DAYLIGHT EXPRESS WON LAST YEAR’S SANDY LANE GOLD CUP – can he do it again on SATURDAY against top Canadian-bred STERWINS and Met Mile winner BRIBON?
DAVE LANDRY PHOTO
LIGHTS ON!
Chiefswood filly wins Sabin, 2nd big win for barn in ’10
It has been a super 2010 already for Robert and Mark Krembil’s CHIEFSWOOD STABLE (farms in Schomberg and Libretto, Ontario). It won a stake with LOMAKI at Tamoa Bay Downs last month and then AURORA LIGHTS streaked to a win Sunday at Gulfstream:
chart from Thoroughbred Daily News:
SABIN S.-GIII, $100,000, GPX, 2-27, 4yo/up, f/m, 1m,
1:37 3/5, ft.
1–AURORA LIGHTS, 121, f, 4, by Pulpit
1st Dam: Lady Lochinvar, by Lord At War (Arg)
2nd Dam: Lady Winborne, by Secretariat
3rd Dam: Priceless Gem, by Hail to Reason
($800,000 yrl ’07 KEESEP). O-Chiefswood Stable;
B-Mr & Mrs Larry D Williams (KY); T-Eric Coatrieux;
J-Cornelio H Velasquez; $60,000. Lifetime Record:
10-3-2-1, $272,576. *3/4 to Master Command (A.P.
Indy), MGSW, $1,137,188; full to X Star, GISP. Click
for the eNicks report and 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+.
2–Matchless Orinda, 117, m, 5, Sky Mesa–Perfectly
Stunning, by Silver Deputy. ($140,000 yrl ’06
KEESEP; $375,000 2yo >07 FTFFEB). O-Peachtree
Stable; B-D Oxley (KY); T-Ma Wolfson; $20,000.
3–Amazing, 118, m, 5, Greatness–Total Wonder, by
Awesome Again. ($145,000 2yo >07 OBSAPR).
O/B-Marilyn Fazio Seltzer (FL); T-Brian A Lynch; $10,000.
Margins: 2 3/4, NK, 1 3/4. Odds: 10.50, 1.30, 6.00.
In the summer at Woodbine, AURORA LIGHTS lost the Selene Stakes (she’s #3) to Deeveetee but then won that main event later.
Norm Files photo
Eric Coatrieux (trainer, Aurora Lights, 1st) – “I think she can run on dirt as well as the synthetic (Polytrack at Woodbine). She got caught down inside in her last race and had some trouble (3rd in Stage Door Betty Handicap at Calder). We’ll look at the one more race for her here (Rampart Stakes (G2) on Mar. 20) and then the two-turn race at Churchill during Derby week (La Troienne (G2) on Apr. 30). We’ll try to stay away from the two big girls for now (Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta).”
Cornelio Velasquez (jockey, Aurora Lights, 1st) – “I thought there was more speed in the race, but it went slow and there was no pace so I stayed right there as best I could. And she finished the last quarter very fast. I rode this filly last time (in the Stage Door Betty) and she was in trouble the first half of the race but
finished good, so I knew what I could expect from her today.”
Also on Saturday, Canadian-bred BICKERSONS could only manage 4th in the Grade II Davona Dale Stakes behind Amen Hallelujah.
Recaps of the day’s races are here from the Miami HERALD:
Clean victory in dirt debut
BY JIM FREER
Miami Herald Writer
Amen Hallelujah earned the glory in her debut on dirt tracks Saturday with a 6 1/4-length victory over Joanie’s Catch in Gulfstream Park’s $150,000 Davona Dale Stakes (Grade 2).
Amen Hallelujah, ridden by Julien Leparoux, won the one-mile dirt stakes for 3-year-old fillies in 1:37.16. The
track was rated fast for the race, run about 20 minutes after light rain began falling.
`Our goal now is the Kentucky Oaks,” said Michael Iavarone, the principal owner of Amen Hallelujah.
The 1 1/8-mile Grade 1 stakes will be at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., on April 30.
The Bonnie Miss Stakes (Grade 2) at Gulfstream on March 20 “could be a sensible spot” for a race in between, Iavarone said.
The Davona Dale was one of three Saturday stakes for fillies and mares.
Aurora Lights won the $100,000 Sabin Stakes (Grade 3) at one mile on dirt for 4-year-olds and up…
READ MORE:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/02/28/1504807/clean-victory-in-dirt-debut.html
STERWINS and invaders gallop in Barbados
from NATION NEWS...
Spotlight on overseas horses
by TYRONE EVELYN
WITH THE SANDY LANE BARBADOS GOLD CUP just five days away, interest in the region’s most celebrated horse race is mounting and this was in evidence once again at the Garrison Savannah yesterday.
It is true that the number of railbirds who went to the track to see the three overseas horses being put
through their paces was small when compared to the large numbers seen there on Saturday, but nevertheless many of those present were involved in animated discussions over the respective chances of the local horses
vis-a-vis the overseas invaders.
The Eugene Melnyk-owned Sterwins, a grey, was the first seen on the track, and he was being put through his
paces by the experienced training jockey Paul Jones.
http://www.nationnews.com/news/sports/LEAD-horses-exercising-copy-for-web
BRUCE LOSES IN TRINIDAD
Defeat finally for Bruceontheloose at Santa Rosa Park in Trinidad
ARIMA, Trinidad (CMC) —The four-year-old colt Cactus Armour (by Cactus Ridge) produced a riveting performance in the Arima Race Club (ARC) Cup on Saturday to snap Bruceontheloose’s sensational winning streak.
Ridden by champion jockey Ricky Jadoo, the US-bred Cactus Amour won the TT$150,000 (US$23,400) event by a length, handing the Jamaica-bred heavy 1-to-5 favourite Bruceontheloose his first defeat in seven starts at Santa Rosa Park.
CALDER 2YO SALE TOMORROW
Ontario- breds
50 f. Roman Ruler – Duet
142 f. Candy Ride – No Habra Ninguna
172 c. Grand Slam – Roman Romance
210 c. Northern Afleet – Swiss Courts Cheat
234 f. Tapit – Wild Lucky Black
LOCKED OUT!
shades of ’96 as Woodbine locks out employees
We remember it well – mutuel clerks locked out by Woodbine during the year the Breeders’ Cup was coming to town. The track almost lost the grand event that October but the result was the track saving a whole pile of
money with a roll-back in pay.
This past weekend, the track made a similar move as it locked out the hospitality folks at the track – a vote is
being held this morning(Monday) on a deal…
WOODBINE continues to hack and slash jobs and salaries as fast as it can to get set for the 2010 season – certainly a needed business practice in a tough economy but not a popular one.
EXCERPT – TORONTO STAR
Woodbine food service workers locked out
Track remains open
Raveena Aulakh Staff Reporter
Tony Bennett, 48, and some of the 329 Woodbine food service workers who were locked out on Saturday during contract negotiations. The track remains open for business.
Tony Bennett, 48, and some of the 329 Woodbine food service workers who were locked out on Saturday during contract negotiations. The track remains open for business.
Some of the lowest-paid workers at the Woodbine racetrack have been locked out and told to stay home after
contract negotiations suddenly broke down early Saturday.
“They made an offer at about 1:30 a.m. and said it was the final offer,” said Paul Clifford, president of Unite
Here Local 75, which represents 329 food service and hospitality workers at the racetrack. “We were told if we
don’t accept it right now, there’ll be a lockout at 6 a.m.”
The union wanted to take it to its members for a vote on Monday but Clifford says the company still went ahead with the lockout.
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/772740–woodbine-food-service-workers-locked-out
