RYAN PACHECO won his first race at Woodbine aboard HONEST AL on Sunday…Norm Files photo
JUST LIKE IN THE MOVIES
from a Positive comes a …positive
HOLLYWOOD HIT didn’t know he was not allowed to race anymore, once his sensational Kennedy Road Stakes (GII) last season was flagged and then, just recently, taken away.
He minded his own business and waited for the day he could show his stuff again and that day was Sunday at Woodbine in the Jacques Cartier Stakes.
With trainer Terry Jordan and his team of assistants out of the picture for 30 days, Hollywood Hit has been residing in the barn of Danny O’Callaghan and was he ready to go.
Pumped up from the get-go, Hollywood Hit was ‘under a tug’ early in the race before he strolled away in the stretch.
“He’s the fastest horse I’ve ever ridden,” said jockey Jim McAleney. “I just love this horse. He’s brilliant.”
A son of Cactus Ridge, the 4yo is one of 10 foals for the mare Solid Hit and 9 to race have all won. The horse was bred by C.R. Trout who sold his homebred to Redekop last year.
Also on Sunday, BENT ATTORNEY ran like a mare possessed by winning an optional claiming event for $77,500 claiming in race 4. The Crown Attorney mare, owned by Centennial Farms (Niagara) and trained by Don MacRae took off like a shot in the stretch to defeat fellow stakes winner Indian Apple Is in the 5 1/2 furlong dash.
RYAN PACHECO, an apprentice who attended Chris McCarron’s riding school in the Inited States, won his first race at Woodbine (and his first race other than a riding school event) when he guided Frank Lippa and Kieran Naim’s HONEST AL to a front runing score in a maiden $16,000 race.
Pacheco was a groom for trainer READE BAKER for several years before embarking on a riding career.
First time starter OFFICEINTHEVALLEY was let go at 35 to 1 in a maiden allowance in race 9 but he romped by more than 3 lengths and earned a 65 Beyer Figure in his debut. Owned, bred and trained by Paul Buttigieg, the Ontario bred gelding is by Peaks and Valleys out of At the Office by Silver Ghost.
TRACK RECORD TAKEN AWAY
When Hollywood Hit’s win in the Kennedy Road was taken away, so was his track record time of 1:07.38. The record showing in the program is 1:08.31.
So, the horse comes up with a positive and loses the win, and somewhere, powers that be decided that the time of the race is no longer valid.
Deciding whether the positive test actually made the horse run faster is debtable for sure. But when folks who play the races are now trying to calculate their own speed figures or pace numbers, this event is totally wiped off the slate.
Seems a bit misleading – maybe it should be a track record with an asterisk?
WOODBINE SCOREBOARD – TRAINERS
Steven M. Asmussen 12 4 1 2 $138,240
Gregory de Gannes 9 3 2 3 $85,051
Laurie Silvera 10 3 1 3 $139,352
Robert P. Tiller 6 3 1 2 $132,095
Mark E. Casse 19 2 4 2 $138,845
Michael V. Pino 5 2 2 1 $83,570
Michael J. Doyle 14 2 1 3 $113,638
Reade Baker 7 2 1 1 $172,311
Donald C. MacRae 3 2 1 0 $81,720
Sam Di Pasquale 4 2 1 0 $37,940
Ralph J. Biamonte 7 2 0 1 $57,099
Larry Rivelli 4 2 0 1 $31,204
Darwin D. Banach 4 2 0 1 $23,309
Mark Fournier 2 2 0 0 $51,660
JOCKEYS
Eurico Rosa Da Silva 33 11 1 6 $447,690
Emile Ramsammy 38 9 7 6 $355,324
Patrick Husbands 32 6 5 6 $314,930
Omar Moreno 34 5 4 9 $170,549
Justin Stein 12 4 4 1 $150,409
Luis Contreras 12 4 1 2 $138,240
David Clark 13 3 0 2 $44,931
James McAleney 14 2 1 1 $163,987
Richard Anthony Dos Ramos 11 2 0 1 $79,262
BAY TO BAY, ROSE CATHERINE HEAD FIELD OF EIGHT FOR THURSDAY’S APPALACHIAN
Canadian owner Robert Smithen’s Bay to Bay, winner of the Natalma (G3) and runner-up to Biofuel in the Mazarine (G3) at Woodbine last year, will carry top weight of 123 pounds and concede 2-6 pounds to her seven rivals in Thursday’s 22nd running of the $100,000 Appalachian (G3) for 3-year-old fillies going a mile on the turf.
The Appalachian will go as the eighth race on Thursday’s nine-race card with a 4:35 p.m. (EDT) post time. First post on Thursday is 1:05 p.m.
Trained by Woodbine conditioner Brian Lynch, Bay to Bay will be making her 2010 debut in the Appalachian and will be ridden for the first time by Javier Castellano. Bay to Bay will break from post position five.
Although Bay to Bay will carry high weight, favoritism likely will go to Paul Pompa Jr.’s Rose Catherine, trained by Todd Pletcher.
Rose Catherine has compiled a record of 3-2-1-0 on the turf with the runner-up finish coming in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in November at Santa Anita. In her lone start of 2010, Rose Catherine won the Sweet Life at Santa Anita.
Garrett Gomez, who rode Rose Catherine to her Sweet Life victory, has the call Thursday and will exit post position one.
Thursday, Keeneland
APPALACHIAN S.-GIII, $100,000, 3yo, f, 1mt
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT
1 Rose Catherine K Speightstown Gomez Pletcher 117
2 All County Medallist De La Cruz Pucek 117
3 Orchestrator K Bernstein Solis McPeek 121
4 Red Hot Buddha Buddha Graham Amoss 117
5 Bay to Bay K Sligo Bay (Ire) Castellano Lynch 123
6 Cactus Cadillac K Cactus Ridge Albarado Pate 119
7 Check the Label Stormin Fever Leparoux Motion 119
8 Go Ask Alex K Afleet Alex Rossi Glenney 117
KENTUCKY DERBY IN JUST OVER 3 WEEKS
Trainer Pletcher with 6, WinStar Farm with 4…
If strength in numbers means anything at all then the team of WINSTAR Farm and trainer Todd Pletcher have a strangehold on the Kentucky Derby on May 1.
Pletcher’s main Derbvy hopeful, ESKENDEREYA, is not one of the Winstar dudes, however, and that son of Giant’s Causeway is considered far and away the leading Derby contender.
LOUISVILLE COURIER-JOURNAL’S PROBABLE DERBY LIST
Horse Trainer Graded earnings Last race
Lookin At Lucky Bob Baffert $1,480,000 3rd Santa Anita Derby
Noble’s Promise Kenny McPeek $738,000 5th Arkansas Derby
Rule Todd Pletcher $645,000 3rd Florida Derby
Sidney’s Candy John Sadler $630,000 1st Santa Anita Derby
Eskendereya Todd Pletcher $600,00 1st Wood
Line of David John Sadler $600,000 1st Arkansas Derby
Mission Impazible Todd Pletcher $473,434 1st Louisiana Derby
Ice Box Nick Zito $457,500 1st Florida Derby
Stately Victor Mike Maker $451,112 1st Blue Grass Stakes
Endorsement Shannon Ritter $400,000 1st Sunland Derby
Conveyance Bob Baffert $386,000 2nd Sunland Derby
American Lion Eoin Harty $378,000 1st Illinois Derby
Dublin D. Wayne Lukas $373,208 3rd Arkansas Derby
Super Saver Todd Pletcher $363,832 2nd Arkansas Derby
Discreetly Mine Todd Pletcher $340,000 4th Louisiana Derby
Dean’s Kitten Mike Maker $326,475 1st Lane’s End
Interactif Todd Pletcher $307,950 4th Blue Grass
Awesome Act Jeremy Noseda $285,000 3rd Wood Memorial
Paddy O’Prado Dale Romans $250,950 2nd Blue Grass
Homeboykris Rick Dutrow $250,500 2nd allowance race
Uh Oh Bango Kory Owens $237,952 4th Arkansas Derby
Jackson Bend Nick Zito $230,000 2nd Wood Memorial
Backtalk Tom Amoss $225,916 3rd Illinois Derby
Make Music for Me Alexis Barba $218,750 6th Blue Grass
A Little Warm Tony Dutrow $180,000 2nd Louisiana Derby
Setsuko Richard Mandella $180,000 2nd Santa Anita Derby
Pleasant Prince Wesley Ward $166,250 7th Blue Grass
Caracortado Mike Machowsky $153,000 4th Santa Anita Derby
Yawanna Twist Rick Dutrow $147,000 2nd Illinois Derby
L-Connemara Todd Pletcher $138,500 3rd Lane’s End
Northern Giant D. Wayne Lukas $132,000 9th Arkansas Derby
T-Eightyfiveinafifty Gary Contessa $120,000 1st Bay Shore
First Dude Dale Romans $97,500 3rd Blue Grass
Drosselmeyer Bill Mott $87,000 3rd Louisiana Derby
KEY: L – Running in Saturday’s Coolmore Lexington Stakes.
T – Possible for The Cliff’s Edge Derby Trial
LEXINGTON IS LAST CHANCE FOR THESE GUYS TO GET INTO DERBY
and check out EXHI
A win in the Lexington Stakes on Saturday gets one of these guys a ticket to the Kentucky Derby by earnings (see list above for leaders) and one intriguing entrant is EXHI, a Todd Pletcher trainee.
EXHI is a dark bay colt who won the Rushaway Stakes at Turfway Park last time and his 3rd dam is none other than the famous Canadian mare FANFRELUCHE.
FANFRELUCHE, the dam of La Voyageuse, Medaille d’Or and of course, the infamous SAIN ET SAUF, is in the Canadian Horse racing Hall of Fame.
Saturday, Keeneland
COOLMORE LEXINGTON S.-GII, $300,000, 3yo,
1 1/16m (AWT)
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT
1 Krypton K Rock Hard Ten Garcia McLaughlin 117
2 Uptowncharlybrown K Limehouse Gomez White 117
3 Distorted Dave K Distorted Humor Espinoza Sadler 117
4 Bushwhacked K Posse Maragh Sheppard 117
5 Call Shot K Tale of the Cat Alvarado Catalano 117
6 Prince Will I Am Victory Gallop Borel Nihei 117
7 Lonesome Street Broken Vow Leparoux Maker 117
8 Exhi Maria’s Mon Albarado Pletcher 121
9 Heavenville Offlee Wild B’mohan Asmussen 117
10 Connemara Giant’s Causeway R Baze Pletcher 121
11 Kettle River Congaree Castellano Harty 117
12 Chief Counsel K Officer D’meaux Mott 117 
EXHI, great grandson of FANFRELUCHE, is in the Lexington Stakes on Saturday.
www.horse-races.net photo
FORT ERIE NEWS
Villeneuve coming home to chase career win # 1,000……
FORT ERIE , April 13 – Jockey Francine Villenueve is coming home. The veteran rider made it official Monday, she’ll return to the saddle this season in hopes of reaching a milestone, 1,000 career wins.
Since riding her first winner at Woodbine in 1987 the Ottawa native has recorded 934 victories. She is Canada ’s all-time leading female rider ahead of Regina Sealock (742), Emma-Jayne Wilson (710) and Chantal Sutherland (701). (Total wins by a Canadian born rider).
“One thousand wins is definitely the motivating factor in my decision,” said the 45-year-old rider. “It’s within reach, I’ve been thinking about it for a long time.”
After riding 51 winners at Fort Erie in 2006, Villeneuve decided to take a break from racing. “I never really retired,” she said. “I just took some time off. Now it’s all or nothing, I’m coming back to focus on race-riding and winning races.”
Villeneuve was the first local female rider to ride in the Queen’s Plate, finishing second aboard Wilderness Song in 1991. Later that year she rode Wilderness Song in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. In 2005 she just missed winning the Prince of Wales Stakes, she finished second aboard Autumn Snow.
Her proudest moment came in 2004 when she was awarded the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award. “I felt so honoured,” she said. “I felt I got a lot of recognition from people I respected. It really made me feel good.”
The Gomez award is given to a Canadian-born, Canadian-raised or regular rider in the country for more than five years, who has made significant contributions to the sport.
Live racing returns to Fort Erie on Saturday, May 1. First race at 1:30pm.
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