HAMMERS VISION JOINS QUEEN’S PLATE FIELD; ESPOSITO ON HIS WAY BACK
HAMMERS VISION won a 6 furlong turf race as a 2yo – NYRA photo
Terry Hamilton will start his Court Vision 3-year-old HAMMERS VISION in the Queen’s Plate on July 3 according to trainer Brian Lynch who talked to Thoroughbred yesterday.
Hammers Vision, who will be ridden by Patrick Husbands, is a 1-time winner (he took a 6 furlong turf race first time out) in 6 races and the Plate will be his first race on an all-weather track. He was recently 5th beaten one length in the 9 furlong Pennine Ridge Stakes on the grass. He was 4th in last years Cup and Saucer behind Conquest Enforcer.
“I think we’ll give it a shot,” said Lynch, who won last year’s Plate with Shaman Ghost. “I am not convinced he wants to run that far, but I don’t think it’s the toughest group, it’s a wide open race.”
Hammers Vision is out of the Forestry mare Baytree and he was bred by Donver Stables.
ALL ON RED, owned by Dennis Narlinger’s JMJ Stables, will have his big Plate workout this weekend as Sid Attard prepares the chestnut for his first stake attampet.
Attard, who has never won the Plate, was pleased with the way the Hard Spun – Wicked Diva by Jump Start colt raced in his local debut when he was 2nd to stakes placed Dragon Bay.
All On Red’s last 2 races have seen him contest the early pace, which is essentially the same style recently used by half of the current, possible field.
Eurico da Silva has been riding All On Red and seems quite keen on the Anderson Farms, Jessica Buckley – bred.
All On Red missed some time before his first local race at Woodbine so his 2nd place finisher was quite impressive – MR. WILL WONG PHOTO, www.mrwillwong.com and https://www.facebook.com/MrWillW/media_set?set=a.10153620875686623.1073741909.513646622&type=3
LEAVEM IN MALIBU is getting a lot of attention off a workout on June 18 when he blew away the one-time winning mare Belle de Nuit in a 5 furlong workout. The competition for that prep was modest at best but the son of Malibu Moon looked good. Gary Barber recently bought into Penny and Manfred Conrad’s $175,000 weanling purchase. The colt is a full brother to the promising Danzig Moon who broke down and died in the Plate Trial Stakes last year.
The Conrads, who have a farm in St Clements, ON and began racing and breeding with trainer Andrew Smith, replaced Smith with Mark Casse for 2014 following the purchase of ‘Malibu’.
MY NAME IS JIM and NARROW ESCAPE both won their maiden races on June 11 in route races. The former is a large, handsome gelding by Society’s Chairman, and he won in 1:54 1 /5 for 1 1/8 miles over a slow surface that day. It was his 3rd career race and his Beyer Figure was 62.
Mario Forgione owns the gelding and Reade Baker trains.
NARROW ESCAPE won the first race that day at 1 1/16 miles with a 64 Beyer Figure for 1:47 1/5 and he is owned by JMC Racing and Warren Dehan. Justin Nixon trains.
CHEBURASHKA has been confirmed to run for Goldmart Farms and trainer Bob Tiller. He will have to be supplemented at $25,000.
MY NAME IS JIM is lightly raced and a recent maiden winner for owner Mario Forgione
QUEEN’S PLATE POSSIBLE FIELD – July 3
(with latest Beyer Figure, jockey )
AMIS GIZMO -85 Beyer Plate Trial Luis Contreras
SHAKHIMAT –81 Trial
NESHAMA (filly) – 83 Beyer Oaks (would need to be supplemented)
GAMBLES GHOST (filly) 82 Beyer Oaks
LEAVEM IN MALIBU -85 Beyer in allowance win Gary Boulanger
ALL ON RED -84 BEYER, 2nd in allowance
ESPOSITO – 84 Beyer in allowance win Alan Garcia
SCHOLAR ATHLETE – 84 Beyer on turf
HAMMERS VISION 87 and 89 in last 2 starts, both turf, Patrick Husbands
SIR DUDLEY DIGGES – 77 Trial
MY NAME IS JIM – 62 maiden win
NARROW ESCAPE – 64 maiden win
CHEBURASHKA (will be supplemented) – 75 3rd allowance
WOODBINE – FRIDAY TO SUNDAY TOP BEYER SPEED FIGURES
from Daily Racing Form
95 CALGARY CAT
92 FREITAG
91 TED W
86 HOT KISS
84 BEST BARD (turf)
82 BANGKOK (turf)
81 GOTTA GET AWAY (turf)
THE CAT CAME BACK; KISS IS HOT
Tapeta surface tame, turf extremely firm on sizzling hot weekend at Woodbine
Champion sprinter CALGARY CAT took the Achievement Stakes for Ontario-breds on Saturday in his second start of the season. The win confirmed that the Cowtown Cat chestnut, owned by Stephen Chesney and Cory Hoffman is back in top form and he leader of the sprint division as we head into summer.
Calgary Cat no doubt also appreciated the hot pace in front of him and the Tapeta surface that has come under control with the addiction of water to it before first race post time.
Calgary Cat, one of 3 winners for trainer Kevin Attard on Saturday and 5 for the barn since Friday, has won 11 of 23 races, place din 6 others and earned over$715,000. Eurico da Silva, as red hot as his Kevin Attard stable that he rides for, has been riding the gelding since the summer of 2014.
In the stakes race on Sunday, the Trillium overnight, the early money poured in on the streaking HOT KISS ( she was 6 to 5 at one point in a field that included champion Academic and graded stakes winner Don’t Leave Me) and it was right on the money. The dark bay Philanthropist 4yo, out of the mare Kiss of Fire by Hennessy, rallied around rivals and drew off to win from longshot Sweater Weather for her 5th straight win and 2nd score this year.
Bred by Denny Andrews, Hot Kiss is owned by Phioenix Racing which includes Lou Donato. Mike DePaulo trains and Jesse Campbell rode.
This filly is now 6 for 12 in her career with $230,000 in earnings.
A few other races from Sunday
The Tapeta track has been a bit more under control since water was added on Saturday after training and before racing – the same on Sunday.
Sunday, however, there seemed ot be a distinct outside, closers bias to the track on a very hot and steady day.
Congratulations tro trainer PAUL ATTARD who won his first race of the meeting when TED W took race 1 on Sunday for owner George Bigliardi. The homebred 5yo gelding was making his 2nd start of the season and he was ridden by Jesse Campbell in this $32,000 claiming race.
His time of 1:23.20 was good for a career best 91 Beyer Speed Figure.
BEST BARD gave trainer Jim Smith his first winner of the season as Richard Lister’s homebred 6-year-old led all the way in a 1 1/16 mile turf race fdor $50,000 claiming. The son of Shakespeare had oen sprint at the meeting and some mixed results in races during the winter in Florida. Euriuco da Silva piloted this gelding to the win, the 4th in 32 in the career of this hard tryng fellow.
MIKE MCDONALD, owned and trainer of FICTION, won his first race of the meeting with this Victor’s Cry filly out of Gilded Nip by Gilded Time. The 3yo filly had been 2nd or 3rd four times coming into this race and was dropping from $20,000 claiming to $8,000. Gary Boulanger rode the filly to the win.
FREITAG, also know as ‘Spike’ win an allowance race and gained his confidence after a 2nd place finish in the recrnt Steady Growth Stakes. The son of Giant Gizmo is 5 for 22 in his career for Earle Mack and trained Mark Frostad. Alan Garcia rode the 5yo to the big win.
And Ross Armata Jr won his first race of the meeting with just his 3rd starter – VIVA NEVADA took race 10, a maiden $20,000 race at 1 1/16 milkes. This was the first race of the year for the War Cry filly who is co-owned and bred by Liz Roach. Frank Coulater also owns and David Garcia rode.
A few more notes from Friday and Saturday
There was a 2-year-old filly race on Saturday and it was a race that made many highlight reels. SHEZ A TEN I KNOW, owned by Gary Barber and Qintessential Racing, trained by Mark Casse, won the race and she was the 3,000th career winner for jockey Patrick Husbands.
Hisbands, Barbados-born, has been riding in Canada for decades and he is now tied for 170th in North American for most wins.
Shez a Ten I Know is a Court Vision filly bred by Mike Ambler and Rick Pettifer.
Casse bought the filly for just $12,000 at the CTHS sale last year.
On Friday, trainer PHIL GRACEY and his team won their first race of the season when BANGKOK came off a November – June layoff and won a $40,000 claiming race at 1 1/8 miles on the grass. The son of Street Hero is owned by Gail Woodbine and Dr. Riuth Barbur, who also bred the 5-year-old. Emma-Jayne Wilson rode.
Wagering on the weekend was $4.4 million on Saturday, a huge number for that particular day compared to recent 3rd Saturdays in June and $3.1 million on Sunday.
NTRA POLL – TEPIN closing in on ‘CHROME
