BREAKING NEWS…..
STRAIT OF DOVER PASSES –
Twisted colon costs Queen’s Plate champion his life
From owner Wally Leong – July 14
It is with much sadness and heavy heart that we wish to inform that STRAIT OF DOVER
was euthanized this evening at Milton Equine Hospital in Toronto.
He had an operation for a twisted large colon (540 degrees) in the AM on July 11/13. The surgery initially appeared hopeful but turned for the worse the last two days. It was necessary to end his pain and suffering.
It is very unfortunate that we will never know his full racing or stallion potential.
Many of us will miss him dearly but will always remember the joy he brought us -however brief.
Sincerely, CANYON FARMS
STRAIT OF DOVER : 7 – 4 – 0 – 1 $749,628 best Beyer 95
Champion 3-year-old colt in 2012 and the first-ever B.C. bred winner of the Queen’s Plate. Raised and broken by Wally and Terri Leong at Canyon Farms.
Justin Stein rode the son of English Channel out of Bahrain Star by Danzig.
Happy Times for the Leongs, trainer Dan Vella, Justin Stein and that lovely boy, STRAIT OF DOVER.
MIX MASTER!
Canadian bred star MARKETING MIX beat the boys in the Sunset handicap at Hollywood Park on Sunday. Bred by Sean Fitzhenry, this Medaglia d’oro mare may head now to the Beverly, let’s hope she comes back to Canada again soon!
LOS ANGELES TIMES STORY
By Eric Sondheimer
July 14, 2013, 7:31 p.m.
Betfair Hollywood Park contains special memories for trainer Tom Proctor, who remembers being 16 and standing in the winner’s circle in 1972 after Convenience, the mare his father, Willard, trained, won a memorable winner-take-all match race against Typecast in front of 53,575.
It was only fitting that Proctor was back in the winner’s circle Sunday on the final day of the last spring-summer meeting at the Inglewood track after his 5-year-old mare, Marketing Mix, won the $100,250 Sunset Handicap by one length over defending champion Dhaamer. Extensive finished third.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-hollywood-park-20130715-9,0,7933260.story
WOODBINE WRAP –
It was a beautiful weekend with no rain, nice temperatures and some fun racing, more wild results.
Eurico da Silva was on days and was not riding.
The stakes races on the weekend4 sure were different – with the unbeaten LAUGHING FALCON taking the Passing Mood takes on turf for Ontario sired gals (76 Beyer) and then even-money shot SKYLANDER bombing in the Shady Well on Sunday. Later , it was 41 to 1 SURTSEY who upset the Ontario Damsel applecart.
LAUGHING FALCON (a homebred) is owned by Rolph Davis, the bird doctor. The filly is by former Ontario sired ALJABR out of Just Humor Me by Distorted Humor. The filly had a lot of other speed to contend with but she battled and drew off under Matt Moore, who is riding the best horse he has ever been on. Bob Tiller trains the Passing Mood champ.
We all got sucked into the SKYLANDER GIRL thing in the Shady well. Yes, she won the My Dear a week ago with ease. Yes her owner/trainer Alex Patykewich said ‘she’ll win this race too and then I will rest her”. Yes, she was 1 to 1.
No, she did not like the quick return to action.
Instead it was the very-easy-to-like ON RAINBOW BRIDGE who ran like a machine 1st time out after a bad start who chased on the rail and then powered to victory under Ske Chernetz, who was winning her first stakes race.
Owner Triple K Stable of Manitoba and trainer Dave Cotey also celebrated the win by the $18,000 yearling purchase. She was bred by Osprey Stable and is by Bold Executive out of Miss Deputy by War Deputy.
Photo – On Rainbow Bridge – photo by Norm Files
And what a week for Yvonne Schwabe and her Persley Den Farm in Acton. The breeder of Plate winner MIDNIGHT ARIA watched her homebred SURTSEY rally from off the hot pace to win the 1 mile Ontario Damsel Stakes in her first race on the grass. She is a Heetseeker 3yo out of Kick’em Jenny by Bold Executive. The winner had bombed in her only outing this year at 6 furlongs but had ended 2012 with a stakes win in the Fanfreluche. Jermaine Bridgmohan rode the gal who was seemingly lugging in badly through the stretch but she had more than the other gals like Akron Moon and Dance Again, who set and pressed an insane early pace.
Kevin Attard trains Surtsey.The Beyer was 80.
Skye Chernetz hugs trainer Dave Cotey after Shady Well win
Norm Files photo
SUNDAY WRAP
ENJOY THE MOVIE went fast on the pace in a 2yo maiden allowance, his 2nd career start, ad then fended off challengers to win his maiden. The Old Forester 2yo was bred by Paradox Farms Inc. and was a $20,000 yearling purchase by Derek Chin. Mike McDonald trains.
Who loves the betting angle of the UNCOUPLED ENTRY? It was discussed in the latest issue of CANADIAN THOROUGHBRED magazine in a handicapping section and it surely is money in the bank. In race 2 on Sunday, Don MacRae had 4 to 5 shot Roman Aristocrat, who he co-owns, in the maiden allowance for 3yo and up. His other starter was BROUGHTON BILLY who ended up rallying to win at 9 to 2. The winner is owned by Winston Penny who bred the son of One Way Love.
Race 3 – John Hillier’s TIZZY FAST was having trouble getting anything going but the drop to $10,000 helped him win his maiden on Sunday. The son of Tiznow reeled in Derby Noise, who was out of gas after a premature move.
race 4 – Maiden allowance at 9 furlongs on the grass and it was a hairy trip for Stronach Stables’ CARMELITA but she got out of a jackpot late and roared inside to win at 9 to 5. Dan Vella trains the Ontario bred by North Light (Ire).
race 5 – fillies and mares, claiming $20,000 and it was the 2nd win on the weekend for True North Stables and trainer Lorne Richards. The winner was CLOUDWATCHER, who had not raced in a year since she was claimed for $50,000 in Florida.
race 9 – RUN TO THE BANK carried 125 pounds and won this $16,00 starter allowance for his 6th win in his 20th start. Owner and trainer Nick Nosowenko was celebrating a 2nd win this year for this Wando gelding.
race 10 – Miss Giacomo did the bounce-back thing – a win for $40K claiming on turf, a bad outing and then another win for $40K on turf. Triple K Stables and Dave Cotey enjoyed a good weekend.
SATURDAY AT WOODBINE – OH BABIES!!
QUESTERA not only won her career debut from the rail post in race 1 on Saturday but the 2yo was claimed for $40,000 by Janice Attard.
The winner was a weanling purchase for $35,000 at Keeneland and she is by Yes It’s True out of Parade Charade by Dixieland Band. True North Stable owned the filly and Lorne Richards trained her.
The filly earned a sold 64 Beyer.
How about another 1st time starter 2yo winning from the rail post? LIA’S MIRACLE was very polished for Zayat Stables and trainer Steve Asmussen; She had trained at Keeneland in fast times and then was at Woodbine on July 1. The daughter of Zayat stallion MARCAVELLY (out of the unraced Monarchos mare Joanne Jubilation) chased the speed a few lengths off the pace from the rail, angled out late on te turn and rallied to the win with a 52 Beyer.
Race 3 – if you tried to count the number of times that horses at 1- 1- or less have lost at Woodbine lately…you’d be busy for a while.
In race 3, an allowance/optional claiming race, 3 to 5 shot GOOD BETTER BEST, who was recently 2nd in the Steady Growth Stakes by a head, was no match for a surging COURTVILLE in the late stages of the 1 1/16 mile race. The winner is by Saffir and he curiously was dumped in for just $40,000 claiming last time and he worked hard to win. He posted a career best 89 Beyer Figure in his win on Saturday. He was bred by Larry and Rosalie Edwards was has won almost $300,000, not bad for a $5,000 purchase.
Really nice to see GOLD DUST LADY win race 4, a $320,000 claiming race on the grass. The 6yo had not won in 2012 but made almost $50,000. The tough mare was beautifully ridden by Todd Kabel to stalk inside off the pace and then she motored up the rail under a hand ride, winning on her own for the 6th time in her 40th career start. Carlo d’Amato owns and Warren Wilcox trains.
Race 5 went to favoured MOVENTOTHECOUNTRY, a 3yo Tomahawk filly out of The Blondsez Who by Louis Quatorize. Owned and bred by Jim Vlahos, the winner is trained by Paul Buttigieg and it was her 3rd career start. The race was for $10,000 claiming.
race 6 – a marathon , 10 furlongs on the turf for maiden gals, Ontario sired. Once you got past the fact that the first fractions were somehow :28.00 and 52.60, 1:17..this is what happened.. The gift that keeps on giving, Niigon, is the sire of winner AS IF I CARE, came from off the slow pace and won under a virtual hand ride by Emma-Jayne Wilson.
Just when you thought things could not get weirder…race 7 was cancelled when a starter was injured when Eminent Force flipped in the gate. A 30 minute delay waiting for the ambulance meant the horses were waiting in the heat too long. The allowance race was cancelled.
Always nice when you breed a cool Ontario sired runner who has some ability. IRON RING MISS won her maiden in her 2nd career start for breeders Mike Loughrey and Gerry Morello in race 9. The filly is by Where’s the Ring out of Miss Meggie by Alberta the Great. She was 3rd in her debut and is trained by Don MacRae.
ONTARIO BREDS in the FASIG TIPTON JULY SALE TODAY
21 C NOTIONAL HOUSE OF SOVIET’S HOUSEBUSTER ONTARIO 8E SUSAN Y. FOREMAN AGENT
91 F MACHO UNO POP PRINCESS ALPHABET SOUP ONTARIO 1C ADENA SPRINGS
101 C TALE OF EKATI REBECCA’S SONG RAHY ONTARIO 3C THREE CHIMNEYS SALES AGENT
136 F QUIET AMERICAN SMART CATOMINE SMART STRIKE ONTARIO 1G CARA BLOODSTOCK (BERNARD MCCORMACK) AGENT
145 F EXCHANGE RATE STAID SUCCESSFUL APPEAL ONTARIO 3C THREE CHIMNEYS SALES AGENT
212 C AWESOME AGAIN BUCK TROUT’S NIECE WAQUOIT ONTARIO 1C ADENA SPRINGS
215 C ENGLISH CHANNEL CASTELLI’S DANCE LEO CASTELLI ONTARIO 8E SUSAN Y. FOREMAN AGENT
249 F MUNNINGS FAUX PAS (IRE) SADLER’S WELLS ONTARIO 4G-H FOUR STAR SALES AGENT FOR WILLIAM D GRAHAM & BILL WERNER
LEADING TRAINERS AT WOODBINE BY WINS through July 14
1 Mark E. Casse 155 36 23 17 $2,398,710 23% 76 49%
2 Robert P. Tiller 119 26 24 14 $1,218,287 22% 64 54%
3 Michael J. Doyle 79 16 11 7 $592,635 20% 34 43%
4 Reade Baker 86 14 9 11 $1,005,167 16% 34 40%
5 David Cotey 106 13 9 9 $586,581 12% 31 29%
6 Sam Di Pasquale 58 12 10 10 $556,564 21% 32 55%
7 Sid C. Attard 67 10 12 13 $468,752 15% 35 52%
7 Ralph J. Biamonte 42 10 5 7 $359,858 24% 22 52%
7 Darwin D. Banach 34 10 6 5 $253,555 29% 21 62%
LEADING JOCKEYS AT WOODBINE
1 Luis Contreras 322 63 50 47 $3,267,986 20% 160 50%
2 Eurico Rosa Da Silva 228 56 41 28 $2,885,479 25% 125 55%
3 Justin Stein 235 40 25 24 $2,058,400 17% 89 38%
4 Jesse M. Campbell 228 27 27 40 $2,373,011 12% 94 41%
4 Todd Kabel 223 27 29 25 $1,203,589 12% 81 36%
6 Emma-Jayne Wilson 225 24 36 28 $1,401,858 11% 88 39%
7 Gary Boulanger 222 22 33 28 $1,149,498 10% 83 37%
8 Tyler Pizarro 158 21 19 26 $984,927 13% 66 42%
WOODBINE MAKES GOOD IMPRESSION AGAIN…
After spending a Queen’s Plate Day at Woodbine Race Course in Toronto–about half of which was as rain soaked as a racetrack could ever be–I can safely say nobody could do a better job. In spite of the deluge (and you can’t blame Canada for that) fans were treated to a racing spectacle in all it’s maple leaf glory. Here are just a few of the things I loved about Woodbine and Canada:
http://www.xpressbet.com/ReadBlogs?id=7035
