ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS…. Those 43 horses at LongRun that are waiting for a home to find a home! Step up to the Plate folks!!
**Thoroughblog also wishes for… lots more fun stuff to write about this winter, go Canadian horses and horsepeople!…plus, a part-time job for yours truly to survive the winter!
also , join us for CANADIAN THOROUGHBRED’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY IN 2011 (the maagzine launched in March 1961!!!
Have a happy and healthy time with family and friends…thanks to commenters (see post called COMFORT), YOUR NOTES AND OPINIONS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME…)
COLT PUNCTUATES SEASON WITH GRADE 1 WIN
Comma to the Top rises despite shoe debacle
You never know where a good horse can come from. And you never know how good they can get as they go along racing and learning.
or maybe it was just a lucky shoe.
COMMA TO THE TOP (slang for apostrophe) is a modestly bred Bwana Charlie colt out of the Stormy Atlantic mare Maggies Storm. Bred by Linda and Richard Thompson, the colt was a mere $5,000 weanling at the Ocala Mixed sale and then a $22,000 2yo, purchased by Peter Miller, who trains the colt.
Comma to the top HAS GONE FROM A $40,000 maiden claiming race to winning the Cashcall Futurity, Grade 1, at Hollywood Park on Saturday, earning a 95 Beyer figure for the 2nd time in his career.
That was after the colt lost a shoe in the paddock and had to be re-shod but the blacksmith had car trouble, and equipment trouble, delaying the race by some 30 minutes.
Raced by Gary Barber and partners, this colt won his maiden 3rd time out for $50K claiming with an 80 Beyer Figure, was 6th in the Del Mar Futurity but has won 5 straight races now.
This is the 2nd foal of Maggies Storm, who placed once in 4 races. The mare is, however a half sister to YES HE’S A PISTOL, winner of the Santana Mile.
Photo from JEFFREY’S PHOTOSTREAM over at Picasa Web Albums!
READ MORE ABOUT THIS SUPER STORY HERE:
CANADIAN STUFF
EMMA-JAYNE WILSON didn’t take long to win her first race since moving to Parx Racing (Philly) for the winter. The champion jockey won with her first mount, Scott Fairlie trainee KIRKLAND LAKE on Friday. The Pioneering 3yo won the allowance race with a last minute rally and it was his 6th win in 15 races. The owner is Lorill Harlington.
The gelding earned a 79 Beyer Figure and he was 9 to 2.
Later, Wilson was 2nd on OLD BUD for Fairlie for $7,500 claiming and 3rd on Deacons Farm for the trainer.
ROXY GAP, the undefeated 2yo filly for Eugene Melnyk, worked a bullet 5 furlongs in 1:01 at Palm Meadows on Sunday as she readies for the Old Hat Stakes on Jan 6 at Gulfstream. The Indian Charlie filly is sure to be a finalist for a Sovereign Award for champion 2yo filly.
FOREST UPROAR, a Canadian-bred from Sam-Son Farms, won an allowance/optional claiming race on the grass at Fair Grounds on Saturday. The Forest Wildcat – Split the Arrow gal won the 1 1/16 mile race for trainer Mark Frostad for her 2nd consecutive win in only 2 races in 2010. The filly, stakes placed last year, has 3 career wins now and is no doubt headed for stakes company. She earned an 86 Beyer on Saturday.
AMBER MAYERS, who trained horses at Woodbine last year when subbing for a suspended Mike Pino, won an allowance race at Mountaineer Park on Saturday with her own CLEAR TURBULENCE. The Ontario bred 3yo, bred by Hal Snowden, is now 2 for 18 in his career thanks to a win in a 5 1/2 furlong allowance, worth $20,200. The gelding is by Margie’s Wildcat–Elkmont, the mare behind a stakes winner of over $287,000.
CLEAR TURBULENCE raced at Woodbine and Fort Erie initially for Martha Gonzalez and then owner Steven Duffield. The gelding won at Fort Erie for $4,000 claiming and recently was well beaten at Woodbine for $10,000 claiming.
He earned a 64 Beyer Figure for his win at Mountaineer.
Canadian trained PRINCE WILL I AM, a son of Canadian bred sire VICTORY GALLOP, won the Grade 3 W L McKnight at Calder on Saturday, a race that was taken off the grass. The McKnight shrunk in field size and the winner beat a small field for trainer Michele Niehi, who is originally from Calgary.
PEOPLE WATCH:
Aqueduct: Eurico Rosa Da Silva 14 2 2 1 $40,349 14% 5 36%
Parx Racing (all year) Scott H. Fairlie 88 22 18 9 $487,310 25% 49 56%
TRACK TROUBLES: GADZOOKS, California racing drowning in rain
Aqueduct having trouble too
HOLLYWOOD, SANTA ANITA, AQUEDUCT having trouble as 2010 comes to a close..
Rain keeps Santa Anita closed for training
Santa Anita’s main track was closed for training for the second consecutive day on Sunday, with the likelihood of further days of cancellations early in the week because of continued wet weather, track president George Haines said.
From early Fridayto midday Sunday, the track had sustained four inches of rain, with at least three inches, and possibly more, expected from Pacific storms through Wednesday, he said.
“It’s been raining steadily,” Haines said. “It looks we’ll be getting more. We’ll have to see how the weather plays out, but more than likely it will be closed.
“We’ll have rain through Wednesday and hopefully we’ll get a break on Thursday and Friday. It’s iffy after that.”
According to weather.com, there is no rain forecast from Thursday through Saturday in Southern California, with a chance of rain on Dec. 26.
READ MORE AT www.drf.com
AND ALSO FROM DRF.COM:
AQUEDUCT INJURIES
V Sat, a 3-year-old son of Vindication, suffered fractured sesamoids to his right front foreleg during the running of Sunday’s seventh race and had to be euthanized. That came a day after three horses sustained fatal injuries at Aqueduct – Ramsgate, Great Emperor, and Rum Row.
GREAT PHOTOS FROM US RACING 2010
vote for your favourite!
The thoroughbred bloggers alliance (TBA) has a photo contest going on, some of the top American photos are show and you can vote:
http://tbablogs.com/Photos.php
HOLY MATT CRAWLEY!
great ride to win with no irons
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJrZB6i9-ck
