TODAY’S NEWS – WHO IS THE CANADIAN HORSE OF THE YEAR? SHOULD IT BE RAHY’S ATTORNEY? CHAMPS ELYSEES? MILWAUKEE APPEAL? Send in your comment!

AND HERE’S A PLUG FOR A NEW BOARDING STABLE!

Former jockey NICOLE UMIKER has stalls for layups and boarders at a very reasonable rate not far  from Woodbine racetrack. Call her if you are looking for stalls to rest your athletes! 416-889-5739

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Should MILWAUKEE APPEAL be HORSE OF THE YEAR!

Terence Dulay photo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MILWAUKEE APPEAL 4TH, RAHY 2ND

Top Canadians end year and awards still up in air

There was nothing wrong with the performances of top Canadian breds MILWAUKEE APPEAL AND RAHY’S ATTORNEY last weekend in events south of the border. They were good, solid runs, not flashy, but perhaps enough to allow voters for the year-end SOVEREIGN AWARDS a lot to think about (at least those of the litany of voters who take time to fill out their ballot completely).

Rahy’s Attorney ran a 95 Beyer Figure in a gritty 2nd place finish in the Grade 3 River Cities Handicap at Churchill Downs. Milwaukee Appeal was 4th in the Grade 1 Gazelle with an 89.

While CHAMPS ELYSEES is a Grade 1 winner in Canada, eligible for the award because he raced 4 times in Canada, many voters have been heard saying they are not wanting to vote for a horse with one win on the season – no matter how big the win.

But let’s look at the merits of the hard knocking Milwaukee Appeal and Rahy’s Attorney.

 

RAHY’S ATTORNEY won 3 stakes races this year – 2 Graded events (Nijinsky and King Eddy) plus the Bunty Lawless. He went into a bit of a funk in the fall but his River Cities run was super.

MILWAUKEE APPEAL has done a lot this year too – she won the WOODBINE OAKS and STAR SHOOT STAKES and was 2ND IN THE PRINCE OF WALES, 3RD IN THE QUEEN’S PLATE, 2nd in the GRADE 1 ALABAMA etc. etc.

Tough filly had a 99 Beyer Figure this too.

So who is it going to be – who SHOULD IT BE?

 

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DON ROSS’ RESENTLESS was one of 2 new stakes winners for the Gardiner Farms’ sire TRAJECTORY last weekend at Woodbine.

Her Ontario Lassie score was an 82 Beyer Figure.

Norm Files photo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 LAST WEDNESDAY NIGHT – SIR BARTON HONOURED!

It’s cool to look back on why stakes races have their names. Why for instance, is one of the last Ontario sired events of the season called the Sir Barton for the first American Triple Crown winner?

 

Well SIR BARTON ran in one of the most famous match races in history against the legendary MAN O’ WAR and that match was held at Windsor’s KENILWORTH PARK.

Man O’War won in case you don’t remember.

The Ontario sired event this evening is not too bad – last weekend Ontario sired 2yo stakes were dreadful (Joet’s Best won the Kingarvie with a 63 Beyer Figure).

DANCER’S BAJAN won this race last year but he has been in a slump in a start and stop season.

Trainer ROGER ATTFIELD, who has had another stellar year, has 2 in the race and many figure SAND COVE, that speedy grey, versatile guy, is going to be tough to beat.

There are 9 races tonight at Woodbine, 10 for the rest of the week until the final day (Sunday) when there could be as many as 13 events.

WOODBINE SCOREBOARD – TRAINERS

Mark E. Casse      435      71      65      64      $4,739,308

Sid C. Attard     278     53     38     38     $2,872,552

Roger L. Attfield     190     52     25     23     $3,612,931

Steven M. Asmussen     271     51     39     34     $1,896,704

Robert P. Tiller     328     45     54     53     $2,308,180

Reade Baker     301     44     40     43     $2,602,013

Terry Jordan     94     42     10     14     $1,666,776

Scott H. Fairlie     294     41     41     45     $2,244,305

Nicholas Gonzalez     273     41     37     33     $1,975,962

Malcolm Pierce     191     39     22     25     $3,030,525

Josie Carroll     186     30     32     38     $2,270,519

Brian A. Lynch     122     26     21     13     $1,492,062

Ian Black     221     25     38     27     $2,339,914

Daniel J. Vella     201     24     23     33     $1,761,617

Steve Attard     168     23     16     10     $1,031,627

Michael P. De Paulo     179     20     23     18     $1,193,231

Ralph J. Biamonte     133     20     13     11     $645,297

Paul Attard     108     20     11     11     $735,690

WOODBINE SCOREBOARD – JOCKEYS

Patrick Husbands      949      181      157      144      $10,557,837

Chantal Sutherland     943     133     122     140     $7,414,798

James McAleney     651     119     84     84     $6,191,810

Eurico Rosa Da Silva     675     118     105     80     $6,997,442

Emile Ramsammy     863     116     107     103     $5,360,149

Emma-Jayne Wilson     896     107     133     118     $5,882,844

Tyler Pizarro     623     90     94     81     $4,932,331

Justin Stein     685     67     75     59     $2,868,629

Luis Contreras     368     66     53     47     $2,765,356

Todd Kabel     405     59     41     40     $3,139,798

Corey Fraser     411     45     59     47     $2,394,932

Robert C. Landry     407     44     42     51     $2,797,502

Jono C. Jones     447     36     46     65     $2,947,925

Gerry Olguin     423     36     43     46     $2,105,297

Slade Callaghan     417     33     35     34     $1,952,087

Richard Anthony Dos Ramos     287     33     27     40     $1,963,943

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CANADIAN OWNERS JIM AND SUSAN HILL had one of the biggest wins of their years as owners when TIZAHIT (Tiznow) won the Grade 2 DEMOISELLE STAKES.

Vanessa Ng photo

 

 

 

 

 

 

ARRAVALE BOUGHT BACK

(FROM THOROUGHBRED DAILY NEWS)

Canadian Horse of the Year Arravale (Arch) was offered by Ballylinch Stud in foal to Pivotal (GB), but

was bought-in for 1.05-million gns by John McCormack. She went through the ring as lot 1532.

The six-year-old mare captured the GI E.P. Taylor S.

and GI Del Mar Oaks on the track for owner Bob Costigan. “You roll the dice and take your chance, and

the price came close, but it was not quite enough,” said McCormack. AShe=s a very good-looking young mare,

and Bob Costigan feels blue sky is in front of her. She has a special place in his heart, and he=s delighted to

still have her. I=m sure she=ll foal at Ballylinch and could easily stay over here, because she was a good mare on grass and could make a story for herself anywhere.”

 

IT’S THE SAME ALL OVER…

Warning signs remain in face of Churchill’s fall success

JENNIE REES sums up a lot of aspects of the recently completed CHURCHILL DOWNS meeting, commenting on the race office, the track announcer, trainers and all things racing in a good wrap up piece…good for Rees, some things just need to be said….

excerpt from Louisville Courier-Journal

By Jennie Rees • The Courier-Journal • November 30, 2009

Final thoughts on Churchill Downs’ fall meet:

There was a lot to like but also ongoing signs that Churchill Downs is not immune from the economic ravages

plaguing Ellis and Turfway parks.

The weather was spectacular. The racing on the top end was very good, climaxed by Friday’s $400,000 Clark

Handicap featuring one of the deepest fields you’ll see for older horses outside the Breeders’ Cup. The racing

office did yeoman’s work assembling strong fields in $100,000 stakes. Stakes-quality allowance races were

frequent.

As with tracks in New York and California, conditioned claiming races and cheap maidens have become a fact of life. At least those races had full fields, unlike in the spring…

read more here:

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20091130/COLUMNISTS03/911300382/1002/sports/Warning+signs+remain+in+face

+of+Churchill+s+fall+success

 

AND NEXT YEAR AT CHURCHILL…

BON JOVI, Kenny Chesney and Dave Matthews Band to play Churchill Downs summer music festival

By Gregory A. Hall • ghall@courier-journal.com • November 30, 2009

Churchill Downs Inc.’s first foray into the concert business as a promoter will be the three-day HullabaLOU

music festival announced Monday to take place at its Central Avenue track on July 23-25.

Organizers are hoping for crowds of 30,000 a day and an economic impact of $38 million for the region.

“Our goal with the HullabaLOU music festival would be to make this music festival — to the music festival

business — what the Kentucky Derby is to horse racing,” said Steve Sexton, president of Churchill Downs

Entertainment, the Louisville-based racing and gambling company’s entertainment subsidiary that was created

earlier this year.

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/200911301601/BUSINESS/911300336

RACHEL, ZENYATTA, VENTURA AND… VODKA!!

Fillies and mares rule racing in 2009

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Vodka the toast of Japan Cup      29 Nov 2009

photo from 2008 from Japan Racing Association

Vodka on Sunday finally lifted the Japan Cup in her third try as trainer Katsuhiko Sumii’s superstar won the

29th running of the 2,400-meter race at Tokyo Racecourse in a photo finish over Oken Bruce Lee.

In a new partnership with jockey Christophe Lemaire, the 5-year-old Vodka went off as the first choice in

another glamorous field of 18 for the Japan Racing Association’s international showpiece.

After two defeats this fall in the Mainichi Okan and the Tenno Sho (Autumn) under Yutaka Take, Vodka, by Tanino Gimlet out of Tanino Sister, bounced back to cut a winning time of 2 minutes, 22.4 seconds on firm going at her favorite track, the third fastest Japan Cup of all time.

Vodka and the Hiroyuki Uchida-ridden Oken Bruce Lee, last year’s Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger) champion,

appeared to crash the wire at the same time before the cameras ruled in favor of the mare – by all of two

centimeters, the length she won last year’s Tenno Sho (Autumn) by over Daiwa Scarlet.

The impressive 3-year-old filly Red Desire, this year’s winner of the Shuka Sho, took third a further length

and a half behind.

Two-time defending champion of the Breeders’ Cup Turf, Conduit, the third overall pick, was the highest

finisher at fourth among the five foreign horses. Just as Well came in seventh, Scintillo 11th, Interpatation

14th and Marsh Side 17th. Conduit, set to stand stud at the Big Red Farm in Hokkaido next year, had been

eligible for the Japan Autumn International bonus of 130 million yen but came up short in the final race of his

career.

It was the sixth top level victory at Fuchu for Vodka, who after the race was ruled out for the next month with

a nosebleed, meaning she will not run in the 2,500-meter Arima Kinen at Nakayama, the year’s grand finale. It could also mean that the Japan Cup was Vodka’s final race.

Lemaire, who had originally been scheduled to ride Shalanaya before the French filly pulled out, said he was

far from confident when he crossed the line.

http://www.thoroughbrednews.co.nz/international/Default.aspx?id=44038&page=1&keyword=

 

NEWS FROM THOROUGHBRED NIAGARA

Thoroughbred Niagara – Southern Ontario Thoroughbred Breeders We are busy adding new incentives for membership for 2010 which will include all aspects of Thoroughbred ownership, we would like to invite you to join our membership at a cost of $30, $50 business membership includes a banner ad on the website and a link to your website. This will include a Newsletter quarterly, an awards banquet, line class shows, performance awards in the following categories:

Hunter

Jumper

Dressage  

Eventing

Top “A” Track Earner

Top “B” Track Earner

Stallion

President’s Choice Award

To be eligible for these awards you must hold a valid membership to TBN paid by February 15, 2010. Hunter,

Jumper, Dressage, Eventing includes TB’s and ½ TB’s with proof of at least 1 parent being a TB. Keep track of

all monies earned, show placing including level of show. At the end of the season we will send out forms to all

members to be filled out and sent back with all pertinent information. All awards will be handed out at our new

Annual Awards Banquet. We are also introducing Thoroughbred Niagara News a newsletter which will be produced quarterly for the first year, please send in any information or classifieds that you would like to share with the Southern Ontario Thoroughbred people. Stallion owners we are including a Stallion section in our first

issue so please forward ads to editor@thoroughbredniagara.com as soon as possible including any discounts that you might like to forward to our membership. We would like to get our first issue out by  February if at all

possible. Check back often for information and news at our website www.thoroughbredniagara.com  Come and check us out on Facebook as well.

We hope that bringing more into our Association will appeal to a broader spectrum of Thoroughbred owners and enthusiasts. Please feel free to let us know if we can add anything else that might interest you. Help support other Thoroughbred owners and come out to our planned events. Check back often for information on plans for 2010.

Membership forms can be found on the website.