too hot to write too much…sweatin at the desk here….

Hope you are inside with air conditioning, or that you stay cool with water and a breeze while looking after our cherished horses.

1 – Tough to imagine our horses in stalls today, with the temp going up to 49Celcius with the humidity, but at least no one has to race today, WOODBINE HAS CANCELLED its Thursday card and that is the right move. Don’t think it’s happened ever before, cancelling because of heat!

2 – TOUGH NEWS about POOL PLAY, the Canadian bred star who won the Stephen Foster at Churchill and was our big hope for the Breeders’ Cup Classic – he tore a tendon and is likely done racing. The son of Silver Deputy is one of the last stakes winners bred by the famed WINDFIELDS FARM.

3 – HOLLYWOOD HIT was stunning in the BOLD VENTURE STAKES last nigth at Woodbine – 1:14.78 for 6 1/2 furlongs, just off the track record by a tick. He’s back that fleet fellow, the Beyer Figure should be huge, and nice to see Jim McAleney on these Terry Jordan runners still, well at least this guy.

SIGNATURE RED ran huge, he did not give up to be 2nd and RIDING THE RIVER is on a major roll, he was 3rd for Dave Cotey. FATAL BULLET, the Horse of the Year and champion sprinter from a few years back, had a Monty Roberts-type blanket put on him behind the gate, broke sluggishly, trailed and rallied only mildly.

4 – THOROUGHBRED folks are getting annoyed at the talk that the breed is to blame for horse deaths at the Calgary Stampede…

5- thanks to a reader who told other readers that indeed, MICHAEL MAGEE has passed away. I watched Michael on CBC Sports with ERNIE AFAGANIS when tons of weekend stakes races were on the tube. one of the first ones I watched (and still have the tape of, is FLASHING EAGLE’S win in the MARINE STAKES!!!