PREMIER KATHLEEN WYNNE VISITED MOHAWK LAST NIGHT
If you are a horse racing fan concerned about the industry in Ontario, then Mohawk was where you should have been last night.
A huge crowd came out to the Campbellville track (watch video) to bet just over $3 million on the card. CAPTAINTREACHEROUS won the $1 million North American Cup as the favourite. He is a tall, handsome colt with huge ears. meeting him after the race was cool, although he was very thirsty and pawed a lot for his water.
The crowd was generally polite and interested to see the Premier watch the 2nd race and then tour the paddock, meet horsepeople and fans. There were some boo-birds who seemingly have given up hope that the new Premier will indeed help put the industry back together.
It’s interesting to watch standardbred racing at Mohawk – the track is so close, the rush is so close. However, the fans, while jammed on the apron, are not noisy, there is not a lot of cheering go on during the races.
The track did well to try and put on some parties with live music and kudos to rounding up security and police to help us get out the parking lot!!
It is a downer to see that the media room only has Canadian Press there (although the Toronto Sun had a story about the race) and sports newscasts leading up to the race never even mentioned the race.
This business provides so many jobs and helps so many different industries in agriculture etc. It really needs help getting people to come out and enjoy it and place some bets..
Below is the video of the Premier at the track:
The Captain – CAPTAINTREACHEROUS by Somebeachsomewhere, wins the North America Cup – Michael Burns photo
EQUINE HERPES VIRUS MAY BE CONTAINED
ORC Manager of Veterinary Services Dr. Adam Chambers confirms that for all horses stabled in Barn 3, negative results have been returned for PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests for EHV-1.
Consequently, Barn 3 horses are now allowed to train on the training track in the morning after it has closed to training for all other horses.
On June 12, 2013, the ORC announced that five horses in Barn 1 had tested positive for EHV-1. The order that no horses are to exit Woodbine Racetrack without ORC approval until June 19 remains in place. This restriction may be reviewed based on the progression of the disease.
Retesting of all horses in Barns 1 and 3 will happen early this week.
Due to the infectious and serious nature of this disease, these measures have been taken to ensure that Ontario’s equine athletes are protected.
HIP HIP HOORAY!
Province ponies up $30 million to support Ontario racehorse breeding
GUELPH—Earlier this year, faced with continued uncertainty surrounding the harness racing industry in Ontario, local horseman Bob Young gave away two of his breeding mares to Mennonite families.
Friday he was a little more optimistic as the Ontario Government announced $30 million in funding for the horse racing sector in each of the next two years
SATURDAY AT WOODBINE
Winning is the Ultimate
Ultimate Destiny (SHOWN IN A WIN EARLIER THIS YEAR) won the Steady Growth Stakes leaving champion Fifty Proof in his wake. Norm Files photo
ALEC FEHR bought ULTIMATE DESTINY off Brenda Selwyn Waxman last year after the gelding slipped off form after tackling some of the best 3yos in Canada.
Fehr took over the son of Dance to Destiny – On to Tap, Pleasant Tap, conditioning duties for the final start of Ultimate Destiny’s 2012 campaign, a second-place finish in an allowance route, and the investment appears to have paid off as Ultimate Destiny put together a pair of sprint wins to start his four-year-old campaign before Saturday.
“I thought if he grew a little bit and put on some weight that the way he’d been running against the tough horses (in the Triple Crown), that if we had any luck, he didn’t have to be a better horse, just be the same, and it would be worth my while,” said Fehr.
It has really been his worth his while. ULTIMATE DESTINY made it 3 for 3 in 2013 with a game win the Steady Growth Stakes at 1 1/16 miles.
He outbattled Good Better Best for a neck win and his posted an 88 Beyer, pairing up his career best Beyers. He was bred by Minshall Farms.
Other races: SKY COMMANDER won the opener, an allowance/optional claiming race for 3yo’s at 7 furlongs. It was the Sky Mesa gelding’s 2nd win in succession. It was also yet another win for John Oxley and Mark Casse, who have started to get on a real roll (Dynamic Sky, Northern Passion, Funny Proposition etc.).
85 Beyer
race 2- Plenty of wild trips and bad luck for horses here. The winner PLENTY ELUSIVE, for the reed-hot owners Jim and Susan Hill, was making his Woodbine debut after races at Churchill, Keeneland and Turfway Park. He had only run one good race.
He was very strong yesterday as he stalked the speed and then took the lead into the stretch but he drifted out badly, pushing Magic Stripe out in the late stages and caused that one to have to steady his running for a bit.
There was an inquiry but incredibly, the horse was not disqualified.
Meanwhile, in the back of the field, LUKES ALLEY dove inside in early stretch to rally but ran out of room and once he got clear it was too – he looks like a good one for Eugene Melnyk.
In race 3, there was a nice field of Ontario sired 2yo fillies and the winner was BELLA’S REBEL for the horse Scott Fairlie Stable. This filly, bred by Jennifer Leuty, was a $15,000 yearling purchaser by Gary Wellwood and she was winning in her 2nd race, with 1st time Lasix.
She is the first winner for her sire REBELLION (Mozart), who stood at Norse Ridge Farms in King, ON but has been moved.
The winner is out of the good mare Marina Bella, by Bold Executive.
The 4th race went to the first time starter OROLUCE, a North Light (Ire) filly out of Golden Buckled by Touch Gold. Bred by Dennis Mills, the filly won for $25,000 claiming by more than 3 lengths. She is owned by Victoria Meadows, Margetts, Caggiano, Hussain and Smicklas. Nick Gonalez trains.
The winning rider from race 4, Jermain Brodgmohan, almost pulled off an upset in race 5, the Zadracarta Stakes, when he had Why Katherine leading late in the 7 furlong turf event. She could not hold off the big fave, however, NORTHERN PASSION, who was an easy pick in the race. She is a Mel Lawson bred 4yo by First Samurai and was winning for the first time since the Fury Stakes last April.
84 Beyer for the winner.
More 2yos in race 6 – 2nd time starter FAIR SHAKE had to work very hard but she won the 4 1/2 furlong race by just over a length over Strela (1st Lasix). It was the first win of the season for jockey David Garcia. The winner is a Milwaukee Brew filly out of Fair Gold by Two Punch. She was bred by Beata Grodkowska and was a $40K yearling purchased by Debmar Stables.
The beginner ON RAINBOW BRIDGE had a wild finish after falling some 15-20 lengths behind the finish. Tab this Bold Executive filly for next time.
The last 3 races included a Robert Tiller sandwich around a grand old Bullet.
NIKKIS SMARTYPANTS won the 8th at odds on and she was well prepared since she was under the gun all the way, hard ridden, nary a break in the action and she still edged clear. She is owned by Ben Hutzel and was bred by Gardiner Farms and Whodat Racing.
Tiller won the last with the international good thing LAUGHING FALCON who was a controversial vet scratch at the gate last month. The Aljbar 3yo is a homebred for Rolph Davis and is out of the mare Just Humor Me. She won by more than 4 lengths and was the first winner of the meeting for jockey MATT MOORE.
Between those 2, HORSE OF THE YEAR and now 8, FATAL BULLET won the Highlander prep after getting away with slow pace fractions in the 6 furlong grass race. The Red Bullet champion had not won since a $62,500 claiming event last April.
He is 12 for 36 in his career for Bear Stables and Reade Baker. Justin Stein rode the classy gelding who was making his season debut.
88 Beyer Figure.
HA HA – FUNNY WINS, BUT DELTA LOSES 🙁
John C. Oxley’s Funny Proposition sprinted to the early lead and drew away late to upset champion mare Royal Delta by five lengths in Saturday’s $186,375 Fleur De Lis Handicap Presented by Etihad Airways (Grade II) on Saturday night at Churchill Downs.
The Fleur de Lis, which means “flower of the lily” and honors the symbol in the city of Louisville’s flag, was the first of five graded stakes races run under the lights as part of Churchill Downs’ special “Downs After Dark Presented by Stella Artois and Finlandia Vodka” nighttime racing program.
Royal Delta, the two-time Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic (GI) winner who was making her first start since a 10th-place finish in the $5 million Dubai World Cup on March 30, was all the rage before Saturday’s race and was sent to post as the odds-on 1-5 favorite in the field of five fillies and mares. But it was Funny Proposition, who had the last laugh.
Ridden by Joel Rosario, Funny Proposition clicked off quarter-mile fractions of :23.30, :46.83, 1:11.62 and 1:36.83. She stopped the teletimer in 1:50.22 for 1 1/8 miles on a fast track.
The 4-year-old filly trained by Mark Casse returned to stakes company Saturday after an impressive three-length win in a one-mile allowance/optional-claiming race at Churchill Downs on May 17. This was her first stakes triumph.
“It’s a very big deal because it puts Funny’s name on the map,” said Norman Casse, the son and assistant trainer to his father Mark. “We beat the best in the country and now we’re going to get some recognition.”
As Funny Proposition led the field by as many as 3 ½ lengths after a half-mile, Royal Delta was forwardly placed four-wide and came within reach of Funny Proposition after three-quarters of mile. But as the eventual winner kicked on, Royal Delta could not keep up and drifted in to the rail in mid-stretch to just hold second.
“She seemed a little bit more pensive in the paddock than normal,” said Royal Delta’s Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. “Maybe it’s just a matter of getting back into action. We’ll see.”
Funny Proposition, who carried 117 pounds, paid $13.40 and $4.20 as the 5-1 third betting choice. Royal Delta, the 125-pound high weight ridden by Mike Smith, returned $2.10. She’s All In was another three-quarters of a length back in third and was followed by Ice Cream Silence and Wine Princess.
Funny Proposition, a daughter of Medaglia d’Oro out of the Distorted Humor mare Humorous Miss, won for the fourth time in nine career starts. The $115,553 winner’s share doubled her earnings to $230,295.
ANIMAL KINGDOM READIES FOR ROYALTY ON TUESDAY
NEW YORK TIMES: By JOE DRAPE
There is no denying that Animal Kingdom is a citizen of the world. His father was Brazilian and his mother German. He has won the most famous race in the United States, the Kentucky Derby, and the globe’s richest, the Dubai World Cup. His talent has united an international cast of horsemen: an English-born trainer, an Australian breeder, an Arab sheik and 20 American partners.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/sports/for-a-horse-of-the-world-a-finale-in-a-regal-race.html?_r=0
