Page 39 - December 2006 The Game

Canada’s Thoroughbred Racing Newspaper The Game, December 2006 39
How Good Is Discreet Cat?
The Godolphin Stable’s three-year-old Discreet Cat may go down as the greatest horse to not win an Eclipse Award as best in class in North America. Discreet Cat won the Grade 1 $300,000 Hill ‘N’ Dale Cigar Mile at Aqueduct on November 25 in a manner that could best be described as ‘awesome’. With the win, Discreet Cat closed out his sophomore season with a perfect record of five wins in five races. The Forestry colt won his only start as a two- year-old.
In the Cigar Mile, Discreet Cat had the lead at the half which went in a blistering .44.83. With Grade 1 winner Silver Train pressing the issue on the inside, the six furlongs was run in an eye-popping 107.75. For a few seconds it appeared that Badge of Silver who had sat off the pace would take advantage of the
early exhausting fractions, but Discreet Cat’s jockey Garret Gomez knew otherwise.
“I had plenty of horse in the stretch,” he said.
No kidding. Discreet Cat pulled away to win by 3 1/2 lengths. And his time for the mile – 1:32.42 was the second fastest time in Aqueduct’s history, a mere 6/100ths of a second off the record set by Easy Goer in 1989.
In spite of his unblemished record, Discreet Cat has no chance at a Horse of the Year Eclipse, thanks to Invasor’s win in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. As well, it does not seem he can get enough votes for 3 Year-Old of the Year either, as Bernardini and Barbaro are expected to attract the voters.
Discreet Cat will relax in Florida for awhile and begin his four-year-old campaign in Dubai.
Bob Webb Teaches Fire Safety
The newest
literary addition to
Lexington’s famed
Keeneland library is
‘Ballads of the Turf
and other Doggerels’
authored by Bill
Galvin. Here Galvin
presents his newly
published and highly
acclaimed work to
Keeneland Librarian
Phyllis Rogers, with the painting of the magnificent Keeneland library in the background. The famed 67-year old library is the finest research library in the world. It is home to the largest collection of equine photographs in the world, and a never- before and rarely seen collection of rare books and historical photographs of places, events and horses that shaped a century of American racing.
Woodbine Entertainment Group’s Manager of Fire Safety, Bob Webb, has been lending his expertise in fire safety to the University of Guelph Equine Program.
The program deals with new grooms and horse owners in both the thoroughbred and standardbred industries. Bob provides the students with a fire safety presentation as well as an on-line fire safety question and answer program. Bob also participated in a fire safety and prevention lecture to the children of the equine program at this year’s Royal Winter Fair.
New Addition to Library
Hastings Meet Ends a Day Early
Due to Wintery Blast
Winter weather put the freeze on the final day of the 2006 meet at Hastings Racecourse on November 26. Racing was cancelled after the first race due to the unsavoury weather. Photo by Jim Reynolds
Top Five at Hastings for 2006
Golden Pursuit How Bout Jose Brass Bard Dirt Devil Drew Excited Miss
11 5 7 4 10 4 10 4 6 4
3 0 2 1 2 0 2 0 1 1
$78,098 $36,212 $60,432 $30,771 $147,532
Meet Starting Date: 04/14/2006; Ending Date: 11/26/2006
Pedro V. Alvarado Mario Gutierrez David Wilson Chad Hoverson Francisco Fuentes
Barbara Heads
Terry Clyde
Gary E. Demorest
Terry Jordan
T.Cloutier Jacobson 137 29
Leading Jockeys
at Hastings Racecourse
500 114 437 91 535 86 384 62 418 56
73 63 72 56 77 74 53 65 60 54
$1,996,002 $1,299,976 $1,677,090 $1,084,317 $1,151,147
Leading Trainers
at Hastings Racecourse
267 48 267 48 185 42 110 32
34 33 32 33 39 24 21 21 19 22
$986,177 $523,022 $886,769 $660,349 $632,588
Leading Horses at Hastings Racecourse
Information from Equibase.com
Woodbine jockeys got in the spirit at Justin and Renee Stein’s Halloween Party on October 30. Jockeys left to right are: Catherine O'Brien, Ray Sabourin, Justin Stein, Emma Wilson, Dino Luciani, Gerry Olguin,
Bottom row: Jono Jones
BALLYCROY THOROUGHBRED TRAINING CENTRE
Merry Christmas
to all of our
Clients & Staff
Best Wishes for a Successful 2007!
BALLYCROY Steve & Kathleen Kemp TRAINING Near Hwy#9 & Hwy#50
CENTRE
519-940-0107