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(Note: Post updated at 6PM EST to include news that Hollinger is officially out of the Queen's Plate)
Biofuel is hoping to clean up at the Mother Goose on Saturday
Biofuel, the 2009 Canadian Champion Two-Year-Old Filly, who won the G3 Mazarine at Woodbine and finished fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies as a two year-old will contest the Mother Goose at Belmont Park. Biofuel is unbeaten in two starts this year, having rallied to win the April 10 Star Shoot and May 23 La Lorgnette here at Woodbine.
Biofuel tries the dirt for the first time but has worked well over the Woodbine training track. Eurico Rosa da Silva will be travelling with Biofuel for the mount.
Devil May Care will provide the main competition for the Brereton Jones filly. The Todd Pletcher trainee finished tenth in the Kentucky Derby last out and will mark her return in this G1 event.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 Biofuel (KY) 3/F L E R Da Silva 121 R Baker 5/1
2 Ailalea (KY) 3/F L* E S Prado 121 T A Pletcher 3/1
3 Devil May Care (KY) 3/F L* J R Velazquez 121 T A Pletcher 6/5
4 Connie and Michael (KY) 3/F L* R Maragh 121 K G McPeek 7/2
5 Katy Now (KY) 3/F L K J Desormeaux 121 T A Pletcher 8/1
* * *
Bay to Bay, a gorgeous daughter of Sligo Bay earned graded honours when capturing the G3 Natalma at Woodbine last fall. The Brian Lynch trainee has started 2010 like gangbusters with a second place finish in the G3 Applachian at Keeneland and a big score in the 1,000 Guineas last out at Artlington Park.
Bay to Bay hopes to hit the wire first in the Boiling Springs at Monmouth
On Saturday, Bay to Bay will stretch out from those one mile efforts to a mile and a sixteenth in the G3 Boiling Springs at Monmouth. Bay to Bay goes to post as the 5-2 favourite but will have to deal with a pair of good young turfers including Strike It Rich and Cosset.
Mike Mazzeo of the NJ Star Ledger reports:
“I’m not happy with the post,” Bay to Bay’s trainer, Brian Lynch, said of post position No. 10, “but it is what it is. There looks to be enough speed in there to guarantee a genuine pace. But I want her to sit midfield. I don’t want her to be too far out of it.”
Bay to Bay, the Florida-bred 5-2 favorite, was victorious at the $200,000 American 1,000 Guineas at Arlington Park in Chicago in her last start on May 22.
She also captured last year’s Natalma Stakes in Toronto and has yet to finish out of the money in her six-race career. And with $297,578 in career earnings, she’s brought home more money than the of the field.
However, she’s never run more than a mile (the Boiling Spring is a 11/16-mile track), nor has she ever run against a field with this much talent.
“This was the obvious race for her,” Lynch said. “It’s a very competitive field and she’s a very competitive horse.
“We’re gradually stretching her out in distance, with the ultimate goal to get her up to a mile and a quarter by the fall.”
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 Justaroundmidnight (IRE) 3/F L J Bravo 116 P L Biancone 10/1
2 Martita Sangrita (KY) 3/F L* J Rose 116 M R Matz 10/1
3 Triple Cream (KY) 3/F L* E Castro 116 J J Toner 4/1
4 Strike It Rich (KY) 3/F L G K Gomez 120 C Clement 9/2
5 Island Time (FL) 3/F L C H Marquez, Jr. 116 J Servis 20/1
6 Cosset (KY) 3/F L J Lezcano 116 W I Mott 6/1
7 Elusive Temper (KY) 3/F L J Rocco, Jr. 116 R W Werner 10/1
8 In the Rough (VA) 3/F L P Lopez 120 K J Breen 6/1
9 Great Gracie Dane (NY) 3/F L E Trujillo 116 D S Ryan 15/1
10 Bay to Bay (FL) 3/F L A Garcia 120 B A Lynch 5/2
* * *
There's some serious turf racing at Woodbine on Sunday as Rahy's Attorney defends his title in the King Edward Stakes which has been shortened from a mile and an eighth to a mile for 2010. An in-form Rahy's Attorney romped the King Edward last summer setting a track record of 1:44.73 in the process.
Rahy's Attorney and groom Aline hope to get their picture taken again on Sunday
The Crown Attorney gelding, ridden by Jim McCaleney, endured traffic trouble in his previous start finishing sixth in the Connaught Cup won by Grand Adventure. Rahy's Attorney will be reunited with jockey Rob Landry for the King Edward, while McAleney picks up a live mount in Roger Attfield's Jimmy Simms.
The improving Grand Adventure will be tough to beat on Sunday
Javier Castellano is up from New York to ride Get Stormy and Robby Alabarado who is in town to ride Exhi in Sunday's Victoria Park, picks up the mount on new Brian Lynch trainee Cherokee Heaven. The latter horse had been racing on the downhill strip at Santa Anita and finished fourth in his Woodbine debut in the Connaught. Cherokee Heaven could improve off that effort.
PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer
1. Jimmy Simms (KY), J McAleney, 119, R L Attfield
2. Monty's Best (FL), E R Da Silva, 117, R Baker
3. Society's Chairman (ON), J C Jones, 121, R L Attfield
4. Get Stormy (KY), J Castellano, 121, T M Bush
5. Cherokee Heaven (KY), R Albarado, 117, B A Lynch
6. Strike Again (KY), L Contreras, 117, W I Mott
7. Ice Bear (ON), C Sutherland, 121, M Benson
8. Rahy's Attorney (ON), R C Landry, 123, I Black
9. Grand Adventure (KY), P Husbands, 121, M R Frostad
* * *
Who do you like in the Queen's Plate? Well, it could be any one of more than 15 horses as contenders line up to duel with Hotep and Artic Fern for a chance to meet the Queen!
Will Artic Fern surge to the lead in the Queen's Plate?
Sam-Son Farms have an impressive trio of runners with jockeys to match. Trainer Mark Frostad has lined up Mike Smith to ride Giant's Tomb, while Javier Castellano gets the call on Dark Cloud Dancer. Woodbine's top jock Patrick Husbands retains the mount on Hotep.
Hotep hopes to follow in his brother's footsteps on July 4th
Here's a quick look at the potential field in no particular order.
1. Hotep (P. Husbands / M. Frostad)
2. Giant's Tomb (M. Smith / M. Frostad)
3. Dark Cloud Dancer (J. Castellano / M. Frostad)
4. Artic Fern (D. Clark / M. Keogh)
5. Big Red Mike (E. da Silva / N. Gonzalez)
6. D's Wando (E. Wilson / I. Black)
7. Mobilizer (J. Jones / R. Attfield)
8. Mobthewarrior (E. Ramsammy / G. de Gannes)
9. Smart Sky (C. Sutherland / M. Doyle)
10. Who We Gunna Call (G. Olguin / T. Attard)
11. Ghost Fleet (L. Contreras / S. Attard)
12. Roan Inish (f) (D. Moran / C. Costigan)
13. Embur's Song (f) (G. Gomez / T. Pletcher)
Possibles
14. Moment of Majesty (f) (R. Landry / S. Leslie) - Would need to be supplemented.
15. Hollinger (T. Pizarro / R. Attfield) - OUT: Updated June 25th at 6PM DRF Report
16. Captain Canuck (D. Clark / J. Carroll) - Decision not yet finalized.
17. Vicar Street(T. Pizarro / C. Day Phillips) - Decision not yet finalized.
I've been tracking the contenders all year long on my 2010 Queen's Plate Contenders page for those that want a more thorough look back at workouts/results.
Big Red Mike would like to pose for a portrait with the Queen
With the annual Queen's Plate BBQ on Monday and the draw to be held on Thursday the field will soon sort itself out. I'll be in attendance at both events and should have some news and more photos over the weekend as I'll be on the backstretch watching workouts.
Speaking of workouts...here's what some of the contenders have been up to of late:
Big Red Mike worked five furlongs this morning in 1.00:60 Breezing.
Mobilizer worked six furlongs this morning in 1.13:40 Handily.
D's Wando worked five furlongs on June 23rd in 59:80 Handily.
Who We Gunna Call worked six furlongs on June 22 in 1.14:00 Handily.
Ghost Fleet worked five furlongs on June 21 in 57:80 Handily.
Artic Fern worked six furlongs on June 20 in 1.15:00 Handily.
Dark Cloud Dancer worked five furlongs June 19 in 1.01:80 Breezing.
Hotep worked five furlongs on June 19 in 1.02:60 Breezing.
Vicar Street worked five furlongs on the turf on June 18 in 1.01:80 Breezing.
Roan Inish is one of three fillies (Embur's Song and Moment of Majesty) hoping to win the Queen's Plate
Readers wanting to keep track of the latest gossip on Plate-bound filly Roan Inish would do well to check out trainer Carolyn Costigan's website and Twitter account.
Roan Inish is due for a fast work this weekend in preparation for the Queen's Plate!
* * *
Bill Tallon, writer for the Daily Racing Form, has been blazing a trail about the barns each morning and has posted a slew of his usual detailed insight on the contenders:
On June 25th Tallon reported:
"He's definitely not going," said Attfield, who trains the homebred Hollinger for Bob Harvey and Al Wortzman. "He's not doing very well. I haven't been happy with him, and I haven't liked his two races this year."
Hollinger, who capped his first campaign with victories in the Cup and Saucer over 1 1/16 miles of turf and the Coronation Futurity over 1 1/8 miles on the main track, spent the winter with Attfield in Florida.
Sent off as the odds-on choice when he made his first start in six months here in the seven-furlong Queenston, Hollinger was prominent early but faltered to be beaten 7 1/4 lengths as the fourth-place finisher. Three weeks later, in the Plate Trial, Hollinger forced Big Red Mike's pace but then stopped badly to finish last in the field of eight, beaten 14 1/2 lengths.
On June 22nd Tallon reported:
Barring a last-minute family revolt, Audre Cappuccitti plans to start Essence Hit Man in the July 3 Achievement at six furlongs rather than the following day's 1 1/4-mile Queen's Plate.
"I'm just not comfortable with him going in the Plate," said Cappuccitti, who trains Essence Hit Man and is the owner and breeder of the gelding in partnership with her husband, Gord.
Essence Hit Man won the six-furlong Woodstock and seven-furlong Queenston here this spring before finishing third when trying two turns for the first time in the 1 1/16-mile Marine on May 29.
...
Who We Gunna Call worked six furlongs in 1:14 here Tuesday morning and is on target for the $1 million Queen's Plate.
Gerry Olguin was aboard for the drill and has the call for the Plate.
Tino Attard, who trains Who We Gunna Call for Castle Peak Farm and Construction, sent out the colt to work in company with Grey Whizz, who opened up in the early stages before being overtaken by his stablemate. Grey Whizz was clocked in 1:14.80.
"It was a good work," said Attard, adding that he caught Who We Gunna Call galloping out seven furlongs in 1:26.40.
...
Ghost Fleet blazed five furlongs in a bullet 57.80 seconds here Monday under Richard Dos Ramos, who has picked up the mount for the Plate.
"I was very impressed," said Sid Attard, who trains Ghost Fleet for Mel Lawson's Jim Dandy Stable. "I said to Dos Ramos that he's not a good work horse and that if he was too lazy to just get after him a little bit."
...
Artic Fern, one of the leading Queen's Plate candidates, worked six furlongs in 1:15 on the training track last Sunday with regular rider David Clark in the irons.
"He just cruised around, nice and even," said Clark. "He finished up good enough."
Artic Fern, a homebred who is trained by Mike Keogh for Gustav Schickedanz, will be seeking his third straight win after motoring through his first two allowance conditions in impressive fashion in two tries at 1 1/16 miles.
Hotep and his Sam-Son Farm stablemate Dark Cloud Dancer both breezed five furlongs here last Saturday.
Patrick Husbands, who has the call on Hotep for the Queen's Plate, was aboard for his 1:01 move while Dark Cloud Dancer was clocked in 1:01.80 under exercise rider Billy O'Connor.
*****
Woodbine handicapper Jim Bannon will host a Queen's Plate workouts seminar at Woodbine on Saturday in the trackside tent. Breakfast will be available at 8:30 a.m. with a seminar and workouts review to follow beginning at 9:30 a.m. Hope to see you there!
Be sure to keep track of the latest racing news via TripleDeadHeat's Woodbine News page.
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