For Chris David Martyn
This is day number 17 with no rain: one more day and a record in Toronto is set.
There is no rain projected through the weekend so expect the WOODBINE TURF COURSE, at least the inside paths that have been protected in the last week to be firm, firm firm.
The MILE’S top players include BRIBON, expected to be the early favourite when odds are released tomorrow at the post position draw and VENTURA, the mare who was 2nd in the race last year.
It’s a WIN AND YOU’RE IN race for the Breeders’ Cup but BRIBON, FERNELEY and RAHY’S ATTORNEY are not Breeders’ Cup eligible.
Some notes follow each probable entrant.
WOODBINE MILE PROBABLE FIELD
Horse/Owner/Trainer/Jockey
Last 3 Beyer Figures
Bribon/Marc Keller/Robert Ribaudo/Alan Garcia
Last 3 Beyers 103, 108, 107
*GRADE 1 WINNER of the MET MILE this year, is a 1 mile ace – not as good on the grass it would but still a bear on any surface.
Owner MARC KELLAR also has top older turf marathon runner GRAND COUTORIER.
Daylight Express/Lord Michael Taylor/Robert Peirce/Anderson Ward
n/a – Barbados
*BARBADOS is represented again this year – this guy won the big race there in the spring, the GOLD CUP. A few years ago, BLAST OF STORM, who won three consecutive GOLD CUPS in Barbados, came to the Woodbine Mile and was, well, blasted.
Ferneley/Silver Springs Stud Farm/Ben Cecil/Rafael Bejarano
99,97, 89
*Raised in Ireland, he started concentrating on 1 milke races in North American in San Francisco in April, Has one huge Beyer Figure in a mix of high 90s.
Field Commission/Edward Seltzer & Dan Vella/Dan Vella/Julien Leparoux
99,99,97
*Ontario bred from Minshall Farms and he has travelled past 7 furlongs just once and he was 3rd. Was 2nd to Jungle Wave in the Play the King but distance is a concern.
Grand Adventure/Sam-Son Farm/Mark Frostad/Eurico Rosa da Silva
90,77,83
*One race this year (since October) and beat 5 rivaks in a turf sprint, Should be close to the place, on the pace, in huge test.
Ice Bear/Augustin Stable/Mac Benson/Chantal Sutherland
95,99,92
*Fourth beaten just over 3 lengths in this race last year off a 1 month layoff. He ran only on Sept. 11 and won on the Polytrack. He’s never won 2 races in succession.
Jungle Wave/Tucci Stables/Sid Attard/Todd Kabel
101,,99,103
*Claimed for $62,500 and a graded stakes winner now. Distance seems to be biggest hurdle and he may be right on the pace.
Rahy’s Attorney/Ellie Boje Farm, Read Peters, Jean & Jim
MacLellan/Slade Callaghan
89, 105,106
*Surprised when he won the race last year and it looked as if he may be unbeatable in 2009 until he threw the clunker on soft grass in the Sky Classic. Turns back to his best distance – he’s 4 for 6.
Sand Cove/Ralph Johnson/Roger Attfield/Richard Dos Ramos
99,76,97
*Top of the Ontario sired ranks and was racing on Sept. 7 when he galloped ina yearling sales stake. 2 for 3 on the grass but has never tried guys this tough.
Sterwins/Melnyk Racing Stables/Malcolm Pierce/Patrick Husbands
99, 97, 104
*Didn’t think he was running in this race as he went along this spring and summer but comes in fresh and in high-flying form.
Ventura/Juddmonte Farms/ Robert Frankel/Garrett Gomez
105,104,98
*She was 2nd in the race last year, went on to win at the Breeders’ Cup and has been beaten a head and a nose in 2 races this season since she won her January outing. Unraced since April but shows lots of works.
STERWINS – will he be the WISE-GUY pick in the Mile by handicappers?
Could be…
www.horse-races.net photo.
IAN BLACK, trainer of Rahy’s Attorney, is the subject of a cool feature in DAILY RACING FORM.
Dave Landry photo.
PROBABLE FIELD FOR THE NORTHERN DANCER (10)
Champs Elysees/Juddmonte Farms/Robert Frankel/Garrett Gomez
Cobotown Ron/Fieldstone Farms/Analisa Delmas/Tyler Pizarro
Just as Well/Jonathan Sheppard/Jonathan Sheppard/Julien Leparoux
Marchfield/Melnyk Racing Stables/Mark Casse/Patrick Husbands
Marlang/Gus Schickedanz/Debbie England/Richard Dos Ramos
Marsh Side/Robert Evans/Neil Drysdale/ Javier Castellano
Medjool/Equine Prep Management/Mark Casse/Corey Fraser
Musketier/Johanna Glen-Teven/Roger Attfield/Rafael Bejarano
Quijano/Andreas Jacobs/Peter Schiergen/Andrasch Starke
Solitaire/William Clifton Jr./James Bond/Chantal Sutherland
The best grass horse in North America may not be here (GIO PONTI, middle) but JUST AS WELL (far left) was a super 2nd to that one in the Arlington Million and is a big one for the Northern Dancer Stakes.
Vanessa Ng photo.
JUST AS WELL, FROM ARLINGTON MILLION NOTES:
His trainer Jonathan Sheppard said, “I was thrilled with the way our horse ran. I was concerned about the ground, you didn’t see too many horses closing earlier. I told E.T. to ignore Presious Passion. He was tracking (Gio Ponti) around the last turn but then Einstein weakened and dropped in front of him, which broke his stride slightly. I’m not saying he would have won, but he would have made it closer.” His jockey E.T. Baird added, “Today Jonathan wanted to keep him a little bit closer only because of the yielding turf and we didn’t think he’d be able to make up that much ground. Because we tried to keep him in the main flight of horses and it worked out pretty well. I thought I could catch the winner if he collapsed or gave in a little. My horse was hanging in there pretty strong. He wasn’t giving up.”
GUESS WHO’S BACK!!!??? – FRIDAY AT WOODBINE!
Vanessa Ng photo.
JAMBALAYA!
Grade 1 winning Ontario=-bred gelding JAMBALAYA, away 2 years with a litany of minor issues, has been entered in an allowance/optional claiming race – that has an added condition of non-winners since Sept. 2008 – Friday at Woodbine.
The Langfuhr fellow, winner of the Arlington Million in 2007 in his last race, races just 1 1/16 miles in his return.
Welcome back Jambalaya!
WOODBINE SCOREBOARD – TRAINERs
MARK CASSE has edged away from Sid Attard as he continues to pack a large contingent of runners every week.
Interestingly, the number of rides that Patrick Husbands gets for his main barn has dropped off as Corey Fraser seems to be riding close to the majority of the Casse runners now.
Mark E. Casse 260 44 44 34 $3,295,637
Sid C. Attard 178 39 24 23 $1,954,991
Steven M. Asmussen 165 34 27 24 $1,357,182
Robert P. Tiller 231 33 44 31 $1,618,600
Roger L. Attfield 118 32 18 12 $2,275,742
Reade Baker 202 31 30 32 $1,784,410
Malcolm Pierce 143 31 19 18 $2,406,708
Terry Jordan 67 30 9 11 $1,162,842
Nicholas Gonzalez 186 27 24 21 $1,407,706
Josie Carroll 123 26 18 22 $1,645,335
Scott H. Fairlie 194 25 27 34 $1,654,042
Brian A. Lynch 72 19 9 8 $922,913
Ian Black 139 17 23 16 $1,563,562
SCOREBOARD – WOODBINE JOCKEYS
PATRICK HUSBANDS is only a few winners away from career win number 2000..
Patrick Husbands 630 118 112 98 $7,092,146
Chantal Sutherland 615 88 90 90 $5,045,111
James McAleney 408 81 54 58 $4,081,465
Emile Ramsammy 520 77 63 58 $3,416,599
Eurico Rosa Da Silva 472 75 78 55 $5,086,558
Tyler Pizarro 480 69 71 62 $3,771,705
Emma-Jayne Wilson 584 64 86 78 $3,941,735
Todd Kabel 285 48 32 23 $2,431,517
Luis Contreras 223 44 36 30 $1,925,984
Justin Stein 433 40 49 38 $1,901,570
KEENELAND DAY 2
EUGENE MELNYK paid $250,000 for hip 321, a Bernardini filly out of Dance Swiftly, from the family of DANCE SMARTLY etc.
The Kentucky bred is a bay filly and half sister to 2 stakes winners.
FROM THE BLOOD-HORSE…
Keeneland Sale Continues Downward Spiral
By Deirdre B. Biles
Three seven-figure horses pumped up the excitement on the second day of the Keeneland September yearling sale in Lexington, but they didn’t provide a big enough financial boost to end the discouraging slump in the auction’s key business figures. At the end of the two select sessions that kick off the world’s biggest yearling sale, the gross was $58,756,000, down a whopping 48.2% from 2008. It was the smallest total since 1994, when 599 yearlings grossed $49,860,500.
And the other statistics for 2009’s select sessions, which were conducted Sept. 14 and 15, suffered similar fates.
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/52571/keeneland-sale-continues-downward-spiral
TOMORROW IN TRINIDAD/TOBAGO
$500,000 REPUBLIC BANK DERBY
Bruceontheloose in stall No 8 for Derby
TOP contender Bruceonthe-loose will start his Republic Bank Derby mission from stall No 8 on Arima Race Club Day 33 at Santa Rosa Park, Arima, Republic Day, Thursday.
This was the number preferred for the big-striding grey colt by trainer John O’Brien at the draw for starting positions at the Conference Room of the Republic Bank yesterday.
One of his main challengers for the $500,000 Derby, Sound Of Thunder, second to “Bolt” as Bruceontheloose is now called, was given the No 10 stall by champion trainer Glenn Mendez in the 2,000 metres event.
“Horse of the Year” Storm Street was handed the No 5 starting stall for the $100,000 Republic Bank Online Diamond Stakes.
And main rival Blackstone Street will come out racing from the No 7 slot for the 1350 metres race.
A bevy of “foreign” jockeys are expected to ride in the two races including Venezuelan Wilmer and Wesley “Callaloo” Henry both now based at Calder in the United States Santiago Gonzales who rode Pride ‘N’ Glory to victory in last year’s edition of the Derby, Chris Husbands, Javon Samuel and Kyle Carter from neighbouring Barbados .
READ MORE, SEE FIELDS:
http://www.newsday.co.tt/sport/0,107409.html
