BREAKING NEWS FOR FRIDAY MORNING –
Overseas investors could buy Fort Erie??
PETER CONRADI/Bullet News
Fort Erie Race Track boss Jim Thibert says he is actively dealing with two international interests who are looking at purchasing the historic course and surrounding property.
“They are two separate parties,” said Thibert, the chief executive officer of the Fort Erie Live Racing Consortium. “They have been here, they have toured the place and they are interested. I met with them on the (Prince of Wales) weekend.”
Thibert wouldn’t say who they are or where they are from, but sources close to the discussions report one is from China and the second is believed to be from Dubai.
http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=8155960
Top Canadian stakes winners last weekend – ALPHA BETTOR – 98 beyer, TAYLOR SAID, 93 Beyer, IRISH MISSION, 90 , BALOOGA BULL, 86…But did you know a stakes winning 2yo at Marquis Downs (by Sea Wall), got just a ‘2’ Beyer for 6 furlongs in 1:18? That’s gotta be a record!
At Assiniboia Downs, BALOOGA BULL (*Flashy Bull) got back on the winning track with a 10 length score in the Manitoba Derby)
BALOOGA BULL WINS MANITOBA DERBY
no rating this time, he takes off in $75K classic
WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Balooga Bull goes wire-to-wire
Runaway victor in Manitoba Derby
By: Allan Besson
Sometimes you just have to go with good old horse sense, and listen to what the horse is telling you.
Monday afternoon in the eighth race at Assiniboia Downs, jockey Paul Nolan and trainer Ardell Sayler gave Balooga Bull his head and the big Kentucky-bred gelding went wire to wire to win the 64th running of the $75,000 Manitoba Lotteries Derby.
Ten lengths back in the mile-and-an-eighth race was previously undefeated Up Jumps A Monster from San Francisco with Scott Williams up. Pleasant Closing, ridden by Tyrone Nelson was third. The splits were 22.1 seconds at the quarter, 46.1 at the half, 1:11.3 three-quarters into the race, and 1:51.4 at the wire.
In his first race over six furlongs on July 14, Nolan held Balooga Bull back to save him for the finish. As a result he finished third in the mile-and-a-sixteenth Harry Jeffrey Stakes.
But this time around they let Balooga Bull, now 7-1, decide how he was going to run the race.
“I rode that race (the Harry Jeffrey) over and over again probably 100 times,” said Nolan. “You know, you are always taught that if you are going long for the first time its always best to rate (pace) him and save your kick. Obviously he didn’t want that. He just folded like a cheap suitcase, and it was like he was giving me the finger more than anything.
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/balooga-bull-goes-wire-
BC CUP DAY AT HASTINGS
Huge Holiday Hastings Crowd Enjoys Home-Bred Talent
One of Canada’s top older horses – TAYLOR SAID (Stephanotis) wins the BC Cup Classic on Monday…Hastings/Trevor Reynolds photo
Vancouver, B.C. (Aug. 6/12) – First it was Taylor Said crunching the opposition by six and one quarter lengths in the $75,000 Redekop BC Cup Classic. Then his half-brother Taylors Deal followed up with a five and one quarter length victory in the $50,000 BC Cup Stellar’s Jay Monday afternoon at Hastings Racecourse.
And each time it was jockey Fernando Perez keeping the family together for owner Glen Todd and trainer Troy Taylor. Taylor Said and Taylors Deal were bred by Clive and Linda Lytle and Can-A-Mex Farms in Merritt, B.C.
Taylor Said sat back and watched Tommy Danzigger open an early three-length lead but as Perez would say later in the winner’s circle: “I just settled in behind him and knew my horse had plenty left.”
Carrying 128 pounds, heavily-favoured Taylor Said paid $2.80, $2.30 and $2.10, finishing the 1 1/8 miles in 1:47.91.
Perez ran much the same race in the Stellar’s Jay on Taylors Deal, stalking the early leaders and making his move at the quarter pole. He won drawing away in a final time of 1:43.72 over 1 1/16 miles, paying $3.60, $2.70 and $2.20
There were four other $50,000 stakes on the 10-race holiday card restricted to BC-bred horses. Proud Victor won the BC Cup Nursery for 2-year-old colts and geldings with Pedro Alvarado up, paying $3.40, $2.60 and $2.20.
The major upset of the afternoon came in the BC Cup Dogwood for 3-year-old fillies when Gosailgo went gate-to-wire at 26-l, paying $54.20, $14.00 and $5.90. Trained by Robbie Anderson and ridden by Frank Fuentes, Gosailgo won by three-and-a-half lengths over favoured Racing for Gold.
Leading jockey Amadeo Perez took Bamboo Dream from last to first in the BC Cup Debutante for 2-year-old fillies. She paid a handsome $20.60, $7.50 and $5.70.
The BC Cup Distaff for fillies and mares provided an enticing upset with P.S. Touch Down winning by almost three lengths after taking the lead at the top of the stretch and holding off a charging Orchid’s Silver. Ridden by Jeff Burningham and trained by Cindy Krasner, P.S. Touch Down paid $27.20, $11.70 and $6.70.
WOODBINE, SIMCOE DAY WRAP
stablemates 1 to 5 and 9 to 2, and the former is nowhere..
If it’s not GYPSY RING or any of his other outstanding homebreds, Paul Buttigieg is winning races with up and comers. ROYAL EGBERT, the longer shot of 2 entrants in Monday’s restricted SHEPPERTON STAKES, led all the way to win the $125,000 race over the much more heralded Gypsy Ring.
Allowed to gallop along in 22 2/5, ROYAL EGBERT, with ears pricked had a short lead early in the 6 1/2 furlong race, had little pressure from the other apparent speed, and then galloped home.
GYPSY RING, with 96 and 91 Beyer Figures from his latest outings and 2 stakes wins this year, was 4th in a peculiarly dismal showing.
The winner is by OLD FORESTER – from Royal Babe by Tejano Run. He is 3 for 3 this year.
His winning Beyer Figure was 85.
From the same ‘classy-stakes-winners-probably-squeezing-in-too -many-races’ file, ESSENCE HIT MAN bombed in the day’s co-featured PLAY THE KING PREP. The 6 1/2 furlong turf dash was a rich field of stakes winners including Highlander victory Smokey Fire, 4 to 5, and the Hit Man, with 3 stakes wins this year and back in less than 3 weeks from a hard fought Bold Venture win.
Guess who won? neither – it was ARTIC FERN, who was dragged off the pace and then rallied to beat other longshots Bigstormbrewin and Stormy Rush. The Hit Man and Smokey Fire looked far below their best.
The winner, a Gus Schickedanz homebred who showed that delciious ‘big numbe creeep’ Beyer Figure pattern, was an overlay to be sure at 15 to 1. Red-hot Tyler Pizarro rode the Mike Keogh trainee.
More from Monday 0 NIKKIS SMARTYPANTS, well regarded by trainer Robert Tiller, is still very green, but she won her 2nd career start over maidens. The Smarty Jones gal, owned by Ben Hutzel and bred by Gardiner Farms and Whodat Racing, was lugging in off the turn, was hard to control in the stretch but she edged Gospel Girl to win. She is out of Scarlet Slipper, by Red Ransom was a $47,000 yearling purchase locally.
She posted a 77 Beyer Figure.
The 2yo GIACOMO beginner CRAFTY CONTESSA was 8 to 5 to win for $20K claiming to start the Pick 4 and she did not disappoint. Owned by Kyle Griffith, trained by Ricky Griffith and ridden by Chris Griffith, this family affair was yet another 2yo win for the stable. The filly was bred by Spring Farm.
The Mary Jane and Tony Lamb-bred Mobil fellow SEELEY’S BAY edged out WHERE’S THE BAY for an oh- bay-by finish in race 5. The winner drew in from the also eligible list and was 5 to 2 for Parkway Racing and trainer Sam DiPasquale.
STRIKING MISS TAKES MIKE ANDERSON MEMORIAL
Fort Erie, August 7th…After a roller coaster of issues, Striking Miss a 5 year-old mare by Smart Strike took this year’s edition of the Mike Anderson Memorial in style.
Trained by John Simms for owner Tony Gaito, the mare was purchased last winter from Toronto for a winter campaign at Tampa Bay. After a win in her first start for the new connections in late December, Simms caught wind of a possibly claim in her next race. “I had to protect her by running her a bit over her head but she performed well,” said the trainer. When she shipped to Fort Erie this spring the mare became ill and had to take some time off before starting back to serious training but that was halted as well. “She ended up with a puss pocket in her foot and had to take another break.” Simms was finally able to get Striking Miss ready but time was running out to get her eligible for the Cup races at Fort Erie. In order to participate in a Cup event a horse must have started at Fort Erie Race Track two times or more. “We had to run her against the boys to get her into the Princess Cup (held on Prince of Wales Day) and she ran a game second,” said Simms.
Today, the pace was set by Alamanda Drive and Time Sharing who battled it out for the lead setting an opening quarter of 22.1 and a half of 45 seconds flat.
“I knew there was going to be speed to chase and my mare ran big,” said jockey Martin Ramirez. Ramirez positioned his horse four lengths off the front runners before making his move at the top of the stretch.
Striking Miss quickly grabbed the lead and pulled away from the field to win by eight lengths in a final time of 1:42.4 for the distance of one mile and a sixteenth.
Striking Miss returned $7.60 to win. Finishing second was Grace by Moonlight and Time Sharing was third
Mia’s Miracle (Orientate) won Monday’s BOB SUMMERS MEMORIAL Stakes at Fort Erie for Lamar and Nathan Squires. The gelding had been racing for $4K claiming last fall. Norm Files photo
FASIG TIPTON SARATOGA ONTARIO BRED RESULTS
$450,000 Tiznow filly bred by Anderson Farms, David Anderson
BLANDFORD BLOODSTOCK purchased a Ontario bred Tiznow filly out of Storm Tide by Storm Cat for $450,000 at the 2nd and final session of the Saratoga selected yearling sale on Aug 7. The filly is a full sister to Woodbine winner Osler Bluff and also a full sister to Grade 3 winner MAERICAN LION. The 2nd dam is City Band, dam of WEATHER WARNINGS and FOOLISHLY.
NOT SOLD61 F DISTORTED HUMOR QUITE A RUCKUS RICHTER SCALE ONTARIO 1 KAIZEN SALES (RICHARD KENT) AGENT Watch
OUT 62 C STREET SENSE RARE OPPORTUNITY DANZIG CONNECTION ONTARIO 3 VANMETER SALES AGENT I Watch
RNA $145,000 84 C GIANT’S CAUSEWAY SHEER ENCHANTMENT ARCHERS BAY ONTARIO 1 KAIZEN SALES (RICHARD KENT) AGENT Watch
$450,000 99 F TIZNOW STORM TIDE STORM CAT ONTARIO 9 EATON SALES AGENT Watch
rna $70,000 156 F DYNAFORMER CLASSIC BREEZE REGAL CLASSIC ONTARIO 1 KAIZEN SALES (RICHARD KENT) AGENT Watch
