Page 19 - May 2009 The Game

Canada’s Thoroughbred Racing Newspaper
The Game will be following the horses which are being pointed towards two of the Canadian Classic Races, The Woodbine Oaks and The Queen’s Plate. Here is some of the information we know thus far:
Road to the Canadian Classics The Game, May 2009 19
Groom Christine with the Mike Keogh trained Full Throttle
Trainer Sid Attard con rmed that both Utterly Cool and Mean Green will not be making it for the 2009 running of the Queen’s Plate. Both horses are still at the farm.
Utterly Cool, owned by Jim Dandy Stable, was
a 6-1 winterbook top ten, had 3 wins in 4 starts in 2008, including his 10 1/4 length win in the Cup and Saucer Stakes.
King eld Racing Stable Ltd. Catherine commented that the bay gelding by Quiet American is a bit immature and will enjoy more ground.
The Norseman Racing Stable owned, Mean Green had 3 wins and a second in 7 starts as a 2-year-old. He was the winner of the Simcoe and the Bull Page Stakes which earned him 20-1 winterbook odds in the top 10.
works in Aiken this winter.”
Mike says he is going to try to change the horse’s
Sid did mention that the H. Gregory and Norseman Racing Stable owned lly, Not Just a Rumor, by Yes Its True - Highland Mood (Highland Ruckus) may be possible for the Oaks.
thinking and get him back on track for the Plate. “I have always been high on him. He’s a nice horse.” Coming off of an impressive win in a $71,000
Trainer Catherine Day Phillips with Dr. Funkenstein
After her “much the best” 6 1/2 length $69,000 Maiden Allowance win on April 10, Sid plans to run her 7/8 next time to stretch her out.
Maiden Special Weight on April 19, the lly Woodsmoke, who is a full sister to 2008 Queen’s Plate runner, D. Flutie, is being pointed to the Oaks with her next start scheduled in the Fury Stakes. “She’s a nice lly. She worked really well in Aiken and had a nice win.” said Mike.
Mr. Foricos Two U, was scratched out of a 6 furlong $62,000 MSW race on April 26 after being saddled up in the paddock. It was announced that there had been a medication error.
Trainer Lorna Perkins said that 20-1 winterbook top 10 Queen’s Plate hopeful, Stardust Ziggy, had an excuse for his effort on April 19. “He missed a bit of time getting stuck in Florida with health papers so he came up a little short.”
Finishing third in the same race was another
Oaks hopeful for Mike and Gus Schickedanz, Politelyprecocious (Langfuhr - Stop Looking). “I lost a bit of time with her in Aiken but she was back to her old self after she worked twice here.” said Mike, I was impressed with her race.” She is being pointed to another maiden race on May 2.
He was coming off a second place nish in a 5 furlong MSW on April 12.
Trainer Lorna Perkins (left) and Groom Jocelyn Short with Stardust Ziggy
Watch next month’s issue of The Game for information on more Queen’s Plate and Oaks hopefuls.
Lorna mentioned that he came out of the race okay and it is just a matter of nding a good spot for him. Anthony Coombes and Diane Murphy of Unstable, own the Holy Bull colt who had a second and a third in Maiden Special Weight company in 2008. “We’ll keep him in a maiden race in the next 2 or 3 weeks.” said Lorna.
Groom Naresh Ramadeen with the Barbara Minshall trained Parabola
Trainer Barbara Minshall is hopeful that 15-1 Winterbook, Parabola, will be heading to this year’s Queen’s Plate. “We had to skip the Wando Stakes, but hopefully next weekend in the Queenston,” remarked Barbara on the Trajectory gelding’s next start. “I’ll see if he needs two races or if we go
Another King eld Racing Stable owned hopeful is No More Tears. “He ran a very good, credible race. We may keep him eligible but I’m not sure how far he will go.”
to the Plate Trial. He’s a real two turner and I’m looking for a solid race from him.
The unraced Count Floyd, owned by Sean Fitzhenry, is another hopeful that Catherine would like to keep eligible for the Plate. “We’d like to
run him rst but we don’t have that luxury before the next nomination cut-off date.” said Catherine who mentioned she would have to talk to the owner before making any decisions. “He’s a bit behind but he had a really nice breeze today. From that breeze, we’ll be inclined to keep him eligible.
May 1.
Quiet Approval is a homebred for Catherine’s own
Catherine had mentioned that he would enjoy more ground. We’ll have to watch for his next start.
Van Lear Rose out for the year
Van Lear Rose, Canada’s champion two-year-old lly in 2008, will be sidelined for the year due to a suspensory injury.
Trained by Catherine Day Phillips and bred and owned by her brother, Richard Day (Kingview Farms), the three-year-old daughter of Stroll suffered the injury while breezing at Gulfstream Park (in Florida) in late March
“Thankfully it wasn’t a catastrophic injury,” said Day Phillips, of the lifetime winner of two races from six starts and earner of $302,160. “We want to make sure we give her the time she needs to heal.
Van Lear Rose launched her career on June 21, nishing fourth at Woodbine in a ve furlong Polytrack race. After a third (placed second) in
the Shady Well Stakes in July and a second in a seven furlong main track race, the dark bay broke her maiden in style, taking the Muskoka Stakes on September 1.
The Ontario-bred followed up that score with another return to the winner’s circle, a half-length triumph in the Grade 3 Mazarine Stakes on October 5. Van Lear Rose, under regular rider Chantal Sutherland, closed out her campaign with a sixth- place nish, just 5 3⁄4-lengths behind highly regarded Stardom Bound in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filly event on October 24 at Santa Anita.
Information provided by WEG Media Relations
Martha Gonzalez con rmed that 2008 Vandal Stakes winner, Win and Reign, owned by Hillsbrook Farm, is not being pointed toward
the Plate at this point. “We have not discussed
the Queen’s Plate.” said Martha, Assistant to her husband, Trainer Nick Gonzalez, “But it still could happen.”
“You can plan ahead and then you take it day by day. Hopefully he has improved off of his two-year- old year but you have to run to tell.”
They plan to run him 3/4’s in an allowance and then in the Bold Ruckus on the turf. “He might be a Sprinter.”
Owned by Janet Jeanpierre, Parabola, nished off his 2008 season with a pair of wins, including the Kingarvie Stakes, in 6 starts.
Martha also mentioned a possible Oaks hopeful, a lly by Stephen Got Even, Flashy Got Even, owned by Terra Racing Stable.
Trainer Catherine Day Phillips has the pleasure of four or ve possible starters for this year’s Queen’s Plate, the most favourable of which being Dr. Funkenstein (pronounced like Frankenstein), a homebred for her brother Richard Day’s Kingview Farms.
Flashy Got Even nished well in the Princess Elizabeth and showed promise in her rst race back this season. “She needed to have a race into her.” said Martha.
The chestnut gelding of Proud Citizen nished second in a $ 66,930 MSW on April 18. “He came out of the race well so we are going to go ahead and keep him eligible for the Plate.” said Catherine, who commented that each of her hopefuls have shown enough to keep the door open with a nomination on
Trainer Mike Keogh, is looking to recapture Queen’s Plate glory with the Gus Schickedanz homebred Full Throttle. “He ran last week and was very disappointing,” said Mike, “He didn’t run to his