THOROUGHBLOG on the MOVE
(it’s not an April Fool’s joke!)
• Just days past its 3 year anniversary, THOROUGHBLOG has moved to Canada’s leading horse publication house – www.Horse-Canada.com, the site of Horse Publications Group and its stable of magazines including Canadian Thoroughbred.
Thoroughblog’s official new web address is https://canadianthoroughbred.com/?cat=53 so please change your bookmarks.
I would like to thank the hundreds of readers and friends who have helped advance Thoroughblog to this point and my own stable of advertisers who have supported me. Thank you for the donations you have made to help keep Thoroughblog going.
Thoroughblog will continue in its same capacity, updated most mornings during the week and occasionally on the weekends. For stories and notes, you can continue to email me. To comment on the new site or any news, Horse-Canada offers a comment section at the bottom of each day’s posts.
For advertising, contact Horse Publications Group at 1-800-505-7428 or email: [email protected]
Please stay with Thoroughblog as it settles into its new home to keep up to date on the news and issues and notes of the Canadian racing industry.
IT’S ENTRY DAY!
• The first of 167 cards of racing ay Woodbine will be drawn at around 11:30 this morning with 10 races scheduled for Saturday (also Community day at Woodbine) including the LA VOYAGEUSE STAKES.
As mentioned in the post ON TRACK, there are 16 nominations for the overnight stakes race including KOONUNGA HILL, a stakes winner at 2 last year.
A small group of American trainers are new to Woodbine this year – each with about a dozen or less stalls. As reported in Thoroughblog in the post ON TRACK, Vladimir Cerin is one of the new stables Set up on the Woodbine backstretch.
From a Woodbine press release yesterday:
Jerry Hollendorfer, a perennial leader of the Northern California circuit, Steve Klesaris, a lifetime 30 per cent conditioner, and Vladimir Cerin, a winner of over 1,000 races, mainly in Southern California are three of the top names that will have a Woodbine presence in 2009. Dale Capuano, Mike Pino and Wayne Rice are also veterans of the training profession that will have an impact.
“Our racing is as good as anywhere else. When some of the top names want to come race here, it proves that,” said Lym.
While the wave of different American trainers is significant, Lym cautions that it only represents a small percentage of the total number of stalls available at Woodbine.
“There’s apprehension when new trainers from outside of Ontario come and race here, but we’ve seen that our horses and trainers are more than capable of winning their share of the races. At the end of day, competition is what racing is all about,” said Lym.
First race post time for Saturday’s program is 1:00 p.m.
TODD KABEL IS BACK
New agent, new outlook
• Champion jockey TODD KABEL (photo courtesy Cindy Pierson Dulay) is making a comeback in 2009 after missing most of 2008.
Plagued by health and weight issues, Kabel has been working horses in the mornings at Woodbine and has joined forced with ‘Coffee’ John Callejas, one of Woodbine’s best know agents. Kabel and John Bell ended their long association as jockey and agent this year.
The CANADIAN PRESS writes about Kabel today:
http://www.winnipegsun.com/sports/othersports/2009/04/01/8960286-sun.html
QUEEN’S PLATE – 150
Join the Fantasy contest today
• Woodbine Entertainment has launched a new Queen’s Plate website at http://www.woodbineentertainment.com/queensplate/ and entries can soon be made for the Queen’s Plate Fantasy contest.
SQUARE EDDIE, the heavy favourite for the Plate, had his second workout last weekend since coming back from an injury and reports are that the colt is still headed to the Kentucky Derby on May 2.
The 150th Plate is just one of several big races on the lucrative Woodbine stakes schedule.
KENTUCKY DERBY NEWS
Pool 3 opens this weekend, more preps
• Saturday is another pivotal day for the 3-year-olds heading to the Kentucky Derby.
Speedy THE PAMPLEMOUSSE (Kafwain), who sizzled in a workout yesterday, 34 4/5 for 3 furlongs meets up with PIONEEROF THE NILE (Empire Maker) in the Santa Anita Derby.
At Aqueduct, the Wood Memorial will pit the brilliant I WANT REVENGE (Stephen Got Even) against IMPERIAL COUNCIL (Empire Maker) while the ILLINOIS DERBY at Hawthorne could produce a fringe contender.
Saturday, Hawthorne
ILLINOIS DERBY-GII, $500,000, 3yo, 1 1/8m
PP HORSE (SIRE) JOCKEY
1 Nowhere to Hide (Vindication) P Lopez
2 Giant Oak (Giant’s Causeway) Bridgmohan
3 Lord Justice (A.P. Indy) DeCarlo
4 Toccet Rocket (Toccet) Riggs
5 His Greatness (Honour and Glory) Sterling Jr
6 Perfect Song (Pleasantly Perfect) Rose
7 Free Country (Big Country) Razo Jr
8 Musket Man (Yonaguska) Coa
9 Al Khali (Medaglia d’Oro) Velasquez
10 Il Postino (Distorted Humor) Campbell
11 Knight Shot (Red Bullet) Karlsson
HAVE A FAVOURITE? PLACE YOUR BET THIS WEEKEND
2009 KENTUCKY DERBY FUTURE WAGER POOL 3
Thurs.-Sat., April 2-5
# Wagering Interest Morning line odds
1 Charitable Man* 30-1
2 Chocolate Candy 30-1
3 Desert Party 30-1
4 Dunkirk 8-1
5 Flying Private* 50-1
6 Friesan Fire 8-1
7 Giant Oak 30-1
8 Hold Me Back* 30-1
9 I Want Revenge 8-1
10 Imperial Council 20-1
11 Mafaaz* 50-1
12 Musket Man* 30-1
13 Mr. Hot Stuff* 30-1
14 Old Fashioned 10-1
15 Papa Clem 30-1
16 Pioneerof the Nile 10-1
17 Quality Road 6-1
18 Regal Ransom* 30-1
19 Take the Points 30-1
20 Terrain* 50-1
21 The Pamplemousse 10-1
22 Theregoesjojo 20-1
23 Win Willy* 20-1
24 Mutuel Field (“All Others”) 10-1
*New wagering interest in Pool 3
Morning line odds by Mike Battaglia
IT MUST BE SPRING – KEENELAND OPENS
• A large group of Canadians are at Keeneland for its short, spring ,meeting that starts up Friday.
Sovereign Award winning trainer MARK CASSE has SKIPADATE in the featured event. Also on the opening day card is the first race for 2-year-olds and in the finale, the Chiefswood Farm filly INDIGO NORTH makes her debut in a 1 1/16 mile event. Indigo North is eligible to the Queen’s Plate.
Friday, Keeneland
CENTRAL BANK TRANSYLVANIA S.-GIII, $150,000,
3yo, 1 1/16mT
PP HORSE (SIRE) JOCKEY WT
1 Skipadate (Skip Away) Bridgmohan 117
2 Smart Bid (Smart Strike) Prado 119
3 Oil Man (Ire) (Pyrus Velazquez) 117
4 Southern Anthem (Royal Anthem) Lanerie 117
5 Florentino (Jpn) (Swept Overboard) Garcia 119
6 Orthodox (Pulpit) Castanon 119
7 Mikoshi (Orientate) Albarado 117
8 Stormalory (Storm Cat) Leparoux 119
