Page 12 - December 2005 The Game

12 The Game, December 2005 Your Thoroughbred Racing Community Newspaper
Did You Know....
That Makybe Diva (GB) became the first horse to win three consecutive G1 Melbourne Cups in the race’s 144 year history at Flemington in Australia.
Owned by South Australian tuna fisherman, Tony Santic, the seven-year-old mare, won the 2005 $5.1 million Melbourne Cup (worth $4.5 million Canadian) on November 1, and will now be retired. Makybe Diva was trained
by Lee Freedman and ridden to victory by Glen Boss. She will retire as Australia’s greatest stake-earner with earnings of $11,426,685,
plus another $3.1 million for her Melbourne Cup win.
“She has nothing more to prove.” said Tony of the decision to retire her.
A Brooks Feed Keeps On Giving
• Competition Plus • Flax Appeal • Phase lll • Brooks Un-Ti
Season’s Greetings from Ontario’s most researched horse feeds dealers:
Brook’s Performance Feeds 905-985-7992 or 905-261-8458 Minor Bros. (Fort Erie) 905-658-7225 Bob the Feed Man 416-453-7038
New Post Times at Woodbine in 2006
The post-times for racing at Woodbine will change for the 2006 season with the first race scheduled to go off at 1:10pm except for Wednesdays, when the first race will be at 6:50pm. The post-time change was made in an effort to increase simulcast business by having the Woodbine races not being run at the same time as other simul- cast races.
The races are expected to finish at roughly the same time as this season, with minutes being shaved off between each of
the races on the days card. When the stan- dardbreds are racing at Woodbine, there can only be ten races on the card, eleven races can be scheduled on Saturdays and Sundays when the standardbreds are rac- ing at Mohawk.
There are 168 race days scheduled for the live thoroughbred meet at Woodbine in 2006 with Opening Day scheduled for Saturday, April 1. The backstretch will re- open on February 12 with the training track open February 13, 2006.
News in Review - Mother Nature has not been kind to Churchill Downs Inc. in 2005. When a tornado ripped through Ellis Park racetrack in Kentucky on November 6, it was the third CDI track to sustain serious storm damage. Ellis Park, which serves as a year round training centre, was hit by a 500 foot wide twister which killed three horses. Several of the 158 horses stabled at the track were also injured. Ten barns were destroyed and others received structural damage. The older wooden section of the grandstand was destroyed along with the infield toteboard.
In late August, Hurricane Katrina
damaged the CDI owned, Fair Grounds Racetrack in Louisiana and Hurricane Wilma, caused damage at CDI’s Calder Racecourse in Florida.
The Fair Grounds is running an abbreviated meet of 37 days which will be run at Louisiana Downs for the remainder of the year. It is offering $315,000 in purse money per day which includes 34 stakes races.
Calder lost the roofs to nearly a quarter of their barns during Wilma, however Gulfstream Park opened its doors to approximately 50 thoroughbreds who will be stabled there temporarily until the repairs are made at Calder.
A HEAD AT THE WIRE - CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11
he took the rider off, hopped on and worked the horse a full second faster.
In the fall of ‘72, I left my beloved west and travelled back to Montreal and Blue Bonnets. I now looked professional in the saddle but one obstacle remained between me and a jockey’s license, the starting gate. Once again, I would have to bluff my way in. An opportunity arrived one morning when a trainer told me to walk a two year old through the gate. The assistant starter that morning was an ex-jockey named Jean, reputed to be the best gate rider on the grounds. I shamelessly plied him with compliments about his reputation and soon had him sharing his technique. He showed me how to hold a cross in my left hand, with a fingerful of mane, my right hand ready to cock the whip in the first stride. Right foot slightly in front of left foot, eyes
straight ahead, and I was ready to go. This was literally the gateway to my future path in life.
Thanks to a trainer named Jack Crotty the moment arrived a few weeks later. As I rode to the gate to be tested in front of the stewards I listened intently to Jack describe his mare’s eccentric behaviour in the gate. “She’ll turn her head sideways and grab hold of the gate. Leave her alone and just look straight ahead. Be tied on cause this mare’s never been beaten outta the gate.” Ignorance in this case was bliss. I followed all instructions; hands set, feet in place, my eyes straight ahead as the mare’s teeth gripped the thick padding. When the latch- es opened, I never caught a glimpse of the other riders. It was the fastest 1/2 mile workout of the day and I had my license.
Thanks to Jean, Jack and Nina Count, I was off and running. The starting gate conquered, I now set my sights on my maiden race. That one, you’ll want to Check Carefully.
Season’s Greetings and a Prosperous New Year To All
A Special Thank You and Good Luck to our Buyers at the Sales during 2005.
We celebrated our 1st Stakes Winner as Breeders when Thinking Out Loud won the Coronation Futurity Congratulations to his owners D. Morgan Firestone, Trainer David Bell and Jockey Todd Kabel
and Best of Luck on the Road to the Queen’s Plate.
Thank You also to Cliff Hopmans for selecting him at the Sale.
Bernard and Karen McCormack
CARA BLOODSTOCK
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