DON CAVALLO gallops in Grade 3 Dominion Day – Terence Dulay photo
WEEKEND AT WOODBINE, SO FAR
Don’s day and Eternal, rules
Owner/breeder DON MYERS celebrated a stakes win yesterday at Woodbine with his homebred colt ETERNAL RULE, a son of Tribal Rule (California stallion) out of the unraced mare Eternal Legend (Gold Legend), who herself is a daughter of multiple champion ETERNAL SEARCH.
The 3yo took the Achievement Stakes for 3yo’s on the engine all the way and earned a whopping 92 Beyer Speed Figure.
SID ATTARD trains the dark bay with a big white face:
“I told David (Clark, jockey), it was up to him. I like to see him come from off it a little bit,” offered Attard. “But I said to David, ‘I don’t want to say
no more. David, you know him like a book.’”
Eternal Rule broke well and set a reserved pace as Say No More and Critical Thinking offered moderate pressure down the backstretch. Clark
would lead the parade wide down the lane as a determined Bear No Joke chased long and hard after the runaway leader. Despite lugging in
through the stretch run, Eternal Rule would complete the task under a hand ride. Bear No Joke held on strong for second, a half-length in
front of Say No More.
Attard believes that Clark’s familiarity with the horse was a key component of this stakes success and that his young pupil can stretch
out even further in the future.
“I think he’ll go seven-eighths no problem. He’s just got to learn how to slow down a little bit,” said Attard. “If I work him with company he
works so fast and I never want to work him so fast. David worked him all this year.”
MORE SATURDAY…
Saturday was a tough day for handicappers, selectors as the upsets rolled in at the end of the first Pick 4 and through the rest of the card.
CHILKOOT PASS led all the way to win the first race, turning his form around to win at 9 to 1 under David Garcia. The speedster had won his season debut for owner/breeder Herb Chambers but had a bad start in his latest for $11,500 claiming.
Speaking of bad starts – gallant old SALTY LANGFUHN must have wondered what was going on when he was in the gate for race 2. The 10-yo was the favourite in the $40K claiming race but got tangled up at the break, appeared to be held by the starter, and he lost about 10 lengths. He still managed to rally for 4th in a brave run. The bettors did not get a refund on their wagers. The winner of the race was 8-year-old SPIDER ROCK, a Kentucky bred making his season debut for trainer Steve Attard. The Rock is 12 for 27 in his career.
STORMY ILLUSION won the 3rd race as the longest shot in the small field. The 6yo mare, owned by Doug Reddington, was back on Polytrack from a grass season opener and she rallied to win for trainer Debbie England.
Beyer Speed Figure guru ANDY BEYER was in town for a seminar and then a stint on the simulcast show for the PIck 4. The author and founder of the Beyers gave plenty of insight into the methods of the ‘figs’ , etc. and was looking like he was going to cash a Pick 4 ticket until the last leg when PLATINE romped home.
Beyer had also narroed the Achievement Stakes down to Bear’s Chill and Say No More but both were beaten..
Congrats to the IN Front Enterproses Inc. as it won the 5th race with the $3,200 purchase I AM IN FRONT, a 2yo by Old Forester making her 2nd career start. The filly was bred by Beata Grodkowska.
FRIDAY – DON-MINION DAY, BIOFUEL closes too late
DON CAVALLO, owned and bred by Frank Stronach’s Stronach Stables won the Dominion Day with ease, posting a 98 Beyer Figure for his win in the 1 1/4 mile classic. The Kentucky bred is by El Prado and was making his 13th starts – he had been 2nd in the Eclipse to Fifty Proof in his previous race. This 4yo colt has been trained by Bobby Frankel, Todd Pletcher, Sean Smullen and now Roger Attfield.
Meanwhile, earlier on the card, Horse of the Year BIOFUEL was 4th, beaten half a length in the Sweet Briar Too Stakes. It was a surprising result as she moved very late on the turn but could not catch up and the winner was AMIABLE GRACE, owned by Bill Graham.
TRIPLE TIARA CONTINUES WITH BISON CITY
Inglorious won the first jewel of the Tiara, the Oaks and then took the Plate, so she’s not here. The gals behind her on Oaks day are present including plucky SPOOKY KITTEN, who just about pulled off an upset in the Oaks when she led until very late. Now we’ll see if that race was just a bit of a fluke as she will try to hold off MARKETING MIX, who was 3rd in the Oaks. The race is a bit odd since there is some other front running types – Pleasantfriday (Pleasant Tap) and Bear It’s Time and Niigon’s Touch, and perhaps even AMERICAN PLACED, who is moving out from a sprint.
This corner thinks BEAR IT’S TIME could rate and win this even as she is fresh and making her 3rd race off the layoff.
Fresh horses are starting to win more frequently now as those who were busy in the first 58 days of the meeting are tailing off.
Sunday, Woodbine, post time: 4:35 p.m. EDT
BISON CITY S., C$250,000, (S), 3yo, f, 1 1/16m
(AWT)
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER ML
1 Pleasantfriday Pleasant Tap Singh Katryan 20-1
2 Marketing Mix Medaglia d’Oro Lezcano Proctor 7-5
3 Bear It’s Time Philanthropist Contreras Baker 4-1
4 Spooky Kitten Kitten’s Joy Prado Casse 8-5
5 Niigon’s Touch Niigon Pizarro P Attard 6-1
6 American Placed Quiet American Wilson T Attard 15-1
SPOOKY KITTEN, can they CATch her?
Cindy Pierson Dulay photo
QUEEN’S PLATE BEYER FIGURE – 90 – STILL A MYSTERY
Not sure if Andy Beyer addressed this yesterday at Woodbine when he was interviewed by numerous folks but many still want to delve into the 90 Beyer for Inglorious’s Queen’s Plate run – her time of 2:02.63 was close to the record and translates into a raw 112 BEYER FIGURE.
That suggests the Beyer folks thought the Woodbine surface was fast by 22 points at the time the Plate was run…
Hopefully we can get some more details about this …
HASTINGS STAKES RESULTS FROM THOROUGHBRED DAILY NEWS…
CHRIS LOSETH H., $51,900, HST, 7-1, 3yo, 1 1/16m,
1:44 2/5, ft.
1–INHISGLORY, 120, g, 3, Pure Prize–Belle Erzulie, by
Pulpit. O-Peter Redekop B C Ltd; B-Respite Farm (KY);
T-Craig MacPherson; J-Richard Harvey Hamel;
$31,140. Lifetime Record: 8-5-1-0, $138,279.
2–Jump Up and Kissme, 118, g, 3, Finality–Down
Memory Lane, by Maudlin. (C$5,000 yrl ’09
BRCSEP). O-Maryanne & Harlow Burrows & Wayne
Oliver. $10,380.
3–Arraignment, 118, c, 3, Include–Flowerette, by
Victory Gallop. ($20,000 yrl ’09 KEESEP). O-Victoria
& Robert Gilker. $5,709.
Margins: 2 1/4, 5, 3/4. Odds: 0.95, 3.45, 7.90.
LIEUTENANT GOVERNORS’ H., $51,900, HST, 7-1,
3yo/up, 1 1/16m, 1:43 3/5, ft.
1–ST LIAMS HALO, 119, g, 4, Saint Liam–Foolishly
(SW), by Broad Brush. ($50,000 2yo >09 OBSAPR).
O-Glen Todd & Patrick Kinsella; B-Pennston Farms Inc
(FL); T-Troy Taylor; J-Mario Gutierrez; $31,140.
Lifetime Record: 10-4-4-0, $120,119.
2–Crew Leader, 117, g, 4, Pulpit–Triple Act, by
Theatrical (Ire). O-Swift Thoroughbreds Inc. $10,380.
3–Almost Time, 118, g, 5, Finality–Vainglorious, by
Cutlass Reality. O-Swift Thoroughbreds Inc. $5,709.
Margins: 1, 1 1/4, HF. Odds: 1.50, 4.65, 6.25.
FORT ERIE ROLLING ALONG
Friendship Festival of Racing Gets Underway
FLY THRU FIRE and RAMON DOMINGUEZ win the $40,000 Distaff Challenge at Fort Erie yesterday, the 9 races were all for quarter horses.
Fort Erie, July 2nd…Nine Quarter Horse races were the feature this Saturday at Fort Erie Race Track. The high-octane race card attracted a good crowd to soak up the sun and revel in the wonderful atmosphere at the friendly border track.
The feature races on the card included the 2nd running of the 870-yard Peace Bridge Stakes and the 400-yard Merial Fort Erie Distaff Challenge.
The Peace Bridge Stakes, worth over $35,000, was won by the Joe Tavares trained Kipty Mac in an impressive stretch duel against Feature Showtime, a horse who shipped in from Texas with trainer Judd Kearl.
Kipty Mac was ridden by the home grown Helen Vanek who has returned to Fort Erie after 10-years of honing her career at race courses in the United States. “Home is where the heart is,” said Vanek who credited her horse’s determination for the win. Kipty Mac is by Kenny Mac, a son of First Down Dash. “We finished second in this race last year,” said trainer Tavares. “We prepped him in a 300-yard race three weeks ago and we were aiming for this race today.” Leading trainer Tavares hollered for joy as his horse prevailed in the stretch drive and couldn’t wait to share the news with his wife (and the horse’s owner) Christine, who was landing at Toronto Pearson Airport about the same time Kipty Mac scored his victory. The Peace Bridge Stakes was the only race of the day to run around one turn and was a stark contrast to the 110-yard race earlier in the day where the starting gate and the finish line were right in from of the grandstand.
The American Quarter Horse Association sponsored the ninth race on the card, the $40,000 added Merial Fort Erie Distaff Challenge. The winner of the race earned a “berth” or post position in the Bank Of America Challenge to be run in California in October. The winner of the race was the Greg Watson trained Fly Thru Fire, a horse which has not been out of the money in its last seven starts. Fly Thru Fire is a four-year-old mare by Walk Thru Fire, yet another son of the prolific First Down Dash. “I asked the owner ‘if we get lucky and win here today’, would he fly us down to California,” said Watson, “meaning me and the mare.” The owner of Fly Thru Fire is Pickering resident Brian Cummings of the Cummings Cattle Co. “At the time, I didn’t ask the question ‘how much does it cost to fly a horse to California’,” said Cummings. Cummings was in Quarter Horse racing years ago, and his interest was renewed with the new racetrack in Ajax, Ontario. “Today was a big one,” said Cummings. “We have been close in a lot of big races but it’s good to get some black type in this one.” Black type is noted in a horse’s pedigree and adds value to the horse. Fly Thru Fire, ridden by Ramon Dominguez, prevailed over Texan-trained Judd Kearl’s horse Zoomin On By.
The Friendship Festival of Racing continues at Fort Erie Race Track throughout the holiday weekend. First race post time for Sunday is 12:45 pm. Monday and Tuesday post time will be 4pm. Parking and admission are always free.
