WHEW, just got finished with a long weekend of racing, action packed, and now right into 5 straight days including Saturday’s blockbuster card at Woodbine with the Canadian International – Grade 1 – leading the way.
the big name horse, Arctic Cosmos got hurt.the fields for the Nearctic and E.P. Taylor may be a bit more interesting, that is often the case, but the International is not too bad and there is a good chance of a Canadian win..
also , Frank Stronach making big move to Ontario racing stallion business opening soon!
ARCTIC COSMOS INJURED – OUT
Press association..
John Gosden has been forced to pull the plug on Arctic Cosmos’ bid for the Canadian International at Woodbine on Saturday and the St Leger winner will not run again this season.
The three-year-old suffered a cannon bone injury when working on Saturday morning and was taken to the Equine Hospital in Newmarket for surgery. The operation was successful and connections have every hope he will return to action next season.
Gosden’s jockey William Buick, who rode him at Doncaster., told At The Races: “The operation went well and by all accounts he is recovering well at the hospital and hopefully he’ll be back again next year.”
PROBABLE FIELD
Al Khali/Brous Stable and Wachtel Stable/Bill Mott/Alan Garcia – GRADE 2 WINNER, DISTANCE A QUESTION
Chinchon/Darpat S.L. Stables/Carlos Laffon-Parias/Garrett Gomez – LIKES AMERICA, LAST RACE A PUZZLE
Cloudy’s Knight/S J Stables/Jonathan Sheppard/Rosemary Homeister – OLD TIMER
Fifty Proof/Kinghaven Farms, John Fielding and Ben Hutzel/Justin Stein THE UP AND COMER
Joshua Tree/Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier and Michael Tabor/Aidan
O’Brien/Colm O’Donoghue GOOD AT 2 LAST YEAR
Marsh Side/Robert Evans/Neil Drysdale/Edgar Prado WON THE RACE 2 YEARS AGO
Memorial Maniac/Butterfly Stable/Larry Demeritte/James Graham A FRINGER
Mores Wells/Denis O’Flynn/Richard Gibson/Sebastien Malliot SWEDEN WIN LOOKS GOOD, TRIES TO EMULATE COLLIER HILL
Redwood/Juddmonte Farms/Barry Hills/Michael Hills WON NORTHERN DANCER, BIG SHOT AGAIN
Simmard/Haras Santa Maria de Araras/Roger Attfield/Javier Castellano DISTANCE A QUESTION, HE’S FRESH
Spice Route/Harlequin Ranches, Ralph Johnson and Roger Attfield/Roger
Attfield/Mike Smith SITTING ON A WIN? NEEDS FIRM
IMPOSING -Canadian-bred FIFTY PROOF has big chance in the International. Cindy Pierson Dulay/horse-races.net
E.P. TAYLOR POSSIBILITIES
AKARLINA – Group 3 winner in 5 races
CONTREDANSE – Group 2 winner
GALLIC STAR unplaced, listed winner
LAHALEEB – last year’s winner but 5-0-0-0 this year
MEKONG MELODY – Flaming Page winner
MISS KELLER Canadian S. winner
PACHATTACK – listed winner
REGGANE 2 wins
SHALANAYA – Group 1 winner last year
SILVER GREY – 1 win
NEARCTIC STAKES
BALTHAZAR’S GIFT – 6yo Group 2 winner
BOGUE CHITTO
BRIDGETOWN – stakes winner
FATAL BULLET – Horse of the Year, 2nd Play the King
GRAND ADVENTURE – grade 2
SERIOUS ATTITUDE – 4yo filly Group 1 winner in 2008
SIGNATURE RED 12th woodbine mile
WOODBOURNE – 3rd Woodbine Mile
AMICO FRITZ – Group 2 winner in France/Germany
CANADIANS HAVE A SHOT AT INTERNATIONAL
Where were you when THORNFIELD won the Canadian International in 1999 for Knob Hill Stables, trainer Phil England and jockey Richard Dos Ramos?
Yours truly was busy betting on the large chestnut gelding, one of 3 Canadian horses to win the race in the last 20 runnings.
The 73 rd running of the biggest race on the Woodbine calendar features a trio of local runners and one of them, Caandian-bred FIFTY PROOF has a decent chance to take the $2 million event.
A giant chestnut gelding by Whiskey Wisdom, the Kinghaven Farms-OWNED (Anderson farms bred) 4yo is owned in part by John Fielding and Ben Hutzel and trained by Ian Black.
The gelding has had a couple of stellar workout times coming into this race and he was not beaten far by Redwood in the Northern Dancer. The latter is the likely favourite in what shapes up more like a Group 2/3 event than a Group, Grade 1, so Fifty Proof is a serious contender.
SPICE ROUTE wants firm ground and when he gets it, the Roger Attfield trainee can be tough. He is owned by Alberta’s Dick Bonnycastle.
Attfield also trains American owned SIMMARD.
REDWOOD ON HIS WAY
Barry Hills’ Redwood has left Lambourn ahead of his bid for glory in the Canadian International at Woodbine on Saturday
The High Chaparral colt took time to find his form this season but his last three runs have yielded plenty of glory. He won the Glorious Stakes at Goodwood, was second in the Grand Prix de Deauville and then travelled to Canada to win the Northern Dancer Turf Stakes.
Mark Johnston’s Jukebox Jury was narrowly denied in the race last year and the Hills team are hoping to go one better.
“Redwood left the yard at 8am on Monday for his latest Canadian venture,” read a statement on the trainer’s official website, www.barryhills.com.
“He came back from his last trip in great form and it has been decided that he will run in the Canadian International on Saturday.
“As you can imagine we are all very excited and hopefully he will keep up the improvement he has shown with each run this season.”
European trainers could be strongly represented at the meeting with Aidan O’Brien’s Joshua Tree likely to clash with Redwood.
The likes of Luca Cumani’s Contredanse, Mick Channon’s Gallic Star, Paul D’Arcy’s Lahaleeb, who won the race last year, and Gerard Butler’s Pachattack are all due to run in the EP Taylor Stakes.
Copyright © 2010 The Press Association. All rights reserved.
NEARCTIC STAKES UPDATE
Smokey Fire, Field Commission entered Wed. night instead.
from PRESS ASSOCIATION:
ATTITUDE BIDS FOR VICTORIOUS FAREWELL
By Nick Robson, Press Association Sport
Serious Attitude will be looking to sign off her career with Rae Guest with a victory in the Group One Nearctic Stakes at Woodbine on Saturday.
The four-year-old filly has proved a fantastic buy having cost just 7,500gns as a yearling.
She ended her juvenile campaign unbeaten after winning the Cheveley Park Stakes and also won a Group Three at York as a three-year-old.
Without a win this season, she showed much more of her old dash behind Lady Of The Desert in the Diadem Stakes on her latest start.
“She’s going to run in Canada on Saturday,” said Guest, who is also a part-owner.
CONGRATS TO MILWAUKEE APPEAL
It was one of the best races by a Canadian-bred horse this year – MILWAUKEE APPEAL just about won the Grade 1 Spinster Stakes on Sunday at Keeneland, finally being edged by longshot ACOMA at the end of the prestigious race.
The Beyer Figure was 99.
Milwaukee Appeal has not won since the Woodbine Oaks last year and she has been on the road for the season so she is not eligible for any Sovereign Awards. The Milwaukee Brew gal, owned by CEC Stables and trained by Scott Fairlie, is on the short list of Canadian stars this year – SOCIETY’S CHAIRMAN, EL BRUJO (none of which can win awards for their seasons).
LETTERS TO THOROUGHBLOG
FROM Reginald Right – October 9th, 2010 at 11:31 pm e
Next weekend is the biggest meeting on the Woodbine calendar (in my mind), yet looking on the Woodbine website, there is ‘dick all’ about it. Sure there’s a link to a page, but no information, except a small note about some Euros landing at the airport and some idea of the top seven and no information about them!!!
I’m sure there will be something up on the day of the race, hopefully something in depth, educational and interesting about the horses, hopefully something a little more than the usual superficial stuff.
Woodbine seem very good at ‘talking the talk’, but (in my mind) fail to walk the walk, which questions the validity of ‘Entertainment’ in their name. Putting on a days racing is of course easy entertainment, but a business of this magnitude should put more effort into looking after its customers.
A meeting like this should be building speculation up for weeks and this is not even done when it’s an over-hyped, over-rated race like the Queen’s Plate. Wouldn’t more interest mean more betting, after all, isn’t that all WEG are interested in?
It England, races next May like the Guineas …read more under the post HEADLINE
ADENA SPRINGS OPENS STALLION BARN IN AURORA,
bringing 8 stallions in biggest move in recent Canadian breeding history
FRANK STRONACH’S ADENA SPRINGS, in Aurora Ontario is set to open its fancy new STALLION COMPLEX and will soon offer a roster of 8 stallions.
Stronach has recently moved stallions from Florida to Ontario to take advantage of the Ontario-sired program and the stallions were standing at Gardiner Farms.
On October 30, the public is welcome to view the new stallion complex and join the farm is saluting the new members of the sire team (along with Milwaukee Brew, Giant Gizmo and Sligo Bay, who move from Gardiner to Adena):
MAST TRACK
SINGING SAINT
WILKO
NORTH LIGHT
SHOWING UP
WEEKEND WRAP
Grey stakes not black and white
The babies were on display at Woodbine on Sunday and Monday and both races earned about the same Beyer Figure. One, the Grade 3 Grey, often a key 2 race for sorting out the best local juveniles, didn’t do much in that respect. The race was filled with all kinds of bad trips and bad luck. The winner, BLUE LASER, from the first crop of Bluegrass Cat, had a very wide trip around the first turn but then had a good go of things into the sttrech after CLASSIC LEGACY, recently sold to Californnia folks and trainer Bob Baffert swooped by the field as if the race was only to the top of the stretch.
Alas, Classic Legacy wilted and Blue Laser was still plugging.
Meanwhile, the Reade Baker entry had all sorts of troubles. Bear’s Future broke sluggishly and then seemed to run off so he was burnt out after the pace duel.
ROCKIN HEAT was beside Blue Laser all the way but then got shuffled back badly on the turn and had to start all over again and he rallied for 2nd – the 4th time he has been 2nd in his career (he’s still a maiden).
Rockin Heat could go to the Breders’ Cup Juvenile.
The race earned a 74 Beyer Figure compared to Uncle Mo’s 94 from the Champagne.
The news was better for Bear Stables yesterday as BEAR’S PEAK, by Peaks and Valleys – Royal Ascot won the Bull Page Stakes for Ontario sired boys. The chestnut was a maiden after one race going in by he beat the Old Forester speedster Altius right on the wire. The winner was bred by Helmut and Nancy Kleinhart and was a $60,000 yearling purchase. He earned a 74 Beyer Figure.
SAFETY ZONE, a grass winner for $40,000 claiming, was claimed from his win on Sunday and will head to Florida soon to prepare for the Barbados Gold Cup. Eugene Melnyk and Mark Casse took the King Cugat fellow (Casse used to train him) and they won the Gold Cup last year with Sterwins.
Trainer MIKE LIGHTNER won his first race of the meeting when the 2yo HIPPOLYTUS won his maiden in his first 2 turn attempt in race 6. The maiden allowance, for Ontario sired babies, was the 5th race for the son of 1st crop sire Philanthropist. The gelding was bred by John Carey and is owned by Mary Surrency.
MARCHFIELD TO PARK STUD!
Champion Marchfield to stand at Park Stud
Eugene Melnyk’s homebred champion Marchfield, a two time Champion Older
Horse in Canada by A. P. Indy out of broodmare of the year Pico Teneriffe, will stand the
2011 season at Park Stud in Orangeville, Ontario. His fee is $4,000.
The 6-year-old Marchfield was a stakes performer in each of his four years of racing. At
2, he was second in the Coronation Futurity in his second start. As a 3-year-old he won
the third leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, the Breeders Stakes. In his championship
seasons, as a 4 and 5-year-old, he won the G2 Autumn, G3 Dominion Day and G2 Sky
Classic, defeating eventual horse of the year Champs Elysees.
“As big supporters of the Ontario racing program we are excited to stand Marchfield at
Park Stud and hope he can follow in the footsteps of the likes of Bold Ruckus and Geiger
Counter.” Said Phil Hronec, farm manager of Melnyk’s Winding Oaks Farm “Eugene
Melnyk is fully committed to the success of Marchfield’s stallion career, he will be well
supported.”
Retiring as a millionaire, Marchfield ran 4 consecutive 100+ Beyer numbers, on both
PolyTrack and Turf. He retired with slightly over $1 Million in earnings, finishing in the
money in 15 of 23 starts.
Mike Byrne added, “We at Park Stud are very appreciative and fortunate to be given the
opportunity to stand a champion son of A. P. Indy with the ability, pedigree and
conformation of Marchfield.”
