It’s a new dawn, a new day – day 4 of Woodbine 2013! And it should be a BEAR of a Jacques Cartier Stakes today! This image, entitled New Dawn, was taken by Renee Kierans.
CLASSICAL HUMOUR (8) rallied up the rail and then battled Samantha Royale to the wire and won by inches in her 2013 opener. The 6yo Distorted Humour mare, racing for a $20,000 claiming price, is the 4th winner for trainer Darwin Banach at the meeting.
The wagering was $2.5 million yesterday – if you compare that to the Friday, April 13 of last year – the first Friday of the season other than Good Friday), that’s pretty good – it was $1.8 million that day.
Topping the outings on Friday was the debut of BRILLIANT COMET, a 3yo by Birdstone who is owned by John Oxley. This beginner had inside stalking speed and then took off on the turn before holding off Bert’s Bar for his maiden win, The Beyer was a sharp 85. Bert’s Bar is a Canadian-bred by Speightstown and the 3rd place finisher Scipio, only 2 lengths back, is also a Canadian bred.
Ontario bred SORRY ABOUT THAT, picked on top in the TORONTO STAR at 12 to 1 in the morning line, won the 5th race, an Ontario sired allowance event at 3 to 1. The grey son of Mobil is a homebred for Pat O’Grady. He posted an 81 Beyer for the 2nd best run of the day. Laurie Silvera trains and Omar Moreno rode the winner.
RENEGADE MAN had a nice debut in the 1st race for Ontario sired maidens. The son of Strut the Stage rallied nicely and won handily in 1:25 for 7 furlongs to strart the day. Mike Doyle co-owns and trains the Sam-Son bred.
IN THE WINNER’S CIRCLE!
What unusual course did top jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson take in college? What longshot play at 10 to 1 finished 2nd yesterday to complete a huge exactor?
What are the shrewd picks for some races today? Find it all on IN THE WINNERS CIRCLE!
KENTUCKY DERBY NEWS/VIDEO
HORSE RACING ON CNN, sigh
CNN) — The trainer at the center of a doping scandal that stunned the world of horse racing was banned for eight years Thursday by the governing body of the sport of Britain.
Mahmood Al Zarooni, who worked at the world famous Godolphin operation in Newmarket, was handed the punishment by a disciplinary panel of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), sitting in London.
The 37-year-old admitted a “catastrophic error” in administering prohibited anabolic steroids — ethylestranol and stanozolol — to 15 leading thoroughbreds.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/25/sport/horse-racing-al-zarooni-doping-ban/
