WOODBINE WEDNESDAY NIGHT
Big Night for Ontario sires
• BOLD ‘N FLASHY, BOLD EXECUTIVE, TRAJECTORY, VALID N BOLD, VALID TREFAIRE, all Ontario sires with winners last night at Woodbine, a cool, and later rainy evening with a Polytrack surface that seemed to favourite the outside once again.
A chestnut 3yo, Paso Doble was making his 3rd start off the layoff (a ala Mine That Bird). He has had 3 different trainers in his career and is a Kentucky bred out of the Foxhound mare Dance Lesson. He was bred by Fred Pace.
A super outing came from DON’S FOLLY, who returned after 2 years to be a fast closing 2nd for Don Cole and trainer Ian Black. The Tethra stakes winner has not raced since he won the September 2007 Simcoe Stakes.
More stuff from last evening…
RESERVOIR finally got to make his much anticipated career debut. The Ontario bred by Sky Classic out of Mossy Moor, owned by Goldie Stable and Weila Ya, was well bet to win his debut a couple of weeks ago but he got hurt in the gate and was scratched.
He made good on everything last night and won as one of the favourites for trainer Julia Carey. His time of 1:25 was slower, however than race 5, another maiden allowance – for Ontario sired.
The winner of that race was Richard Lederman’s ONE ADAM TWELVE who had not raced in 10 months but was very ready for trainer Mark Casse. A flashy bay by Trajectory out of Current Show, the 3yo gelding won with his ears priced at 8 to 5.
EDAMAME got over her win why tendencies to win the 6th race, an allowance race for Ontario sired 3yo fillies. Owned by Windways Farm and bred by Huntington Stud Farm, Edamame put away a pesky Sexy Sheri to win the 5 ½ furlong race as 4 to 5.
COLEBROOK FARMS and trainer ASHLEE BRNJAS won its first race of the meeting with the class dropping bay filly BOLD N BRATTY. The lumbering miss was well prepared and well ridden. Beth Wyard rode the daughter of Vald N Bold and they beat the big favouriute Gray N Away.
EMMA-JAYNE WILSON won the DAILY DOUBLE (as opposed to the Late Double which are the last 2 races) with 2nd time starter ITS FUN TO RUN (Texas Glitter) for Martin Cherry and trainer Sid Attard in his maiden $50,000 claiming race and MR. BOWIE for $40,000 in race 2. The latter bounced into the paddock like he was sharp and ready to go for trainer Dave Bell and owner Gus Vlahos and he was very game all the way to wear down the front running Holy Dreamer to win the non-winners of 3 lifetime event.
PREAKNESS NEWS
Just over a week to leg 2, Triple Crown
RACHEL ALEXANDRA…sold!
Could she pop up for the Preakness?
Kentucky Oaks winner Rachel Alexandra has been sold to wine magnate Jess Jackson and friend Harold T. McCormick for an undiclosed sum. Steve Asmussen is expected to be her new trainer, replacing Hal Wiggins.
The superstar filly won the Kentucky Oaks by more than 20 lengths and may think the filly would have had a good chance in the Kentucky Derby. Perhaps she will be added to the Preakness field on May 16 – the Louisville Courier Journal reports:
“The Jackson camp also said no decision had been made regarding her next race, but the Maryland Jockey Club said it was contacted by a representative of Jackson’s Stonestreet Stable on Tuesday inquiring about a supplement for an unspecified horse.”
Who’s in the Preakness at this point:
Confirmed Starter, Last Race, Scheduled Arrival
Mine That Bird, Won Kentucky Derby, May 12
Musket Man, 3rd in Derby, TBA
Papa Clem, 4th in Derby, May 8 or 9
General Quarters, 10th in Derby, May 12
Flying Private, 19th in Derby, May 12
Big Drama, 2nd in Swale Stakes, Wednesday
Hull, Won Derby Trial, May 13
Take the Points, 4th in Santa Anita Derby, TBA
Terrain, 4th in Blue Grass, May 13
CHURCHILL CANCELS A RACE AGAIN
Track’s lack of entries ‘is embarrassing’
By Jennie Rees • jrees@courier-journal.com • May 7, 2009
For the third straight day, Churchill Downs canceled one of its scheduled races because of a lack of entries.
It will will have eight races instead of the nine scheduled today and 10 instead of 11 tomorrow and Saturday.
Saturday’s card, whose entries were taken yesterday, has 75 total betting interests, including one field of five horses, one of six, and four of seven.
“I’ve never seen it this bad here,” racing secretary Ben Huffman said. ” … Just the overall field size like this, this is embarrassing. I’m not happy about it. We’re not happy about it. We’ve got a very good race-office crew. A lot of our (trainers), they don’t have the horses they used to. A lot of guys don’t have the owners they used to have.”
ASSINIBOIA DOWNS BEGINS THIS WEEKEND
SUNDAY RACING OUT AT THE DOWNS
Racing fans will see something new under the sun at the track this season
Paul Wiecek
They’ve got a new look, new schedule, new approach and a bold new brand as Assiniboia Downs opens its 51st season of live thoroughbred racing this weekend.
In what is the most dramatic reshaping of the Portage Avenue racetrack since it first opened back in 1958, Downs management on Wednesday unveiled sweeping changes for the 2009 meet — from the cancellation of Sunday racing and the addition of a Wednesday card to a shorter meet to the adoption of new colours and a new identifier — they believe will help them weather the economic storm befalling all racetracks right now.
Underlying the changes at the Downs, which have sparked some backlash from longtime patrons, is the belief that if thoroughbred racing is to survive in this province it will have to grow outside the province. And that means tailoring the track’s schedule, meet, look and name to the huge audience of gamblers who bet on horse racing across the continent via simulcasting.
“The growth potential,” Downs operations director Darren Dunn told a news conference, “is literally limitless. While the growth for racing here in Winnipeg is very limited.” The most significant change for the-coming live meet is the cancellation of live racing Sunday afternoons.
www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/other/more-giddy-up-at-downs-in-2009-44516447.html
