♥
in memory of DELEGATION, dark bay gelding, 5 years-old Speightstown – Cindys Hero by Sea Hero
LIFE Â Â Â 15 Â Â Â 6 Â Â Â 3 Â Â Â 2 Â Â Â $539,825 Â Â Â Best Beyer Figure 110
2014 Â Â Â 1 Â Â Â 0 Â Â Â 0 Â Â Â 0 Â Â Â 367 Â Â Â 0
2013 Â Â Â 6 Â Â Â 2 Â Â Â 1 Â Â Â 0 Â Â Â 170,413
2012 Â Â Â 8 Â Â Â 4 Â Â Â 2 Â Â Â 2 Â Â Â 369,045
Set track record 1 1/4 miles Polytrack 2:01.51 winning Grade 3 Dominion Day. Also won Grade 3 Durham Cup.
Owner: Gary Barber. Trainer: Mark Casse.
($62,000 YEARLING PURCHASE, $150,000 2YO PURCHASE) bred by Tom and Elizabeth Baxter
- DELEGATION was put down at Woodbine yesterday. NORM FILES PHOTO of the gelding on his way to the track on Sunday.
PREAKNESS UPDATE:
PHOTO BELOW..SOCIAL INCLUSION, LUIS CONTRERAS UP, works 47 flat for 4 furlongs at Pimlico for the Preakness Monday morning:
SHARP (REALLY SHARP!)
REALLY SHARP (inside) holds off big fave OCCASIONAL VIEW (far left) and Go Blue or Go Home (middle) NORM FILES PHOTO
Richard and Nancy Kaster’s REALLY SHARP has always shown that he has a great deal of talent. The handsome chestnut colt was beaten only a nose after he raced greenly 3rd time out in his life in the Grade 3 Bourbon Stakes at Keeneland back in 2012. He was 3rd in the Nashua Stakes as a 2yo to Violence and 4th in the Display Stakes.
The son of Sharp Humor, trained by Ian Black, broke a cannon bone in 2013 and he missed a year of racing. He came back at Gulfstream with some good runs including the Mar. 1 5 furlong turf dash he should have won but had a world of trouble. At home for the Jacques Carter, Really Sharp led late and was 3rd beaten a beck by Dan the Tin Man and Victory Exchange.
Sunday it was Really Sharp’s day.
Winning for just the 2nd time in his career in his 11th race, Really Sharp pressed the slow first 2 furlong pace (23 2/5) and then chased Bear No Joke, who took the initiative when no one else did. The second quarter went a much quicker 22 3/5 but by then the ones who had dropped back to last could not catch up. Really Sharp, eager early and running with his head low, struck front off the turn for home under Steve Bahen and he held off Occasional View to win.
QUEEN’S PLATE hopefuls in action
Race 4, an Ontario sired allowance event, was supposed to be a showcase for the returning COLTIMUS PRIME, who was back from tough outings in the Tampa Bay Derby and Blue Grass Stakes. The Milwaukee Brew colt, a maiden winner at one turn and stakes placed at 2 turns, was not able to topple one of the well regarded sophomores from Chiefswood Stable.
After chasing the front running Guest Starring, Coltius Prime moved to the lead off the turn for hom and grabbed a short led but he was run down by NIIGON EXPRESS, a chestnut colt by Niigon out of Harlan Express, by Harlan’s Holiday. Latin Piper, the Chiefswoof colt who actually looked more interesting on paper, was 3rd with 1st time Lasix.
The race was not visually impressive since so many of the runners in the field were under hard rides by the time they got to the last turn but the winner, ridden by Patrick Husbands and trained by Paul Attard, seems to be an improving colt.
The time of 1:44 2/5 was good for a 76 Beyer Figure.
Niigon Express is the first foal of the winning mare Harlan Express (who is out of an Easy Goer mare).
Harlan Express was a $250,000 yearling purchase by Chiefswood in 2006 but then sold carrying her 2nd foal (by Desert Party) in 2011 at Keeneland Nov. for $10,000 to Eagle Ridge Thoroughbreds.
More WOODBINE SUNDAY
RACE 1- who remembers THE GREEN MONKEY? If you were lucky enough to see the ‘Monkey’ when he sold as a 2yo in training at Calder years ago for $16 million then you are not likely to forget him.
The son of Forestry never won a race and earned $10,000 before he was retired to stud in Florida. The sire of about 20 winners, he had his first Canadian winner on Sunday when El Mono Verde (the green monkey) led all the way to win a $12,500 claiming race in his 2nd Woodbine outing.
The 3yo gelding was the first winner for trainer Pat Parente and Copper Water Thoroughbred Company owns the gelding. Sheena Ryan rode.
I SCREAM SUNDAY..Frank DiGiulio homebred gal by Silent Name (Jpn), NORM FILES PHOTO
Race 2- A pair of Frank DiGiulio Jr. fillies were in the maiden allowance for Ontario sired gals and they were 2 to 5 in the betting. I SCREAM SUNDAY rallied wide to win in 1:18 4/5 and it was her 2nd career race. The Silent Name (Jpn) filly is out of stakes mare Whispertoascream by Go for Gin. Luis Contreras rode for trainer Robert Tiller.
Race 3- Luis Contreras piloted favoured EYE OF THE WORLD from far, far back to win the 1 1/16 mile maiden race for $12,500 and it was the 9th career start for this English Channel 5yo gelding. A hot pace was set by Sixmile, who seems to run wild early in all of his races and can’t be controlled, and Eye of the World, starting for a new low level, took advantage with his new blinkers on. Gabe Grossberg owns and Mark Casse trains.
Race 5- maiden allowance fillies ran a touch slower than the Ontario sired allowance boys and it was PARADISE ALLEY, a daughter of the Horse of the Sealy Hill, who led all the way to win for Eugene Melnyk, trainer Josie Carroll and jockey Omar Moreno. The Flower Alley gal was making her 3rd career start and 2nd start since July.
Race 6 – an allowance race for 3 and up and Sam-Son farms’ SMOOTH STONE earned a 77 Beyer Figure for his win over Conquestor. Husbands rode for Malcolm Pierce and this 4yo colt is out of Misty Mission and by Giant’s Causeway – making him a full brother to Irish Mission, champion 3yo filly of 2012.
Queen’s Plate hopeful RHYTHM BLUES finished third behind the pair of 4yos for Hillsbrook Farm.
race 7 – The pivotal race of the Pick 4’s on the card and if you played the ‘uncoupled entry’ approach (take both horses of a trainer’s or the longest shot of the pair, then you would have been okay with CONQUEST OUTLAW, who upset the field of $32,000 maiden claiming at 15 to 1, Once owned by Conquest Stables, this 3yo was making his 2nd career start and first since July for Ful House Stables.
Mark Casse trains and Eurico da Silva rode. The other Casse runner, Mighty Sky, was 2nd.
Race 9 – CRYPTIC MESSAGE led all the way for CEC Farms and trainer Ralph Biamonte and won the $62,500 allowance/optional claiming race. A stakes winner at 2, the Cryptograph mare won 1 of 4 races in 2013 and is 1 for 2 this year. Da Silva rode his 2nd winner.
Race 10 – The well bred ONE DESTINY, a full brother to $600,000 earner Ultimate Destiny, was jockey Da Silva’s 3rd winner. He was even money in the maiden allowance at 1 1/16 miles and while he chased a loose horse early (Hes a Sly One stumbled and lost Gerry Olguin at the start), he soon overtook that horse and coasted home. The pace fractions and final time were slow but with the loose horse, it appeared that several runners were in trouble early with the errant runner so many of those horses can be given another chance.
Betting on Sunday was a decent $3.2 million.
PREAKNESS ON SATURDAY
Confirmed for the 2nd jewel of the Triple Crown is Canadian champion Ria Antonia, who will become the 54th filly to run in the middle jewel but just the 5th in 75 years
horse   Jockey/trainer   Last race
California Chrome   Espinoza/Sherman   1st Kentucky Derby
Ride On Curlin   Rosario/Gowan   7th Kentucky Derby
General a Rod   Castellano/Maker   11th Kentucky Derby
Dynamic Impact   Mena/Casse   1st Illinois Derby
Kid Cruz   Pimentel/Rice   1st Federico Tesio
Bayern   Napravnik/Baffert   2nd Derby Trial (DQ from 1st)
Ring Weekend   A. Garcia/Motion   2nd Calder Derby
Social Inclusion   Contreras/Azpurua   3rd Wood Memorial
Pablo Del Monte   Sanchez/Ward   3rd Blue Grass
Ria Antonia   TBA/Amoss   6th Kentucky Oaks
WILL CASSE HAVE IMPACT ON PREAKNESS?
by JENNIE REES, Louisville-Cournier Journal
It took Dynamic Impact five attempts to win a maiden race, but in his sixth start the 3-year-old colt captured the $500,000 Illinois Derby. Now his seventh start will be Saturday’s $1.5 million Preakness Stakes, the Triple Crown’s middle leg in Baltimore.
“Last summer and fall we had a handful of horses that we really liked, and he was certainly one of them,” said Norman Casse, the Bellarmine graduate who runs the Churchill Downs’ operation for his father, trainer Mark Casse. “He ran a few times at Churchill and Keeneland and was a bit of a disappointment… read more at:
