RAHY’S ATTORNEY – image by Dave Landry
WHO WILL GET BACK ON TRACK?
Connaught Cup – Grade 3 today
There figures to be some scratches but today’s CONNAUGHT CUP, shortened to just 7 furlongs this year on turf, figures to be a good starting point for the older turf set to see what’s what for 2010.
The big questions are – can RAHY’S ATTORNEY get something going nder new rider Jim McAleney after mixed results in Florida this winter?
Can FIELD COMMISSION do the same – he was last year’s champion male sprinter but he is 0 for his last 3 and he has his 7th different conseuctive jockey on board.
Who will race of trainer ROGER ATTFIELD? NOT BOURBON, likely not, JIMMY SIMS, perhaps, SOCIETY’S CHAIRMAN, likely, PASSAGER, who knows? The latter is an interesting longshot in a wilde event.
Shippers CHEROKEE HEAVEN and SUCCESSFUL MISSION are interesting players as well.
Another good one in the up and comer from Sam Son farms – GRAND ADVENTURE, 2ND IN THE GRADE 3 SHAKERTWOn in his latest outing.
Here is the field for the Connught and get tied on, it will be a scorcher today:
Sunday, Woodbine, post time: 4:35 p.m. EDT
CONNAUGHT CUP S.-GIII, $150,000, 4yo/up, 7fT
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER ML
1 Niagara Thunder Hussonet Stein MacRae 30-1
2 Rahy’s Attorney Crown Attorney McAleney Black 3-1
3 Society’s Chairman Not Impossible (Ire) Jones Attfield 6-1
4 Field Commission Service Stripe Da Silva Vella 5-1
5 Successful Mission K Successful Appeal Contreras Mott 10-1
6 Jimmy Simms K Lost Soldier Landry Attfield 15-1
7 Passager (Fr) Anabaa Landry Attfield 12-1
8 Jungle Wave Hold That Tiger Sutherland Attard 4-1
9 Major Marvel Bernstein Ramsammy Silvera 20-1
10 Cherokee Heaven K Cherokee Run Olguin Jones 12-1
11 Grand Adventure Grand Slam Husbands Frostad 12-1
12 Not Bourbon Not Impossible (Ire) Jones Attfield 12-1
EX- MARKS THE SPOT
QUEEN’S PLATE PICTURE DOES NOT ADVANCE
The Marine Stakes rarely does little for the picture of the Queen’s Plate later in the summer and that was apparent yesterday when a tiny field went to post for the 1 1/16 mile event, open to all 3yos.
It was Wertheimer et Frere’s homebred dark bay EXHI, trained by Todd Pletcher, who came in and cruised by more than 4 lengths in the $150,000 event, picked up a Beyer Figure of 95 for his 3rd consecutive win. The long striding colt, a direct descendent of the great Canadian mare FANFRELUCHE, had won the Lexington Stakes – Grade 2 in his previous race and he is a son of the red hot sire MARIA’S MON.
White Exhi is not Canadian-bred so the Plate is out, there were a couple of Plate hopefuls in the race.
HOTEP, the Sam-Son colt and full brother to last year’s winner EYE OFT HE LEOPARD, was coming off a big win in the Wando Stakes with an 85 Beyer Figure. The racy little guy was within 4 lengths of the slow pace in yesterday event (24 4/5 and 49 to the half) but he rallied on the wrong lead and was only 2nd best with an 87 Beyer Figure.
Meanwhile, ESSENCE HIT MAN, the whopping winner of two sprint stakes in stunning times, was taking a shot at the route distance and he went slow enough and seemed to rate kindly, but he folded and surely will not be supplemented to the Plate.
The Plate picture remains muddled – HOTEP’s mate GIANT’S TOMB was scratched, the Oaks looks like good race coming up with EMBUR’s SONG at the head of the class and champion HOLLINGER is trying to get back on track.
On Friday, CAPTAIN CANUCK, bought by Earle Mack as a possible Plate starter, won his maiden i nhis 4th career start, giving some relief to his intereests who held him in very high regard after a promising grass debut. The Pulpit – Magna Cum Laude colt, a feisty one who has a lot of learning to do still, set a slow pace through 1 1/8 miles and that seemed to calm him down and give him confidence and he strolled home on top.
Off the trail for the Plate from this race was SMART SKY, recently supplemented, and VICAR STREET, although both had little chance to sdo much behind the slow pace.
CAPTAIN CANUCK was a $230,000 yearling bought by Edmonton Inc. from breeder STUART HYMAN. He was later a $190,000 2yo bought by Centennial Farms (Niagara) which sold part of the colt to Mack.
His time of 1:53 and change for 9 furlongs gave him a Beyer Figure of just 69.
EXHI PEDIGREE
Breeder:
Wertheimer et Frere
Majestic Light
Wavering Monarch
Uncommitted
Maria’s Mon
Caro (IRE)
Carlotta Maria
Water Malone
Danzig
Polish Numbers
Numbered Account
Soldera
Mr. Prospector
La Pepite
Fanfreluche
MORE FROM SATURDAY
The HILL ‘N’ DALE STAKES prep was a mere walk in the park for stakes winner TASTY TEMPTATION, who appears to be even better this year than she was last year. The grey Medaglia d’Oro filly, bred by Josham Farms and owned by Woodford Racing, had won a sprint seasonal debut and then cruised from last behind a slow pace of 24 and 48 yesterday to win the 1 1/16 mile race in 1:43.80, good for a Beyer Figure of 94, matching her career best.
It was an unusually run race as the front runner, LA ROCCA, a multiple stakes winner in British Columbia set the slow pace from the 3-4 path all the way and everyone else stayed wider than that gal.
Tasty Temptaion, in the 5 horse field, came around gals off the turn in the 5 path to win going away for trainer Mark Casse.
FASHION CONCIOUS, a Mr. Jester – Amy’s Falcon, Maria’s Mon filly, parlayed her 4th place finish in her debut into a maiden score on the grass yesterday for owner/breeder Colebrook Farms. It continued a roll for the sire Mr. Jester, a Silver Deputy stallion brought in by Colebrook 3 years ago. The chestnut filly pressed the pace throughout the 7 furlong sand then put away NO MORE CATS to win handily under Eurico Rosa Da Silva. Ashleer Brnjas won for her dad John and it was their 3rd win of the meeting.
Trainer PHIL ENGLAND won his first race of the season with ROUGE RUCKUS rallied extremely wide to win the 3rd race for maidens, for $25,000 claiming. The Harlequin Ranches bay filly, a homebred by Highland Ruckus, was racing for only the 2nd time.
Trainer STEVE ATTARD own his first race of the meeting when SEBCOE WEST made a quick, early move in the 7th race to win the $20K claimer for his 2nd career win. Owned by Track West, the 4yo gelding by Milwaukee Brew was 3 to 1 and the best bet in the TORONTO STAR NEWSPAPER.
ENCORE TOO (One Way Love – Island Allure, by Highland Ruckus) won her grass debut for owner Derek Chin and trainer Laurie Silvera. The bay 3yo won the maiden allowance with a stalking trip and it was her 7th career race.
The filly had shown the classic bounce-bounce back pattern coming in – a big race off the layoff with a 54 Beyer, a flop at 2 to 1 when 12th and then a 2nd last time with a 54 Beyer.
She is from the turf-strong family of Irish Intrigue – dam of stakes calibre grasser Irish Ballerina and there is a litany of other turf winners in the breeding.
Running well in the race also was SYFRET, out of turf stakes winner Mema’s Turning Red and VENUS BAY, a Mobil filly out of a Green Dancer mare, who ralleid from far back to be 4th, closing fast.
and what about MARCO BE GOOD? The 8-year-old gelding on the last race for $12,500 with ease for his 10th win in his 57th start and interesingly, the gelding was competing off the claim for his former trainer JOHN ROSS, who claimed him for Kiaora Racing Inc.
Marco Be Good, a stakes winner for breeder Dom Romeo, had been trained by Ross, Pat Parente and Nick Gonzalez and had been a hard knocker for many years. He has earned over $530,000.
FRIDAY WRAP
There was a lot of chalk dust flying around on Friday as favourires dominated on a day of the week when longshots often reign. The PICK 4 paid a paltry $48.
Among the favoured winners was AMERICAN SCOUT, a homebred for Lorraine Fletcher (who co-bred with Mike Fletcher). The 4yo won an ONtario sired allowance on the engine for his 2nd career winand he pushed his earnings to over $108,000. He is trained by Anne Cameron who was winning her first race of the year.
AMERICAN SCOUT is not really American, he is an Ontario bred by Where’s the Ring out of the unraced SEA HUNTER, a mare by Matter of Honor.
His winning Beyer Figure was 69.
Also on the card, trainer PETER BERRINGER won his first race of the season with the mare VALEISHA, who won a turf sprint for $40K claiming for her first win in several years. The Oxbridge Farm homebred by Include – Valhalla Vixen was making her 2nd start of the year and she had been 2nd in her seasonal debut under jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson.
SEAN SMULLEN, who now trains a buclk of Frank Stronach runners at Woodbine and from the farm, won his first race of the season with the 5yo GAZUMA, who won his maiden on the grass in a good maiden allowance in the finale. The Awesome Again – Diadella fellow rallied up the inside to beat a smart field in 1:33.62 for 1 mile on turf, good for an 86 Beyer Figure.
CANADIAN BRED WINNER AT DELAWARE:
Thanks to Thoroughbred Daily News for the blurb:
3rd-DEL, $41,300, Msw, 2yo, 5f, :59 4/5, ft.
STAR ZAPPER (c, 2, Ghostzapper–A. P. Andie {SW,
$262,402}, by Star de Naskra) ducked in at the start of a 4 1/2-furlong maiden May 4 and raced evenly thereafter, finishing a midpack fourth. A bit slow to find his stride, the Ontario-bred raced three deep on the turn and ground his way past a tiring Dylan the Deputy (Deputy Score) to take it by a half-length at odds of
10-1. Sales history: $20,000 yrl ’09 FTKJUL. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $25,080. Click for the brisnet.com
chart or Video, sponsored by Taylor Made. O-Florence Patitucci. B-Adena Springs (ON). T-Juan C
Vazquez.
5th-CRC, $3
