Back to school, back to work and back to the racing news and sales! Wild stuff at the races yesterday (congrats to JAKE, whose pick ROSE AND SHINE was a winner!…
MEDIDOCIHOSPISURG (a medical term), was one of several head-scratching winners of stakes on Yearling graduate day at Woodbine – he beat champion Sand Cove, Queen’s Plate 2nd Hippolytus etc. M. Burns photo
The sales topping Where’s the Ring – Gypsy Genna colt…Dave Landry
SALE STEADY on First of 3 sessions
The small, 70-horse initial select session of the CTHS (Ontario) yearling sale started off with lots of enthusiasm and a packed pavilion last night and there was a lot to be pleased with.
How about FRANK STRONACH making an appearance at the sale for the first time in about 20years? The master of Adena Springs stood in the back ring with wife Freida and scrutinized most of the yearlings parading in front of him and came away with a pair of Silent Name (Jpn) colts.
The who’s who of the game were there – DANNY DION, FRANK DIGUILIO, ROLPH DAVIS, MARK CASSE, READE BAKER, ROGER ATTFIELD, VERNE DUBINSKY, you name it.
While there as no comparable session last year – this was the first time a portion was held on Monday, Labour day evening, the median was $23,000 (last year’s entire select session had a $20K median) and the average was just over $27,000 (last year, $28,000).
Two very dark bay colts were the two top prices and both were bought by the BEAR – Danny Dion, Woodbine’s leading owner along with Eugene Melynk.
The $100,000 topper was Richard Hogan and Winston Penny’s fellow by Bold Executive – Honolulu Gold, by Alwuhush. It is the last foal of the mare, a stakes winner for Stronach and dam of Classic Case.
For $95,000, the Bear bought a gorgeous, huge Where’s the Ring colt out of Gypsy Genna, bred and sold by Paul Buttigieg. The colt is a full brother to Buttigieg’s graded stakes placed guy GYPSY RING.
read more about the sale last night at www.bloodhorse.com
VICTORIES FOR THE LITTLE GUYS!
Handicappers get schooling as longshots rule Sales stakes day
There was no rhyme nor reason to most of the results during yesterdy’s 6-stake smorgasbord at Woodbine, events for the yearling sales graduates of years gone by.
The longshot came coming in while huge favourites flopped.
Most of the results made no sense at all.
But hey, a lot of little guys and gals, one guy a bit smaller than the others, celebrated some pretty nice wins in races worth anywhere from $125,000 up to $200,000.
Like a very big and heavy curtain, the day started out cold and brisk, a dramatic change from the 40 degrees Celcius-with-humidity stuff we had a few days ago.
Ralph Biamonte, Mike De Paulo, John LeBlanc Jr., Audre Cappuccitti and Steven Chircop the trainers to make a trip to the winner’s circle.
Winning Beyer figures:
MENLO CASTLE – 88
MEDIDOCOHISPISURG – 88
QUICK CODE – 84
BUG’S BOY – 87
EURO PLATINUM – 76
ROSE AND SHINE – 65
KENORA
He’a affectionately known as Spanky, well, at least he was when he was growing up under the watchful eye of breeder Ericka Rusnak. A son of obscure Florida sire Omega Code, QUICT CODE was bought in utero by Rusnack the mare’s name is She Ain’t Much (!) but Rusnak calls her SAM.
Quick Code sold for $20,000 two years ago to Bob Stevens’ Sylon Stable and partner and trainer Mike DePaulo. The gelding has plowed his way through some claiming wins but then upset the applecart in the KENORA yesterday.
At 9 to 1, ($20.10) he rallied from well back to finish a head in front of Arepeatee to win the $125,000 Kenora Stakes. Tthe Kenora was his fourth career tally and his first added-money score. Under jockey Justin Stein, Quick Code covered six furlongs in 1:09.93.
There is a half sibling to the stakes hero in today’s sale.
SIMCOE
Ralph Biamonte trainee Menlo Castle ($10.10) was a dominant 7 ¾-length winner of the $200,000 Simcoe Stakes, giving owner Conor Healy his firs added-money triumph. The 6 ½-furlong contest was also the first stakes score for the two-year-old gelded son of Forest Danger, ridden to victory by Patrick Husbands. Where’s Johnson, also conditioned by Biamonte, was second. Crowns Dynasty was third.
MENLO CASTLE cost $20,000 at the open session of last year’s sale. Owner CONOR HEATLY said after the race the stakes win, his first was “a long time coming” and he certainly looked thrilled.
The gelding (Forest Danger – Romantic Tryst) was bred by DAN MOONEY, Huntington Stud Farm.
Menlo Castle, built in 1569, in Ireland
HALTON
Maggie and son Douglas LeBlanc’s Bug’s Boy ($150.10) wore down 3-5 shot Society’s Chairman in the $127,400 Halton Stakes. A winner by three-quarters of a length, Bug’s Boy covered one mile over a ‘good’ turf course in 1:38.71. He is trained by John LeBlanc Jr. and was ridden to victory by Omar Moreno.
For young Douglas, who is affectionately lnow as ‘Bug’, it was his first major win as an owner (okay, he’s not even a teenager yet) and it was his hand that was used to bid on the sizy Crown Attorney gelding bred by John Carey. They bought him for about $2,500.
As a late developer, the gelding has been racing for $12,500 claiming as recently as 2009, and not winning. Grass seems to be his preferred surface but since he had not been a factor in most of his 2011 races and since SOCIETY’S CHAIRMAN, a graded stakes winner was in the field, it was hard to imagine the 8-year-old powering past that star to win over a course that was quite soft.
The Beyer Figure was 87.
MUSKOKA
Rose and Shine ((Mr. Sekigucki – Yellowenglishrose, by Coloonal Affair) was bought back for $19,000 last year as HIP NO 1. Owned by James Sabiston the filly gave trainer Ralph Biamonte his second added-money win on the card this time in the $200,000 Muskoka Stakes. It was the second win in four starts for the two-year-old filly. Rose and Shine was ridden by Eurico Rosa da Silva. The daughter of Mr. Sekiguchi stopped the teletimer in 1:17.78 a 65 Beyer Figure.
ALGOMA
Owner-trainer Audre Cappuccitti watched Euro Platinum ($48.90) rally from off the pace to capture the $125,400 Algoma Stakes. Under jockey Corey Fraser, Euro Platinum won her first race since a 40-1 upset in last November’s Jammed Lovely Stakes. The four-year-old daughter of Eurosilver travelled 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.58.
“I am so excited I can’t catch my breath,” said Cappuccitti. Clearly, the owner/trainer was as stunend as the rest of us. Cool for jockey Fraser, who has had a rough year winning races but got the grey gal up in time to beat another grey longshot, TEE GAME.
ELGIN
A $16,000 claiming in April, the unsually named MEDIDOCIHOSPISURG ($28.10) eked out a head win in the $123,750 Elgin Stakes. The son of Thunder Gulch, under Jesse Campbell, got up in time to best Hippolytus and Sand Cove. The Steven Chircop trainee (he also co-owns with Joe Petrella) stopped the teletimer in 1:42.88 good one an 88 Beyer Figure.
This gelding, bred by Richard Day, was a very expensive yearling – $120,000, bought by UN Stable 5 years ago.
The mare Escape Reality is the dam of Breeders’ Stakes winner Sweest Thing.
Chircop had high expectations, despite seeing his charge sent to post at odds of 13-1.
“I really was confident,” admitted Chircop. “If you look at his last Beyer (82 speed figure), it was higher than most of the other horses and a lot of the horses were three-year-olds, and he’s an older horse. He’s got very good form and he’s always there. He came running hard last time and I really expected him to do the same today.”
The conditioner, who owns Medidocihospisurg in partnership with Joe Petrella, appreciated the assistance of his hard-working team who brought the horse into the race in the best of health.
“A lot of my success comes from the people who work with me – – my grooms, my exercise riders and, obviously, the owners,” said Chircop. “Joe started me off with a couple of babies and we claimed a couple horses, so I’ve had help from everybody.”
