**Sunday morning – WE MISS ARTIE does not work well on the Churchill dirt, trainer Todd Pletcher to consult with owner Ken Ramsay about Kentucky Derby next week – Artie is lone Canadian-bred in the field and early Queen’s Plate favourite..see below for more
CHANTAL SUTHERLAND KRUSE with the Whimsical Stakes (Grade 30 trophy. She picked up the mount on Purely Hot one race before and won for trainer Tevis McCauley. NORM FILES PHOTO
Wild finish in the 9th race at Woodbine on Saturday. It was only an $8,000 claiming race for maidens but MARILYN BORDEAUX, by Milwaukee Brew, was up to win under Sutherland Kruse over longshot MAY PEN (no, 1) NORM FILES PHOTO
SATURDAY AT WOODBINE
Thoroughbreds feeling their oats
From a near catastrophic accident in race 6 to a paddock incident that proved costly, it was a tough day on the jockeys at Woodbine on a cold and cloudy April day.
In fact, PURELY HOT’S stakes score in the Grade 3 WHIMSICAL was a bit overlooked because of the wild goings-on.
Certainly race 5 was the much talked about dash of the day, a maiden allowance at 5 furlongs. Early in the race, first time starter Delayed Engagement dueled in the 2 path with favoured Bear’s Cowboy to his inside on the rail. The two were a team just off the turn when Delayed Engagement drifted inwards, moreso when he was hit right-handed with the ship, knocking Bear’s Romeo into the railing. Emma-Jayne Wilson, aboard Romeo, went sideways in the tack, losing her seat briefly before staying on board. The colt was eliminated from that point. Delayed Engagement was straightened and eased up by Steve Bahen. Neither Wilson nor Romeo seemed to be the worse for wear after the race. A story in the TORONTO SUN covers the incident, see below.
Later, one race before the stakes event, jockey EURICO DA SILVA was reportedly kicked in the paddock before he was to ride PROROGUING in an allowance race. The Robert Tiller trained colt had to have a rider change to Patrick Husbands (they went on to finish second) but the worse news came in the next race as Da Silva’s mount in the Whimsical was Purely Hot.
It turned out to be a very lucky day for Chantal Sutherland Kruse who picked up the mount and won the 6 furlong dash on the daughter of Pure Prize.
PURELY HOT is an intriguing story since she was a $10,000 claim a year ago March at Penn National. She won 5 straight races then for Unlimited Equine and trainer Tevis McCauley before finishing 2nd to Groupe Doll at Presque Isle in a Grade 2. She came to Woodbine for the Bessarabaian and was 4th to Part the Seas and then she was 10th in a Turfway Stakes.
Off the layoff, she ran in a starter allowance and was 3rd and that seemed to keep the handicappers away since her 78 Beyer Figure suggested she might have had her day in the sun.
Well, she won with ease as GOLDSTRYKE GLORY zoomed through wild pace fractions (44 1/5 for the half) and faded. Purely Hot won for the 12th time in her 29th race. The time of 1:09.89 was good for an 87 Beyer Speed Figure, the tops of the day.
Champion female sprinter YOUCAN’TCATCHME could not stay with ‘Glory and faded to 5th. Champion 2yo filly from 2010 Spring in the Air closed too late to be 2nd.
More Saturday:
Race 1 – Big favourite CANADIAN NAVY led all the way and just held on to win the $40,000 claiming race by a snout over a closing OFFICEINTHEVALLEY. The winner is 4 for 12 in his career and he is owned by Earle Mack and Josie Carroll, who also trains. Luis Contreras continues his hot riding hand, it was his first of 3 wins. Canadian Navy is an Ontario bred by pulpit, foaled at Windhaven. His Beyer Figure was 85.
race 2 – Winter raced MISS VICTORIA, owned by Dennis Mills, led all the way and won the $10,00 claiming event in her 5th race of 2014. She had raced 4 times in Florida for trainer Nick Gonzalez and was on the edges. She was back in Peter Berringer’s barn for her return to the Polytrack. Justin Stein lulled the rest of the field to sleep aboard this daughter of North Light (Ire).
Race 3- The race was marred early as SPEETHA, making her second start since 2012, was pulled up early and vanned off. No report as of yet on the 7-year-old mare. The winner was favoured ADMITIT, who stalked and move 3 wide to win handily for Saffie Joseph and trainer Ricky Griffith. Patrick Husbands rode the 6yo mare who was winter raced at Tampa Bay Downs.
Race 4- This was a fast race and the winner, front running DEPUTY DANIEL, is a nice prospect for Terra Racing, who bred the 4yo gelding and owns him with Nat Rea’s Regis Racing. The Spring at Last fellow raced once in 2012, missed all of 2013 and recently was 3rd in a turf dash at Gulfstream. Eurico da Silva rode this smallish guy, who earned an 86 Beyer Figure for 7 furlongs in 1:23 1/5.
Race 6 – Brilliant ride by Luis Contreras to save and manoeuvre MALIBU SKYLINE and they blew past the field in mid stretch to win for Very Dry Stable and trainer Robert Tiller. This guy was dropping in for $16,000 claiming after being claimed for $32,000 last fall but he looks like he could go on a roll again. He is now 8 for 27 in his career.
Race 7 – Tough to figure out this dash, an allowance event for Ontario sired allowance horses. The 2 runners with races on opening day, April 12, EXECUTIVE SHOPPER and BIG POP PA, did not do well, the hot item, Proroughing had to wait in the paddock for a new rider after Da Silva was injured, and it was apprentice Sheena Ryan aboard fast Hawks Got Fire who took off and won the race with ease. The 4yo homebred for Ron House and Rainbow End Stable is trained by Darren Glennon and is by Bold Executive.
rACE 9 -MARILYN BORDEAUX was up in time to win her first race of the season and take her maiden for $8,000. Sutherland Kruse picked up this mount as Jim McAleney was off his mounts for the second day. This chestnut filly is by Milwaukee Brew and owned by Equus Racing Group, A Desruisseaux and Maureen Hewitt-Topp.
Race 10 – Second win for apprentice SHEENA RYAN as MOUNT DIABLO, who was cold on the tote board early but then bet late, won easily for Philip and Cary Brooks. It was his first race of the season and he was dropping from allowance to $9,500 claiming.
Apprentice SHEENA RYAN won 2 races on Saturday including this one on speedy Hawks Got Fire NORM FILES PHOTO
Video of race 5 from Woodbine on Saturday:
TORONTO SUN FEATURE -STEVE BUFFERY
WOODBINE JOCKEY EMMA-JAYNE WILSON NEARLY THROWN OVER RAIL
Standing outside the jockey’s room at Woodbine Racetrack on Saturday afternoon, Emma-Jayne Wilson aptly put the afternoon’s racing program in perspective.
“Not too many people have jobs where an ambulance follows you around,” she said.
There were a few scary incidents on Saturday at the Rexdale race track, including one involving the talented Wilson, who finished sixth in the Woodbine jockey standings last year with 85 wins and $4.7 million in purses
http://www.torontosun.com/2014/04/26/woodbine-jockey-emma-jayne-wilson-nearly-thrown-over-rail
KENTUCKY DERBY HORSES GETTING FINAL PREPS
This morning, Sunday morning at Churchill Downs and the crowds came out to watch a bunch of Kentucky Derby hopefuls put in their last workouts. Canadian-bred WE MISS ARTIE worked in company with INTENSE HOLIDAY and was well beaten in the prep after starting out quite eagerly. You can watch most of the workouts by Derby horses at the following link:
http://www.kentuckyderby.com/workouts
Today’s preps will be updated later. Reports came from the backside at Churchill during media scrums that Pletcher said it was Artie’s worst workout on the dirt.
