Monday, August 30 2010
Cavalaris name back in the Woodbine winner’s circle
TORONTO, August 29 - Toronto resident Michael Cavalaris captured the $19,575 first prize in the 2010 Woodbine Thoroughbred Handicapping Challenge, held at Woodbine Saturday through Sunday.
"It feels fabulous," said Cavalaris. "You sort of dream about this kind of thing happening to you, but you never believe it's ever going to happen. It's a wonderful feeling to win. I've been in it every year since its inception."
Smokey Fire red-hot in Play The King
TORONTO, August 29...In a thrilling three-horse battle, Jim Dandy Stable's Smokey Fire, with Jono Jones aboard, caught front-runners Jungle Wave and Fatal Bullet on the wire to win the featured $224,800 Grade 2, Play The King Stakes, Sunday at Woodbine.
The turf, seven furlong Play The King attracted an extremely well-matched group of seven older horses, including defending champion Jungle Wave, last year's Nearctic winner Field Commission, the lukewarm 5-2 post-time favourite Signature Red, coming off a victory in the Highlander here on July 4, and of course, Smokey Fire, a two-time stakes winner who began his season with an ultra-impressive score in the Bold Venture over Woodbine's Polytrack in mid-July.
Sunday, August 29 2010
Barracks Road marches to victory in Ontario Colleen
TORONTO, August 28...Eugene Melnyk's homebred Barracks Road, confidently handled by jockey Corey Fraser, made every pole a winning one while taking the featured $193,900 Ontario Colleen Stakes Saturday at Woodbine.
The one-mile grass event for three-year-old fillies drew a field of 11, including two trained by Mark Casse, the aforementioned Barracks Road, at 9-1 and her more highly-regarded stablemate, Exclusive Love, at 5-1, who had finished second to Perfect Shirl in the Grade 2 Lake George at Saratoga last month.
Sunday, August 22 2010
Marsh Side easily captures Sky Classic
TORONTO, August 22 - Seven-year-old Marsh Side sprinted away from his rivals through the stretch to take Sunday's $254,900, Grade 2 Sky Classic Stakes at Woodbine.
Last year’s Grade 1 Northern Dancer Stakes winner and the 2008 Pattison Canadian International champion showed his affinity for the E.P. Taylor Turf Course once again, capturing the 1 ¼-mile race by five lengths.
Saturday, August 21 2010
Jacally triumphs in Eternal Search
TORONTO, August 21 - Harlequin Ranches Jacally defeated Dancing Raven by a neck in a thrilling renewal of Saturday's $125,000 Eternal Search Stakes at Woodbine.
The 1 1/16-mile contest was the second time in a month that the daughter of Bold Executive prevailed by less than a length in an added-money Ontario-Sired event.
Sunday, August 15 2010
Miami Deco pulls $132.10 shocker in Breeders’
TORONTO, August 15 - Jim and Susan Hill's Miami Deco, at 65-1, became the longest-priced winner of the Breeders' Stakes taking the 120th edition of the race, Sunday at Woodbine.
At the finish of the mile and one-half turf contest, Miami Deco, ridden by Richard Dos Ramos and trained by Brian Lynch had scored a three-quarters of a length victory over favourites Stormy Lord and Cognashene. The final time over a yielding turf, softened by mid-afternoon rains, was 2:34.24.
Saturday, August 14 2010
Afternoon delight for Wonderlandbynight in Ontario Debutante
TORONTO, August 14 – Wonderlandbynight, a two-year-old chestnut daughter of Sky Mesa, is now three for three, after taking Saturday’s $153,000 Ontario Debutante Stakes by 1 ¾ lengths at Woodbine.
Owned by Mark Dedomenico and trained by Larry Rivelli, Wonderlandbynight, competing for the first time outside of the U.S., notched her first added-money triumph after scoring twice at Arlington Park in June.
Thursday, August 12 2010
Breeders’ Stakes draws wide-open field of 13
TORONTO, August 12 – Toronto Cup Stakes winner Stormy Lord and the promising Cognashene head a field of 13 in Sunday's $500,000 Breeders' Stakes, third leg in Canada's Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, at Woodbine.
The 120th running of the Breeders', for Canadian-foaled three-year-olds, over one and one-half miles on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course, will go postward at 5:08 pm ET, with The Score providing Canada-wide television coverage in a special one-hour presentation from 4:30 - 5:30 pm. All starters will carry 126 pounds, except filly Silent Wisper (121 pounds), while seeking the $300,000 first-place prize.
Monday, August 09 2010
Tree Pose holds position from gate to wire in the Nandi
TORONTO, August 8 - Six Brothers Stable charge Tree Pose captured her first stakes score in Sunday's $127,400 Nandi Stakes at Woodbine.
Tree Pose was ridden by Jone Jones and is the first stakes winner for trainer Bill Tharrenos.
Sand Cove earns graded stakes stripe in Seagram Cup
TORONTO, August 8 - Ralph Johnson's Sand Cove captured his sixth career stakes event in Sunday's co-featured Grade 3, $179,100 Seagram Cup Stakes at Woodbine.
The Roger Attfield trainee gamely held off a strong charge from Stunning Stag, who was away slowly. Field Commission was third.
Friday, August 06 2010
Hong Kong jockey gets a leg up at Woodbine
TORONTO, August 6 – Jockey Alex Lai, Hong Kong’s leading apprentice rider in 2003-04, will make his Canadian riding debut, Sunday at Woodbine.
A lifetime winner of 154 races, Lai, who began riding professionally in 2000, will ride Grey Boundary for trainer Tino Attard in Sunday’s seventh race, a 1 ¼-mile race contested on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course.
Thursday, August 05 2010
Grazettes Landing game in Shepperton
TORONTO, August 4 - Melnyk Racing Stables homebred Grazettes Landing captured Wednesday's $126,200 Shepperton Stakes at Woodbine.
The five-year-old son of Paynes Bay is trained by Mark Casse and was ridden to victory by Corey Fraser in the 6 1/2-furlong dash for Ontario-sired runners.
