UPDATE – 11 A.M – American-owned and trainer ELITE ALEX worked 5 furlongs in :57.00 this morning at Delaware Park and a decision is to come about his Queen’s Plate situation – stay tuned! 
PHOTOGRAPHY ACE DAVE LANDRY captured the WOODBINE OAKS FINISH with INGLORIOUS getting past SPOOKY KITTEN (right)
LOOK OUT! FORT ERIE DROPS PICK 4 TAKE-OUT
Beginning this SUNDAY JUNE 12!
In its continued efforts to churn up some betting interest on its racing, FORT ERIE will announce a drop in Win 4
takeout from 26% to 15% beginning this Sunday June 12. The cut takes effect on both Win 4’s.
It’s a bold move by the Fort which has seen a larger number of entries in recent weeks but the bad weather played
havoc with its first few carded grass races.
THE Last 3 days of Fort Erie had some interesting performances and a wide range of favourites and longshots winning.
MY NATALIE became A 3-TIME WINNER ON THE MEETING WITH HER SCORE FOR $7,500 FOR OWNER/TRAINER MARTIN DREXLER.
Trainer ALEC FEHR won a pair of races including yesterday’s finale with LLEWELLYN (3rd win for jock Krista Carignan)
James Redekop’s TIME MACHINE won a maiden allowance by 17 lengths with 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:03.65. The Grand Slam colt was once a $300,000 yearling but he is now trying to find himself. No Beyer Figure was available yet.
QUEEN’S PLATE OUTLOOK
Check Your Soul vs. the Kitten vs…??
CHECK YOUR SOUL, owned and bred by Charles Fipke (Not Bourbon, Plate 2008) is now the hot horse for the June 26 Plate off his facile win in the Plate Trial.
QUEEN’SPLATEKITTEN is cozy at Belmont under the watchful eye of TODD PLETCHER (Archers Bay, 1998).
So who are the main threats to this pair of stars as the Plate approaches?
Well, perhaps BOWMAN’S CAUSEWAY can step forward off his 2nd place finish in the Trial, but gosh, ‘Soul’ won wrapped up.
INGLORIOUS, the Oaks winner, is as steady as they come, may run well if she goes.
ELITE ALEX, he was a top American 3yo this spring but he has sputtered and we await an update today on his status.
OH CANADA, he’s still in the hunt for sure – and he will be fresh as a daisy for the Plate after being 3rd in the Marine to the Kitten.
There are other guys such as HEAD HONCHO (68 Beyer is his best), OKIYAMA (Not eligible, 67 Beyer) and STRIKE OIL, 3rd in the Trial.
What about the interesting SEAWATCH? He would be a starter for DONVER STABLES (Inglorious) should he go – he earned a smart 78 Beyer Figure in his season debut, a maiden win, after losing for $20K claiming last season.
So that’s the line-up it appears, a couple of big faves and then some upset possibilities.
The PLATE FESTIVITIES get underway on Monday June 20 with the BARBECUE where some horses will be paraded.
Don’t forget to find the QUEEN’SPLATE PREVIEW MAGAZINE – with contenders, features on trainers and a takeout feature from across Canada – tons more too!
Call up Horse-Canada today for a copy or head to the store!!!
BELMONT STAKES
SHACKLEFORD FIGHTS ON
Hey, he was 4th in the Derby, won the Preakness, should he win the Belmont, did we come that close to a Triple Crown hero?
BELMONT PAST PERFORMANCES! CLICK BELOW..
http://www.belmontstakes.com/UserFiles/file/Belmont_Stakes_2011_Preliminary_Contender_PPs2.pdf
BELMONT POSSIBILITIES
Horse Trainer Dosage Jockey
Animal Kingdom Graham Motion 1.67 John Velazquez
Awesome Patriot Bob Baffert 2.50 Rafael Bejarano
Brilliant Speed Tom Albertrani 1.72 Joel Rosario
Harlan’s Hello Doodnauth Shivmangal 4.00 Rajiv Maragh
Isn’t He Perfect Doodnauth Shivmanga 2.06 Rajiv Maragh
Master of Hounds Aiden O’Brien 1.07 Garrett Gomez
Monzon Ignacio Correas 3.40 Jose Lezcano
Mucho Macho Man Katherine Ritvo 2.43 Rajiv Maragh
Nehro Steve Asmussen 4.33 Corey Nakatani
Prime Cut Neil Howard 1.44 Edgar Prado
Ruler on Ice Kelly Breen 2.56 Jose Valdivia Jr.
Santiva Eddie Kenneally 1.67 Shaun Bridgmohan
Shackleford Dale Romans 3.62 Jesus Castanon
Stay Thirsty Todd Pletcher 2.25 Ramon Dominguez
Clear the track for the SHACK! Galloping yesterday at Belont
Vanessa Ng photo
CANADIAN-BRED EVERYDAY DAVE AT ROYAL ASCOT
WARD LINES UP ASCOT TEAM
SPORTING LIFE REPORT
Wesley Ward, the first American trainer to have winners at Royal Ascot, has a team of eight primed for the big
meeting next week.
The Keeneland-based handler is in confident mood as he bids to improve on his tally in 2009 when he sent out Strike
The Tiger to win the Windsor Castle Stakes and Jealous Again to land the Queen Mary. “We’re ready for battle,” he said.
Once again Ward is pinning his hopes on the juvenile prizes and has all six races for two-year-olds covered with a
squad of seven youngsters.
On the first day, he has Italo entered for the Coventry Stakes and both Holdin Bullets and recent Folkestone winner
Gentlemans Code in the Windsor Castle Stakes.
On Wednesday’s card, Ward has Gypsy Robin and Judy The Beauty in the Queen Mary Stakes while on Thursday he has
Everyday Dave in the Norfolk Stakes.
MORE FROM ASCOT
Brute’ Junior ready for Ascot freak show
By Sue Montgomery
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
A WEEK TODAY, fans will be waiting for a freak show. First up will be the explosive 2,000 Guineas winner Frankel, a horse who has attracted that particular f-word more than any other this season. And on the same bill is Junior, to whom that and other f-words have been
applied for some time.
Junior, despite his name, is no ephemeral young comet but a remarkable veteran of 31 races over five years. Next
week he will defend his title in the Ascot Stakes, a classy handicap run over the Gold Cup distance of two and a
half miles. And therein lies part of his claim to distinction, for the last time he appeared in public it was to
triumph at the Cheltenham Festival.
The eight-year-old’s bounding victory in the Kim Muir Chase made him only the eighth horse in a century to have
shown the class and versatility to score on both Flat racing and jump racing’s greatest stages, a list that includes
legends such as Brown Jack and Trelawney.
“That alone would make him a bit of a phenomenon,” said Tim Palin, manager of the Middleham Park Racing syndicate
whose colours the gelding carries, “but it’s more than that. We bought him at an auction sale, and when we first saw
him, that was it. He wasn’t just walking round, he was strutting round with attitude, this massive brute of a bright
chestnut.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/racing/brute-junior-ready-for-ascot-freak-show-2293892.html
