Page 31 - June 2005 The Game

Your Thoroughbred Racing Community Newspaper The Game, June 2005 31
Labatt Woodbine Oaks Notes
The Mark Frostad trained Between the Clouds made her third career start in a 1 1/16 mile allowance and was the winner by 4 1/12 lengths. Mark was quoted as saying he will likely go straight to the Oaks on June 12 with the filly.
Roger Attfield’s Oaks hopeful, South Bay Cove, has reportedly been sent to the farm after pulling something in her back.
Only three horses were supplemented for this year’s Labatt Woodbine Oaks scheduled for June 12:
Gold Strike, trained by Reade Baker; Ready and Alluring and Anna’s Ballerina, a pair of homebreds owned by Bill Sorokolit which will be trained by Darwin Banach.
Kentucky Derby/Oaks & Preakness
Giacomo with Mike E. Smith up (10) outdeuls Closing Argument with Cornelio H. Velasquez (18) and Afleet Alex (12) with Jeremy Rose up to win 2005 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. 05.07.2005 HORSEPHOTOS.COM/NTRA
~ Road to The Queen’s Plate ~
Queens Plate Notes (May 24, 2005)
According to reports in the Daily Racing Form, there are a total of 53 Canadian-bred 3-year-olds who remain eligible for the $1 million Queen’s Plate which is scheduled for Sunday, June 26 at Woodbine.
The May 15 supplemental deadline saw 5 additional horses whose owners paid the $15,000 fee to make them eligible for the Plate:
Autumn Snow, trained by Mac Benson, who finished second in a seven-furlong maiden race.
Slice of Glory, trained by John Cirillo, who finished third in the same seven-furlong race.
Gold Strike, a Manitoba-bred filly trained by Reade Baker, was an impressive winner of the Gr.3 Selene Stakes. The Harlequin Ranches homebred was also supplemented ($5,000) to the Labatt Woodbine Oaks scheduled for June 12.
King of Jazz, trained by Carl Nafzger in Kentucky, broke his maiden at 1 1/8 miles at Keeneland.
Three in the Bag, trained by Stanley Hough in New York, finished second going 1 1/16 miles at Belmont in allowance company. It is possible he could show up in the Plate Trial at Woodbine on June 5.
The Sid Attard trained, Verne’s Baby, the winner of the Queenston Stakes, will not be going to the Plate after undergoing surgery to remove chips from his knee.
The Dave Cotey trained, Moonshine Justice, who finished third in the Queenston, is off for three months after a hairline fracture was discovered in his right hind tibia.
The John Ross trained Out From Africa, who is a half brother is the talented Brattothecore, was the winner of a six-furlong allowance on May 14. The British Columbia-bred is likely to try two turns next which could be in the Plate Trial or the weekend before.
Stephen’s Gift, also trained by John Ross, worked with Out From Africa and shows that he might have what it takes to get to the Plate. He will also be running on May 27 (just after The Game’s press time)
The Audre Cappuccitti trained, March With Me, finished seventh in the Gr.3 Marine Stakes on May 21. Audre had explained earlier in May that they had suffered a set back over the winter when March With Me became very ill on the van ride down to Florida, an illness which saw two other horses on the same van have to be euthanized. Audre’s other Queens Plate hopeful, Feather Bed Lane, was also very ill. Audre says she is babying March With Me and is going slow to make sure he doesn’t go backward in his training.
Trainer Alec Fehr has a pair of potential stars in the barn for Steve Stavro. Atanas has run a pair of seconds in his two starts this season, the first in a 6 1/2 furlong race on opening day in the slop and second was at 1 1/16 miles in an allowance race where he was beaten by a neck by Dance With Ravens.
Granique broke his maiden going 1 1/16 in May after finishing a closing fifth behind Atanas in his first start of the season.
Dave the Knave trained by Robert Tiller won his first start of the season in a 6 1/2 furlong Ontario sire allowance in early May. Robert said
after the race that despite the win he felt the horse was still not right explaining that 2 days after coming into the racetrack (after the winter) his muscles were seizing up. Robert says he is still working with him, “He may not be right but he has a lot of pump.” said Robert.
Mark Frostad’s Queen’s Plate hopeful Dances With Ravens was the winner of the 1 1/16 miles Allowance on May 7 narrowly beating Atanas by a neck at the wire.
The Nancy Triola trained Get Down, was back to form at Woodbine with a dominating 8 length win over Ablo on May 8 in a 7-furlong allowance. He galloped out very strong and jockey Slade Callaghan had a hard time pulling the colt up.
Trainer Roger Attfield was quoted as saying that he would have kept Ablo in the Queenston Stakes if he had thought about the Manitoba bred Get Down being shut out of the stake which is restricted to Ontario breds. “He (Ablo) ran second to quite a nice horse.
“As far as I’m concerned that horse (Get Down) would have won the (Queenston) by three or four lengths” said Roger in the Daily Racing Form.
Ablo came back in his second start to finish fifth in the Gr.3 Marine behind the Steve Attard trained Enough is Enough.
Trainer Justin Nixon says the Frank Stronach owned Pop Rocket will not be ready for the Plate. “He’ll be a nice colt but he is not far along and I’m not going to rush him.”
Trainer Jody Hammett has a couple of hopefuls in the Herbert Chambers barn with Archers Alyanswer and VSOP Please. Archers Alyanswer won a Maiden Special Weight on May 7 and stepped up dramatically in class to finish out of the money in a 1 1/16 mile Allowance on the turf. Jody had commented that he was worried about the distance noting that he isbredforturf. VSOPPleasewassupplemented to the Plate in the winter and Jody says he hasn’t had a start and he is not going to push him because he is going to be a nice horse.
Summerly with Jerry Bailey up wins 2005 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs. 05.06.2005 HORSEPHOTOS.COM/NTRA
Scrappy T with Ramon Dominguez bumps Afleet Alex with Jeremy Rose up in the final turn of the 2005 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course on May 21. Afleet Alex showed tremendous ability when he overcame and won the race. Horsephotos.com/NTRA
Dance with Ravens after his win on May 7
The Alec Fehr trained Granique after his $66,000 Maiden Special Weight win on May 7 at Woodbine