Page 3 - The Game April 2006

Your Thoroughbred Racing Community Newspaper The Game, April 2006 3
2006 Canadian Graded Stakes
Cause to Believe - Eligible for Derby
With the $6,000 supplement fee paid, Cause to Believe is eligible for the Kentucky Derby. Now all he has to do is prove to his owner that he is talented enough to compete in Kentucky on the first Saturday in May.
Owner Peter Redekop says that his horse will have to win the Gr2 Illinois Derby at Hawthorne Park in order for him to make the trip to Kentucky.
“We’re not going unless we have a good chance.” said Peter in a telephone inter- view with The Game, “I’m not interested in ‘just running’ in the Derby.”
A Vancouver resident for most of his life, Peter has been involved in horseracing since 1968 when he caught “the racing bug” after a visit to Exhibition Park. The owner of Redekop Kroeker Developments Inc., a real estate development, building and rental corporation, Peter views his racing interest as a hobby and a source of excitement and entertainment.
“I just enjoy horseracing and the fact that the horses are out there and competing.” said Peter, who admitted that he had no intension of travelling the Derby Road with Cause to Believe. “I have never seen him live. I have never seen him run in person.” said Peter who explained that the horse has been competing in California while he is based in Vancouver. And when Cause to Believe won the $250,000 Gr3 El Camino Real Derby, Peter and his wife of 45 years, Helen, were on a Mexican Vacation Tour and couldn’t even watch the race.
“We had booked the Mexican Tour not knowing all these things would be
happening.” admitted Peter, “My cell phone wasn’t working so I didn’t even know until hours later if we’d won the race!”
Cause to Believe has been training under the guidance of U.S. based trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, who purchased the colt for Peter for $30,000 from Sequel Bloodstock in the OBS 2-year-olds in training sale in March 2005. The son of Maria’s Mon - Imaginary Cat, by Storm Cat was bred by Overbrook Farm in Kentucky and had been originally purchased by Becky Thomas as a yearling out of the Keeneland September Sale for $50,000.
Cause to Believe had six starts in California as a two year old in 2005 with four wins and 2 seconds including wins in the Comcast Bay Meadows Juvenile St.($65,000); the Cavonnier Juvenile St. ($50,000) and the Mill Valley St. ($50,000) and a second place finish in the Malcolm Anderson St. (75,000). Even after his winning 2-year-old season, Peter did not entertain the thought of going to the Derby.
In 2006, the colt stepped up in class to win the Grade 2 $250,000 El Camino Derby on January 29 at Bay Meadows and the $100,000
California Derby at
Golden Gate Fields
in March. He also
had a second place
finish in the
$75,000 San
Miguel St.
Cause to Believe goes into
the Illinois Derby, scheduled to run April 8, with a career record of 6 wins and 3 thirds in 9 starts and $335,565 US in earnings.
Early nominations for the Illinois race had 89 prospective entrants on February 1 with the final nominations closing on March 25.
War Emblem used the Illinois Derby on his way to capturing the first two legs of the Triple Crown, the kentucky Derby and the Preakness in 2002, and Ten Most Wanted was the 2003 Illinois Derby Winner who later finished second in the Belmont Stakes.
“Jerry is doing so well with the horse, as he does with all of my horses.” remarks Peter who mentioned that trainer Lance Giesbrecht conditions his horses at home at Hastings Park and was the winner of the 2005 Canadian Derby at Northlands in Alberta with his horse Alabama Rain.
“We need a lot of racing luck. It is difficult to win the big races because there are always 13 or so losers in every race.” said the very humble owner who also reminded me that you have to learn to get over the losses as well as celebrate the winners.
The Canadian Graded Stakes Committee of the Jockey Club of Canada met in January 2006, to review 142 open races carrying purses of $40,000 or more. Once again this year graded status was assigned to 37 Canadian stakes.
To qualify for graded status in Canada in 2006, races must carry a minimum purses of; $250,000 - G1, $150,000 - G2 and $100,000 - G3.
The following are the highlighted changes to this year’s schedule:
The Bessarabian, the Maple Leaf and the Duchess Stakes have all lost their G3 status and are now listed races.
The Summer Stakes was downgraded to a G3 and the Whimsical Stakes, the Ontario Derby and the B.C. Premier’s were elevated to G3 races. The Dance Smartly Stakes was made a G2 race.
Woodbine Racetrack has announced that there will be some sponsorship changes in 2006 for some key races. The Atto Mile G1 has been renamed the Bell Woodbine Mile G1. The Bell Canadian Stakes G2 will be known as the Canadian Stakes G2. The Chinese Cultural Centre will sponsor the Seagram Cup Stakes G3 and the race will be called the Chinese Cultural Centre Seagram Cup Stakes G3 to be run on July 30, 2006.
The Niagara Breeders’ Cup Stakes has been renamed the Northern Dancer Breeders’ Cup Turf G2 and the Chinese Cultural Centre Stakes has been renamed the Nijinsky Stakes G2 and will be a 12 furlong race on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course at Woodbine on August 27, 2006 with a guaranteed purse of $300,000.
For more information on the Graded Races in Canada in 2006 contact Bridget Bimm at The Jockey Club of Canada 416- 675-7756, Email: jockeyclub@bellnet.ca
Shipping Restrictions Lifted
The restriction on horses shipping in to Woodbine from the state of Maryland has been lifted according to Tom Cosgrove, Director of Thoroughbred Racing for Woodbine Entertainment Group. The restriction was originally put in place on February 3 due to the outbreak of the equine herpes virus which had been confirmed at both racetracks in Maryland.The Woodbine ban was lifted when the State of Maryland Department of Agriculture lifted their state’s quarantine status.
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