He’s baaaaack – ace handicapper JAKE has recovered well from his illness last week and he is ready to make a pick today and tomorrow on the big weekend at Woodbine…Jake’s last pick was a nice winner at 3 to 1…his pick today is at the bottom of this post – in today’s post, WOODBINE MILE, RAPID REDUX, LONGSHOTS GALORE AT WOODBINE and more!
Forte dei Marmi, by Michael Burns
WILLIAM HILL LATEST WOODBINE MILE ODDS
Those Euro’s are getting lots of support!
Courageous Cat 10/3
Dance And Dance 4/1
Side Glance 9/2
Turallure 13/2
Court Vision 10/1
Forte Dei Marmi 12/1
Grand Adventure 12/1
Right One 12/1
Karas Orientation 20/1
Riding The River 25/1
Hollinger 33/1
Woodbourne 33/1
Hey, there are not many throw-outs in the Mile this year, the 15th edition – it’s a neat betting race and a tough leg in the $200,000 GUARANTEED PICK 4 that starts in race 8.
The odds overseas seem to have the right idea on the contenders and the Euro’s are really getting a lot of attention.
More on the Mile below.
RAPID REDUX WINS 17TH RACE IN SUCCESSION
are you kidding me??
Rapid Redux (Pleasantly Perfect out of a Storm Cat mare) passes Citation and Cigar with his 17th straight win at Charles Town on Friday night! Amazing stat: he’s raced at 7 different tracks during the streak, with 7 different riders, from 5 furlongs to 1-1/8 mile
IT’S NOT FUN BEING THE FAVOURITE – Wild Woodbine
Gosh, if you are trying to come away with shirt still on at Woodbine, chances are, you’ve give the track its own wardrobe.
The number of odds-on favourites simply getting trounced is quite something these days and the winners of races are just short of bizarre.
Then when the track, which is actually playing fair, suddenly turns into a speedway as it did on Thursday – $12,500 claimers in 1:22 and change for 7 furlongs – well, it makes it all that more difficult to figure out what is going on.
Let’s review Wednesday through Friday – but first, have to have a thought for JADRAN, who died on the track Thursday, very late in his sprint event, he broke a leg. That is 2 runners in the last week or so that have broken down during the races.
So, why the erratic results at Woodbine?
It appears as if the odds-on horses, the 1-1, 3 to 5 shots, are often the huge class droppers and, perhaps we should remember that horsepeople are dumping their horses now, now a lot of time left in the meeting.
COZY CABIN, down from $37,500 to $12,500 on Wednesday was even-money, but ouch, that’s a tough class drop to swallow – she was LAST.
But there have been other big time losers at odds-on:
OH CANADA – Wednesday, ran huge in the Prince of Wales in July, reappeared in allowance with front bandages on
AURORA PROSPECT – claimed for $12,500 and waited the jail time, back in for $12,500, too far back early
FLIP FOR THE COIN – odds on Thursday, 2nd to recent Fort Erie claim Coffee Break
ALLEGATION – eeks, for the 3rd race in a row, this gal lost at 1-1 or less – 2 to 5 on this day. Dropped off good run for $40K to $20K and Thursday she BARELY GOT THIRD.
BELLE OF THE NILE – a 2yo filly who was 2nd for $50,000 in her 2nd career strat, was in for $40K and with a 65 Beyer, figured to romp. She wasn’t close. The winner was a filly who broke slowly and got drilled in her debut, AWESOME FIRE, an Ontario bred by Strong Contender owned by Urban Fire Corp.
And then there is YONGE’S HARBOUR – an older mare who, heading into a race on Aug 27, was 1 for 38 in her career. That win came years ago.
So, there she was, winning last time in a route race on grass under 10 pound bug Jeff Alderson. At 30 to 1, she suddenly had speed (she has never shown speed) and led throughout 9 furlongs of grass.
So when she appeared for her 3rd race in a month Thursday, a 6 1/2 furlong Polytrack race, there was simply no way you could make a case for her to double up wit the dramatic changes, plus even expect her to shown speed.
Wrong again dollar boxers!
Yonge’s Harbour battled on the pace and won at 35 to 1 – while odds-on MISER, an in form Steve Asmussen gal, never threatened.
Yesterday (Friday) Race 2 at least gave some relief to faves – it a rarity, an entry dead-heated for the win – BEAR ON FIRE and BEAR TOUGH TIGER landed on the line tigether for the Bear Stable and trainer Reade Baker. The former was claimed.
Then 6 straight faves lost to complete the afternoon including big fave BLING BLING QUEEN ..
Now we come up to one of the last 2 huge weekends of the season with lots of big fields and a couple of GUARANTEEED PICK 4’S on Sunday, Woodbine Mile day?
What to do? Certainly utilizing the 20 cent option for the PIck 4’s is one good idea, the races get tougher each day as horses come back from illness, or a summer break.
Which huge class dropper will win? Which one will run last?
and who is going to pop up and win off poor form?
Thoroughblog will try to sort out the Pick 4’s tomorrow
WOODBINE MILE PREVIEW IN TORONTO STAR:
http://www.thestar.com/sports/horseracing/article/1054762–courageous-cat-favoured-in-woodbine-mile
KARA’S ORIENTATION getting all the picks!
He’s the hype horse
The most popular pick in the Woodbine Mile may be the Cinderella story KARA’S ORIENTATION, owned by the popular Max Berketa, the Pinnacle Racing and trained by the young up and comer Steven Chircop (remember how he orchestrated the Elgin Stakes winer recently?).
Kara is getting lots of press from the newspapers, even the DRF and the WOODBINE WEBSITE POLL says he’s the winner!:
http://www.woodbineentertainment.com/woodbinemile/Pages/default.aspx
WOODBINE MILE IN THE NEWS..
ROGER ATTFIELD FEATURE:
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/breakingnews/trainer-roger-attfield-sending-two-horses-in-quest-for-first-mile-victory-129915093.html
Steven Chircop and Kara’s Orientation:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/more-sports/patience-pays-off-for-trainer-steve-chircop/article2168126/
CANADIAN BUYERS – THURSDAY KEENELAND SEPTEMBER
0957 B.C. Awesome Again — Legs Lawlor Adena Springs 1,350,000
Greenwood Lodge Farm, Inc.
0858 B.F. Medaglia d’Oro — Hamba Mark Casse, Agent 150,000
Mill Ridge Sales, Agent
0894 GR/RO.C. Unbridled’s Song — Iridescence Adena Springs 310,000
Bluegrass Thor. Services, Inc. (J. Stuart), Agent IX
0971 GR/RO.C. Unbridled’s Song — Lots of Hope (BRZ) Adena Springs 230,000
Woods Edge Farm (Peter O’Callaghan), Agent
1007 B.C. Harlan’s Holiday — Menekineko Donver Stables 70,000
Threave Main Stud LLC, Agent
1027 B.C. Sky Mesa — Miss Matched Mark Casse, Agent 170,000
Three Chimneys Sales, Agent
1047 B.F. Big Brown — Ms Brookski Jim & Susan Hill 50,000
Three Chimneys Sales, Agent
1089 B.F. Quiet American — Overocks Mark Casse, Agent 130,000
Woods Edge Farm (Peter O’Callaghan), Agent IV
1136 CH.F. Smart Strike — Puxa Saco Mark Casse, Agent 190,000
Greenfield Farm (B. D. Gibbs Farm LLC), Agent III
CANADIAN-BRED SELLS FOR $350,000
848 c Bernardini Green Door 350,000
B-Austin & Brenda Paul (ON)
Consigned by Shawhan Place, agent for Austin & Brenda Paul
Purchased by Repole Stables, J J Crupi, agent
COOL KEENELAND STATS:
KEENELAND SALE BY THE NUMBERS
Number of catalogs printed 68,884
Number of horses cataloged 4,319
Number of barns used 46
Number of times Keeneland’s maintenance
crew turns over every barn during 13-day sale 4
Truck loads of muck picked up from barns per day 90
Bottles of water distributed per day 5,000
Pounds of ice distributed per day 2,860
Number of Keeneland shuttles 4
Number of CBA shuttles 2
Number of Keeneland buses 1
Keeneland September Sale graduates:
Horses of the Year 8
Kentucky Derby winners 17
Preakness winners 17
Belmont winners 16
Breeders’ Cup World Championship winners 52
2011 Grade 1 stakes winners 28
CANADIAN BREDS ELSEWHERE
Saturday, Arlington Park, post time: 6:08 p.m. EDT
PUCKER UP S.-GIII, $100,000, 3yo, f, 1 1/8mT
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER ML
1 Sea Level Drive K Malibu Moon Lanerie Bentley 30-1
2 Santina Dond K El Prado (Ire) Rini Dorochenko 20-1
3 Marketing Mix K Medaglia d’Oro Alvarado Proctor 7-2
4 Love Dare Osidy Razo Jr Sider 15-1
5 Summer Savory K Horse Chestnut (SAf) Graham Stidham 3-1
6 Seans Silverdancer Najran Thornton Merritt 20-1
7 Trac N Jam K El Corredor Bridgmohan Hansen 5-1
8 Angelica Zapata Sharp Humor Geroux Pellegrini 10-1
9 Don’t Tell Sophia K Congaree Goncalves Sims 12-1
10 Barbies M K Afleet Alex Felix McKeever 30-1
11 Happy Choice Broken Vow Castanon Von Hemel 15-1
12 Triune K E Dubai Martinez Budge 10-1
13 Artemus Kitten Kitten’s Joy Santana Maker 20-1
JOCKEY CLUB RELEASES LIVE FOAL REPORTS
Conception Area 2010 Mares Bred 2010 Live Foals 2011 Live Foals Pct. Change
Kentucky 17,401 12,931 11,065 -14.4
California 2,760 1,891 1,762 -6.8
Florida 3,233 2,097 1,565 -25.4
Louisiana 3,453 1,678 1,516 -9.7
Pennsylvania 1,638 844 790 -6.4
New York 1,355 908 752 -17.2
Ontario 1,500 698 732 +4.9
New Mexico 1,426 697 660 -5.3
Texas 1,391 776 580 -25.3
Oklahoma 1,464 538 545 +1.3
TODAY’S WOODBINE PICK by JAKE
SKY DREAMER in the Natalma Stakes!
