WEDNESDAY’S NEWS – WHEW, THE NEXT ISSUE OF CANADIAN THOROUGHBRED is almost set to print (Woodbine Mile goes in Sunday)…speaking of the Mile – wow, pretty good field aye?? Uh oh, Alberta racing loses it big, big trainer…. CHIEFSWOOD BUYING BIG AT KEENELAND
THE USUAL Q.T. – a favourite for the Woodbine Mile – Vanessa Ng photo
HIGH NUMBERS FOR MILE
Some of the best turf milers (and horses who have been experimenting at a lot of other things) will be in town for Sunday’s Woodbine Mile.
It’s interesting that some of these horses have been in races at 10 furlongs on Polytrack recently, many of them seem somewhat versatile. While there is a nagging feeling that some that are shipping are simply shipping in because it’s the next big race to run in and, being in Canada, perhaps a bit easier, the field is a pretty good one.
The favourite will likely be either COURT VISION or THE USUAL Q T although local yokel SMOKEY FIRE is the highest Beyer Figure guy off his last race in the field.
Group/Grade winners from all over will be in town although we missed out on GIO PONTI coming, he’s going to the Shadwell Mile.
Reports have RIVEIRA COCKTAIL on the fence about running since DAILY RACING FORM reports that trainer NEIL DRYSDALE, who has won 3 of these Miles, said the horse did not ship well and while he has been here since Friday, may not compete.
Canadian J. Paul Reddam will have a horse in the race – the flashy chestnut CROWDED HOUSE, who recently made a big, premature move in the PACIFIC CLASSIC and then landed 2nd. The colt has only won 2 races but he has some ability for sure.
EARLY LOOK AT THE WOODBINE MILE (13)
Horse/Owner/Trainer/Jockey
Auteur/Bruce Lunsford/Barbara Minshall/Mike Smith
Court Vision/IEAH Stables & Resolute Group/Rick Dutrow/Robby Albarado
Crowded House/Burrell, Harvey & Reddam/Ben Cecil/Joel Rosario
Famous Name/Juddmonte Farms/Dermot Weld/Pat Smullen
Grand Adventure/Sam-Son Farm/Mark Frostad/Patrick Husbands
Riviera Cocktail/Allen, Cheng & Drysdale/Neil Drysdale/Edgar Prado
Signature Red/Norseman Racing Stable/Sid Attard/Eurico Rosa da Silva
Smokey Fire/Jim Dandy Stable/Sid Attard/Jono Jones
Straight Story/Richard Santulli/Alan Goldberg/Rajiv Maragh
The Usual Q.T./Don Van Racing, Nentwig, Saadeh, Byer/Jim Cassidy/Victor Espinoza
Victor’s Cry/Equilete Stable/Eoin Harty/Corey Nakatani
Woodbourne/The Very Dry Stable/Robert Tiller/Chantal Sutherland
Zifzaf/AJ Suited Racing Stable/James Toner/Julien Leparoux
MAPLE GAMBLING reports on WOODBINE MILE
Court Vision Looking Sharp for Woodbine Mile
Woodbine Mile in Toronto takes place on Sunday
The annual Woodbine Mile (Gr 1) on turf at Woodbine Racecourse in Toronto, Canada is one of the country’s biggest races and one that attracts many top U.S. trainers and horses, including trainer Richard Dutrow Jr.
As one of most successful trainers in the United States, there are few major races Dutrow Jr. hasn’t won. His impressive list of wins includes a Breeders’ Cup Classic, the Stephen Foster Handicap, the Woodward Stakes and many more.
However, one race that has proved elusive for the trainer is the Woodbine Mile. Although he is planning to change all that on Sunday with Court Vision, who last fall won the Shadwell Turf Mile and came fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Mile.
http://www.maplegambling.com/news/2010/09/15/court-vision-looking-sharp-for-woodbine-mile.asp
WATCHMAKER WATCH RANKS THE TURF HORSES
1- Chinchon
Only fair in France, but awesome here
2 – Debussy
Another marginal Euro wins big here
3 – Gio Ponti (2)
Best of a weak North American group
4 – The Usual Q. T.
Turf really is the game for this one
5 – Karelian
6 – Winchester
7 – Fluke
8 – Get Stormy
9 – Telling
10 – Paddy O’Prado
DAILY RACING FORM BEST BEYERS FOR TURF, ALL DISTANCES
HORSE TRK DATE DIST BEYER FIGURE
Enriched HOL 22 May 1M 111
Mandurah MTH 06 Jun 1M 109
Grand Adventure WO 27 Jun 1M 105
Karelian HOL 31 May 1M 105
Victor’s Cry HOL 31 May 1M 105
Blues Street FG 20 Feb 1 1/8M 104
Chinchon (IRE) MTH 03 Jul 1 3/8M 104
Grand Adventure WO 30 May 7F 104
Karelian KEE 09 Apr 1M 104
Silver Timber MTH 05 Jun 5 1/2F 104
Starfish Bay (f) GP 21 Feb 5F 104
Cherokee Artist GP 20 Feb 1M 103
Courageous Cat GP 20 Feb 1M 103
Get Serious MTH 12 Jun 1 1/8M 103
Picou TAM 03 Apr 1 1/8M 103
Rahy’s Attorney WO 27 Jun 1M 103
Smokey Fire WO 29 Aug 7F 103
The Usual Q. T. DMR 24 Jul 1 1/8M 103
Fatal Bullet WO 29 Aug 7F 102
Field Commission WO 30 May 7F 102
General Quarters CD 01 May 1 1/8M 102
Get Serious MTH 31 May 1M 102
Get Stormy SAR 27 Aug 1 1/8M 102
Jungle Wave WO 29 Aug 7F 102
Mr Gruff HOL 31 May 1M 102
Mr Gruff SA 17 Apr 6 1/2F 102
Sidney’s Candy DMR 14 Aug 1 1/16M 102
Winchester BEL 05 Jun 1 1/4M 102
KEENELAND SALES AFTER THREE DAYS
Chiefswood making noise
The Krembil family’s CHIEFSWOOD STABLE, which has undergone some notable personnel changes in recent weeks, paid $525,000 for a filly by FIRST SAMURAI out of ALDEBARAN LIGHT, by SEATTLE SLEW at the first session of the KEENELAND SEPTEMBER SALE.
The chesnut filly is a half sister to non other than the super star ESKENDEREYA, the Grade 1 Wood Memorial winner who was everyone’s pick to win the Kentucky Derby before he got hurt (and now he’s at stud, boooo)_.
Anyway, this Kentucky bred gal is also a 1/2 sister to Group 1 winner Balmont and she is from the 2nd crop of the Giant’s Causeway stallion First Samurai.
CHIEFSWOOD also bought a $285,000 Storm Cat filly out of Western Princess, by Gone West. The filly is the 2nd foal of stakes placed Western Princess, from the family of NOVEMBER SNOW (Grade 1 winner, by Storm Cat).
SAM-SON FARMS sold DYNAFORMER filly out of champion CATCH THE RING for $400,000 to Shadwell. The Ontario bred is a half sister to Catch the Thrill.
Sam-Son also sold a Smart Strike – Pretty Dutch by Sky Classic colt for $150,000 to Silverton Hill LLC. The colt is out of a stakes placed mare and is a half brother to a couple of winners.
SHANNONDOE FARMS sold a bay filly by Tiznow out of Valid MOve for $75,000 in the 3rd session yesterday. The Ontario bred is the 2nd foal out of stakes winner Valid Move. The buyer was James McIngvale.
MELNYK RACING STABLES paid $500,000 for a colt by MALIBU MOON out of BE MY PROSPECT by Forest Wildcat. The colt, a Kentucky bred, is the first foal of a mare who never races but the mare’s dam produced AWAY, a stakes winner and dam of EIGHT BELLES.
JIM AND SUSAN HILL of Cakgary, Alberta bought an Arch – Bacinella colt for $120,000 yesterday, a half brother to stakes winner Fong’s Thing.
WESLEY WARD is getting into Canadian-breds. The American owner/trainer bought a horse at the local open sale for yearlings and then bought hip no. 50, a Ghostzapper gal out of Holy Blitz, bred by Adena Springs in Ontario.
MEYAARD LEAVING EDMONTON RACING
“If I stay’d there, I’d go crazy”
CURTIS STROCK reports for the Edmonton Journal:
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/sports/Alberta+lose+leading+trainer+horses/3521059/story.html
EDMONTON – Alberta’s leading percentage and stakes-winning thoroughbred trainer, Jim Meyaard, is leaving.
Meyaard will run four — possibly five — horses on Saturday’s Alberta Fall Classic card at Northlands Park and then load up a van with seven of his top horses and head to Remington Park in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Meyaard said another seven horses will exit the province in the following weeks.
“There are still a few stakes races here that I have horses eligible to run in. My wife, Amber, will stay with them and then she will come out and join me.”
Meyaard doesn’t plan on returning to Edmonton.
“There are a lot of reasons. There’s the jealousy, the BS and the crap that I’ve had to put up with. If I stayed here, I’d go crazy,” said Meyaard, who won the Canadian Derby and three other stakes races with No Hesitation and three stakes races with Salt Flat Speed — never mind stakes wins with horses like Andiotis, Jasper’s Valentine and several others.
WICKED, SHE WON
FATAL BULLET’S half sister WICKED SPEED made her debut at 5 1/2 furlongs at Calder last weekend and she was let go at 7 to 1. That was a mistake as the Macho Uno filly roared to a big win in the slop for owner Ben McElroy.
The $135,000 2yo purchase is a Florida bred.
