TRIAL, NO ROOM FOR ERROR
-The way the Canadian-bred 3yo crop of 2009 has formed this season, we may see this year’s 150th Queen’s Plate this Sunday when the most likely contenders all compete in the Trial.
With the 126 pounds and the 1 1/8 mile distance, most have been lured to this race to see if their sophomores belong in the picture for the 1 1/4 mile classic which will be held on June 21.
The 150th Plate winterbook favourite SQUARE EDDIE, has been idle, workout-wise, out in California
The Plate Trial could shape up like this – the draw is tomorrow:
(Listed alphabetically are some of the 18 noms to the race with breeding and owner)
ACTIVE DUTY
b.g.3 by Deputy Commander(Deputy Minister) – Punchbowl(Two Punch)
Woodford Racing LLC Mark E. Casse
BUCEPHALUS
b.c.3 by Cape Canaveral(Mr. Prospector) – May Time(Cure the Blues)
Knob Hill Stable Kevin Attard
COLLEROSA
dk b/.g.3 by Tomahawk(Seattle Slew) – Vinona (IRE)(Singspiel (IRE))
Frank Romano Michael P. De Paulo
COSTALIVIN
b.c.3 by Tomahawk(Seattle Slew) – Sylky Market(Market Control)
Jam Jar Racing Stable John A. Ross
EASTERN PROMISE
dk b/.c.3 by Grand Slam(Gone West) – Light Show(Pleasant Colony)
Earle I. Mack Mark R. Frostad
EL BRUJO
b.g.3 by Candy Ride (ARG)(Ride the Rails) – Enchanted Spell(Devil’s Bag)
Windways Farm Malcolm Pierce
EYE OF THE LEOPARD
b.c.3 by A.P. Indy(Seattle Slew) – Eye of the Sphynx(Smart Strike)
Sam-Son Farms Mark R. Frostad
KEINO WEST
dk b/.g.3 by Kissin Kris(Kris S.) – Vanetta Hill(Crown Attorney)
Track West Racing Inc. Steve Attard
RAPID RELEASE
ch.c.3 by Action This Day(Kris S.) – Bail Money(St. Jovite)
Dolantori Racing Roger L. Attfield
SOUTHDALE
dk b/.c.3 by Street Cry (IRE)(Machiavellian) – Pinafores Pride(Saint Ballado)
Roderick Ferguson Ian Black
THOR’S PIPER
ch.g.3 by Thunder Gulch(Gulch) – Lone Piper(Dehere)
Chiefswood Stable Eric Coatrieux
YORKVILLE
ch.g.3 by Rahy(Blushing Groom (FR)) – Prospectors Band(Dixieland Band)
Chiefswood Stable
Indeed the talk of the town is SOUTHDALE, with his 88 Beyer Figure maiden score in his 2nd career start. The jet black son of Street Cry is trained by Ian Black, who won the Plate a couple of years ago with Mike Fox.
Rod Ferguson, the owner, has raced horses for many years at Woodbine but this is his first horse he has raced on his own.
ACTIVE DUTY comes off a workout that really impressed trainer Mark Casse and the gelding sure ran well in the Queenston Stakes to think that perhaps he is coming up to a better effort. It has been eons since the winner of the Coronation Futurity at 2 has won the Plate the next year (Norcliffe in 1976 to be precise).
EASTERN PROMISE is a Kinghaven Farms bred trained by Mark Frostad for Earle Mack. The newcomer comes in from Europe and a 1/2 brother, THREE IN THE BAG, ran well in the Plate trial a few years ago.
RAPID RELEASE is coming along for trainer Roger Attfield who is going after Plate win no. 9 – which would be a record.
And CHIEFSWOOD FARM, which won the Plate with Niigon a few years ago, have an interesting pair in THOR’S PIPER and YORKVILLE and how nice would it be for them to do well as their owners lost a nice filly last weekend.
WOODBINE OAKS – JUNE 7 (SUNDAY)
MISS BLAKELY A LEADING CONTENDER (if she runs)
-Here is Thoroughblog’s list of leading contenders/ starters, alphabetically, for the Woodbine Oaks, coming up in less than 2 weeks.
The draw is Thursday June 4 at Wegz Stadium Bar with Chris Bosh of the Toronto Raptors the guest speaker.
Supplemented to the race’s nominations is the Omtario bred SMART STRIKE filly named MISS BLAKELY, a $25,000 2yo purchase from the Adena Springs sale last year.
The daughter of the Rahy mare A Bit Special is a confirmed grass runner with an 88 Beyer Figure from her last outing – a win in the Boynton Beach stakes at Gulfstream Park on April 18.
The filly has been working recently at Monmouth Park for trainer JOE ORSENO. Orseno has said she may race in the Wonder Where Stakes only but perhaps could pop up for a Poly-try.
It appears as of right now, TASTY TEMPTATION, trained by Mark Casse for Woodford Racing, is the early favourite for the Oaks based on her 2nd place finish in the La Lorgnette Stakes to HOOH WHY.
OAKS POSSIBILITIES
Academicienne 3-F Laurel Byrne Merida (Royal Academy)
Brazilian Wedding 3-F Rolph A. Davis Lady in Tails (Milwaukee Brew)
Dancing Charm 3-F Joseph Shiewitz Beau’s Charm (Dance To Destiny)
Double Malt 3-F M. Ambler and Partners Matching Sox (Whiskey Wisdom)
First Circle 3-F G.Schickedanz Marienburg (Langfuhr)
Gigolette 3-F R.F. and J.E. Shaw Twochindordor (Northern Afleet)
Gore Bay 3-F Chiefswood Stables Ltd. Eclipse Bay (Dynaformer)
Koonunga Hill 3-F Empress Stable Easy To Praise (Wonneberg)
Milwaukee Appeal 3-F C.E.C.Farms Appealing Forum (Milwaukee Brew)
Miss Blakely 3-F Capital Hill Thoroughbreds LLC and TeamA Bit Special(GB) (Smart Strike )
Politelyprecocious 3-F G.Schickedanz Stop Looking (Langfuhr)
Sans Sousi 3-F Eaton Hall Farm Ada’s Dancer (Bold Executive)
Tasty Temptation 3-F Woodford Racing LLC Parisa (Medaglia d’Oro)
One Adam Twelve heads an Ontario sired feature tonight at Woodbine – Norm Files photo.
WOODBINE WEDNESDAY NIGHT
-Lots of rain today and tomorrow so those lovely grass races carded over the next couple of cards will be washed away it appears. There are a pair of maiden allowance races on turf for Friday so hopefully we’ll see those stay on the lawn.
Tonight’s feature from a money standpoint is 4th for $73,500, an Ontario sired allowance with a small field.
But more interesting is the 7th race which could give MR. FORICOS TWO U start in the Queen’s Plate should he do well this evening.
The Porto Foricos homebred, out of Song Spring by Dauphin Fabulaeux is owned by his breeder Rocco d’Alimonte plus frank Annecchini. Catherine Day Phillips trainers the flashy chestnut gelding.
The 3yo won his maiden last time out with a 78 Beyer Figure.
He meets older horses for his first 1 1/16 mile contest tonight.
His main competition comes from ONE ADAM TWELVE (Trajecotry) and CIANORTE (Ciano Cat).
*Come out to the TORONTO THOROUGHBRED RACING CLUB meeting tonight to talk racing and meets guests!
MET MILE WINNER MAY POINT TO WOODBINE MILE
-BRIBON, the winner of the Grade 1 Met Mile on Monday at Belmont could be coming to the Woodbine Mile in September according to notes in the DAILY RACING FORM:
(Photo by Vanessa Nig of Bribon – far left, winning Met Mile on Monday)
…with no significant one-turn race at which to point Bribon to this summer, Ribaudo believes he will just sit chilly with the 6-year-old gelded son of Mark of Esteem for the time being. Looking ahead, however, Ribaudo said his two main options for Bribon’s next stakes are the Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga, a seven-furlong dirt race on Sept. 5, or the $1 million Woodbine Mile on turf on Sept. 20. Though Bribon is winless in three tries on the turf in this country, he did win twice on grass in Europe.
“He is a grass horse by nature,” Ribaudo said. “I don’t believe his success is strictly a transition from grass. The gelding [of Bribon] and the settling down and finding the right distance are just as important as the surface switch.”
Ribaudo did say that Bribon is not Breeders’ Cup-nominated and that he would not be supplemented to that event. Ribaudo noted that as a gelding, Bribon is only worth what he can make on the track for owner Marc Keller.
“He doesn’t have much resale value,” Ribaudo said. “Purses are what’s going to count between now and whenever this ride comes to an end.”
http://www.drf.com/news/article/104101.html
BIRD CALL TODAY
from New York Post
– While jockey Calvin Borel’s status is still up in the air pending a decision by owner Jess Jackson on whether to run Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra in the June 6 Belmont Stakes, the connections of Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird plan to announce their Belmont rider today.
“Mark (Allen, Mine That Bird’s co-owner), Chip (Woolley, his trainer) and I will discuss it tonight, and we’ll announce it tomorrow morning,” co-owner Dr. Leonard Blach told The Post yesterday from his ranch in New Mexico.
As Jackson ponders an attempt by Rachel Alexandra to become the first filly in history to win two Triple Crown races, it’s worth a look back at four other fillies that ran in the mile-and-a-half “Test of the Champion,” how they fared, and what they accomplished afterward.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/05272009/sports/horseracing/bird_call_set_for_today_171173.htm
BELMONT POSSIBILITIES
Charitable Man Mr. and Mrs. W. K. Warren Jr. Kiaran McLaughlin
Chocolate Candy The Craig Family Trust Jerry Hollendorfer
Brave Victory Robert LaPenta Nick Zito
Dunkirk Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor, and Derrick Smith Todd Pletcher
Flying Private Robert C. Baker & William L. Mack D. Wayne Lukas
Luv Gov Marylou Whitney Stables D. Wayne Lukas
Mine That Bird Double Eagle Ranch & Buena Suerte Equine Bennie Woolley Jr.
Miner’s Escape Robert LaPenta Nick Zito
Mr. Hot Stuff WinStar Farm Eoin Harty
Rachel Alexandra Stonestreet Stables and Harold McCormick Steve Asmussen
Summer Bird Kalarikkal K. and Vilasini D. Jayaraman Tim Ice
CANADIAN-BRED MAREN’S MEADOW GAME WINNER OF MONMOUTH BEACH STAKES
from Monmouth Park
-Maren’s Meadow returned to Monmouth Park to win the $70,000 Monmouth Beach Stakes in front-running fashion and Sleepless Knight made a big move around the turn to capture the $65,000 Lamplighter Stakes before a crowd of 11,565 at Monmouth Park on Memorial Day.
Ridden by Justin Shepherd, Maren’s Meadow returned $7.40, $4.60, and $3.20 and topped a $35.40 exacta. All Night Labor, who tried the winner in the lane, settled for second, a head behind, and paid $4.80 and $2.80. You Asked rallied for third, a length and half back, and returned $5 to show.
“We were hoping to make the lead, that seems to be her best,” said winning trainer J. Larry Jones, who earlier in the day confirmed Kentucky Derby favorite Friesan Fire is targeting Monmouth’s Haskell Invitational on Aug. 2. “When she makes the front she just relaxes nicely. The fractions today were good for her.”
After going the opening quarter in :23 and the half in :46 3/5, Maren’s Meadow hit the six furlong mark in 1:10 4/5 before stopping the timer in 1:40 2/5. Last season the daughter of Meadowlake captured the Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks. Monday’s stakes win moved her lifetime earnings to $353,725 for owner River Ridge Ranch.
