Yvonne Schwabe of Persley Den Farms posted this picture of a set of horses training in the snow this week
***3 WEEKS and horsepeople will be making arrangements to ship in their horses to Woodbine for the 2017 racing season..it is expected that the backstretch will open on February 27 with training available March 1
KENTUCKY DERBY FAVOURITE RACES TODAY
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner and Champion 2-year-old colt of 2016 CLASSIC EMPIRE makes his 3-year-old debut today at Gulfstream Park.
Saturday, Gulfstream Park, post time: 5:35 p.m. EST
LAMBHOLM SOUTH HOLY BULL S.-GII, $350,000, 3yo, 1 1/16m
PP HORSE SIRE OWNER TRAINER JOCKEY ML
1 Gunnevera K Dialed In Peacock Racing Stables, LLC Sano Castellano 9-2
2 Perro Rojo K Birdstone Calumet Farm Zito Juarez 30-1
3 Classic Empire K Pioneerof the Nile John C. Oxley Casse Leparoux 3-5
4 Talk Logistics High Cotton Hardway Stables Plesa, Jr. Lopez 12-1
5 Irish War Cry Curlin Isabelle de Tomaso Motion Rosario 15-1
6 Fact Finding K The Factor Stonestreet Stables LLC, Mrs. John Magnier, Pletcher Velazquez 6-1 Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith
7 Shamsaan Bernardini Shadwell Stable McLaughlin Saez 20-1
8 Cavil Elusive Quality Godolphin Racing LLC McLaughlin Lezcano 15-1
9 Fire for Effect K Smart Strike West Point Thoroughbreds Romans Lanerie 20-1
In New York, the promising EL AREEB takes his next step to the Derby..
WITHERS S.-GIII, $250,000, 3yo, 1 1/16m
PP HORSE SIRE OWNER TRAINER JOCKEY ML
1 True Timber K Mineshaft Calumet Farm McLaughlin Carmouche 8-1
2 Apartfromthecrowd K Gio Ponti Klaravich Stables, Inc. & Lawrence, William H. Brown Ortiz, Jr. 5-1
3 Jaime’s Angel Mission Impazible Youngs Racing Stable Metivier Garcia 50-1
4 El Areeb K Exchange Rate M M G Stables, LLC Lynch McCarthy 6-5
5 Bonus Points Majestic Warrior Three Diamonds Farm Pletcher Franco 12-1
6 Fillet of Sole K Union Rags St Elias, Teresa Viola Racing Stables, Pletcher Maragh 10-1 Brooklyn Boys, MEB Stables
7 Always a Suspect K Exchange Rate Victory Racing Partners McLaughlin Gallardo 20-1
8 Small Bear K Macho Uno August Dawn Farm Sciacca Davis 30-1
9 Square Shooter K Trappe Shot Gold Square LLC Lerman Pennington 12-1
10 J Boys Echo K Mineshaft Albaugh Family Stable Romans Albarado 4-1
8-YEAR-OLD CAPTAIN GENIUS and GARY BOULANGER winners at Tampa
Horse had not raced in 2 years
Trainer Mark Casse was in south Florida today readying his Eclipse Award Champion 2-Year-Old Colt, Classic Empire, for Saturday’s Grade II Lambholm South Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
But that didn’t prevent Casse from enjoying a classy victory by his 8-year-old gelding Captain Genius in today’s sixth race at Tampa Bay Downs.
Ridden by Gary Boulanger, Captain Genius surged to the lead in the stretch and rolled to a 1 ¾-length victory from Epic Journey in the six-furlong, allowance/$32,000 optional claiming contest. The time was a snappy 1:10.32. Captain Genius, a Florida-bred owned by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer CEO Gary Barber, paid $9 to win.
Making the victory especially noteworthy is that it was the first race for Captain Genius since April 30, 2015, when Casse claimed the graded stakes-placed horse for $62,500 from a fourth-place effort at Churchill Downs. The victory was his 11th in 23 career starts and raised his earnings to $362,617.
“When we claimed him, we found he had a lot of issues and had been through a lot of ordeals,” said Casse, a 2016 Eclipse finalist for Outstanding Trainer. “He underwent surgery and a couple of vets told us he probably would never run again.”
Casse turned Captain Genius out at his Casse Training Center in Ocala, and by last fall – almost 20 months after his previous race – the trainer became cautiously optimistic he could return to the races. An intensive program of cold-water spa therapy and swimming got Captain Genius feeling like a racehorse again, and a series of strong workouts at the center led to today’s smashing return to competition.
“It’s special because we recently opened the training center, and he was kind of the guinea pig with the spa work and the swimming,” Casse said. “He became the farm favorite, and everyone there loves him dearly. Getting him to this point is so rewarding and we are all extremely proud of him.”
Casse said the only immediate plan for Captain Genius is to return to the training center and “spend a lot of time in the spa.”
About 27 minutes after the victory by Captain Genius, Casse and Barber won a race at Fair Grounds with their 4-year-old filly Sound Defence.
And at virtually the same time as that race, MGM executive Barber, also the co-founder of Spyglass Entertainment, won a race at Golden Gate Fields with 4-year-old filly Astra Star, trained by Steven Miyadi.
Casse’s horses will be in the spotlight throughout much of Saturday’s card at Gulfstream, which will be simulcast at Tampa Bay Downs.
In addition to the highly anticipated 3-year-old debut of Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Classic Empire in the Holy Bull, which is the 12th race on the card, Casse also has the favorite for the Grade II Forward Gal Stakes for 3-year-old fillies in Pretty City Dancer.
The conditioner’s other graded-stakes entrants at Gulfstream on Saturday include Summer Luck in the Forward Gal; Vanish in the Grade II Swale Stakes for 3-year-olds; and 3-year-old filly Tamit in the Grade III Sweetest Chant Stakes on the turf.
Casse hopes to bring his two-time Eclipse Award-winning Champion Turf Female, Tepin, to Tampa Bay Downs on Feb. 11 for a defense of last year’s victory in the Grade III, $150,000 Lambholm South Endeavour Stakes on the turf and could have a pair of starters for the Grade III, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes for 3-year-olds.
2017 Bred to Into Mischief.
WINNERS
EKATI SONNET, owned and trained by Steven Chircop, won a non-winners of 2 race at Penn National on Friday evening at 9 to 2. The son of Tale of Ekati – Dysonet, was in for $5,000 claiming.
The gelding was the 4th winner for CHircop in 2017, from 24, starters and his 70th career winner.
CANADIAN HORSE RACING HALL OF FAME
Nominations Close March 1, for Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame Class of 2017
The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame reminds the horse racing community the deadline to nominate horses or people for the Class of 2017 is less than four weeks away. Nominations of those who have made a significant contribution to Canadian horse racing, are being accepted for the following categories:
MALE HORSE: Stallions or geldings whose contribution to Canadian racing occurred in the past 20 years.
FEMALE HORSE: Fillies and mares whose contribution to Canadian racing occurred in the past 20 years.
VETERAN HORSE: Horses whose careers have been concluded for 20 years, but less than 50 years.
PERSON: Trainers, Drivers, Jockeys
BUILDERS: Includes, but not limited to Breeders, Owners, Officials, and others.
COMMUNICATORS: Includes, but not limited to Writers, Broadcasters, Photographers, Announcers, Bloggers.
VETERAN PERSON: Trainers, Drivers, Jockeys whose careers have been concluded for 20 years, but less than 50 years.
All nomination submissions to be made by completing the online form available on the CHRHF website at http://horseracinghalloffame.com/chrhf-2017-nomination-form/ A copy of the form may also be obtained by contacting [email protected]. Complete eligibility criteria may be found at: http://horseracinghalloffame.com/inductees/eligibility/
For further information, or to submit a completed nomination form, contact:
Standardbred Nominations:
Darryl Kaplan, Standardbred Nomination Chair,
Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
P: (905) 858-3060 ext. 241 F: (905) 858-3089
Thoroughbred Nominations:
Tom Cosgrove, Thoroughbred Nomination Chair,
Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
P: (416) 213-2113
Nominations forms may also be submitted to:
Linda Rainey, Managing Director
Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
P: (416) 417-9404
MARCH OCALA 2-YEAR-OLD IN TRAIN SALE CATALOGUE ONLINE
http://www.obssales.com/marpreview/2017/
Ontario breds in sale:
3 C Macho Uno Mahalo Ontario Halcyon Hammock Farm, Agent II 1
26 F Super Saver Miss Dixie Halo Ontario Best A Luck Farm LLC, Agent VIII 3
51 C Tale of the Cat My Sister Sandy Ontario Winners Circle Thoroughbreds LLC, Agent 4
55 C Maclean’s Music Mystic Silver Ontario Eddie Woods, Agent XXII 11
122 C Shanghai Bobby Reef Road Ontario Mayberry Farm, Agent I 2
157 F Curlin Santerra Ontario Niall Brennan Stables, Agent XVI 8
181 F Artie Schiller Shukriya Ontario Mayberry Farm, Agent VI 2
261 F Maclean’s Music Toula Ontario Wavertree Stables, Inc. (Ciaran Dunne), Agent 5
536 F Street Sense Flawless Diamond Ontario Eddie Woods, Agent XIV 11
576 s F Shanghai Bobby Hallnor Ontario Halcyon Hammock Farm, Agent III 1
577 s C Scat Daddy Hangingbyamoment Ontario James Layden, Agent 13
581 C Graeme Hall Happy Vale Ontario Best A Luck Farm LLC, Agent V 3
640 F Eskendereya Kinkora Ontario Best A Luck Farm LLC, Agent VII 3
677 C Orb Lynnette Ontario de Meric Sales, Agent XXXVI
CONSULTATION MEETINGS – LONG TERM FUNDING FIRST REPORT
http://ontarioracing.com/Transparency-Consultation/Preliminary-Long-Term-Funding-Report.aspx
