With thoroughbred season at Woodbine still three months away I like to shift my attention to the Kentucky Derby trail in the winter. When putting together my "top 10 to watch" for the Kentucky Derby trail this year I came across an interesting piece of Canadiana; 5 of the top early KD contenders have Canadian bred sires as broodmare sires.
The Cash Call futurity at Hollywood was an exacta of Canadian broodmare sires with Liaison and Rousing Sermon running 1-2.
Liaison is a fast son of Indian Charlie for Bob Baffert. With Indian Charlie being the sire you have to wonder how well he is going to stretch out but luckily for him, Canadian bred, Belmont winner, Victory Gallop is his broodmare sire.
Rousing Sermon may have been best in the Cash Call as he had to go very very wide and still got up for second. Sired by a son of Pulpit he has distance breeding on top but if he needs any help stretching out he will get it from his broodmare sire, Canadian bred Awesome Again.
There have been three important stake races for 3 year olds this year: The Gulfstream Park Derby, the Sham Stakes and the Count Fleet Stakes. 2 of the 3 winners have Canadian bred broodmare sires.
Alpha may be Darley/Godolphin's best chance so far at winning a Kentucky Derby. He firmly stamped his spot on everyone's "to watch list" after winning the Count Fleet Stakes at Aqueduct with ease. Alpha's broodmare sire is the winner of the 1970 English triple crown, Canadian bred Nijinsky II.
Reveron upset the Gulfstream Park Derby over a personal favourite of the blog's Casual Trick. A son of Songandaprayer he will need help stretching out from his dam's side and here again we find one of the best stamina influences in NA right now; Canadian bred Awesome Again.
Of course, it would be foolish to compile any Kentucky Derby list without looking back at last years BC juvenille.
Dullahan could be the one other than Union Rags and Hansen who is the most sought after in KD fantasy pools. Well back early he makes a terrific late run to come from 13th and finish 4th. Dullahan is a half brother to 2009 winner Mine That Bird and both are out of a mare who was sired by Canadian bred Smart Strike.
Interestingly, none of the dam's are Canadian bred but none the less it could be a banner year for Canadian bred broodmare sires.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Is it possible Inglorious doesn't win the three year old filly championship?
When Inglorious exploded through a hole at the top of the stretch and ran away from the Queen's Plate field I immediately penciled her in as the three year old filly champion. How could you not? After all, winning the Queen's Plate has basically guaranteed you the three year old male title over the last few years; Big Red Mike, Eye of the Leopard and Not Bourbon went a combined 1 for 9 in the races after the Queen's Plate the year of their Plate wins. So, how could a filly win the Oaks and Plate and not win her championship divisional honours? Seemed impossible.
Further enhancing her case: Dancethruthedawn, Dance Smartly and La Lorgnette were the last three Oaks/Plate double winners and all three were Champion three year old filly. And it's not as if Inglorious only has the Oaks and Plate to rest her laurels on: She won the La Lorgnette Stakes, was 2nd in the G3 Rachel Alexandra Stakes, 3rd in the G3 Selene Stakes and 4th in the G2 Fair Ground Oaks. You could make the case that she's had a better year than Biofuel did last year; Biofuel is not only the reigning three year old filly champ but the defending horse of the year. As of this morning Inglorious is 19th in North America in money earned. In 21st, 22nd and 23rd: Regally Ready, Musical Romance and Caleb's Posse; all 3, Breeders Cup winners.
However, Inglorious has not won since the Plate and another Canadian bred, three year old filly has exploded onto the scene. Marketing Mix showed promise earlier in the year when second in the fury and third in the Oaks but since switching to turf she has really excelled, with three wins. Her wins in the Wonder Where, (third leg of the triple tiara) G3 Pucker Up at Arlington and G2 Miss Revere at Churchill are all great resume builders for championship honours. It is however, her second place finish in the G1 QEII at Keeneland that might be the difference when it comes time to vote. The QEII is one of the most prestigious races in North America and when Marketing Mix was second she finished ahead of every top American trained filly in the race. With two Graded wins to Inglorious' none and a 2nd in a Grade 1 race, Marketing Mix may have done enough to take the honours away from Inglorious.
Whatever way the vote goes, both fillies are deserved winners and exciting Canadian bred fillies to watch next year. Who's your pick?
Further enhancing her case: Dancethruthedawn, Dance Smartly and La Lorgnette were the last three Oaks/Plate double winners and all three were Champion three year old filly. And it's not as if Inglorious only has the Oaks and Plate to rest her laurels on: She won the La Lorgnette Stakes, was 2nd in the G3 Rachel Alexandra Stakes, 3rd in the G3 Selene Stakes and 4th in the G2 Fair Ground Oaks. You could make the case that she's had a better year than Biofuel did last year; Biofuel is not only the reigning three year old filly champ but the defending horse of the year. As of this morning Inglorious is 19th in North America in money earned. In 21st, 22nd and 23rd: Regally Ready, Musical Romance and Caleb's Posse; all 3, Breeders Cup winners.
However, Inglorious has not won since the Plate and another Canadian bred, three year old filly has exploded onto the scene. Marketing Mix showed promise earlier in the year when second in the fury and third in the Oaks but since switching to turf she has really excelled, with three wins. Her wins in the Wonder Where, (third leg of the triple tiara) G3 Pucker Up at Arlington and G2 Miss Revere at Churchill are all great resume builders for championship honours. It is however, her second place finish in the G1 QEII at Keeneland that might be the difference when it comes time to vote. The QEII is one of the most prestigious races in North America and when Marketing Mix was second she finished ahead of every top American trained filly in the race. With two Graded wins to Inglorious' none and a 2nd in a Grade 1 race, Marketing Mix may have done enough to take the honours away from Inglorious.
Whatever way the vote goes, both fillies are deserved winners and exciting Canadian bred fillies to watch next year. Who's your pick?
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Where does the time go? Woodbine's fall Graded races ='s BC success and Autumn Stakes at Woodbine on Saturday
I knew it had been a little while since I last posted anything on the blog but 4 and a 1/2 months...
After watching the Breeders Cup all weekend I feel renewed and ready to get back into the blogging game.
One thing I noticed while watching the BC was that horses that had their last race at Woodbine were faring extremely well.
Let's start with the Juvenille Fillies Turf where the winner Stephanie's Kitten was third in the Natalma earlier this fall and locally raced Hard Not To Like was fifth in both races.
Perfect Shirl parlayed her second place finish in the Grade 2 Canadian at Woodbine into a win in the Filly and Mare Turf. Big congrats to Roger Attfield for getting one for the home team!
Excaper almost scored another one for the home team finishing second in the Juvenille Turf for trainer Ian Black. He was 4th in the Grey Stakes and second in the Summer stakes at Woodbine in his two prior races.
Regally Ready was first in the Nearctic Stakes before being the only favourite to win on BC Saturday. He won the Turf Sprint for another trainer with strong Woodbine connections in Steve Asmussen.
Stately Victor has finished third twice at Woodbine this year and he outran his odds in the BC turf when finishing 5th as the 9th of 9 betting choices.
And then there was the mile... The Woodbine Mile received a ringing endorsement when Court Vision (7th in the Woodbine Mile) and Turallure (1st) finished 1, 2 in the BC Mile.
Pretty impressive! You'd have to imagine that a trend like that will get noticed and the fall racing at Woodbine, which is already incredible should continue to get stronger.
Autumn Stakes on Saturday
Entries
Great field!
City Wolf, a half brother to Ghostzapper, is doing his best impersonation of his older brother winning 4 in a row going into the Autumn. He is a very talented individual and when a mare with the produce record of Baby Zip produces a 4 in a row winner you have to begin to wonder just how high the limit is.
James Street has three wins at Woodbine this year including the Grade 3 Seagram Cup. He was also twice second in Grade 3 races this year.
Pender Harbour your 'no doubt about it' 3 year old Sovereign award winner has already defeated older horses at Woodbine in the Bunty Lawless Stakes. On Saturday he will go up against the best older horses at Woodbine in an attempt to capture a few votes for horse of the year.
Court of the Realm and Stunning Stag have both won Graded stake races at Woodbine this year.
Mobilizer, Artic Fern and Hotep were arguably the three favourites for the 2010 Queen's Plate about a week before the race and have come back to have good four year old years.
Woodbine continues to put out terrific fields in their Graded stakes races and from a betting perspective you should get a good price on whomever you like in the Autumn Stakes.
After watching the Breeders Cup all weekend I feel renewed and ready to get back into the blogging game.
One thing I noticed while watching the BC was that horses that had their last race at Woodbine were faring extremely well.
Let's start with the Juvenille Fillies Turf where the winner Stephanie's Kitten was third in the Natalma earlier this fall and locally raced Hard Not To Like was fifth in both races.
Perfect Shirl parlayed her second place finish in the Grade 2 Canadian at Woodbine into a win in the Filly and Mare Turf. Big congrats to Roger Attfield for getting one for the home team!
Excaper almost scored another one for the home team finishing second in the Juvenille Turf for trainer Ian Black. He was 4th in the Grey Stakes and second in the Summer stakes at Woodbine in his two prior races.
Regally Ready was first in the Nearctic Stakes before being the only favourite to win on BC Saturday. He won the Turf Sprint for another trainer with strong Woodbine connections in Steve Asmussen.
Stately Victor has finished third twice at Woodbine this year and he outran his odds in the BC turf when finishing 5th as the 9th of 9 betting choices.
And then there was the mile... The Woodbine Mile received a ringing endorsement when Court Vision (7th in the Woodbine Mile) and Turallure (1st) finished 1, 2 in the BC Mile.
Pretty impressive! You'd have to imagine that a trend like that will get noticed and the fall racing at Woodbine, which is already incredible should continue to get stronger.
Autumn Stakes on Saturday
Entries
Great field!
City Wolf, a half brother to Ghostzapper, is doing his best impersonation of his older brother winning 4 in a row going into the Autumn. He is a very talented individual and when a mare with the produce record of Baby Zip produces a 4 in a row winner you have to begin to wonder just how high the limit is.
James Street has three wins at Woodbine this year including the Grade 3 Seagram Cup. He was also twice second in Grade 3 races this year.
Pender Harbour your 'no doubt about it' 3 year old Sovereign award winner has already defeated older horses at Woodbine in the Bunty Lawless Stakes. On Saturday he will go up against the best older horses at Woodbine in an attempt to capture a few votes for horse of the year.
Court of the Realm and Stunning Stag have both won Graded stake races at Woodbine this year.
Mobilizer, Artic Fern and Hotep were arguably the three favourites for the 2010 Queen's Plate about a week before the race and have come back to have good four year old years.
Woodbine continues to put out terrific fields in their Graded stakes races and from a betting perspective you should get a good price on whomever you like in the Autumn Stakes.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Queens Plate Field and Post Positions
The draw for this years Queen's Plate has been completed and an interesting field of 17 is set to contest the 152nd gallop for the guinneas on Sunday.
The only confirmed front runner is Curgone who will have Go-Go Gomez aboard. He drew well for speed in the 2 hole and should face little conflicting speed in what should be a slow opening half mile.
Morning line favourite Check Your Soul opted for the 13 hole with positions 9 through 12 still available. Roger Attfield and Charles Fipke were in lucky 13 for Not Bourbon's win and look to be twice lucky from the same spot. As an unintended consequence of that move, the other favourite, Queen'splatekitten drew right alongside him in post 14. The cat and mouse game between jockeys Patrick Husbands and John Velazquez will be very interesting to watch as both horses appear to be able to be ridden in any portion of the race.
The filly Inglorious drew right in the middle with post 9. The middle is a very crowded area of middle of the pack runners and it could a little difficult for jockey Luis Contreras to find a comfortable position to travel in. The good news for her connections is that she, more than any other in the field has proven herself in congested areas before.
For me the most intriguing draw is Bowman's Causeway way out wide in post 16. he has shown adaptable racing styles in the past and it will be interesting to see just how far forward jockey Eurico Rosa Da Silva wants to be in the early stages of the race.
With the Plate just three days away it's time to start handicapping!
- Imhotep
- Curgone
- Oh Canada
- One Big Gator
- Pender Harbour
- Head Honcho
- Strike Oil
- Okiyama
- Inglorious
- Enduring Star
- Ojibway Signal
- Seawatch
- Check Your Soul
- Queens Plate Kitten
- Hippolytus
- Bowmans Causeway
- Maple Leaf Kitten
The only confirmed front runner is Curgone who will have Go-Go Gomez aboard. He drew well for speed in the 2 hole and should face little conflicting speed in what should be a slow opening half mile.
Morning line favourite Check Your Soul opted for the 13 hole with positions 9 through 12 still available. Roger Attfield and Charles Fipke were in lucky 13 for Not Bourbon's win and look to be twice lucky from the same spot. As an unintended consequence of that move, the other favourite, Queen'splatekitten drew right alongside him in post 14. The cat and mouse game between jockeys Patrick Husbands and John Velazquez will be very interesting to watch as both horses appear to be able to be ridden in any portion of the race.
The filly Inglorious drew right in the middle with post 9. The middle is a very crowded area of middle of the pack runners and it could a little difficult for jockey Luis Contreras to find a comfortable position to travel in. The good news for her connections is that she, more than any other in the field has proven herself in congested areas before.
For me the most intriguing draw is Bowman's Causeway way out wide in post 16. he has shown adaptable racing styles in the past and it will be interesting to see just how far forward jockey Eurico Rosa Da Silva wants to be in the early stages of the race.
With the Plate just three days away it's time to start handicapping!
Friday, June 17, 2011
A trip to the Farm
I recently had the opportunity to go visit with Tetherette - a winner of just a whisker shy of $300k and sister to two winners at Woodbine this year: Medabuck and Queen on Line - and her new foal. The foal is sired by 1996 Breeders Cup Classic winner Alphabet Soup. Below are a couple of photos I took while visiting them at the terrific Intrepid Racing facility in Newmarket.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
An Interesting Plate Shaping Up
When it comes to winning major stake races in Canada, the Plate included, there are no bigger Canadian stables than Melnyk Racing, Stronach Stables, Sam-Son Farms and Gustav Schickedanz. Between them they have won 14 of the last 16 Outstanding owner Sovereign awards, 7 of the last 14 Queen's Plates and Schickedanz owned Wando, the last triple crown winner.
Thus a year ago today it was no surprise when the early favourites for the 2010 Queen's Plate were Hotep (Sam-Son Farms), Mobilizer(Stronach Stables) and Artic Fern(Gustav Schickedanz). 2011 however has proved to be a trying year for the big stables and between the four of them they appear to have no starters or at best a couple of the longest shots in the race.
All is not lost however as there are four stars in the making who make this years Plate not only worth the price of admission but potentially the deepest Plate field since Woodbine installed the polytrack: Check Your Soul, Queensplatekitten, Bowmans Causeway and Inglorious.
Check Your Soul stumbled onto the scene at Gulfstream Park in Florida back in March; essentially galloping through his first start, in which he ultimately finished 8th. Since then he has been downright unbeatable: Winning at the prestigious spring Keeneland meet before picking up two of the Queen's Plate prep races in the Wando and Plate Trial Stakes. In the Plate Trial he won for fun and despite jockey Patrick Husbands not urging him at all he was well clear and won by more than three lengths. His breeding is all class and with Sadlers Wells being his grandsire and Unbridled his damsire the extra distance of the Plate should only help him.
Queensplatekitten announced himself as a potential Plate favourite in the last week of the 2010 Woodbine meet winning his maiden race with an eye-opening 'turn of foot' entering the stretch. He would then head down to the ultra-competitive Gulfstream Park meet and knock heads with some of the best American three year old turf racers. In an allowance race there he handily beat Moonshine Mullin who came back to capture the Victoria Park stakes last weekend at Woodbine. A start in the graded Palm Beach Stakes earned him a good runner-up effort losing to a loose on the lead Joes Blazing Aaron. In his first trip back to Woodbine he won the Marine Stakes easily again demonstrating a brilliant turn of foot entering the stretch. Like Check Your Soul his pedigree is loaded with stamina influences starting with his sire Kittens Joy (also from the Sadlers Wells line) and his damsire Wild Again winner of the inaugural Breeders Cup Classic.
Bowmans Causeway immediately moved to the top of many a Queen's Plate watch list when he won a maiden race at a mile and an eighth at Gulfstream Park. He subsequently ran a credible fourth in the Derby prep race, Fountain of Youth. Finishing fifth in that race... Preakness winner Shackleford. He was then an okay third in an allowance at Gulfstream where he was again against top competition in Dance City who would run fifth in the Preakness. After a non-run in the Florida Derby he re-emerged at Woodbine in the Plate Trial Stakes and looked the easy winner until Check Your Soul flew past him. Bowmans Causeway is sired by perennial top sire Giants Causeway and should have no trouble with the extra distance of the Plate.
Inglorious is not-confirmed as a starter in the Plate as of this writing but if she does run she arguably is the most proven of all those entered. Inglorious is a perfect 4 for 4 at Woodbine, all in stake races, including most recently a commanding performance in the Woodbine Oaks. It may however be her two losses that really demonstrate just how classy Inglorious is. Both came at Fair Grounds on traditional dirt, a surface that ultimately is not her best and doesn't allow her to fully utilize her most dangerous weapon; a beautiful turn of foot. In the Rachel Alexandra she was a game second finishing behind the multiple graded stake winner Kathmanblu. She then was fourth in the Fair Ground Oaks behind St Johns River who would come out of that race to run second in the Kentucky Oaks. A case could be made that Inglorious is the front runner for horse of the year at this early stage of 2011 and a good result in the Plate would only further strengthen her case.
In the past 17 years only Wando has won the Queen's Plate and gone on to win the Sovereign award for horse of the year in Canada. Check Your Soul, Queensplatekitten, Bowmans Causeway and Inglorious all have made strong progress towards earning a Sovereign award for horse of the year but first one of them has to win the Queens Plate.
Thus a year ago today it was no surprise when the early favourites for the 2010 Queen's Plate were Hotep (Sam-Son Farms), Mobilizer(Stronach Stables) and Artic Fern(Gustav Schickedanz). 2011 however has proved to be a trying year for the big stables and between the four of them they appear to have no starters or at best a couple of the longest shots in the race.
All is not lost however as there are four stars in the making who make this years Plate not only worth the price of admission but potentially the deepest Plate field since Woodbine installed the polytrack: Check Your Soul, Queensplatekitten, Bowmans Causeway and Inglorious.
Check Your Soul stumbled onto the scene at Gulfstream Park in Florida back in March; essentially galloping through his first start, in which he ultimately finished 8th. Since then he has been downright unbeatable: Winning at the prestigious spring Keeneland meet before picking up two of the Queen's Plate prep races in the Wando and Plate Trial Stakes. In the Plate Trial he won for fun and despite jockey Patrick Husbands not urging him at all he was well clear and won by more than three lengths. His breeding is all class and with Sadlers Wells being his grandsire and Unbridled his damsire the extra distance of the Plate should only help him.
Queensplatekitten announced himself as a potential Plate favourite in the last week of the 2010 Woodbine meet winning his maiden race with an eye-opening 'turn of foot' entering the stretch. He would then head down to the ultra-competitive Gulfstream Park meet and knock heads with some of the best American three year old turf racers. In an allowance race there he handily beat Moonshine Mullin who came back to capture the Victoria Park stakes last weekend at Woodbine. A start in the graded Palm Beach Stakes earned him a good runner-up effort losing to a loose on the lead Joes Blazing Aaron. In his first trip back to Woodbine he won the Marine Stakes easily again demonstrating a brilliant turn of foot entering the stretch. Like Check Your Soul his pedigree is loaded with stamina influences starting with his sire Kittens Joy (also from the Sadlers Wells line) and his damsire Wild Again winner of the inaugural Breeders Cup Classic.
Bowmans Causeway immediately moved to the top of many a Queen's Plate watch list when he won a maiden race at a mile and an eighth at Gulfstream Park. He subsequently ran a credible fourth in the Derby prep race, Fountain of Youth. Finishing fifth in that race... Preakness winner Shackleford. He was then an okay third in an allowance at Gulfstream where he was again against top competition in Dance City who would run fifth in the Preakness. After a non-run in the Florida Derby he re-emerged at Woodbine in the Plate Trial Stakes and looked the easy winner until Check Your Soul flew past him. Bowmans Causeway is sired by perennial top sire Giants Causeway and should have no trouble with the extra distance of the Plate.
Inglorious is not-confirmed as a starter in the Plate as of this writing but if she does run she arguably is the most proven of all those entered. Inglorious is a perfect 4 for 4 at Woodbine, all in stake races, including most recently a commanding performance in the Woodbine Oaks. It may however be her two losses that really demonstrate just how classy Inglorious is. Both came at Fair Grounds on traditional dirt, a surface that ultimately is not her best and doesn't allow her to fully utilize her most dangerous weapon; a beautiful turn of foot. In the Rachel Alexandra she was a game second finishing behind the multiple graded stake winner Kathmanblu. She then was fourth in the Fair Ground Oaks behind St Johns River who would come out of that race to run second in the Kentucky Oaks. A case could be made that Inglorious is the front runner for horse of the year at this early stage of 2011 and a good result in the Plate would only further strengthen her case.
In the past 17 years only Wando has won the Queen's Plate and gone on to win the Sovereign award for horse of the year in Canada. Check Your Soul, Queensplatekitten, Bowmans Causeway and Inglorious all have made strong progress towards earning a Sovereign award for horse of the year but first one of them has to win the Queens Plate.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Preakness Selections + Congrats to Emma Jayne Wilson + Quick Woodbine Selections
If you don't watch the Dan Illman and Mike Beer stake race previews you are missing out. These guys do a great job of breaking down the weekends stake races and are very entertaining. I'm also a regular reader of Dan's blog and will occasionally take a shot at his HandiGambling competition. Here is what I think of the Preakness today and how I will be playing it:
I'm going back to the well one more time as I really like Mucho Macho Man for the win today. He is getting better every race and is due to have a breakthrough performance. I think his grinding running style is actually better suited for the Belmont (and I think distance will help not hurt) but if Animal Kingdom bounces at all and Dialed In encounters any traffic trouble I think Mucho Macho Man is your winner. The others I will be using are:
Dance City - I like him the most of the pacesetters as I'm thinking Shackleford could be due a regression and Flashpoint is a horse I consider a sprinter.
Sway Away - I expect him to be sitting farther back than in the Arkansas Derby and coming with one late run. The jockey switch is a plus and he has shown talent before.
Mr. Commons - A really talented horse with lots of potential upside but is probably going to be better on turf in the long run. I'm a big fan of Artie Schiller as a sire and El Prado as a sire of sires.
Dialed In - He could very easily win this but Pimlico has a short stretch and I could see someone getting the jump on him and pulling away before he shakes clear of traffic.
Animal Kingdom - I think he will win but I'm not betting him as there is no value in it and there is always the possibility he bounces off that terrific race in the Derby.
My play: $20 WPS Mucho Macho Man, $2 trifecta 9 / 6,8,10,11,14 / 6,8,10,11,14
Emma Jayne Wilson
The inaugural female jockey challenge was run as part of yesterdays Black Eyed Susan day at Pimlico and Canadian jockey Emma Jayne Wilson came away with the victory! Emma Jayne Wilson has been riding really well this year, picking up a couple wins at Gulfstream over the winter and almost 20 already in the opening weeks of the Woodbine meet.
Bloodhorse article
Quick Woodbine Selections
Three consecutive, terrific days of racing at Woodbine, get underway at 1:00 this afternoon. The weekend is highlighted by todays Marine Stakes.
Some quick selections for today:
Race 3: Kardashian is your best chance of the day. In his maiden race he was going against Painted Woman who was making her second start and was an obvious selection hereself. I expect Kardashian to parlay her experience into a win. 3 / 1 / 8
Race 6: Moment of Majesty was really coming into her own last year and if she has returned from her lengthy layoff (since last years Queens Plate) as good as she was last year she is better than this field. Full Moon Party is the best of the speed and has a nice winter foundation to draw on. 4 / 5 / 8
Race 9: I already talked about this race a little earlier in the race but since then I've gone and looked at Queen'splatekittens pedigree in more depth and I'm now even more confident he will be your Queen's Plate favourite on June 26th. He gets a nice infusion of class on the mare side from Lake Champlain and his broodmare sires Wild Again and Chief's Crown were extremely talented racehorses who have produced Canadian champions as sires (Wilderness Song and Chief Bearhart respectively). 3 / 4 / 1
I'm going back to the well one more time as I really like Mucho Macho Man for the win today. He is getting better every race and is due to have a breakthrough performance. I think his grinding running style is actually better suited for the Belmont (and I think distance will help not hurt) but if Animal Kingdom bounces at all and Dialed In encounters any traffic trouble I think Mucho Macho Man is your winner. The others I will be using are:
Dance City - I like him the most of the pacesetters as I'm thinking Shackleford could be due a regression and Flashpoint is a horse I consider a sprinter.
Sway Away - I expect him to be sitting farther back than in the Arkansas Derby and coming with one late run. The jockey switch is a plus and he has shown talent before.
Mr. Commons - A really talented horse with lots of potential upside but is probably going to be better on turf in the long run. I'm a big fan of Artie Schiller as a sire and El Prado as a sire of sires.
Dialed In - He could very easily win this but Pimlico has a short stretch and I could see someone getting the jump on him and pulling away before he shakes clear of traffic.
Animal Kingdom - I think he will win but I'm not betting him as there is no value in it and there is always the possibility he bounces off that terrific race in the Derby.
My play: $20 WPS Mucho Macho Man, $2 trifecta 9 / 6,8,10,11,14 / 6,8,10,11,14
Emma Jayne Wilson
The inaugural female jockey challenge was run as part of yesterdays Black Eyed Susan day at Pimlico and Canadian jockey Emma Jayne Wilson came away with the victory! Emma Jayne Wilson has been riding really well this year, picking up a couple wins at Gulfstream over the winter and almost 20 already in the opening weeks of the Woodbine meet.
Bloodhorse article
Quick Woodbine Selections
Three consecutive, terrific days of racing at Woodbine, get underway at 1:00 this afternoon. The weekend is highlighted by todays Marine Stakes.
Some quick selections for today:
Race 3: Kardashian is your best chance of the day. In his maiden race he was going against Painted Woman who was making her second start and was an obvious selection hereself. I expect Kardashian to parlay her experience into a win. 3 / 1 / 8
Race 6: Moment of Majesty was really coming into her own last year and if she has returned from her lengthy layoff (since last years Queens Plate) as good as she was last year she is better than this field. Full Moon Party is the best of the speed and has a nice winter foundation to draw on. 4 / 5 / 8
Race 9: I already talked about this race a little earlier in the race but since then I've gone and looked at Queen'splatekittens pedigree in more depth and I'm now even more confident he will be your Queen's Plate favourite on June 26th. He gets a nice infusion of class on the mare side from Lake Champlain and his broodmare sires Wild Again and Chief's Crown were extremely talented racehorses who have produced Canadian champions as sires (Wilderness Song and Chief Bearhart respectively). 3 / 4 / 1
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Marine Stakes features a possible Queen's Plate favourite in Queensplatekitten
The first two turn open stake race for three year olds, the Marine Stakes drew a field of six for Saturday.
Headlining the entries is the Todd Pletcher trained Queensplatekitten who was second in the Grade 3 Plam Beach Stakes at Gulfstream this year. I currently have him ranked second behind only the super-impressive Bear's Chill in the Power Rankings.
Oh Canada, who was recently third in the Queenston Stakes makes his third start off the layoff and stretches out in the Marine; both popular angles amongst the gambling public.
Bow Bell Reef an Ontario sired maiden racing for trainer Desmond Maynard rounds out the Queen's Plate eligibles entered.
Both QPK and Oh Canada could be major players on June 26th so be sure to keep a close eye on how they fare on Saturday. There is very little in the way of pace in this race with the Attfield trained Cafe Elektric being the probable pacesetter only due to post position and a lack of any other pacesetter. In a race with as little pace as this one I look to see who has displayed the best turn of foot. It seems very likely that all entered will be bunched with lots of lung capacity left entering the stretch and the first to get the jump should be able to hold on. For me that is QPK who demonstrated a remarkable turn of foot on Woodbine's polytrack in a race last December. The Chad Brown trainee Walkers Landing also fits the bill and with two wins in a row has momentum on his side. Cafe Elektric is the product of terrific European breeding, being sired by Pivotal and out of a $300,000 King's Best broodmare. I'll take those three on top with Oh Canada edging the Greg de Gannes trained Silverleo for fourth.
Entries
Selections: Queensplatekitten / Walkers Landing / Cafe Elektric
Headlining the entries is the Todd Pletcher trained Queensplatekitten who was second in the Grade 3 Plam Beach Stakes at Gulfstream this year. I currently have him ranked second behind only the super-impressive Bear's Chill in the Power Rankings.
Oh Canada, who was recently third in the Queenston Stakes makes his third start off the layoff and stretches out in the Marine; both popular angles amongst the gambling public.
Bow Bell Reef an Ontario sired maiden racing for trainer Desmond Maynard rounds out the Queen's Plate eligibles entered.
Both QPK and Oh Canada could be major players on June 26th so be sure to keep a close eye on how they fare on Saturday. There is very little in the way of pace in this race with the Attfield trained Cafe Elektric being the probable pacesetter only due to post position and a lack of any other pacesetter. In a race with as little pace as this one I look to see who has displayed the best turn of foot. It seems very likely that all entered will be bunched with lots of lung capacity left entering the stretch and the first to get the jump should be able to hold on. For me that is QPK who demonstrated a remarkable turn of foot on Woodbine's polytrack in a race last December. The Chad Brown trainee Walkers Landing also fits the bill and with two wins in a row has momentum on his side. Cafe Elektric is the product of terrific European breeding, being sired by Pivotal and out of a $300,000 King's Best broodmare. I'll take those three on top with Oh Canada edging the Greg de Gannes trained Silverleo for fourth.
Entries
Selections: Queensplatekitten / Walkers Landing / Cafe Elektric
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
3 Queens Plate Fantasy Challenge Eligibles in the Entries for Friday
Friday kicks off the second day of racing in the Marine Session of the Queens Plate Fantasy Challenge. There are 3 eligibles entered in the lists:
Race 5 is an allowance race for three year olds and up at six furlongs. Pender Harbour listed at 10-1 in the Queen's Plate future pools makes his first start of the year here. I'm not 100% sold he is completely keyed up for this race as his light work schedule leads me to believe Mike De Paulo may be using the race as a tightener. Then again does he really need to be fully ready to go to beat this field?
Race 7 is a N1X allowance for three year olds. Ice Danger, the Murray Stroud / Sam Di Pasquale runner makes his seasonal debut here. It is a tough spot to come back in as he faces a number of promising runners who already have a race under their belts this meet. Included amongst those are Magoo and Eddington Limit who both have wins this meet. I like Ice Danger the most of the three mentioned here but I'm still not using him execting a better than 3rd finish.
Race 9 is an Ontario sired maiden race for three year olds and up at six furlongs. Molinaro FT Sassy is a QPFC eligible. These Ontario Sired races are often wide open affairs, particularly when the 3 year olds are getting mixed in with the 4 and 5 year olds. I wouldn't say I recommend Molinaro FT Sassy but you can be forgiven for selecting him in this stage as anyone who races is better than speculating on who may race.
Good Luck!
Race 5 is an allowance race for three year olds and up at six furlongs. Pender Harbour listed at 10-1 in the Queen's Plate future pools makes his first start of the year here. I'm not 100% sold he is completely keyed up for this race as his light work schedule leads me to believe Mike De Paulo may be using the race as a tightener. Then again does he really need to be fully ready to go to beat this field?
Race 7 is a N1X allowance for three year olds. Ice Danger, the Murray Stroud / Sam Di Pasquale runner makes his seasonal debut here. It is a tough spot to come back in as he faces a number of promising runners who already have a race under their belts this meet. Included amongst those are Magoo and Eddington Limit who both have wins this meet. I like Ice Danger the most of the three mentioned here but I'm still not using him execting a better than 3rd finish.
Race 9 is an Ontario sired maiden race for three year olds and up at six furlongs. Molinaro FT Sassy is a QPFC eligible. These Ontario Sired races are often wide open affairs, particularly when the 3 year olds are getting mixed in with the 4 and 5 year olds. I wouldn't say I recommend Molinaro FT Sassy but you can be forgiven for selecting him in this stage as anyone who races is better than speculating on who may race.
Good Luck!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Queens Plate Fantasy Challenge Round 2
The newest version of the QPFC seems to be generating interest from many parties not associated with horse racing every day. Which, I would imagine, is what it was designed to do, so congrats to the brain trust behind this years re-vamping.
The deadline for changing your round 2 stable is Wednesday evening. When considering who to pick in this round you may want to start by seeing who is still nominated after the sustaining round of nomination payments:
First round nominations
Second round nominations
Quite a few new faces on this list, some who I would love to see incorporated into the final round of the QPFC: Bear's Chill and Elite Alex to name the two most prominent. There are by my count 47 entrants who did not pay the sustaining fee and are now off the Queen's Plate trail.
As far as the Marine Stakes goes. Last year, Hotep was the only Queen's Plate nominated horse who took part, finishing second to the Pletcher trainee Exhi. This year it looks like there may be a couple of Queen's Plate nominees racing if Roger Attfield wheels Check Your Soul back in two weeks for the second straight time, who should be joined by at least one of, if not both Sensational Slam and Queensplatekitten. Both of whom are trained by last years winning trainer Todd Pletcher.
Good luck to everyone making their Round 2 selections and be sure to check back for the updated power rankings later tonight.
The deadline for changing your round 2 stable is Wednesday evening. When considering who to pick in this round you may want to start by seeing who is still nominated after the sustaining round of nomination payments:
First round nominations
Second round nominations
Quite a few new faces on this list, some who I would love to see incorporated into the final round of the QPFC: Bear's Chill and Elite Alex to name the two most prominent. There are by my count 47 entrants who did not pay the sustaining fee and are now off the Queen's Plate trail.
As far as the Marine Stakes goes. Last year, Hotep was the only Queen's Plate nominated horse who took part, finishing second to the Pletcher trainee Exhi. This year it looks like there may be a couple of Queen's Plate nominees racing if Roger Attfield wheels Check Your Soul back in two weeks for the second straight time, who should be joined by at least one of, if not both Sensational Slam and Queensplatekitten. Both of whom are trained by last years winning trainer Todd Pletcher.
Good luck to everyone making their Round 2 selections and be sure to check back for the updated power rankings later tonight.
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