Page 32 - April 2005 The Game

32 The Game, April 2005 Your Thoroughbred Racing Community Newspaper
Training at Woodbine March ‘05
The Wings of Erin owned 2-year-old, Lipstick Cherry, by Langfuhr - Inspired Kiss, by Inspired Prospect, enjoys an easy gallop on the training track with exercise rider Ian Dick aboard for trainer Tom O’Keefe.
Sam-Son Farm’s Dance with Ravens is 2005 Winterbook Favorite
Dance Smartly has established quite a legacy in the Queen's Plate.
The Sam-Son Farm Hall of Famer won the race in 1991 en route to a sweep of the Canadian Triple Crown and a Horse of the Year title.
Her son, Scatter The Gold and daughter, Dancethruthedawn, captured consecutive editions of the 1 1/4-mile event in 2000 and 2001, respectively.
Clearly, she has a chance to enhance her reputation in the annual "Gallop for the Guineas" as another son, Dance With Ravens, was named the 3-1 Winterbook favourite for the 146th renewal of Canada's thoroughbred classic, scheduled for Sunday, June 26, 2005 at Woodbine.
The Winterbook, which offers theoretical win odds on all 173 horses nominated to the 2005 Queen's Plate, is in its 82nd year.
Dance With Ravens, by A.P. Indy, was made the early choice for the $1 million race on the strength of his obvious pedigree and solid race record, including a win in the Grade 2 Grey Breeders' Cup Stakes on October 11 at Woodbine.
The second choice at 4-1 is the Ken McPeek- trained Wild Desert, a U.S.-based, Ontario-bred son of Wild Rush who finished a late-closing fifth to top three-year-old High Fly in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park on March 5.
Dave The Knave, a winner of two of three starts, including a neck score in the 6 1/2-furlong Sunny's Halo Stakes on November 27, is the third choice at 6-1.
Robert Tiller, last year's Sovereign Award winner as Canada's top trainer, is hoping the gelding he co-owns with Frank DiGiulio represents his first Plate victor.
"Dave the Knave is the best horse I have (for the Plate)," said Tiller, who saddled Near The High Sea, his first Plate starter, to a runner-up finish at 53-1 in 1975. "His record from last year speaks for itself. He's a Whiskey Wisdom, out of Braverelle, the same mare as Forever Grand (third in Plate in 2002). He's a nice horse, a big horse, even bigger than last year. We just have to get him to go 1-1/4 miles."
The Steve Attard-trained Enough Is Enough, who took the 2004 editions of the Frost King and Kingarvie Stakes, is the fourth choice at 8-1.
"We're definitely pointing to the Plate," said Attard. "He's doing great. He's been in training at Kingsbrook Farm and looks fantastic. He was very gutsy as a two-year-old and nothing scared him. We have the Plate in mind, but we'll take things slowly."
Ablo, who lit up the toteboard at 19-1 in taking the $250,000-added Coronation Futurity, the country's key Canadian-bred juvenile stakes event, on November 13, rounds out the top five at 10-1. The son of Lite the Fuse looks to give Hall of Fame conditioner Roger Attfield his record-tying eighth Plate victory.
Moonshine Justice, third in Sovereign Award voting as Canada's Outstanding Two-Year-Old Male, trained by David Cotey, and Audre Cappuccitti's March With Me are listed 12-1 in the Winterbook.
At 15-1 is impressive U.S.-based maiden-break- er Signals Inthe Wind, trained by Brad Cox.
Rounding out the top 10 at 20-1 in the early Plate odds are Out From Africa, from the barn of John Ross and Colorful King, another Sam-Son Farm- Mark Frostad runner.
Jennifer Morrison, the track's morning-line handicapper, compiled the Winterbook rankings for the eighth straight year.
Dance With Ravens won the
Gr2 Grey Breeders’ Cup in October, 2004
Dave the Knave
at Buttigieg Training Centre in February
Enough is Enough recorded a work on the Woodbine training track, March 13.
Racing fans can also participate in the Plate chase by playing the fifth annual Queen's Plate Fantasy Challenge at www.WoodbineEntertainment.com/fantasy. The contest, which launches on March 31, is FREE with prizes available to be won.
Below is a recap of the Top Ten and the entire list of Queen's Plate nominees and their Winterbook odds is available at www.WoodbineEntertainment.com.
Nick Nosowenko is one of the new trainers at Woodbine in 2005 however he is not new to Woodbine, having owned horses for a few years under the guidance of trainer Mike DePaulo.
The Woodbine training track was quite busy and by March 21 more than 1500 horses had already arrived on the backstretch in preparation for opening day on April 16.
Top 10 Winterbook Favourites:
Horse Name / Odds / Trainer
Dance With Ravens / 3 / Mark Frostad Wild Desert 4 / Ken McPeek
Dave The Knave / 6 / Robert Tiller Enough Is Enough / 8 / Steve Attard Ablo / 10 /Roger Attfield
Moonshine Justice / 12 / David Cotey March With Me / 12 / Audre Cappuccitti Signals Inthe Wind / 15 / Brad Cox
Out From Africa / 20 / John Ross Colorful King / 20 / Mark Frostad
Did You Know...
That Jockey Russell Baze of Vancouver, British Columbia, has become the second all-time winningest jockey after his win aboard
Hollow Memories at Golden Gate Fields on January 22. The win gave Russell
his 8,834th career win which surpassed the late Bill Shoemaker who had 8,833 wins after retiring
\in 1990. Laffit Pincay Jr., who retired in 2003, holds the top spot with 9,530 wins.