Juvnile filly Turf for co-owners, GLENN HARVEY (Kelynack Farm) of Milton Ontario and STEVEN DUFFIELD (Debmar Farms) – she led almost all the way – Woodbine jocks Husbands and Moran have bad trips, the latter and Nancy O could have easily grabbed a big share with better trip
5:39 – FLOTILLA (no not the Woodbine claimer from a few years back) wins Juvenile fillies on Turf from well back for Sheikh Mohammed al Thani – by American sire MIZZEN MAST
Canadian gals? NANCY O tried o rally up the rail off the turn and was blocked at least twice, tough, tough trip, SPRING VENTURE, broke a bit slow, rushed, was very wide and then stopped
5:26 Canadian gals look good, most of these look good, Flashy Ways supplemnted,, a bit shaken up, giant filly INFACTRA BACA draws in from AE, always a dangerous angle
5:18 getting ready for 2yo fillies on the grass and Woodbine based/trained/ridden SPRING VENTURE, an American bred/owned gal is the fave!!
5:05 RANDY MOSS on the ESPN/TSN broadcast is hilarious, holding back nothing, slams MIKE SMITHS’ ride on ATIGUN in Marathon and slams Euro’s for running poor old FAME AND GLORY, the Irish Derby winner who is eased
5:04 – It’s FRANKEL! GUILLARMO FRANKEL that is…ecstatic trainer of Argentine 9-year-old CALIDISCOPIO, by Luhuk (Forty Nine) who comes from milebehind to win Breeders’ Cup Marathon at 17 to 1. Oldest Horse to ever win a Breeders’ Cup race and one of the oldest ever to win a Grade 1..Aaron Gryder rode him like a star for his first Breeders’ Cup win
4:12 FIRST MAIDEN EVER TO WIN A BREEDERS’ CUP RACE! DW LUKAS – HIGHTAIL…go figure….HIGHTAIL (Minesha), pinhooked by Canadian CORY WAGNER for $110,000, re-sold at 2 for $345,000
4:08 P.M. BREEDERS’ CUP FRIDAY – AS WE GO ALONG…getting ready for 5 horse Juvenile Sprint, SOUTH FLOYD was lame in left front in post parade and scratched late, RICK PITINO owns…
WOODBINE WRAP WEDNESDAY and FRIDAY
The fastest races of the 2 days this week earned 75 and 74 Beyer Figures so we were not watching the kings and queens of the local circuit this week.
Add to that the 10 days of rain and all those races carded for the grass Friday, today and tomorrow will likely not be on the turf. Or it will be plenty soft if they race on it today.
Meanwhile
LUIS CONTRERAS won 5 races on Wednesday night, big news since he blew by PATRICK HUSBANDS, who had maintained a lead for most of the summer and fall.
Wednesday night it was a dream night for any horse waiting until late to move and going as wide as possible.
Okay, some horses on the lead went very wide and then were caught, but the wider the better was the key on that night.
The fastest race was a $10,000 claiming event won by CHILKOOT PASS, owned by Holly Schinkel and he posted a 74 Beyer.
Contreras is up by 3 wins going into today’s card.
Yesterday, apprentice SHEENA RYAN, former exercise rider for Reade Baker, won her 4th race and 1st at Woodbine when she steered longshot BADON from well back to be one of 2 winners for trainer Mike Doyle. This filly was in dreadful form and really made a stunning reversal in form.
The track played a bit more kindly for speed with BUONGIORNO JOHNNY winning on the lead in race 6 – the 75 Beyer win that toppped the week at Woodbine.
Congrats to CAROL WOOLEY-MOTT whose gal MAXIMUN RIDE won the finale at 9 furlongs for a purse of $52,500. She is a homebred for the radio/internet personality and is a 4yo with earnings of over $81,000.
Betting on Woodbine yesterday was $2.6 million, down from $3 million a year ago.
Robert Tiller claimed 2 horses on the day , BAR MAGIC who won the first race for maiden 2yos, for Very Dry Stable and VENUS BAY for himself in race 2 and that filly made a very premature move.
