TUESDAY’S NEWS – Wild racing at Woodbine, wild jockeys at Santa Anita and wild week coming up, get your picks in for the Fantasy Challenge, put on by Woodbine!

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They’re off at Woodbine – race 1 on Friday is sent on its way. Dave Landry photo

 

 

 

 

SUNDAY AT WOODBINE

You knew it was going to be a wild one on Easter Sunday when the first race, a dreadful maiden mares event for $10,000 claiming ended up with a 4 horse blanket finish. Exciting yes, but it was not pretty. Each of the riders involved in the finish was a bug rider with a lot of polishing to do and the start of the race saw at least a couple of them unable to get their horses out of the gate well or straight.

And the favourite,  A MOOSE IN LOVE, was a shocking 1 to 5 and was third. The winner, in the last jump was the 5yo maiden HUGGY ROCKS, a Rock and Roll homebred for Mervyn Kirby, who co-owns with A. Alber. Trainer Bill Tharrenos had this one very ready and congratulations to 10 pound bug CAROLINE DUQUET, who is back to ride this season after her first year in 2009.

A claim of foul was disallowed as Meetmeatthegas bar broke a few steps slowly while A Moos In Love bore out badly at the start and Huggy Rocks came in.

IN race 3, it’s not certain if the Dave Cotey team knew exactly what they had when starting RIDING THE RIVER for $16,000 claiming for his debut yesterday but the 3yp Kentucky bred won by a long margin in fast time over an admittedly suspect group. Still, the son of Wisemen’s Ferry – Glow Ruby Go by Rubiano was impressive as he sizzling 5 furlongs in 57 2/5, good for an 81 Beyer Figure.

Oh yes, and he cost just $3,500. His fourth dam is LADY DULCINIEA, dam of HEAVENLY CAUSE and JACQUES WHO.

If you thought race 1 was messy, race 4 was a nightmare for bettors if they had to watch their horses get steadied or checked.

GOLDEN TARIQUE was sending hard up the rail into the turn in the $16,000 maiden claiming race when he was suddenly steadied hard by 10-pound bug rider Brian Cheyne. The Touch Gold colt regrouped himself miraculously and charged inside but well off the rail to win a photo over ICEMAN JACK and leading rider from 2009 Patrick Husbands.

The SAM-SON FARMS team won a pair of races to end the weekend with the promsiing BATTLE AT SEA rallying from off the pace to win an allowance race in almost track record time – 56.56 – good for a 99 Beyer Figure.

This guy, a son of Smart Strike, seems to dislike dirt but likes grass and Polytrack. He was on the wrong lead all the way through the stretch but he has tons of potential.

Later, the Sam-Son first-time starter FIRST WUITH CLASS won a wild finish from far off the pace and became the first winner of the meeting for the new combo of Sam-Son and trainer Malcolm Pierce. The Gone West filly had the rail post, dropped well back but then mowed down the speed under Eurico Rosa Da Silva.

 

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 Apprentice Brian Cheyne won a race on Sunday. Norm Files photo

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, after three days…

Trainers

Steven M. Asmussen      10      4      1      1      $124,774

Mark E. Casse                9     2     3     1     $111,162

Sam Di Pasquale            3     2     1     0     $37,540

Ralph J. Biamonte          6     2     0     0     $54,195

Wesley A. Ward             3     1     2     0     $50,620

David Cotey                  4     1     1     2     $30,459

Gregory de Gannes        5     1     1     2     $26,515

Reade Baker                 5     1     1     1     $73,311

Michael J. Doyle            9     1     1     1     $51,129

Sid C. Attard                 8     1     1     1     $43,486

Josie Carroll                 3     1     1     0     $53,604

Robert P. Tiller             3     1     0     2     $47,455

Michael P. De Paulo     7     1     0     1     $44,907

Michael V. Pino           2     1     0     1     $42,090

Paul Attard                2     1     0     1     $40,168

Larry Rivelli              2     1     0     1     $21,864

Wray I. Lawrence      3     1     0     1     $19,268

Mark R. Frostad        1     1     0     0     $45,720

Malcolm Pierce         2     1     0     0     $42,258

Norm De Souza       1     1     0     0     $11,700

Jockeys

Eurico Rosa Da Silva      18      6      0      5      $226,664

Patrick Husbands           17     4     4     3     $238,004

Luis Contreras              10     4     1     1     $124,774

Omar Moreno               18     3     3     6     $95,055

Emile Ramsammy         21     3     3     3     $135,010

David Clark                   6     2     0     1     $28,185

Jesus Lopez Castanon     4     1     2     1     $48,124

Corey Fraser                 6     1     2     1     $44,422

Emma-Jayne Wilson     11     1     2     0     $79,704

Matt Moore                   4     1     2     0     $17,340

Caroline Duquet           5     1     1     0     $16,620

James McAleney          9     1     0     0     $49,917

Brian A. Cheyne          4     1     0     0     $14,210

SANTA ANITA DERBY/ WOOD MEMORIAL LAST WEEKEND…

BOB BAFFERT QUOTE AFTER SANTA ANITA DERBY:

“I’m not going to talk about that right now. I cannot believe he rode him that way. It’s ridiculous.”

Asked about the inquiry: “I didn’t really care. When I saw him on the rail, I said, ‘What is he doing?’ He must not have seen Jerry Bailey’s tape. We’re going to buy him some DVDs.”

JOE DRAPE’S THE RAIL COLUMN

Fight in jocks room, money troubles for owner side stories…

Weekend of Triumphs on Track Offset by Turmoil Off It

By JOE DRAPE

ARCADIA, Calif. — You have to love the color and pageantry of horse racing. Here in Southern California, a horse owned by the weight-loss queen Jenny Craig and tenderly named for her late husband ran off with the Santa Anita Derby on Saturday. Heartwarming? Heck, yes.

But the victory by Sidney’s Candy has been eclipsed by the postrace fisticuffs that erupted after the jockey Garrett Gomez got Lookin at Lucky, last year’s 2-year-old champion, stuck in traffic and had to sharply pull back. Gomez punched his rival jockey Victor Espinoza almost as soon as he dismounted near the winners’ circle, claiming Espinoza, who was aboard the ninth-place finisher Who’s Up, tried to run him into the rail in revenge for a rough riding incident earlier in the week.

Lookin at Lucky’s trainer, Bob Baffert, soon after roasted Gomez for giving the colt a “horrendous ride” that was responsible for the disappointing third-place finish as the odds-on favorite. Baffert also made it clear he was thinking of replacing Gomez on what he still believes is a top Kentucky Derby contender.

In New York, meanwhile, Eskendereya ran away with the Wood Memorial, giving the trainer Todd Pletcher his best hope to fill the biggest hole in his résumé — a Kentucky Derby win, something he has failed to achieve with 24 previous runners.

“And he wins from here to Egypt,” is how the race-caller Tom Durkin described Eskendereya’s 9 ¾-length victory at Aqueduct at the odds of 1-2.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/06/sports/06racing.html

 

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 ESKENDEREYA, an Egyptian dance, is brimming with power for the Kentucky Derby – 109 Beyer Figure says it all.

Vanessa Ng photo

 

 

 

 

EARNINGS LIST FOR DERBY HOPEFULS

1    Lookin At Lucky    Bob Baffert    $1,480,000

2    Noble’s Promise    Kenneth McPeek    $708,000

3    Rule    Todd Pletcher    $645,000

4    Sidney’s Candy    John Sadler    $630,000

5    Eskendereya    Todd Pletcher    $600,000

6    Mission Impazible    Todd Pletcher    $473,434

7    Ice Box    Nicholas Zito    $457,500

8    Endorsement    Shannon Ritter    $400,000

9    Conveyance    Bob Baffert    $386,000

10    American Lion    Eoin Harty    $378,000

11    Discreetly Mine    Todd Pletcher    $340,000

12    Dean’s Kitten    Michael Maker    $326,475

13    Awesome Act    Jeremy Noseda    $285,000

14    Dublin    D. Lukas    $273,208

15    Interactif    Todd Pletcher    $270,450

16    Homeboykris    Richard Dutrow, Jr.    $250,500

17    Jackson Bend    Nicholas Zito    $230,000

18    Backtalk    Thomas Amoss    $225,916

19    Aikenite    Todd Pletcher    $218,000

20    Make Music for Me    Alexis Barba    $215,000

21    Mendip    Saeed bin Suroor    $200,000

22    Radiohead (GB)    Richard Dutrow, Jr.    $196,332

23    Uh Oh Bango    R. Owens    $187,952

24    Odysseus    Thomas Albertrani    $180,000

25    Setsuko    Richard Mandella    $180,000

26    A Little Warm    Anthony Dutrow    $180,000

27    Super Saver    Todd Pletcher    $163,832

28    Pleasant Prince    Wesley Ward    $162,500

29    Tempted to Tapit    Steve Klesaris    $156,000

30    Caracortado    Michael Machowsky    $153,000

QUEEN’S PLATE FANTASY CHALLENGE

get your team in at Woodbine website..

Win cash and prizes by putting together the best team for the July 4 Queen’s Plate (www.queensplatefantasychallenge.com) and follow any Plate news here on Thoroughblog.

Plate fave HOLLINGER is at KEENELAND, hacing worked there a few days ago in good time over the all-weather surface. Below are his 4 preps this season:

04/02/2010       KEE       5F       1:01.40       All Weather Track       Fast       B        

03/25/2010      PAY      3F      :37.40      Dirt      Fast      B       

03/21/2010      PAY      3F      :39.00      Dirt      Fast      B       

03/15/2010      PAY      2F      :27.60      Dirt      Fast      B

From the Ian Black barn, D’sWANDO prepped:

D’s Wando    :48.40    H     6

Other Plate nominees to work include:

 f – Roan Inish    :51.80    B     14

IN THE WORKS

Some stars of local racing are buzzing around the track these days and how about the move on Monday by last year’s hot-horse SOUTHDALE? The dark bay Street Cry colt was everyone’s pick for the Queen’s Plate before he got injured. He’s back on track right now for owner Rod Ferguson and trainer Ian Black with this move:

Southdale    :46.60    B     1

On Sunday, stakes winner BENT ATTORNEY sizzled 4 furlongs in :45.80

 while co-champion 2yo filly BIOFUEL sped 5 furlongs in 59.00

On Sunday, champion FIELD COMMISSION also prepped: Field Commission    1:01.00    H     6

MORE DERBY STUFF…COMING UP SATURDAY, – THE BLUE GRASS STAKES

FROM KEENELAND..

ODYSSEUS ARRIVES, GETS FEEL

FOR KEENELAND SURFACE

 

Padua Stables’ Odysseus arrived Sunday afternoon at Keeneland from South Florida and wasted little time Monday morning getting acquainted with the Keeneland racing surface.

 

With assistant trainer Dan Blacker up, Odysseus went to the track around 7:30. He jogged a mile and then stood near the paddock runway for a few minutes taking in all the morning’s activities before a leisurely 1 ½-mile gallop.

 

Looking on was jockey Rajiv Maragh, who has been aboard Odysseus in all four of his starts that include victories in his past three starts. Odysseus is trained by Tom Albertrani, who is expected to arrive in Lexington on Wednesday.

 

Blacker has been with Odysseus since the son of Malibu Moon arrived in the barn last summer.

 

“I got on him the first day he arrived at Saratoga,” Blacker said. “He’s got a lot of class about him and a great feel. The owners are very high on him.”

 

Odysseus ran second in his first start last October at Aqueduct and then broke his maiden on January 14 at Gulfstream Park. He exploded onto the Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands (G1) trail with a 15-length victory in allowance company at Tampa Bay Downs on February 17 in his first start around two turns and followed that with a narrow victory in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) on March 13.

 

Odysseus has had two works since the Tampa Bay Derby victory, the final one coming last Wednesday when he turned in a five-furlong move in 1:01.40 at Palm Meadows. Blacker said Odysseus would have a paddock schooling session this week as he prepares for his racing debut on an all-weather surface.

 

“He trained and breezed on the all-weather last spring at the sale in Ocala,” Blacker said.

 

In other Toyota Blue Grass news, Donegal Racing’s Paddy O’Prado jogged two miles under Mary Doser at 6:30 on Monday morning. … Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s Pleasant Prince jogged a mile under Brian Pena at 9:45, a day after working five furlongs in :58.40. … Bred to Win Partners’ Codoy jogged twice around the Keeneland Training Track with exercise rider Mimi Davis aboard. … Ellen and Peter Johnson’s Make Music for Me had his final tuneup for Saturday’s race by working six furlongs in 1:13 on Sunday morning at Hollywood Park. The move was the best of eight at the distance. Make Music for Me, who ran fourth here last fall in the Dixiana Breeders’ Futurity (G1), is scheduled to arrive at Keeneland on Tuesday.

KEENELAND 2YO SALE

Earle Mack paid $100,000 for the only Ontario bred to sell at yesterday’s single day Keeneland April 2yo sale. The colt is from the first crop of TRavers Stakes winner FLOWER ALLEY and out of the Regal Classic mare Classical Romance, a stakes winner at Woodbine. The chestnut colt was selling just a couple of days after his April 2 birthday.

WINNER IN BRITAIN:

ACADEMY BLUES, a 5yo gelding by Fusaichi Pegasus--Lover’s Talk, by Vice Regent. won a 7 furlong turf handicap at Redcar on Monday. The gelding was bred in Ontario by Kinghaven Farms and is a half brother to  Love Grows (Steady Growth), MSW-Can, $165,454; Barley Talk (Charlie Barley), SW-Can, $207,292; Torrid Affair (Alydeed),

MSW & GSP-Can, $367,829; Wild Whiskey (Whiskey Wisdom), SW-Can, $297,073; and Lyrically (Thunder

Gulch), MSP-Can, $189,727.

notes from Thoroughbred Daily News

HEY, BIG FELLA IS NATIONAL FAVE

Saturday’s race still has 65 entrants

excerpt from:

http://www.bettingpro.com/category/Grand-National/Grand-National-2010–Big-Fella-Thanks-Grand-National-Favourit e-201004050089/

Big Fella Thanks remains the 7-1 favourite with Coral for Saturday’s John Smith’s Grand National, after there were no major surprises at the latest entry stage for the Aintree highlight.

Last year’s 100-1 winner Mon Mome is 10-1 for a repeat win, ahead of the well-backed Arbor Supreme at 12-1, while Whinstone Boy has been supported today and is 20-1 (from 25-1).

“As the most successful National jockey riding, the presence of Ruby Walsh in the saddle should ensure Big Fella Thanks starts favourite on Saturday, but after the 100-1 victory of Mon Mome twelve months ago, we’re expecting to see a spread of money for a host of runners, regardless of their odds,” Coral’s David Stevens told Bettingpro.

The Paul Nicholls-trained Nozic, the mount of last year’s winning jockey Liam Treadwell and owned by Coral, is 40-1 for the big race with the Barking-based firm.