Page 32 - February 2005 The Game

32 The Game, February 2005 Your Thoroughbred Racing Community Newspaper
Eric Coatrieux is enjoying the realization of his aspirations.
Canadian Connections Out of Town
The Game will attempt to record the progress of all the Canadian Connections who are current- ly racing out of town. However if we have missed your win please call 1-866-886-5827 toll free and let us know.
Information from December 20, 2004 to January 23, 2005:
Calder Race Course:
Trainer Greg de Gannes ended off the Calder meet with a win by Mr. Pee Vee in the $40,000 Rex’s Profile Stakes on December 29 for owners, Two Docs Stables.
Charles Town:
Trainer Anthony Adamo continued to do well this month recording an additional 10 wins worth $206,000 in purses for owner Michael Gill.
Time to Be Sassy had another win for owner Bruno Schickedanz and trainer Timothy Kreiser on December 31 worth $21,000.
Delta Downs:
Trainer Layne Giliforte recorded 3 wins for owner Eugene & Laura Melnyk, and Melnyk Racing Stable for purses totalling $29,682.
Fair Grounds:
Trainer Josie Carroll has continued to show up in the winners circle after winning three races between December 30 and January 7 for total purses of $98,000. Winners included, Shaunavon, Carlea and Dignified Donovan.
Trainer Danny Yu had a winner with Big American Force for $16,000.
Trainer Malcolm Pierce had a win with Idle Rumor for Pin Oak Stud for $28,000 and Mark Frostad recorded a win with Parasail worth $34,000 for Sam-Son Farms.
Golden Gate Fields:
Trainer Jerry McArthur had a win with Go On Orange with Barbara Heads listed as the owner for $11,325 on January 11.
Gulfstream Park:
The Gulfstream meet began on January 3, 2005 in rather unusual fashion. The running of the first race had to be halted mid-way through the race as the crew could not remove the starting from the middle of the racetrack. Rounding the final turn, the jockeys were instructed to pull-up their horses and the race was officially declared a no-contest.
The 2005 Gulfstream meet continues through to Sunday, April 24.
Judith’s Wild Rush was the winner of the ninth race on Gulfstream’s opening day for owner Tenenbaum Racing Stables. He won a $25,000 claiming event for conditioner Julian Canet.
It was lucky January 7th for jockey Patrick Husbands as he scored two wins that day for US connections. His wins were aboard Wulpe and Move Those Chains for purses totalling $38,000. He had another win on January 17 aboard Jules Best for trainer Vickie Foley, beating the Reade Baker trained, Kathern’s Cat with Gerry Bailey, by a head.
The Reade Baker trained Si Si Amiga (IRE) had an impressive last to first win for $33,000 on the turf on January 8 for owner Harlequin Ranches.
Owner William Sorokolit Sr. had a win in the $60,000 Ft. Lauderdale Stakes with Union Place trained by Randy Schulhofer on January 9.
Owner Bruno Schickedanz’s Baiser d’ Amour had a win for $21,000 with trainer Henry Collazo. Melnyk Racing Stables had a win on January 20 with the Windfields Farm bred, Fortress Hill,
for $33,000 with trainer Todd Pletcher.
Mountaineer:
Trainer Justin Nixon and owner Frank
Stronach were the winning connections for High Blitz in the $75,000 Christmas Stakes on December 26.
Penn National:
Owner Bruno Schickedanz and trainer Timothy Kreiser have teamed up for 2 wins this month for total purses of $12,600.
Philadelphia Park:
Whiskey Sez was a winner for $23,320 on January 21 for trainer Maggie Couse with husband jockey Na Somsanith in the irons. Richard & Scott Fairlie were the winning owners.
Portland Meadows:
Jockey Felipe Valdez had three wins this month for a total of $8800 in purse earnings.
Sam Houston Race Park:
Trainer Layne Giliforte has been racing at a few tracks this month and recorded a win for his Startin Small Racing Stable & his brother Lance Giliforte with Hasty Kiss for $12,400 on December 18.
Jockey Daniel Boudreau also had a couple of wins this month at Sam Houston.
Tampa Bay Downs:
Tampa Bay Downs has been a busy place for Canadian connections this month.
Trainer Bruce Alexander has recorded three wins for purses totalling $33,300.
Trainer Tom Agosti has also had a couple of wins for purses totaling $14,800.
Trainer John Simms had a win with Cone of Silence for his wife Sharon Simms worth $9700. Jockey Martin Ramirez had a win on New
Years day aboard the Arthur Silvera trained, Kruel Intention for $15,500 for owner Larry Spindler. The horse’s next start is scheduled for the Sunshine Millions Dash on January 29. Martin also had a win for US connections on January 8 for $7500.
Jockey Francine Villeneuve had a win aboard Thunder Bull for $9400.
Owner Carlo D’Amato had a win with Miss Costello with trainer Deborah Simpson for $13,000 on January 23.
Turf Paradise:
Jockey Jake Barton continues to have a good meet in Arizona recording another 11 wins this month totalling $76,160 in purse earnings.
Jockey Vince Guerra had a win for $4,600 while jockey Tony Matteucci had a win for $4,550.
Thistledown:
The Thistledown meet in Cleveland finished on December 31 and jockey Pierre Mailhot made sure he went home with a couple of wins. He had a win aboard We Be Movin for Joseph Martin and Jim Bussey for $7500 and a win aboard Ruskin Drive for Renee Boyd and Victor Doran for $7500.
One that we missed last month was Booneslittledancer. A winner for $6900 on December 12 with jockey Dale Hemsley in the irons for trainer Mike Cartwright and owner Bill McGowan. Booneslittledancer was scheduled to run again on January 26 at Penn National.
The Reade Baker Trained
Si Si Amiga(IRE) in the winners enclosure at Gulfstream on January 8, 2005
By Elena Fenech
“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing.” - Abraham Lincoln ( 1809- 1865)
Beautiful sunny Florida is definitely the place to be during Canada’s snowy cold winters. The warm sun and the fresh crisp morning air seems to work its magic on horses and people alike. This year many Canadian connections made their way south of the border and among them was
Eric Coatrieux. Eric is one of the several Woodbine based trainers who are wintering in Florida and reaping all the benefits it has to offer.
This year
unlike previous
winters Eric
decided to leave Woodbine earlier than usual. He didn’t have anything left to race so he shipped south during the last week of October and by early November everyone was comfortably settled at Palm Meadows Training Center in Boynton Beach, Florida. Eric is at the training centre with one goal on his mind, to gear up towards the upcoming season at Woodbine.
Looking at the results, Eric is not wasting any time. To date he has raced four horses at Calder Racecourse with two winners, Classic Piper in an optional claiming race on the turf and Alleged Ruler in a two other than on the dirt. Eric says that he feels very blessed to train for Chiefswood Stables, a top notch outfit that provides him with quality stock.
Although Eric has enjoyed a sensational season in 2004 success hasn’t been easy. There has been a lot of hard work and sacrifices over the years during which time Eric has maintained his focus and worked hard towards becoming a trainer. Like most people on the racetrack, Eric started from humble beginnings but what set him apart from the rest was his sheer desire to succeed.
Today he is living the dream as he trains for one of the most upcoming and prominent outfits in Canada. Now entering his fourth season as a trainer for Chiefswood Stables, Eric’s experience and knowledge were acquired from his previous employers.
Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame trainer Roger Attfield provided Eric with much of that knowledge. Eric was an assistant trainer for Roger for more than four years and he would travel with some of the stable’s best horses to various race tracks in North America. It was during his travels that he came across an opportunity to gain employment with the Godolphin Stables and for 4 1/2 years he trained some of the best horses in Dubai, Newmarket England and New York. An experience which provided a priceless amount of knowledge and experience which laid the foundations for an exciting future.
In 2004 Woodbine Racetrack enjoyed a tremendous season full of first class racing and a few upsets. Chiefswood Stables perhaps provided the biggest thrill when Niigon won the prestigious Queen’s Plate. It looked like he would go on to win the Prince of Wales and possibly sweep the Triple Crown, however when he fin- ished second the dream was shattered, Canada would not have a Triple Crown winner in 2004.
Although the Queen’s Plate is always an especially sig- nificant race for all the parties involved this past year it represented a very special mile stone for Niigon’s connections.
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