THOROUGHBLOG must congratulate SPORTSWRITER, the locally trained, owned 3yo pacer who won last night’s North America Cup…WWW.HORSE-RACES.NET photo
BIOFUEL SOLID 3RD, BAY 2ND
She ran the best Beyer Figure of her career, a 93, but was only ablt to finish 3rd, beaten just 2 1/4 lengths to the good DEVIL MAY CARE yesterday in the Grade 1 Mother Goose.
BIOFUEL, Canada’s champion 2yo filly, rode a crest of 2 stakes wins into New York’s Belmont Stakes and was testing dirt for the first time.
Trainer Reade Baker said he was worried about the filly’s ability to handle the deep, sandy surface of Belmont but the filly was kept out into the middle of the track most of the way by Eurico Rosa Da Silva.
The bad news came when the filly broke a few lengths slowly and she stalked the pace, followed Devil May Care and then finished evenly.
Brereton Jones owns and bred the daughter of Stormin Fever.
Over at Monmouth, Rob Smithen’s BAY TO BAY was a good 2nd in the BOILING SPRINGS STAKES behind the front running winner STRIKE IT RICH, earning an 86 Beyer Figure.
QUEEN’S PLATE NEWS
HOLLLINGER OUT, EMBUR’S SONG NOT LIKELY IN
The Queen’s Plate is starting to round out into form now that horsefolks have straightened ideas out in their minds.HOLLINGER, the champion 2yo colt of last year who has been a disappointment in 2010, will not compete in the Plate and his rider TYLER PIZARRO will likely be on VICAR STREET, the maiden for Rocco d’Alimonte and Frank Annecchini.
EMBUR’S SONG does not appear likely to go in the Plate – the BISON CITY STAKES is probably next for this gal. The same could be true of the other filly on the fence – MOMENT OF MAJESTY, co-owned by trainer Sue Leslie, who would have to gather up $25,000 to supplement the filly to the Plate.
Meanwhile, there were some workers Friday and yesterday morning for the Plate including possible favourite ARTIC FERN – who breezed 5 furlongs in 1:00 2/5 on the dirt training track.
MOMENT OF MAJESTY worked 5 furlongs on the Polytrack in 1:00 2/5, a bullet for the morning.
VICAR STREET worked 1:00 4/5 and SMART SKY worked 7 furlongs in 1:28 4/5.
On Friday, MOBILIZER worked in 1:13 2/5 for 6 furlongs and trainer Roger Attfield was “delighted”. The lightly raced colt, bred and owned by Adena Springs, appeared to have a set of blinkers on for the workout, in company with grass mare Mekong Melody, and he was shaken up right at the end of the work to draw clear.
For Attfield, a Plate win this year would be something special, sure, that sounds funny when the Hall of Famer has already won 8 Plates.
But this year, if he were to win it, it would break the record of Plate wins by a trainer (He’s tied with Harry Giddings Jr), he would get to meet the Queen, and Attfield is from England, and Mobilizer’s sire is owned by the Queen.
Attfield also told THOROUGHBLOG that his parents were totally intrigued by the Royal family and it would be very appropriate if things came together on July 4.
See BIG RED MIKE’S WORKOUT ON FRIDAY here:
http://www.woodbineentertainment.com/Woodbine/News/Pages/Videos.aspx
Probables
ARTIC FERN
dk b/.g.3 by Langfuhr(Danzig) – Wood Fern(Woodman)
Gustav Schickedanz Michael Keogh
BIG RED MIKE
ch.g.3 by Tenpins(Smart Strike) – Regent n’Flashy(Vice Regent)
Terra Racing Stable Nicholas Gonzalez
D’S WANDO
b.c.3 by Wando(Langfuhr) – Silver Taler(Bold Ruckus)
D’s Stable, Riviera Racing Stable and Yorktech Racing Stable Ian Black
DARK CLOUD DANCER
dk b/.c.3 by Storm Cat(Storm Bird) – Dancethruthedawn(Mr. Prospector)
Sam-Son Farms Mark R. Frostad
GIANT’S TOMB
ch.c.3 by Awesome Again(Deputy Minister) – Song of the Wild(Gone West)
Sam-Son Farms Mark R. Frostad
GHOST FLEET
dk.b.c. Arch – Destroy
Jim Dandy Stables Sid Attard
HOTEP
b.c.3 by A.P. Indy(Seattle Slew) – Eye of the Sphynx(Smart Strike)
Sam-Son Farms Mark R. Frostad
MOBILIZER
dk b/.c.3 by Motivator (GB)(Montjeu (IRE)) – Kris Is It(Kris S.)
Stronach Stables R. L. Attfield
MOBTHEWARRIOR
dk b/.g.3 by Mobil(Langfuhr) – Little Warrior(Woodman)
Andrew V. Fredericks Gregory de Gannes
ROAN INISH
dk b/.f.3 by Elusive Quality(Gone West) – Inish Glora(Regal Classic)
Robert J. Costigan Carolyn Costigan
SMART SKY
b.c.3 by Sky Mesa(Pulpit) – Flashy n Smart(Smarten)
C. Scott Abbott Racing Stable Ltd. Michael J. Doyle
WHO WE GUNNA CALL
dk b/.c.3 by Ghostzapper(Awesome Again) – Touch Dial(Phone Trick)
Castle Peak Farm, Ltd. Tino Attard
Also possible – VICAR STREET, MOMENT OF MAJESTY, CAPTAIN CANUCK
FINAL MESA WINS 2YO STAKE WITH 92 BEYER
There was good news and bad news about FINAL MESA’S crushing score in the My Dear Stakes yesterday at Woodbine. Trainer Wes Ward owns and traines and the $72K purchase and it was the 2nd 2yo stakes win for the trainer at the meeting.
This filly, a daughter of Sky Mesa, won by 7 lengths over just 4 rivals and Eibar Coa was glowing after the race.
“Before today’s race, I believe she already showed how good she is,” said Coa, of the New York-bred bay, who was supplemented to the My Dear. “In the first 100 yards, I was wondering if she was going to relax for me or if she was wondering what was happening around her.
“This is a very nice filly. When they give you more than you expect, that’s an unbelievable feeling.”
But it could have been a real disaster for WOODBINE, THE ONTARIO RACING COMMISSION, KEENELAND and fans of the sport had some very important information not been shared with the public before the race.
According to DAILY RACING FORM (on the front page), this filly had worked 3 furlongs in “33 and change” at Keeneland and it had not been recorded anywhere. Indeed, the only recent workout for the filly was :39 seconds at Keeneland for 3 furlongs.Tsk Tsk.
It could have been WILD DESERT all over again (the infamous Plate winner who had works not published) but the DRF reported it and, hopefully, the information was spread around.
It must have been, the filly paid $2.70 to win.
JONES’N
SATURDAY AT WOODBINE
JOCKEY JONO JONES won 4 straight races on the card tp cap his biggest day of the meeting. One of his winners was Tree Pose:
For $8,344 U.S. the SIX BROTHERS STABLE bought the filly TREE POSE at the local sale last fall and watched her win a hum-dinger in her debut yesterday. The 2yo, from the first crop of the sire (he now has 2 winners) hooked up with favourite OLIVIA’S SONG and both firsters opened up a big lead on the field and battled hard to the wire with Tree Pose edging clear late in 58 3/5. They were 9 1/4 lengths ahead of the 3rd horse in the race.
TREE POSE is out of Alpha Ange, by Alphabet Soup and she was bred by Gardiner Farms.
The winning trainer was Bill Tharrenos.
The Beyer Figure was 54.
Another Jones winner was 21 to 1 shot ZESTY BREW for John and Breede Hayes, who won the $40,000 claiming 8th race that came off the grass. Bred by Adena Springs, the Milwaukke Brew gal was dropping from allowances to claiming off two drab runs at route distances this season. She led all the way yesterday to win the 7 furlong dash by 1/2 a length.
LEOPARD SPOTTED
EYE OF THE LEOPARD, last year’s Queen’s Plate winner who has struggled since his big score, was 6th beaten 11 lengths in the 7 furlong Kelly’s Landing Stakes at Churchill Downs on Friday,
The A.P. Indy colt, whose full brother HOTEP is a Plate fave this year, is now trained by Neil Howard.
WOODBINE FRIDAY notes
It was a big day for trainer MARK CASSE and jockey EMMA-JAYNE WILSON and COREY FRASER who all but hogged the 9 race card on Friday.
Casse sent out Eugene Melnyk’s CARLTON BEACH to win a $16K claimer by 8 lengths on the drop from a maiden win for $32K. The grey son of Speightstown was claimed by Clayton Bigelow and Billy Lane of Fort Erie.
Casse also won with first time turfer EXCLUSIVE LOVE (Bernstein) and the front running claimer CATCH AIR. Fraser rode the first and last of those mentioned.
WILSON rode the classy older mare KNOCKER to win on a big drop to $25K for the Very Dry Stable, also won on first time starting 2yo I’M NOT TOY (Whywhwywhy, Ontario bred) and Billy Hick’s front running claimer TIGERHEAT.
SANDOWN IN VICTORIA, B.C. CLOSES
excerpt from Nanaimo/bclocalnews.com
Sport of Kings reins in for final lap
By Toby Gorman – Nanaimo News Bulletin
Sandown Park in Victoria is closing for good.
It’s a safe bet nobody cares.
To most, horse racing has been dead for a long time.
Tracks have been closing, handles are way down. People don’t want to see horses get whipped and pushed and medicated. Some end up at the slaughterhouse if they’re no good to anyone.
Can’t say I blame people for not going.
In a world of instant gratification like scratch tickets and video lottery terminals, who wants to wait 15 minutes between races to make a bet? Thirty minutes for thoroughbreds.
Nobody wants to hear those five words that get your heart pounding, hands sweating and voice cheering.
“Down the stretch they come!”
Best five words in sports as far as I’m concerned.
Used to make thousands of people roar, at Sandown and every other track on the continent.
http://www.bclocalnews.com/opinion/97177004.html
