Page 18 - May 2008 The Game

18 The Game, May 2008
The Game will be following the horses which are
Road to the Canadian Classics Canada’s Thoroughbred Racing Newspaper
being pointed towards two of the Canadian Classic Races, The Woodbine Oaks and The Queen’s Plate. Speaking with trainers at Woodbine and Keeneland, here is what we have learned thus far:
Gonzalez also mentioned that his star three year old has a much different temperament in the stall than on the oval.
against open company, this youngster showed improvement with an impressive second place nish in a maiden allowance to Josie Carrol’s Kentucky- bred El Grande. Mike Keogh mentioned that he is not at all deterred by the order of nish, “That horse (El Grande) was winter raced and ours has been off for the last ve months, I thought he ran huge.”
Dave Catsimbras Reporting:
“You know, he’s the exact opposite. The way he is on the track, he’s the exact opposite in the barn. Relaxed, quiet, calm, he’s just chilled right out.”
Stuck in Traf c: You can be sure Stuck in
Traf c will be a big time player on the road to Canada’s most prestigious race, the Queen’s Plate, on June 22, assuming all goes to plan for trainer Nick Gonzalez and owners M.A.D. Racing Stables and Martha Gonzalez. It would be a rst for the long time conditioner and his wife, Martha, to win the Plate, and a highlight in their careers.
Shilla: Another bright star out of the Gonzalez barn, Shilla, had an impressive two- year old season at Woodbine notching three trips to the winner’s circle in ve tries and purse earnings of $189,530.
A calm and collective lly, the 2007 Franfreluche and Fury Stakes winner, looks to be on the road to the Triple Tiara according to her conditioner, “Like Stuck in Traf c, Shilla, is on the road to her own big races and I’m not going to ruin two good horses by making them do something that they can’t physically do, that’s why were taking her one step at a time.”
Shilla winning the La Voyageuse Stakes at Woodbine Michael Burns photo courtesy of WEG
After wintering and prepping down in Florida, the young bay lly, came back to Woodbine for open- ing day on April 5 with a nice win, in the La Voya- geuse, going seven furlongs. Next in line for Shilla was the 7 furlong Fury Stakes on April 27, where she was victorious after a gutsy stretch duel with the Mark Casse trained Gloriously. Shilla’s groom, Nick Lafond, exclaims, “Like the boss says, “It’s a question of if she can go two turns”, ‘cause you see, she is proven at seven furlongs and hopefully she can get the distance to go into the Oaks.”
Indeed, the big, brown colt did run a big race and will more than likely see action against restricted company for his next time out in the Queenston on May 3, but, as is Keogh’s usual, elusive tactic, he tells of no de nite spot for D. Flutie’s return to the racecourse.
Stuck in Traf c with trainer Nick Gonzalez(left), and groom Nick Lafond(right).
A standout sprinter, as a two year old, at Woodbine in the 2007 season Stuck in Traf c achieved status as a top sprinter. In seven starts, this son of Kiridashi, would take home the money three times, includ-
ing the Vandal Stakes in August and the Frost King Stakes in mid-November, which was his rst trip going 7/8 of a mile. His total earnings as a two year old reached $246,929. The real test for conditioner Nick Gonzalez was to send his colt to the Kingarvie Stakes, stretching out at 1 1/16 miles, where an unfortunate incident at the starting gate, would have the favored Stuck in Traf c scratched from his last scheduled start of 2007, leaving the unanswered question, “Can this horse go two turns?”
“We’re gonna take it one step at a time”, explains Gonzalez, after Stuck in Traf c won his 2008 debut, on April 12, in the six furlong Achievement Stakes, posting a fantastic 97 Beyer and nishing the race just off the track record by six one hundredths of a second.
Not raced as a two-year old, this tall, reserved
colt began his career in February of 2008, with a nice tune up race at Gulfstream Park in Florida, in
a 3/4 mile maiden allowance race. With some very good works on Woodbine’s poly track Silver Jag was entered in another MSW at 7/8 of a mile, April 13, where he nished strong down the homestretch, “Being only his second start, it was a little spotty, but overall I was pretty happy with him. He certainly acts like he wants to go two turns, so his next start
That question still remains.
D. Flutie: A good looking colt, coming from an out t that is no stranger to success in the Queen’s Plate. Trainer Mike Keogh and owner/breeder Gus Schickedanz teamed up to win the Plate in 1999 with Woodcarver and again in 2003 with Wando who went on to win the Canadian Triple Crown.
A son of Point Given, Silver Jag, along side, long time out t groom, Dean Adams.‘I think he’ll go the distance’, says Adams, assuming all goes to plan for the young colt.
“We’ve got him planned and if things continue to go right, as in his rst start in the Achievement, our next step will be in the Queenston and then, as this is a four race process, will come the Plate Trial and, nally, to the Queen’s Plate”, informs Gonzalez.
D. Flutie is a big, muscular three year old with a feisty attitude and a lot heart. Still a maiden, with only one race on his resume as a two year old, this son of Langfuhr has become a favorite in Keogh’s barn. With plenty of rest over the winter months, at Gus Schickedanz’ ranch in South Carolina, D. Flutie has come back to Woodbine with a look of determination in his eyes.
will be around two turns”, says the pleased Carroll. A son of 2001 Preakness and Belmont Stakes
Perhaps D. Flutie’s biggest fan is his groom, a sixteen-year employee of Keogh’s out t, Christine Windsor, 2007 Groom of the Year recipient and Groom of the Day recipient with D. Flutie. “There are so many things I like about him, his tempera- ment, he’s tough you know, kinda like Mobil was. He shows me he’s got it, he’s got the heart.”
Silver Jag: A well-bred chestnut colt, Silver Jag looks to be the out t’s top prospect for this years Plate. Josie Carroll’s barn has had success in recent years winning “the Gallop for the Guineas” in 2006 with Edenwold, a win that put Josie in the record books, becoming the rst woman trainer to win the Queen’s Plate. She would much like to repeat that feat in 2008.
It seems the logical plan, to slowly stretch the free- wheeling sprinter from six furlongs to the next race at 7/8 of a mile (already a proven winner) then in the Plate Trial at 1 1/8 of a mile, to the classic distance of the Queen’s Plate of 1 1⁄4 mile. Gonzalez had hoped that Stuck in Traf c would mature, as horses do between the ages of two and three, mentally and relax a bit out on the track. Not so, however, as in his rst start of ’08, the big, strong and powerful colt dictated the speed and pace of the race tearing up the polytrack in ashy fractions, which could prove to be his demise, when stretched out, where his stamina may or may not dwindle.
Silver Jag’s groom, Dean Adams, is quite pleased with this three-year old’s behaviour on and off the track, “He’s a very aggressive horse and I think he’ll get the mile and a quarter (if he goes). He’s playful with me and likes to mess around playing with his ball and he likes his dinner, nishes his whole tub after a race.”
Going seven furlongs in his rst trip out, in ’08,
winner, Point Given, Carroll is con dent that her colt can handle the distances required for the Plate Trial and the Plate itself, but, this may depend on Silver Jag breaking his maiden in his next start.
Groom, Christine Windsor, and a son of Langfuhr, D. Flutie
Other notable three-year olds in the Carroll
barn this year include llies, Authenticat, Victory Romance and Alvena. All three could be on the path to the Triple Tiara Josie informs, “Alvena is a little ways away, she had some setbacks, so we’re still a little iffy with the Oaks coming up so soon.”
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