Woodbine

A total of 17 sophomores--including Woodbine Oaks heroine Elysian Field (Hard Spun) and U.S.-based Kalik (Collected)-have signed on to contest Sunday's King's Plate, the initial jewel in the OLG Canadian Triple Crown. Held at Woodbine's Trackside Clubhouse, Wednesday's King's Plate breakfast was highlighted by the post-position draw, which was co-hosted by Woodbine TV personality Jeff Bratt and Woodbine track announcer Robert Geller. Being run for the 164th time, making it North America's oldest continually run race, the 1 1/4-mile test will be contested as the King's Plate for the first...

A total of 252 yearlings have been catalogued for the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society (CTHS) Ontario Canadian Premier Yearling Sale, to be held at the Woodbine Sales Pavilion Wednesday, Aug. 30 beginning at 12 p.m. The catalogue features the progeny of 22 sires based in Ontario, responsible for 168 Ontario-bred/sired yearlings and 58 stallions based south of the border in the U.S., which account for 84 youngsters. Locally based stallions represented include Ami's Holiday, Frac Daddy, the reliable Old Forester, Point of Entry, Reload, Queen's Plate winner Shaman Ghost, Signature...

A forecast for extreme heat caused the cancellation of live racing at Woodbine Thursday and Friday, as well as at Laurel Park Friday, while Ellis Park will move its Friday and Saturday programs. Colonial Downs, which announced it was cancelling its Friday card Wednesday, additionally has now cancelled its Saturday card. Woodbine announced its cancelled Thursday races would be offered to be carded for July 30 and the track will also attempt to make up Thursday's races by adding additional races over the next few race cards. After monitoring the...

5th-Woodbine, $111K, Msw, 3yo/up, 7fT, post time: 6:52 p.m. ET    Ready Shakespeare (More Than Ready), a half-brother to three-time Canadian champion and GI Natalma S. heroine Lady Speightspeare (Speightstown), gets his career started for trainer Roger Attfield. The Charles Fipke homebred, listed as the 5-2 morning-line favorite, was produced by two-time graded winner Lady Shakespeare (Theatrical {Ire}). This is also the loaded female family of GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf heroine Perfect Shirl (Perfect Soul {Ire}), MGISW Shakespeare (Theatrical {Ire}), et al. TJCIS PPs

Bet down from a 12-1 morning line to be off at less than half that quote, Team Valor International and Gary Barber's Elysian Field (Hard Spun) stamped her authority on Sunday's Woodbine Oaks--despite some wayward ways in the final eighth of a mile--to give trainer Mark Casse a fourth victory in the first leg of the Canadian Filly Triple Crown and first since Barber's Lexie Lou (Sligo Bay {Ire}) scored in 2014. In partnership with Michael Langlois, Barber also won Sunday's Plate Trial S. with Paramount Prince (Society's Chairman). With...

Russell Baze has been named the 2023 recipient of the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award. The award, named after the late jockey who died after a three-horse accident in the 1980 Canadian Oaks, is given to the person, Canadian-born, Canadian-raised or regular rider in the country for more than five years, who has made significant contributions to Thoroughbred racing. A native of Vancouver, British Columbia, Baze was a prominent name on the North American racing circuit for 42 years, finishing as the all-time leader for wins by a jockey. He recorded...

1st-Woodbine, C$83,346, Msw, 7-13, 2yo, 5f (AWT), :58.15, ft, 8 3/4 lengths. PARTY ON (f, 2, Twirling Candy--No Curfew, by Curlin) took on the boys in her debut, going off as the 2-1 choice and going right out to the early lead. Set down through fractions of :22.31 and :45.59, she easily dispatched pressure from Valyrian Sky (Sky Mesa) turning for home and easily the class of the field to the line to win by 8 3/4 lengths. The second impressive 2-year-old filly for Twirling Candy on the day, Party...

In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This column is highlighted by the victory of Fev Rover in the GII Nassau S. at Woodbine. Gutaifan Mare Takes Second Canadian Grade II The G1 1000 Guineas-placed Fev Rover (Ire) (Gutaifan {Ire}) added her third group/graded win to her resume with an open-length victory in the Nassau S. for Tracy Farmer and trainer Mark Casse (video). Bred by Manister House Stud, the 5-year-old was a £20,000 Goffs UK Premier yearling turned 695,000gns...

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This column is highlighted by the victory of Skims in a Belmont affair. Frankel Filly Strikes In New York Last autumn's GII Sands Point S. heroine Skims (GB) (Frankel {GB}) ran out an easy winner in New York for breeder Andrew Rosen and trainer Shug McGaughey earlier this month (video). Now with four victories to her name, the $235,000 Keeneland September buy-back is the seventh foal out of Royal Decree (Street Cry...

4th-ELP, $120K, Msw, 3yo/up, f, 1 1/16mT, 2:13 p.m. Racing for the same connections that bred, owned, and trained her leading young sire, RESOURCE (Gun Runner) makes her afternoon debut as a homebred for Winchell Thoroughbreds under the watchful eye of trainer Steve Asmussen. Out of a multiple stakes-winning mare in Remit (Tapit), herself a full-sister to MGSW/GISP Tapiture and SW/GSP Retap, the chestnut filly is a half-sister to both MGSW Finite (Munnings) and MSW/GSP Reride (Candy Ride {Arg}). Opposing her is a pair from the outside gates led by...

5th-Woodbine, C$76,426, Msw, 6-4, 2yo, 5f (AWT), :59.02, ft, 1 1/2 lengths. TRIPLE TREA (c, 2, Bolt d'Oro--Urloveisasymphony, by Forest Wildcat)--who signaled his readiness with a bullet :35 three-furlong move (1/70) May 21 over the Woodbine synthetic, followed by a May 28 half-mile training track work in :49 1/5 (8/21)--may have given his connections a few anxious moments as he broke a step slowly and took his time against a field of fellow first-timers. The dark bay raced in sixth and in the clear through a :23.11 quarter, had just...

Lucky Seven Stable's Rattle N Roll (Connect), winner of this term's GIII Ben Ali S. Apr. 22 and GIII Pimlico Special S. May 19, is the horse to beat returning on short notice in Saturday's GIII Blame S., the featured race on "Stephen Foster Preview Day" at Churchill Downs. The $1-million GI Stephen Foster will now be held four weeks later at Ellis Park. The Ken McPeek-trained 2021 GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity winner will face seven rivals from his rail draw, including the re-opposing Ben Ali second and third-place finishers...