HAVRE DE GRACE – Mighty filly, 111 Beyer Figure
Jessie Holmes/Equisport
HAVRE DE GRACE , the name of a famous Maryland town (Harbor
of Grace), became only the 2nd filly to win the famed WOODWARD STAKES yesterday when she plowed past Rule and Flatt Out to win the 9 furlong race in 1:49 – good for a 111 Beyer Figure.
The arch rival of the filly BLIND LUCK, this gal is ownd by Fox Hill Farm, which purchased this miss for
$380,000 at auction.
The fourth foal of the winning mare Easter Bunnette, Havre de Grace is by SAINT LIAM, who only had a few foals before he died. He was a superstar runner and could have been a star at stud too.
FAVOURITES TAKE A DIVE ON WILD SATURDAY AT WOODBINE
EMBUR’S SONG had the older mare championship within her grasp on Saturday at Woodbine, seeking her
4th straight win for Fares Farm and trainer Todd Pletcher. The multiple graded stakes winner, ridden by Patrick Husbands, broke sharply and was quickly in an early duel with the upstart filly ATLANTIC HURRICANE,
but she took back and let that rival get clear.
And that was an edge she did not want to give. the Hurricane
stormed home and held off Embur’s Song to win at 9 to 2 in a big win for co-owner and trainer Stuart Simon, his 10th win on the meeting. The daughter of Halo’s Image is also owned by C. Hollick and B and R McLellan. It was the 4th win in succession for the mare who was claimed for $40,000 on June 10 from calypso and Rousseau Racing.
She is 6 for 12 in her career and it was only her 3rd stakes try.
Emile Ramsammy scored the crafty win on the Florida-bred.
Stuart Simon:
“We just thought that she looked like she could be handy on the turf especially,” said Simon. “Quite a few of those Florida turf horses seem to be doing well here, and we thought maybe if she would mature on she could work out to be a good horse. She’s a high-strung filly. She’s got a bit of an edge to her, but those good
ones have that.”
More from Saturday –
STRIKING MISS romped in the first race as the 2 to 1 favourite, a Smart Strike filly trained by Sid Attard for Janice Attard. The time for 6 1/2 furlongs was a sharp 1:16 2/5 and Steve Bahen guided the winner.
race 2 – Getting down – DOWN WITH DIXIE held to win race 2 for $15,000 claiming and it was another winner for a hot Steve Asmussen, who owns the son of Purge. Eurico Rosa da Silva rode the gelding to the win over the tough Artie Hot.
race 3 – an allowance-optional claiming event originally scheduled for the grass for fillies and mares at 7 furlongs went to TRUE RELIGION who got away with a lot – 24, 46 4/6 for the first 4 furlongs and that was the end of that. The 4yo by Yes it’s True was 6 to 5 and she is owned by Jeff Dehaven and trained by John Mattine. the filly was making that all important 3rd start off the layoff and dropping out of the Grade 3 Royal North Stakes.
She finished fast and ran the distance in 1:22 2/5.
race 4 – the first Pick 4 started off with a dominating run by Dan Ryan’s EXTREMIST, a 2yo Suave filly
who had shown some life in her debut at Presque Isle when 3rd after a slow start. This gal blew by the
field of $32,000 claiming fillies at 6 furlongs and then galloped out miles in front under Luis Contreras. She was a nice 3 to 1. A good run by MEGA PRECIOUS who had her share of trouble in the race to be 2nd for Cam Ziprick and Dennis Ejack.
race 5 – ouch – the 2 to 5 players were biting their hands when DELIGHTFUL MAGIC gave up the lead in a maiden allowance for 2yo fillies and lost to 76 to 1 shot CASA LOMA, a gritty Cape Town gal out of Scarlet’s Castle, by
Sea Wall, owned by Thoroughblog friend Rolph Davis and trained by Robert Tiller. The CTHS yearling purchase from last year at $35,000 was making her 2nd career start, was adding blinkers and Stevie Bahen. She was 9th beaten 17
lengths in her debut with a 30 Beyer Figure but hey, she beat ‘Magic, who came in with a 75 and 83 Beyer from 2 starts at Saratoga.
Winner paid $154.0 and you can bid on her half bro by SLIGO BAY at the sale this week.
ouch.
race 6 – Another heavy favourite was nabbed at the wire in an allowance race for Ontario sired gals at 6 furlongs – blinkers on again! SOAP OPERA STAR, bred and owned by Brian Marcy, caught up to Eugene Melnyk’s PROUTES at the wire and won at a fat 6 to 1.
The Peaks and Valleys gal is out of Me D’Sea n Rosalie and was bred by Marcy and is trained by Don MacRae, who is hitting in the 32% range. It was the 2nd win in 6 races for the filly who was guided by Emma Jayne Wilson, who turned 30 yesterday. There is a sibling to SOAP OPERA STAR by War Front, in the yearling sale this week.
race 7 – a thriller for Ontario sired older horses at the allowance class and J & J Stables’ J J FOR DAVE held on to beat SKY OF GREY at 1 1/16 miles. The winner, who was beaten only a neck in the Steady Growth stakes in June, had not won in 6 races this season, but what a dude this son of Whiskey Wisdom is, with 4 wins in 21 starts now and over $270,000 in earnings. Justin Stein rode for trainer ian Black. Hard to believe the similarly sturdy Sky of Grey
was 11 to 1 in 2nd for the delmas family.
Oh yes, the first PICK 4 paid a whopping $14,000 from an $80,000 pool, congrats out there!
Race 9 – QUICK SPLIT plunged in class from $47,500 claiming and , before that, 416k, to $12,500 and won her maiden for Brian Lynch, who co-owns and trains. The 4yo Broken Vow gal was the 3rd winner for Contreras on the day.
race 10 – whew! Favourite players got out (?) when BURMAH STAR, bred by the famed WINDFIELDS FARM won the finale, a maiden allowance for fillies and mares that came off the turf. The 7 furlong dash featured a wild finish but the winner, by Mobil out of Hellenic Pride, was due to win and she was number 4 for Contreras . The winner is owned by Ray Daubney and trained by Steve Attard and was…ready for it.. at $2,000 yearling buy.
TODAY – VICE REGENT HONOURED
but will stakes feature stay on the grass?
Rain in T.O. yesterday and more expected today as the last long weekend moves along into sales time tomorrow.
The great Canadian VICE REGENT is the hero today as a stakes race named in his honour headlines today’s Woodbine card. The field is a good one (before scratches) and certainly CELTIC CONVICTION is the favourite based on his nose-loss in the Breeders’ Stakes.
As for other contenders, there is one realtive of VICE REGENT who rates a long look and that is in the unbeaten QUEEN STREET BEACH (Playnes Bay), a son of a mare by Archers Bay, a granddaon of Vice Regent).
Queen Street Beach is a homebred for Eugene Melnyk.
from the Hall of Fame archives: Vice Regent was constantly under scrutiny when he arrived at the racetrack. After all, he was a handsome full-brother to Viceregal, who was named Champion 2-Year-Old Colt in 1968. But after five races, two of which he won, Vice Regent was retired. Ten years later his son, Deputy Minister, was voted North America’s top Two-Year-Old Colt and Horse of the Year in Canada and would twice become North America’s leading sire with a lengthy string of champions.
From his early crops came 1978 Queen’s Plate champion Regal Embrace, Canadian champion mare Christy’s Mount and stakes winners Military Bearing, Regent Bird, Pro Consul and Viceera. His 1979 crop included Deputy Minister. Ruling Angel won a Sovereign Award as Horse of the Year and champion 2-year-old filly honors in 1986. Deceit Dancer, a flashy chestnut like her sire, was 2-year-Old Filly Champion in 1984, while Bessarabian, who earned $1,032,640, was voted Champion Older Mare.
VICE REGENT – only 5 races but he made his mark at stud
CANADIANS ELSEWHERE TODAY
Sunday, Saratoga, post time: 5:45 p.m. EDT
SPINAWAY S.-GI, $250,000, 2yo, f, 7f
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER ML
1 And Why Not Street Cry (Ire) Leparoux Matz 6-1
2 Georgie’s Angel Bellamy Road Velazquez Pletcher 2-1
3 Vukovar Forest Wildcat Nakatani Guillot 20-1
4 Lady Pecan Concerto Bridgmohan Baffert 8-1
5a True Feelings K Latent Heat Rose Dutrow 7-2
6 Born Bullish Flashy Bull Castro Terranova II 12-1
7 Judy the Beauty K Ghostzapper Sanchez Ward 3-1
8a Grace Hall K Empire Maker Dominguez Dutrow 7-2
9 Baffle Me K First Samurai Lezcano Hennig 15-1
Sunday, Saratoga, post time: 5:12 p.m. EDT
SARANAC S.-GIII, $100,000, 3yo, 1 1/8mT
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER ML
1 Perregaux Distorted Humor Leparoux Howard 10-1
2 Canaveral (GB) Cape Cross (Ire) Velasquez Donk 15-1
3 Clement Rock Strong Hope Castro Pletcher 9-2
4 Queen’splatekitten Kitten’s Joy Nakatani Pletcher 8-1
5 Brilliant Speed Dynaformer Velazquez Albertrani 7-2
6 Seal Cove Strong Hope Castellano McGaughey III 6-1
7 Chinglish K War Front Lezcano Hennig 20-1
8 King Congie K Badge of Silver Maragh Albertrani 5-1
9 Moonhanger K Malibu Moon Castanon Alexander 12-1
10 Sky Blazer Sky Mesa Dominguez Tagg 15-1
11 Live in Joy Kitten’s Joy Albarado Catalano 15-1
12 Pass the Dice Lemon Drop Kid Desormeaux Catalano 12-1
Sunday, Monmouth Park, post time: 5:55 p.m. EDT
CLIFF HANGER S.-GIII, $100,000, 3yo/up, 1mT
PP HORSE SIRE JOCKEY TRAINER ML
1 J Isle J Town Marquez Jr Schwartz 30-1
2 Yummy With Butter Silvador Lopez Belsoeur 9-2
3 Sleepless Knight K War Chant Serpa Breen 4-1
4 Sayif (Ire) Kheleyf Hill Biancone 6-1
5 Cherokee Lord Sir Cherokee Felix Livesay 6-1
6 Right One (Fr) Anabaa Bravo Clement 9-5
7 Get Serious City Zip Fragoso Forbes 6-1
8 Mata Keranjang K More Than Ready Trujillo McLaughlin 6-1
YEARLING PREVIEW! Hip no, 356 is a Legal Jousting filly out of Shubiz and this one’s half sister has won $64,000. Offered by Cedarcrest.
Handsome full brother to the good RED EAGLE is hop 423 at the same next week. By Legal Jousting out of Bold Carma – thanks to K Kocot for photos!
WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FEATURE – JOCKEY JENNIFER REID
Winnipeg’s own horse whisper
by Allan Besson
It comes as no news to the world that jockeys are small people. It’s just common sense. Thoroughbred horse racing demands that as little weight as possible be placed on the back of the horse.
Just being able to ride a horse doesn’t qualify one for the job. Otherwise, cowboy movie star John Wayne would have been the next Willie Shoemaker.
But then again the Duke was a mountain of a man, and his brawn was a match for any horse. But, how does a 5-foot, 104-pound (soaking wet), 22-year-old woman control 1,200 pounds of fury from the starting gate to the wire at speeds up to 60 km/h? http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/horseracing/winnipeg
s-own-horse-whisperer-129017038.html
