FLOAT

 

In memory of DEAN DEVERELL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
He is remembered for his bright smile, his friendly demeanor and his super work ethic.  DEAN DEVERELL, a Sovereign Award finalist for apprentice jockey in 2007, passed away this week and Ontario horsepeople from Woodbine, Fort Erie and his beloved Ajax Downs were in shock and mourned his passing on social media

Deverell, from Mississauga, ON, did not start riding thoroughbreds until he was 35 but he sure had talent, look at his stats from 2006 and 2007 from Equibase (below).  He won 146 races from 1,703 mounts in thoroughbred racing.

He had a lot of success riding quarter horses as well. Condolences go out to his family members and friends who no doubt were lucky to know a fine man.

Thoroughbred stats for Dean Deverell from Equibase:

2009     262     16     11     27     $414,271
2008     249     16     15     29     $692,521
2007     503     49     50     72     $1,598,777    – nominated for outstanding Apprentice jockey
2006     689     65     67     94     $1,546,919

 

 

EMMA-JAYNE WILSON and LUIS CONTRERAS emerge (fairly) unscathed from bad accident

 

The Gulfstream Park Saturday card was only 3 races old when nice maidens took to the grass course for race 4. There was a lot of interest in the race for Canadians as Charles Fipke and trainer Roger Attfield had an Ontario bred colt, RECALL DYNAFORMER in the field making his 3rd career start. Woodbine’s leading rider LUIS CONTRERAS was on board.

And EMMA-JAYNE WILSON was on Jeremy’s Song, a well bred Unbridled’s Song colt trained by Gary Contessa. Also, Mark Casse trainee CONQUEST TOP GUN, a good 3rd in his debut at Woodbine in November, was also in the intriguing field.

The race took a bad turn, however, as RECALL DYNAFORMER suffered a catastrophic breakdown on the turn for home when the hard running began. He crashed to the ground and Jeremy’s Song and another runner, Barley Twist, fell over the son of Dynaformer.
Recall Dynaformer was vanned off but later put down. The other two horses are reportedly okay.
Barley Twist’s rider A. Jaen, was up and walking but both Contreras and Wilson went to the hospital.
Emma-Jayne went through various tests to make sure nothing was broken and she was released from hospital not too long after her arrival. Contreras has many scratches and is bang up as well but also okay.

It is a very scary thing just to see when you are glued to a horse race and it is impossible to imagine how these brave riders feel when they hit the ground after such a terrible accident.
They have a tremendous amount of support from industry members and we salute them.
We also remember RECALL DYNAFORMER, who also had his own special following on Twittter last evening from people that knew the three-year-old colt.

*Later in the Gulfstream card, the Attfield trainee LYNX, a Canadian-bred 3yo colt, was 3rd in a maiden allowance at 50 to 1 in an improved run in his 5th career race. He posted a career best 77 Beyer Figure.

 

CAN RIVER ROLL?

 

Canadian-bred RIVER SEVEN may have a tactical edge in the 9 furlong DONN HANDICAP today on a Gulfstream surface that tends to play a lot nicer to speedsters and stalkers. The Donn Handicap – Grade 1, is today and is the first race on the FOX Jockey Club Tour!

Carlo and Lou Tucci and trainer Nick Gonzalez are hoping their bay 4yo gelding continues to improve as he tries the toughest field of his life.

Speaking of the Tucci’s, they doled out $50,000 on Saturday at Gulfstream to claiming PUNTROOSKIE, a Florida bred In Summation gelding who was a troubled second in a maiden race in his 4th career start.

 

 

THE FIELD – CHART FROM THOROUGHBRED DAILY NEWS
Sunday, Gulfstream Park, post time: 6:01 p.m. EDT
DONN H.-GI, $500,000, 4yo/up, 1 1/8m
PP HORSE OWNER BREEDER TRAINER/JOCKEY ML

1 Uncaptured K John Oxley William Graham-ON Casse 10-1
(c, 4, Lion Heart–Captivating, by Arch) Mena

2 Will Take Charge K Willis Horton & Three Chimneys Farm Eaton-KY Lukas 9-5
(c, 4, Unbridled’s Song–Take Charge Lady, by Dehere) Saez

3 Revolutionary K WinStar Farm LLC W S Farish-KY Pletcher 5-1
(c, 4, War Pass–Runup the Colors, by A.P. Indy) Castellano

4 Neck ‘n Neck A. Stevens Miles Jr. A. Stevens Miles Jr.-KY Wilkes 20-1
(h, 5, Flower Alley–Bootery, by Storm Boot) Leparoux

5 River Seven K Tucci Stables William Graham-ON Gonzalez 4-1
(g, 4, Johannesburg–Sans Souci Island, by Chester House) Rocco Jr

6 Romansh Godolphin Racing LLC Darley & Lynn Schiff-KY Albertrani 6-1
(c, 4, Bernardini–Cologny, by Go For Gin) Velazquez

7 Viramundo K Silverton Hill LLC Henrietta Alexander-KY Wolfson 15-1
(h, 5, Stephen Got Even–Etro, by Silver Deputy) Lopez

8 Lea Claiborne Farm & Adele Dilschneider Claiborne Farm & Adele Dilschneider-KY Mott 10-1
(h, 5, First Samurai–Greenery, by Galileo {Ire}) Rosario

9 Bourbon Courage Bourbon Lane Stable & Wayne Lynn Oscar & Eloise Penn-KY Gorder 10-1
(h, 5, Lion Heart–Shine Forth, by Carson’s City) Lezcano

10 Macho Bull K Miroslava Dorochenko Liberation Farm & Brandywine Farm-KY Dorochenko 30-1
(g, 5, Macho Uno–Time Is Tight, by Crafty Prospector) Kappushev

11 Joshua’s Comprise Rose Family Stable Rose Family Stable Ltd-FL Rose 30-1
(c, 4, Comprise–Princess Alert, by Katowice) Maysonett

 

Lou Tucci and his uncle Carlo know that Sunday’s Donn Handicap (GI) is a very tough race but as skill as the pair have been with claiming and racing horses, they have also had some luck along the way. And anyone in horse racing knows that good luck is integral.

The Tucci’s claimed and raced Canadian stars such as ONE FOR ROSE, a champion, and JUST RUSHING, along others. They have their own little breeding establishment with their own stallion Endeavour but also purchase yearlings or two-year-olds in training.

RIVER SEVEN, a plain bay gelded son of Johannesburg – Sans Souci Island by Chester Island, was picked up by the Tucci’s as a 2yo in training for $60,000, a bit of a bargain since the youngster was an $80,000 yearling purchase from breeder Bill Graham by Hugo Merry Bloodstock.

A graded takes winner at 2, RIVER SEVEN was a leading contender for the 2013 Queen’s Plate but setbacks meant trainer Nick Gonzalez had to play catch up in the spring with the gelding. River Seven simply did not come around in time. He raced against a speed bias in the Plate and was beaten 32 lengths. The good news for the Tucci’s? The plain bay gelding that had claimed at Gulfstream Park in the winter of 2013, MIDNIGHT ARIA, stole the Plate on the pace in a huge upset.

Midnight Aria would never race again.

So, as Midnight Aria ended

up at Goldmart Farms for the rest of the year, RIVER SEVEN started to come around. He was second to UNCAPTURED in the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort on the dirt, second to the tough UP WITH THE BIRDS in the Breeders’ Stakes and then a troubled second to Golden Sabre in an allowance race, a race that Gonzalez hoped would get the gelding on the wining track and build his confidence.

Well, that eventually did c

ome. RIVER SEVEN suddenly exploded when he won the Labeeb Stakes on very treacherous grass at Woodbine, scoring by more than 10 lengths. He won the Commonwealth Stakes at Churchill Downs before simply romping in the Harlan’s Holiday Stakes at Gulfstream in December on the dirt, He broke the track record for 1 1/16 miles, posting a time of 1:41.73.

That track record has since been broken again but RIVER SEVEN has been training like a bear as he gets ready for Sunday’s huge test.

The Donn is on national TV and the 10 rivals include none other than last year’s American champion 3yo WILL TAKE CHARGE.

Meanwhile, Bill Graham’s WINDHAVEN is also the breeder of horse of the Year UNCAPTURED, the ‘Wales winner who has been on the road a lot since he was a 2yo. The son of Lion Heart, a $290,000 yearling purchase by John Oxley, has accomplished a lot but there may be more in the tank here. He was a closing 4th in the Hal’s Hope behind Lea (also in the Donn) and, like trainer Mark Casse says, Uncaptured has lost all of his speed these days but he does have a good rally.

Uncaptured, honored with a Sovereign Award as Canada’s Horse of the Year following his outstanding 2-year-old campaign in 2012, will be among the dark horse contenders in the $500,000 Donn Handicap (G1) on Sunday at Gulfstream Park.

Owned by John Oxley and trained by Mark Casse, the dark bay colt captured six of his seven outings as a juvenile and capped that championship season with a victory in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs. Among his beaten foes in that event was the D. Wayne Lukas-trained Will Take Charge, who wound up last in the 13-horse field. Their paths diverged last year, with Will Take Charge going on to become a major player at the top echelon, while Uncaptured had his picture taken only once in eight appearances. That victory came in the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, the $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes on July 30, when he defeated River Seven by a length at Fort Erie.

Uncaptured kicked off 2014 in the $100,000 Hal’s Hope Handicap (G3) at Gulfstream, where he got caught six wide en route to a fourth-place finish behind Lea. He will get another crack at Will Take Charge, River Seven and Lea in the Donn.

“He’s been a good horse all along, as a 2-year-old and as a 3-year-old,” Casse offered. “He’s training really well. He’s won over a million dollars. He’s a Grade 2 stakes winner. The only thing that is left for him to accomplish is to win a Grade 1.”
The 4-year-old son of Lion Heart drew the rail in the Donn, one post inside of Will Take Charge. He is listed at 10-1 on the morning line, and will carry 116 pounds in the nine-furlong Donn. He was ridden by Joel Rosario last time, but will be reunited with Miguel Mena, who has been in the irons for most of Uncaptured’s career.

“Joel was going to ride him in the Donn, but a couple of weeks ago I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go with him,” Casse added. “So I didn’t want to hold Joel up and let him go. About a week ago I decided we would run here, so we got Miguel to come in and ride him.”

MORE FROM YESTERDAY (SATURDAY)

The Gulfstream Park Sprint (Grade 3) went to the suddenly ferocious FALLING SKY, a 4yo son of Lion Heart out of the Sea Hero mare SEA DRAGONESS. That mare was purchased in 2007 in foal to Lemon Drop Kid by Ontario’s own Bonnie Rowntree at Willow Ridge Farm. That foal is LEMON SPLASH, who races at Woodbine and has won over $237,000.

FALLING SKY posted a 104 Beyer Figure in his sizzling win yesterday at 7 furlongs (1:20 3/5).

The 4yo was 19th in the Kentucky Derby last year after a 3rd in the Tampa Bay Derby and a win in the Sam F Davis. He was 14 to 1 yesterday and beat a 139 to 1 shot, Narvaez, by Holy Bull. George Weaver trains Falling Sky.

In case you missed it, GAME ON DUDE buckled under a speed duel battle and was unplaced in the San Antonio yesterday at Santa Anita. The winner, BLINGO, by Artie Schiller, came from well off the pace to win for the Moss’s of Zenyatta fame.

 

KEN AND SARAH RAMSEY TO TAKE MAJOR MARVEL TO BARBADOS

 

 

 

Multiple Eclipse Award winning owner, breeder and owner of the top sire Kitten’s Joy, Ken and Sarah Ramsey, are pointing MAJOR MARVEL, who has raced at Woodbine, to the Barbados Gold Cup in March at the Garrison Savannah. Trained by Mike Maker, Major Marvel recently won 7 races in succession.
The Gold Cup is 1 1/8 miles on grass and the race is expected to lure TRINIDADIAN HORSE OF THE YEAR, Big Man In Town, plus JAKESAM (Smoke Glacken) and English handicapper DASHING DAVID, by Lemon Drop Kid.

**Now, to get someone to fly me down there to cover it!

Nominees after 2nd payment

Aristodemus

Areutalkintome

Big Man in Town

Daga

Dashing David

Discreet won

Indian Officer

Kendal Moon

Knight Rider

Jakesam

Major Marvel

Nominee

Shared Adventure