Woodbine News and Notes - Careless Jewel, Milwaukee Appeal and the return of Fatal Bullet

Friday kicked off a weekend of first steps for horses hoping to gallop along the Queen's Plate trail at Woodbine. Patrons participating in the Queen's Plate Fantasy Challenge anxiously await the appearance of Giant's Tomb, Hotep, Joey's Best, Mobilizer and Captain Canuck on Saturday as well as Who's Big Daddy and Mobthewarrior who will storm out of the gate on Sunday.

On Friday D's Legend Storm beat Doctor Jack to the wire in a five and half furlong event that also featured It's Time Bear, Arepeatee and Abruptly. The field left the gate in perfect symmetry as Iwillgotothemoon assumed the lead carving out a quarter in 22.57.

Doctor Jack and It's Time Bear stalked with some urgency both making a move on the far turn to try and track down the leader. D's Legend Storm moved in behind that pair and began a move of his own and looked full of energy turning into the stretch.

Deep in the stretch Doctor Jack and It's Time Bear finally caught up with the pacesetter but it was D's Legend Storm who found an extra gear and leaped into the lead under Eurico Rosa da Silva crossing the wire a length and a half in front. Doctor Jack held on for place and the gelding Pantastic closed very strongly and galloped out well in front for jockey David Garcia - -perhaps Pantastic is a Canadian-bred worth putting into your watch list. The race was run in a time of 1:03.71.

D's Legend Storm scores a smart win in Woodbine's 7th race


In Friday's first race, a six and a half furlong claiming event, General Staff started well but failed to fire in the stretch finishing third behind Florida-bred winner You Have No Idea. Though General Staff went off as the favourite, the horse is likely to move off my list of Queen's Plate Contenders when I shuffle the list following the results of this weekend.

Roger Attfield sent out a nice filly in the closing race on Friday as Jacally rallied along the rail to break her maiden for the Harlequin Ranches. The three-year-old Ontario-bred filly crossed the wire in 1:24.76 in the seven furlong MSW.

Jacally breaks her maiden with a purpose


As noted in Thursday's post, there are plenty of reasons to keep an eye on Woodbine including the aforementioned Queen's Plate contenders and the return of Southdale.

However, Sunday's card is also looking very strong as Plate contenders Mobil Unit and Kid Canuck are entered in Race 6 and Who's Big Daddy and Mobthewarrior are entered in Race 10. Click the links to see the entries.

Sunday's feature promises to be a scintillating sprint as Fatal Bullet and Hollywood Hit square off in the seven furlong Vigil Stakes. Fatal Bullet, Canada’s Horse of the Year and Top Sprinter in 2008, makes his 2010 debut following a sixth-place finish in his final race of 2009, the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

Check out this cool feature on Fatal Bullet courtesy of TVG


Hollywood Hit won the six furlong Jacques Cartier Stakes April 11th and worked hard to hold off Field Commission who is entered here. Trainer Terry Jordan returns from suspension to saddle Hollywood Hit. Bill Tallon reported the following for the Daily Racing Form:

"He won, but it didn't really please me," said Jordan, who watched the Jacques Cartier from his home in Vancouver. "I think he's better than that, personally."

Hollywood Hit has worked just once since the Jacques Cartier, rattling off three furlongs in a bullet 33.60 seconds here Monday in a move which the clockers termed breezing.

"He wasn't supposed to go that fast," said Jordan. "He's a difficult horse to ride. Once he gets going, he's hard to stop."

Jordan does not seemed overly concerned about the Vigil's seven furlongs, noting that Hollywood Hit won in his lone attempt at the distance here last July.

"I don't think it matters," said Jordan.

Kent Desormeaux will be at Woodbine to ride Together Indy - winner of the Commonwealth Stakes at Keeneland - in the Vigil. This is a tough seven-horse field and if the track plays fast on Sunday we could be in for a track record.

Post / Horse / Jockey / Trainer

1 / Grazettes Landing / Corey Fraser / Mark Casse

2 / Field Commission / Patrick Husbands / Dan Vella

3 / Hollywood Hit / Jim McAleney / Terry Jordan

4 / Fatal Bullet / Eurico Rosa da Silva / Reade Baker

5 / Awesome Rhythm / Tyler Pizarro / John Ross

6 / Together Indy / Kent Desormeaux / George Weaver

7 / Signature Red / Chantal Sutherland / Sid Attard

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The NYRA News Wire reports that Woodbine-based mares Careless Jewel and Milwaukee Appeal are on their way to Belmont to make their 2010 debut in the Shuvee.

Careless Jewel, impressive winner of last year’s Grade 1 Alabama at Saratoga Race Course, could make her 4-year-old debut in the Grade 2 Shuvee at Belmont Park on Saturday, May 15.

“We are currently pointing for the race,” trainer Josie Carroll said Friday. “She’s going to work on Sunday [at Woodbine], probably five furlongs, and we will then make a final decision.”

The daughter of Tapit, owned by Donver Stable, posted an 11-length victory in the Alabama, representing the third-largest margin of victory in the historic race, which has been run 129 times. The largest Alabama margin of victory was in 1875 when Olitipa, owned by August Belmont, won by 20 lengths.

Originally expected to make her yearly debut in the Grade 2 La Troienne at Churchill Downs on Friday, April 30, Careless Jewel had a minor setback that caused her to miss three days of training.

“We had to fix something on her foot, nothing major,” Carroll said. “Other than that, she has been doing really well.”

The same NYRA report noted:

In addition to Careless Jewel and Seattle Smooth, also expected for the Grade 2, $150,000 Shuvee, according to NYRA stakes coordinator Andrew Byrnes, are Mrs. C. Wilson McNeely’s Funny Moon, winner of last year’s Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks, Eugene George’s Milwaukee Appeal, who has not started since a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Gazelle at Aqueduct in November, and Blue Star Stable’s Lady Alexander, who exits a fifth-place finish in the Wayward Lass Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on February 27. Byrnes also named Derby Lane Farm’s Dr. Zic, Fernando Abreu’s Granted Tiger, Claiborne Farm’s Haka and Live Oak Plantation’s Sheikh’s Serenade as possible for the race.

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A few notable works of Queen's Plate contenders, some of whom race this weekend.

* Empire Rising breezed 4F in 48.20 on May 6 on the Woodbine poly. Rank 4/33.

* King of the Swamp worked 5F in 1:03.20 handily on May 6 on the Woodbine poly. Rank 35/41.

* Silent Running worked 3F in 35.20 handily on May 6 on the Woodbine poly. Rank 1/14.

* Mobilizer breezed 2F in 24.60 on the Woodbine poly on May 7. Rank 2/4

* Mobil Unit breezed 2f in 26 on the Woodbine dirt on May 7. Rank 6/9.

* Hollinger breezed 6F in 1:11.60 on the Woodbine poly on May 7. Rank 1/6

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I plan to be at Woodbine on Saturday. You can follow my updates on Twitter and I will no doubt have plenty of photos in an upcoming post. Have a great weekend and don't forget that Mother's Day is on Sunday. Happy Mother's Day!