Today’s blog post title was deemed Word of the Year by Merriam Wedster – https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/word-of-the-year-2016
(Photo – champion CALGARY CAT was full of energy at Global Equine Training Centre on Tuesday as visitors for an open house said hello to the star horse owned by Stephen Chesney and Cory Hoffman)
CHRISTMAS MONEY! – If you can select the top 5 finishers in the last race at Woodbine Friday night –
TORONTO, December 21 – Christmas will come early for harness racing horseplayers on Friday evening at Woodbine Racetrack in the form of a mandatory payout on the Jackpot Hi-5.
The Jackpot Hi-5, which requires horseplayers to select the top-five finishers in order, has a carryover of $548,396.96 heading into Friday’s mandatory payout.
The current Jackpot Hi-5 carryover has been growing since early-October at Mohawk Racetrack.
Horseplayers will have to get creative with their Hi-5 tickets, as the Race Office has put together a field of 12 overnight pacers for the mandatory event.
The last mandatory payout offered on the WEG Standardbred Jackpot Hi-5 was on June 18, 2016 at Mohawk. On that evening, more than $1.2 million of new money was wagered into the Hi-5 pool, bringing the total pool to $1,694,983.
The $0.20 Jackpot Hi-5 payout on June 18 was $1,307.60.
Mandatory payouts on the WEG Standardbred Jackpot Hi-5 have generated total pools of more than $2 million on multiple occasions.
A mandatory payout on October 24, 2015 at Woodbine generated a total pool of more than $2.2 million, with $1.6 million of new money wagered into the Hi-5 that evening. The $0.20 payout was $12,746.60
On August 30, 2014 at Mohawk, the Jackpot Hi-5 total pool was $2.5 million, while a mandatory payout on May 17, 2014 at Woodbine had a total pool of $2 million.
A $2 million total pool is a strong possibility on Friday’s Jackpot Hi-5.
The Jackpot Hi-5 has a $0.20 minimum and a low takeout of 15 per cent.
The mandatory payout on the “Hi-5” is Race 12 on Friday’s card. Post time is 7:30 p.m.
CANADIAN-BRED CONQUEST ENFORCER GOES FOR GRADE 2 ON BOXING DAY
Conquest Enforcer (photo), recently purchased for $785,000 at Keeneland November from the Conquest Stables dispersal, is already a strong contender to a Sovereign award for Turf Male or Sprinter or 3-year-old as he has stakes wins in 2016 and 2 graded stakes placings from 5 races.
The son of Into Mischief is owned by Loooch Racing which owns the recent stakes winner War Story and has purchased horses from Canada before including Ria Antonia (Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies) and Come to Mischief.
Monday, Santa Anita Park, post time: 7:30 p.m. EST
MATHIS BROTHERS MILE S.-GII, $200,000, 3yo, 1mT
PP HORSE SIRE OWNER TRAINER JOCKEY WT
1 Mittersill (Ire) Acclamation (GB) Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners Gallagher Rosario 119
2 Blackjackcat Tale of the Cat Al & Sandee Kirkwood Glatt Smith 119
3 Moonlight Drive (Ity) Red Rocks (Ire) Bienstock or Winner or Williford Baffert Bejarano 119
4 Conquest Enforcer K Into Mischief Loooch Racing Stables, Inc., Imaginary Stables D’Amato Prat 121
5 Fabozzi K Sidney’s Candy Branch or Norman Stables, LLC Glatt Contreras 119
6 Isotherm K Lonhro (Aus) Matthew Schera Weaver Desormeaux 119
7 Path of David K Istan Alley, Thrash or Thrash, Et Al Mulhall Talamo 121
8 Frank Conversation Quality Road Reddam Racing, LLC O’Neill Gutierrez 124
9 Blackout (Fr) Dream Ahead River Card Stable, Barber or Casse Casse Leparoux 119
10 Defiantly K Exchange Rate Ruis Racing LLC Dollase Blanc 121
11 Tusk K Tapit Flaxman Holdings, Ltd. Motion Van Dyke 119
Breeders: 1-Windflower Overseas Holdings Inc, 2-Al Kirkwood & Saundra Kirkwood, 3-Centro Equino Arcadia Srl, 4-Tall Oaks Farm, 5-Budget Stable, 6-H.
Allen Poindexter, 7-Brereton C. Jones, 8-Marc Keller, 9-S.A.R.L. Haras Du Logis Saint Germain, 10-Gayla Rankin/GLR Ranch, 11-Flaxman Holdings Limited
WINNERS – EMINENT FORCE, owned by John Russell and trained by Mike DePaulo, won the last race at Gulfstream Park on Wednesday as the 5 to 2 favourite. The Ontario bred by War Front – Terrigal by Seattle Slew won the starter allowance at 1 1/16 miles on the firm turf in 1:44.36, edging Bingo Bango Bongo by 1 1/2 lengths under Luis Saez.
Bred by Hope Stock Farm and Karen and Mickey Taylor (of Seattle Slew fame) has won 8 of 25 races and $225,000.
In memory – NEVADA KID, a stakes winner of 10 races in 33 starts and over $361,000, fatally broke down at Mahoning Valley racecourse on Wednesday as the 2 to 5 favourite. The son of Silver Train, a 7-year-old, was seeking his 5th straight win in the $20,000 claiming dash.
