Mine That Bird soaps up
Sarah K. Andrew photo
HE’S A HIT – 104 BEYER FIGURE FOR NEW GUY IN TOWN
The hype machine continues to churn out for TODD KABEL, absent from riding off and on for more than a year, but now zooming through the jockey ranks at Woodbine.
Except that Wednesday night at Woodbine belonged to EMILE RAMSAMMY as far as jockeys go – he won 3 races – and more importantly HOLLYWOOD HIT who just about smashed the 6 furlong track record in a winin the featured 7th race.
This is the Cactus Ridge 3yo who was sold by owner and breeder C.R. Trout for a rumoured $250,000 a few months ago to Peter Redekop and trainer Terry Jordan.
He had won 2 of 6 races before he came to Canada including an allowance at Lone Star with a 100 beyer.
His local debut was a win at the non-winners of 2 ‘other than level’ over older horses and it was workmanlike.
Last night the Oklahoma bred was scintillating.
The dark bat, under JIm McAleney shot out of the gate like something bit his butt and he was always in control and not abused much in the win.
His 1:08.52 time just about broke the track record and he got a 104 Beyer Figure.
Tough luck in the race for EL BRUJO, returning to sprinting but he was shuffled back badly ont he turn, lost a lot of ground and then rallied for 2nd.
Congratulations to trainer PETER BERRINGER won won his first race of the meeting with a rail rallying FROBISHER BAY who won the 4th race for $37,500 claiming.
The inside was quite okay last night and jockey Ramsammy rode this one and another of his winners using that path. Frobisher Bay, by Dayjur, is owned by Oxbridge Farm.
ROCK’N IMAGES
FROM Sarah K. Andrew
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rockandracehorses/
Rachel Alexandra at Saratoga
FORT ERIE FEATURE ON NICK GONZALEZ
Niagara Gazette
HORSE RACING: N-W grad Gonzalez trains stable of winners
By Harlan Abbey
When Niagara-Wheatfield High graduate Nick Gonzalez began training Thoroughbreds at the Fort Erie Racetrack in 1983, he had one ambition:
“I wanted to have a horse good enough to run at Woodbine (Toronto’s major league track),” he recalled. “But when I did run there, the horse was 60-to-1.”
Since then, Gonzalez’s training career has reached many milestones impossible to imagine when he “fell off more horses than I stayed on” when not competing in football, basketball and baseball for the Falcons, still recalling “a really good summer baseball team — I was the shortstop — that won a county championship.”
Gonzalez is the son of Anne Gonzalez, who for many years operated the Niagara Falls Travel Center. She always visits Fort Erie on her birthday and for the last five years her son always has managed to get her into the winner’s circle photo with one of his successful runners.
http://www.niagara-gazette.com/sports/local_story_225230258.html
NORTHLANDS PARK REPORT
CANADIAN DERBY NOMS
couresty www.thehorses.com
Ontario guys STYLISH CITIZEN AND GALLANT square off in the Aug 22 Canadian Derby.
In order of preference, the first 12 names listed below are guaranteed a spot in the Canadian Derby starting gate next Saturday (Aug. 22) if they are entered a week today.
El Cugat (preference condition 1 is met: winner of two or more stake races for an advertised purse of $25,000 or more at a distance of one mile or over during 2009.)
Gallant (preference condition 2 is met: winner of one such race in 2009)
Cool Diablo (preference condition 2 is met)
Robo Willie (2)
Scorewithcater (2)
Stylish Citizen (2)
Tommy Danzigger (2)
It Happened Again (8)
Coffee Bar (9)
Almost Time (10)
Crowned Royal (11)
Gather De Justice (12)
Senor Rojo (13)
Mr. Shadar (14)
Theglow (15)
Tease The Tiger (16)
Quiet Approach (17)
Bronze Barbarian (18)
Celtic Thane (19)
SARATOGA YEARLING SALE WRAP
The sale ended with hikes in average and gross and lots of purchases by Dubai interests.
No Canadian buyers at the sale and 6 Canadian-breds sold for decent prices, Sam-Son sold its first 4 yearlings in its history – 2 were bought back.
Tuesday’s Canadian-breds:
$300,000 174 dk b f Singspiel – Love Medicine Adena
$85,000 211 dk b c Street Cry – Penny Perfect Anderson
Monday’s Canadian breds:
$300,000 – 3 b.c. Smart Strike – Sails Unfurled Sam-Son
$260,000 – 11 ch f Seeking the Gold – Seattle Envoy Sam-Son
OUT 24 ch f Awesome Again – Skipping Around – Adena
NOT SOLD ($170,000) 29 b.c. Awesome Again – Split the Arrow Sam-Son
$160,000 83 ch c Elusive Quality – Brandy Lake Anderson/Kinghaven
NOT SOLD $325,000 87 b c A P Indy – Catch the Ring Sam-Son
$250,000 110 dk b f Giant’s Causeay – Dancethruthestorm Sam-Son
FROM THE BLOOD-HORSE
Saratoga Strange: Filly’s Buyer Flees
By Deirdre B. Biles
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Holly Bandoroff of Denali Stud of a bizarre incident that involved a well-bred dark bay or brown filly, a bald man in a plaid shirt, at least three Fasig-Tipton officials, and several policemen during the second and final session of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga select yearling sale in New York Aug. 11.
The bidding on a Kingmambo – Imperial Beauty filly consigned by Denali, as agent for Greenwood Lodge Farm, opened at $1 million and then stalled, never rising above that amount. After the auctioneer’s hammer went down, a bald man, who was wearing a plaid shirt and sitting in the first row of seats to the far right of the auctioneer’s stand in the sale pavilion, signed the sale ticket. He refused to talk to reporters and stalked off, but quickly was stopped by Fasig-Tipton chairman Walt Robertson.
Robertson and Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning both talked to the man, who refused to cooperate with requests to provide information about himself and go to the sale office. He then briskly walked away, leaving the sale grounds with Browning and Robertson in pursuit. They chased him for a short distance, but eventually decided to let the man go.
“I was told he was drunk,
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/52081/saratoga-strange-fillys-buyer-flees
