SPEECH

 Hello Thursday and the snow is on the way for southern Ontario, which is already in a deep freeze. There is a lot of action to watch in the south, however, with big cards of racing at Gulfstream most days and a lot of Canadians to cheer for…

 

CANADIAN BREDS UP WITH THE BIRDS – PRIVATE ZONE on Dubai noms

 

UP WITH THE BIRDS, Canada’s Horse of the Year of 2013, is one of 228 horses nominated to races at the Dubai Racing Carnival however, the now 5-year-old son of Stormy Atlantic is currently in Ocala at Sam-Son Farm enjoying “being a horse”, according to Rick Balaz.

Up With the Birds recently returned to Sam-Son after a trip to Japan and the Japan Cup where he became unraveled pre-race, washy and sweaty and he did not run his race.

Sam-Son’s Rick Balaz said there are no plans to send Up With the Birds anywhere at this time.

PREVIEW FROM RACINGUK:

By James Willoughby

The 2015 Dubai World Cup Carnival – all of which is live on Racing UK – gets underway on Thursday.

There are 11 fixtures, culminating in World Cup day on March 28. For international racing fans, this is an annual delight.

For anyone who complains that the volume of racing these days makes it hard for the working person to keep in touch with form, this is the perfect format: one high-class meeting per week with plenty of chance to study the videos, free sectional times online to take your understanding of racing to another level, plus entries well in advance to plan the perfect betting strategy.

The racing on turf and the new dirt surface will be fast, competitive and high-class, with multiple runs from horses, who are easy to get to know. And the trials night of Super Saturday on March 7 and World Cup night itself are the perfect climax to your involvement.

You will see horses from Europe take on those from South America, Asia and even Australasia and find out which countries own the superior animals in each division, from sprinting to staying. Sometimes, this can be a revelation and informs a deeper understanding of racing all round the world.

READ MORE AT RACINGUK

 

 

DECISION DAY preps, TESSERON in action

Queen’s Plate contender DECISION DAY, one of several good 3yo prospects trained by Josie Carroll, worked four furlongs in 48.95 at Palm Meadows on Jan. 6. The son of Macho Uno is a homebred for Donver Stables and he won the Coronation Futurity last fall at Woodbine.

TESSERON, a talented grey who has had a start and stop career is in the Fort Lauderdale Stakes (Grade 2) and he comes off a Polytrack win at Woodbine, looking very strong in that non-winners of 2 ‘other than’. He has won on the grass at Keeneland and is from the hot Josie Carroll barn. Tesseron is also owned by Donver Stable.

Another grey in the field, ZA APPROVAL, a millionaire, is making his first start for his new trainer Mark Casse. The Live Oak gelding had been trained by Christophe Clement.

 

FT. LAUDERDALE S.-GII, $200,000, 4yo/up, 1 1/16mT
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT

1 Silver Freak K Badge of Silver Leparoux Lynch 119
2 Lochte Medaglia d’Oro Bocachica Vitali 123
3 Mshawish K Medaglia d’Oro Castellano Pletcher 123
4 Howe Great Hat Trick (Jpn) Lopez Bush 123
5 Fredericksburg Speightstown Saez Matz 119
6 Mosler K War Front Velazquez Mott 119
7 Grand Tito K Candy Ride (Arg) Lezcano Delgado 123
8 Shiva Ryan K Tapit Gomez Jehaludi 117
9 Mucho Mas Macho K Macho Uno Jaen Collazo 123
10 Tesseron Tapit Contreras Carroll 119
11 Za Approval Ghostzapper Rosario Casse 123
12 Mutin (Fr) Kentucky Dynamite Ortiz Jr McLaughlin 121
13 Golden Rifle Ghostzapper Bridgmohan Wolfson 119
14 Protonico Giant’s Causeway Bravo Pletcher 123

 

Also on Saturday at Gulfstream Park, the Canadian bred fillies SKYLANDER GIRL and WHY KATHERINE meet up again in the Grade 3 Marshua’s River. Both gals were in a 7 1/2 furlong turf stake at Gulfstream last month with both landing in mid pack but not far from the winner.

Expect to see both go forward in this slightly longer race.

 

Saturday, Gulfstream Park, post time: 4:03 p.m. EST
MARSHUA’S RIVER S.-GIII, $150,000, 4yo/up, f/m, 1 1/16mT
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER WT
1 Skylander Girl Stroll Contreras Patykewich 119
2 Why Katherine Whywhywhy Rosario Attard 117
3 Parranda English Channel Velazquez Clement 123
4 Strike Charmer Smart Strike Landeros Carroll 123
5 Candy Kitty K Lemon Drop Kid Prado Pletcher 121
6 Ready Signal K More Than Ready Goncalves Tarrant 121
7 Summer Moon (Fr) Elusive City Leparoux Brown 119
8 Scampering K Afleet Alex Castellano McGghy III 119
9 Pappascat K Scat Daddy Lopez Simms 119
10 Alette Lemon Drop Kid Lezcano Block 121

 

SIMPLY A WINNER

Mike and Gina Wright celebrated a win at Tampa Bay Downs on Wednesday when favoured SIMPLY CLASSIC won a 1 1/16 mile maiden turf race. The son of Sky Classic led all the way and won the $16,000 claiming race by 3 1/4 lengths.

 

TAPIT’S BREW getting ready

 

The popular gelding TAPIT’S BREW, now 9-years-old, had his first workout after a lengthy lengthy on Tuesday. The son of Tapit is owned and trained by Tino Attard and he worked 3 furlongs at Gulfstream Park in 39.40. He has not raced since May 2014 when he won for the 3rd time in his previous 4 races in a $32,00 claiming event at Woodbine. The gelding has shown a fondness for the Gulfstream strip.

 

 

FORT ERIE wants more live racing dates

BIZJOURNALS – BUFFALO – by James Fink

The Fort Erie Live Racing Consortium, operators of the historic Fort Erie Race Track, has petitioned the Ontario Racing Commission for a revised live racing schedule that adds three dates and also extends its 2015 season deep into October.

The commission is expected to approve the request in the coming weeks.

According to documents filed with the commission, Fort Erie Live Racing Consortium, wants to drop two live racing dates in May and one in June, while picking up six dates in October. The track is also seeking to push back its post time for the first race by 10 minutes in September and October and all of its Sunday dates.
http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/blog/morning_roundup/2015/01/fort-erie-wants-more-live-racing-dates.html

 

ECLIPSE AWARDS FINALISTS, Canadian-breds Judy and Zone, plus Adena on list

 

COURIER JOURNAL – JENNIE REES – Finalists for the 2014 Eclipse Awards were announced Wednesday morning. And the one thing we do know is there will be a new Horse of the Year after Lexington-based Wise Dan dominated North America’s year-end honors the prior two seasons.

Horse of the Year will come down to Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Bayern, Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome and Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Main Sequence, with the finalists in all categories announced by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, which with the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters and Daily Racing Form vote on the racing champions.
http://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/horses/2015/01/07/horse-year-bayern-california-chrome-main-sequence/21393329/

 

The 2014 Eclipse Awards finalists (in alphabetical order) are:

Horse of the Year:           Bayern, California Chrome, Main Sequence

Two-Year-Old Male:      American Pharoah, Hootenanny, Texas Red

Two-Year-Old Filly:        Condo Commando, Lady Eli, Take Charge Brandi

Three-Year-Old Male:   Bayern, California Chrome, Shared Belief

Three-Year-Old Filly:     Stopchargingmaria, Sweet Reason, Untapable

Older Male:                      Main Sequence, Palace Malice, Wise Dan
Older Female:                  Close Hatches, Dayatthespa, Don’t Tell Sophia

Male Sprinter:                 Goldencents, Private Zone, Work All Week

Female Sprinter:             Artemis Agrotera, Judy the Beauty, Sweet Reason

Male Turf Horse:            Karakontie (JPN), Main Sequence, Wise Dan

Female Turf Horse:        Crown Queen, Dayatthespa, Stephanie’s Kitten

Steeplechase Horse:     Demonstrative, Divine Fortune, Makari (GB)

Owner:                                Kaleem Shah, Midwest Thoroughbreds, Ken and Sarah Ramsey

Breeder:                             Adena Springs, Ken and Sarah Ramsey, Winchell Thoroughbreds

Trainer:                               Bob Baffert, Chad Brown, Todd Pletcher

Jockey:                                Javier Castellano, Joel Rosario, John Velazquez

Apprentice Jockey:        Angel Cruz, Taylor Rice, Drayden Van Dyke

 

FLAT OUT’S FIRST FOAL IS AN ONTARIO-BRED!

Sire: FLAT OUT (Flatter–Cresta Lil, by Cresta Rider), MGISW of $3,645,383, stands at Spendthrift Farm, KY
($10,000).
Dark bay or brown filly was born at Six Gables Farm (Sue Foreman)  in Tottenham, Ontario, Jan. 2.
Bred by Susan Y. Foreman, she is out of the unraced 4 year-old Cowboy Cal mare Birthday Cake.