MARTY the horse went into the Royal York hotel yesterday in honour of the GREY CUP on Sunday (go Argos!) and he is a Canadian breed of horse from Stouffville..reade more at http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/marty-the-horse-helps-toronto-lighten-up-with-a-quick-tour-and-a-bowl-of-beer/article5582610/
on to business…..
POOL PLAY SCRATCHED FROM CLARK
Canadian-bred racehorses and local horsepeople are in action on this holiday weekend in the US (Happy Thanksgiving all!) and but today, POOL PLAY, the star gelding who was bred by Windfields Farm and is racing for Will Farish and trainer Mark Casse will not go in the Clakr. Norman Casse said the gelding is not himself. The Silver Deputy – Zuri Ridge 7-year-old loves Churchill Downs, having won the Grade 1 Stephen Foster there last season. The gelding has come back from a tendon injury and recently was unplaced in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Read more on the gelding’s chances:
Photo Cindy Pierson Dulay
DATE for DATES COMING SOON
Tracks to apply to ORC, how many will actually be run in 2013?
Tracks are in limbo in Ontario.
Woodbine is less than a month away from closing (Dec. 16) but they have no idea what kind of monies they will have for 2013. It may be that Woodbine has the same dates as this year (in the 140s) and maybe the purses won’t drop that much.
Ajax Downs reportedly signed a deal with the OLG recently, so they appear to be okay.
Fort Erie, well, they are placing a big bet that they will be able to operate for 76 racing dates… read more:
FORT ERIE feature, Niagara This Week
The Fort Erie Race Track has placed a $3,200 wager on itself that it will be running horses next year.
The non-refundable three grand is a fee paid to the racing commission to apply for race dates for the 2013 season.
The Fort Erie Live Racing Consortium ponied up the cash last Friday, and applied for 76 race dates next year.
It is a bit of a gamble, as the track’s CEO Jim Thibert explained, because the FELRC has yet to strike a contract with the new provincial horse panel to proceed into 2013.
“We will also have to seriously consider the impact on horse supply,” said Thibert of the further challenges facing the embattled track.
http://www.niagarathisweek.com/news/article/1541969–fort-erie-applies-for-race-dates
CANADIAN BRED 2YO UNCAPTURED GOING FOR GRADE 2 SATURDAY
Goes up against Woodbine colt TESSERON, for Donver Stable
Uncaptured, who scored a 5 ½-length victory in the Iroquois (Grade III) in his last start, heads a field of 13 colts and geldings entered for Saturday’s 86th running of the $150,000-added Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) at Churchill Downs.
The 1 1/16-mile Kentucky Jockey Club, a “Road to the Kentucky Derby” Prep Season race, is co-featured with the $150,000-added Golden Rod (GIII) on Saturday’s 12-race “Stars of Tomorrow II” program, which features racing exclusively for 2-year-olds. It will go as Race 11 at 5:35 p.m. ET and the Top 4 finishers will receive 10-4-2-1 points, respectively.
John Oxley’s Uncaptured began his career with a narrow victory in a maiden special at Woodbine and then scored stakes victories in the Clarendon, Vandal and Swynford at the Toronto track. He suffered his first and only loss in the Grey (GIII), but rebounded to dominate a field of 10 in the Iroquois.
“He’s always acted like he was a little on the special side,” trainer Mark Casse said. “The way these things go, it’s about how they progress and he’s progressed. It looks like he’s a realy nice horse, but we still have to figure out if he’s top of the class. Hopefully on Saturday, he’ll pass another test.”
Uncaptured will seek to become the first 2-year-old to complete the Iroqouis – Kentucky Jockey Club double since Tiz Wonderful accomplished the feat in 2006. He will be ridden by Miguel Mena and break from post four.
Uncaptured’s main rivals in the Kentucky Jockey Club could be Iroquois runner-up Positively, undefeated Dewey Square, impressive maiden winner Frac Daddy and Grey runner-up Tesseron.
Chuck and Maribeth Sandford LLC’s Positively was second best in the Iroquois after finishing seventh behind Joha in the Dixiana Breeders’ Futurity (GI) at Keeneland. Never worse than third in four starts at Churchill Downs, Positively also was second in the Bashford Manor (GIII) during the Spring Meet. The Pat Byrne-trained Positively will break from post 12 under Calvin Borel, who entered the week just four wins shy of becoming the 26th jockey to reach the 5,000-win milestone.
SPRINTING TITLES MAY BE DETERMINED AT WOODBINE THIS WEEKEND
Michael Burns Photography
There won’t be a dry eye in the house and many people will be cheering, at least sentimentally, for ESSENCE HIT MAN, in Sunday’s Kennedy Road Stakes. The speedy gelding has won 3 stakes this year, is the reigning sprint champion and can win the title again should be take this race. His owner,trainer and breeder Audre Cappuccitti passed away this week at the age of 75.
In tomorrow’s Grade 3Bessarabian Stakes, ATLANTIC HURRICANCE will try to win it for the second year in a row. She was voted the outstanding female sprinter in 2011, during which she won six of eight starts and $387,600.
Atlantic Hurricane has one stakes win this year, the Nov. 4 Ontario Fashion, while beating this year’s most accomplished female sprinter, Roxy Gap. Roxy was coming off a bit of a layoff for the Fasion and perhaps will be sharper tomorrow.
The title is hers if she wins it, might be hers anyway.
enjoy the weekend and the Grey Cup!
