Photo Essay: Great Friday! Grazettes Landing Wins the Woodbine Debut Stakes

Thoroughbred racing returned to Woodbine on Good Friday and racing fans flocked to the Rexdale track to bask in the sunshine and welcome the horses home.

Woodbine's jockeys, dressed in full silks, stood at the main entrance and handed out vouchers valued anywhere from $2 to $1000 as they welcomed the public to the park.

With the weather cooperating and a competitive Debut Stakes event on offer, it made for an exciting day of racing.

What follows is a photo essay recap of the day. As always, left-click the image to enlarge and use your "Back" button to return to the photo essay.

Queen's Plate winning jock Emma-Jayne Wilson is a fan favourite


Good Luck to who?


Future Star Omar Moreno makes a new friend


Tyler Pizarro suggests a place bet on Bob N Weave in the ninth


Rob Landry wants you to PLACE A BET


Welcome to Woodbine


Jimmy Mac is back!


Rob Landry got the call on Northern Dancer - much to the delight of Tyler Pizarro


Woodbine's Chris Lomon with jockey Krista Carignan


Punters returned to Woodbine on Good Friday in search of redemption...


and Jesus (Castanon) provided with the first winner of the year - Neverrguwithrichie


Everybody loves a winner


Cliff Cottage was the first of two Melnyk winners on the day


Picking one winner is good...picking three is fantastic!


Apprentice Betty Jo Williams made her first Woodbine start aboard 10-1 shot Sir Heart Throb...


and nearly pulled off an outstanding upset in a race won by Cowboy Sheikh


After the race, I had a few quick words with the 20-year-old apprentice about her first trip around the oval.

"It was amazing," exclaimed Williams. "The horse ran great. He was real game and has good heart. (Ha! Sir Heart Throb!) I galloped him in Florida so I knew him. It was real nice. Riding races and winning is great but riding at Woodbine is another story."

Williams already has four wins to her credit at Mountaineer stopping in time to preserve her bug for the 2010 meet.

"I rode my first amateur race at Colonial Downs in Virginia," stated Williams. "My first actual jockey race was at Mountaineer."

If Williams continues to ride as she did in Saturday's sixth race, her agent David O'Connor will be a very busy man.

Betty Jo was thrilled with the result


Cowboy Sheikh shakes off Sir Heart throb to win the sixth race


Following the race, the jockey was swarmed by family and friends who promise to be back over the weekend in hope of seeing Williams first Woodbine win.

You can read more about Williams in the Globe and Mail feature Have Bug, Will Race.

Betty Jo was #2 on the chart, but remains #1 in the hearts of her proud family and friends who came out to support


Apprentice Ryan Pacheco made his second Woodbine start about Sparkling Micayla


Another relative newcomer to Woodbine is apprentice Ryan Pacheco. The apprentice took the learned route to the racetrack under the wing of a Kentucky Derby legend.

"I went to Chris McCarron's jockey school," stated Pacheco. "It's a two-year course with a four month internship which I used and went to England with John Gosden. I didn't get to race ride but I was galloping horses and learning their ways and how they breeze."

Horsemen tend to lend much of their success to experience and no doubt Pacheco has learned a great deal from the two-time Derby winning jockey (Go For Gin, Alysheba), McCarron, and the English conditioner, Gosden, who has won several important events including the St. Leger (Shantou), the Epsom Derby (Benny the Dip) and a Breeders' Cup Classic with Raven's Pass.

Though Pacheco didn't hit the board he appears to have a very bright (orange) future


The opening day feature was the Debut Stakes for Ontario sired Four-Year-Olds and Upward traveling five furlongs on the polytrack. An 11-horse field of salty veterans promised to make for a hard fought race.

Bold Nurse stares boldly into the camera


Gorgeous grey Sand Cove prefers to race without a tongue strap


Grazettes Landing made a beautiful pre-race appearance under the watchful eye of jockey Patrick Husbands


Jim McAleney Dancingall Theway to the track


Tyler Pizarro in the G.T. Heat Stable silks aboard Me the Sea and G T


Savvy veteran jockey Richard Dos Ramos struts to the track on Stray Cat Stride


Stuck in Traffic hopes to stay out of trouble by racing on the lead


Rob Landry got the nod on Sand Cove



Bold Nurse and Paso Doble led the field through the opening fractions of 21.99 and 44.72 with Grazettes Landing stalking from fourth. Yummy With Butter, who suffered a slow start, and Don's Folly waited patiently at the back of the pack as the field moved into the stretch. With a sixteenth to run, Grazettes Landing assumed the lead and drove clear of the field as Don's Folly launched a rallying bid under Emma Wilson but ran out of racing room to catch the leader.

Grazettes Landing was Eugene Melnyk's second winner of the opening day card and the first of what will be many stakes wins for Husbands in 2010.

Grazettes Landing leaps to victory over a hard charging Don's Folly and railbird Paso Doble


A great opening day of racing for Woodbine and a great opening day of handicapping for yours truly with a chalky pick three to start, an awesome $184 exactor in the Debut - - and a successful prediction on my opening day preview post entitled Omar Moreno on the Radio and Who to Bet in the Woodbine Debut.

Welcome back Woodbine!

Grazettes Landing a confident winner of the Debut Stakes

Jockeying For Position in the Woodbine Clubhouse

Through June 29th of the Woodbine meet, some 39 jockeys have made double digit starts. It must make for a crowded jocks room on the weekend when there are full fields for all ten races. Granted, there is a top ten of sorts as 10 of the 39 jockeys are making the vast majority of the starts ranging from 164 to 321 starts each. With such a deluge of talent at handicapper's disposal, it begs the question - What do we know about our local jockey colony?

Woodbine's Leading Jockey Patrick Husbands


One thing we know for certain is that Patrick Husbands is a stats monster. Through 321 starts, Husbands is 19 wins ahead of his closest rival, Chantal Sutherland, and maintains the top In The Money Percentage (ITM%), 53.3, of those riding regularly at Woodbine. Young Tyler Pizarro is making a name for himself with 37 wins placing him one win ahead of Queen's Plate winner Eurico Rosa Da Silva. Best of all, Pizarro is accomplishing all this with fewer mounts than his veteran counterparts. Jim McAleney is making the most of his 208 starts with 40 wins thus far in 2009.

TOP JOCKS BY STARTS
1. Patrick Husbands (321 Starts, 68 Wins)
2. Chantal Sutherland (310 Starts, 47 Wins)
3. Emma-Jayne Wilson (282 Starts, 32 Wins)
4. Emile Ramsammy (270 Starts, 41 Wins)
5. Eurico Rosa Da Silva (249 Starts, 36 Wins)
6. Justin Stein (237 Starts, 18 Wins)
7. Tyler Pizarro (226 Starts, 37 Wins)
8. Jim McAleney (208 Starts, 40 Wins)
9. Gerry Olguin (186 Starts, 11 Wins)
10. Jono Jones (164 Starts, 13 Wins)

While the above listed riders take the majority of the starts, there is a secondary group of jockeys performing regularly and WINNING. I wonder how many Woodbine regulars would correctly guess that Luis Contreras is maintaining a 52.9 ITM% while riding almost exclusively for the Steve Asmussen stable. With 16 wins in 87 starts, Contreras is one of the best kept secrets at Woodbine. Wiley veteran Richard Dos Ramos has carved out twelve wins in 109 starts hitting the board 31.2% of the time and should you manage to find Dos Ramos on the turf his stats elevate to a 53.8 ITM% success rate.

Double Digit Wins in Minimal Starts
Luis Contreras (87 Starts, 16 Wins)
Richard Dos Ramos (109 Starts, 12 Wins)
Constant Montpelier (128 Starts, 11 Wins)
Rob Landry (123 Starts, 10 Wins)
Steve Bahen (156 Starts, 10 Wins)
David Garcia (119 Starts, 10 Wins)

Chantal Sutherland continues to chase for the jockey's title


A third tier group could be comprised of situational riders such as leading Fort Erie jockeys Rui Pimentel and Melanie Pinto who ship in to Woodbine with varying degrees of success along with local vets who pick their spots. Journeyman Rocket Ray Sabourin has five wins in just 48 starts but is collecting at a 31.2% clip. Kentucky Derby winning jockey Stewart Elliott has six starts at Woodbine winning twice and most impressively in the money at a 66% clip thanks to Oaks winning filly Milwaukee Appeal. Of this group, the Fort Erie based Pimentel and Roderick Da Costa are ones to watch as they find the tote board 40% of the time and do not garner the wagering attention of a Patrick Husbands. It's something to think about the next time you draw a line through Pimentel or Da Costa on your program.

Selective Vets and Ship-In Specialists
Todd Kabel (48 Starts 7 Wins, 27.1 ITM%)
Ray Sabourin (48 Starts, 5 Wins, 31.2 ITM%)
Jerry Baird (43 Starts, 2 Wins, 27.9 ITM%)
Melanie Pinto (37 Starts, 3 Wins, 13.5 ITM%)
Rui Pimentel (10 Starts, 1 Win, 40 ITM%)
Roderick Da Costa (12 Starts, 2 Wins, 41.7 ITM%)
Stewart Elliott (6 Starts, 2 Wins, 66.7 ITM%)

This myriad of choices got me to thinking about stereotypes. What do we assume we know about Woodbine jockeys? Here's a few stereotypes I've heard around the track:

* Patrick Husbands is not a turf jockey
WRONG - Husbands is the LEADING turf jockey with six wins from 37 mounts and a consistent 56.8 ITM%. On the MAIN TRACK, Husbands has a 52.8 ITM% which means you have a better chance with Husbands when he's on the grass. Granted, he does have some 250 additional starts on the poly which skews the stats.

* Jono Jones is the best Woodbine turf jockey
Jones has 3 wins in 29 starts on the turf collecting 41.4% of the time. Statistically speaking, it is safe to say that Jones is a better rider on the turf when you compare his turf numbers to his 27.4 ITM% figures on the poly, but Husbands (6), Sutherland (5) Da Silva (4) and Ramsammy (4) all have more turf wins. Regardless, I hear enough horsemen rate Jones' skills that I cannot help but ignore the stats. Plus it's hard to discount the opinion of veteran trainer Roger Attfield who uses Jones almost exclusively.

* Emile Ramsammy is at his best in sprints
WRONG - While Ramsammy is certainly an effective jockey, the stats say that the journeyman has a 51.7ITM% in distance races compared to a 37.6ITM% in sprints. Husbands is the leading sprint jockey with a 21.8 Win%, and I was surprised to find that Tyler Pizarro is next best with a 19.6 Win%. You might be interested to know that Jim McAleney is an efficient 10 for 43 in distance races to lead all the Woodbine jocks with a 23.3 Win%.

Benjamin Disraeli, the 19th Cetury British Prime Minister, is famously quoted as saying, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." Wise words and ones I think we can all agree apply when it comes to handicapping. Patrick Husbands is a great jockey but he also gets a lot of live mounts. If a rider was in the money more than 70% of the time after 60 starts, it would make me think twice about how I wager. Until that trend appears, I will continue to use jockey statistics as just one more of the many reference tools at my disposal.

Please click on the following link to catch up on all the latest Woodbine meet statistics.

Sweet Sovereign! Photos and Notes From Canada's Horse Racing Gala

Friday night I attended the 34th Annual Sovereign Awards held at the oh-so-swank Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto. The star-studded event was a black tie affair and Patrick Husbands, Jim McAleney and Eurico Rosa Da Silva shunned their usual silks for tuxedos.


Patrick Husbands in the glow of an 80s inspired Sovereign set.

Before a top jockey could be decided, the Sovereign Award for Top Apprentice was awarded to 25 year-old Saskatchewan native Janine Stianson who won 68 races at Winnipeg's Assiniboia Downs.


Janine Stianson smiles for the camera.

An excited Stianson said, "this is the most prestigious award I've ever won." Based on her success this past season, it won't be the last award Stianson claims. She's come a long way from her first winner as a 15 year-old on Lead Me To The Mine, and perhaps a season in Toronto is in her future.

Mark Casse capped off a strong year to win for Outstanding Trainer over fellow nominees Terry Jordan and Hall of Famer Roger Attfield. Casse said his biggest thrill of 2008 was Sealy Hill running second in the Breeders' Cup. I asked Casse about his star rider, Patrick Husbands, and the trainer was full of superlatives, "Patrick showed great determination...he's my go-to guy, it doesn't matter when I go, Patrick is the guy I depend on. It doesn't matter if it's the Kentucky Derby or the Breeders' Cup, I have faith that he'll give me what I need." Casse went on to praise Husbands work effort and you can sense a strong bond between Woodbine handicappers' favourite one-two punch.


Pre-Sovereign Award action from the Four Seasons Hotel

Patrick Husbands overcame what seemed an insurmountable Jim McAleney lead, to win the jockey's title on the last day of the year and was a deserving winner of the Sovereign for Outstanding Jockey. Husbands thanked a lot of his success to working with trainers like Scott Fairlie and Bob Tiller and showed great respect to trainer Mark Casse who provided him with not only live mounts, but friendship and encouragement when the physical effects of a long season were taking a hard toll. It was good to see a smiling Patrick Husbands enjoying the result of his hard work.


Triple Dead Heat with the King of Woodbine - Patrick Husbands

The big winner of the night was undoubtedly Danny Dion of Bear Stables, who took home four awards including Champion Sprinter (Fatal Bullet), Champion Older Female (Bear Now), Outstanding Owner, and topped it off with Fatal Bullet beating out Ginger Brew and Rahy's Attorney for Horse of the Year. Dion said, "this is a dream come true...we came here hoping to win an award or two, but to win Owner of the Year and Horse of the Year is out of this world." Many of Dion's horses have the "Bear" name and Bear Now is just one example of the great horses Dion has brought to the track.

One of my favourite "Bears" from 2008 is Jimmymac Bear, named for top jockey Jim McAleney. Dion explained, "Jimmy Mac was in Florida at the auction sale and he told me that he liked Hip Number 55...the next day the horse was selling for $35,000 and I decided to take a chance. Jimmy will always ride that horse as he's part of the story. He's a nice horse and has potential." Jimmymac Bear is currently in Florida with the rest of the Bear crew so keep an eye out.

Dion made it known that his main goal is to one day find a Bear in the winner's circle of the Kentucky Derby. Dion wasn't the only Sovereign winner gunning towards the Run For The Roses, the connections of Champion 2 Year-Old Male, Mine That Bird, also announced they were pointing toward the first Saturday in May. Look out Kentucky!

Brazilian born jockey Eurico Rosa Da Silva took time to talk a little footy with me and profess his support for Corinthians as well as Real Madrid. Da Silva rode over 100 winners this season and hopes next year he will score as often as his favourite footballer Romario.

Eurico Rosa Da Silva and his beautiful wife Claudia.

For me, the most important story of the night though belongs to Down The Stretch editor Peter Gross who won the Sovereign for Outstanding Feature Story for his piece on Alex Brown titled, How Many Horses Can One Man Save. Alex Brown has been featured several times in Triple Dead Heat and the work Brown does is so important in promoting the safety and welfare of race horses. On a night that rewarded so many people for their investment in race horses, it seems fitting that a story about saving the stars of the show raced out a winner.


Peter Gross and Ron Waples sharing a laugh.

While I thoroughly enjoyed my night, it is apparent that my wish list for 2009 will include a new camera. More photos and stories from the night will be posted soon. Congratulations to all the nominees!

* * *

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?

Visit Alex Brown Racing and read about the issues and get involved.

Visit Long Run Thoroughbred Retirement Society and adopt a horse or volunteer.

Visit Phase 2 Thoroughbreds and help a race horse find a second career.

Get political with the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition.


Donate funds directly from your HorsePlayerInteractive account to the Long Run Retirement Society. 1500 points can be redeemed for a $5 donation.

* * *
Here's a listing of the winners from the 34th Annual Sovereign Awards.

HORSE OF THE YEAR:Fatal Bullet
2-YEAR-OLD FILLY: Van Lear Rose
2-YEAR-OLD MALE: Mine That Bird
3-YEAR-OLD MALE: Not Bourbon
3-YEAR-OLD FILLY: Ginger Brew
OLDER FEMALE: Bear Now
OLDER MALE HORSE: Marchfield
SPRINTER: Fatal Bullet
MALE TURF HORSE: Rahy’s Attorney
FEMALE TURF HORSE: Callwood Dancer
JOCKEY: Patrick Husbands
APPRENTICE JOCKEY: Janine Stianson
TRAINER: Mark Casse
OWNER: Bear Stables
BREEDER: Adena Springs
BROODMARE: Kathie’s Colleen

PHOTOGRAPH: Matt Waples
FILM/VIDEO/BROADCAST: Horse Racing Alberta & Whiteiron Productions
NEWSPAPER STORY: Bev Smith
FEATURE STORY: Peter Gross

King James of Woodbine OR St Patrick - Patron Saint of Stakes Races

Patrick Husbands and Jim McAleney are locked in a gruelling stretch drive to stake their claim as Woodbine's leading jockey. On Wednesday night, with the race tied at 157 apiece, Husbands took the Sir Barton Stakes aboard Dancers Bajan, but McAleney won three races to take a slight lead in the standings at 160-158.

Thursday saw Husbands win two races as McAleney was shut out to even the race at 160, going into an action packed final weekend that includes THIRTEEN races on Sunday. As well, Sunday sees the return of Chantal Sutherland to Woodbine along with Kentucky Derby champ Kent Desormeaux. Both Sutherland and Desormeaux will be competing in the final Stakes race of the season - the 1 3/4 mile Valedictory Stakes.

Here are the current standings:

Name	Starts	1st	2nd	3rd	Earnings
Patrick Husbands	791	160	137	110	$9,246,245
James McAleney	819	160	110	118	$8,388,439
Emma-Jayne Wilson	868	111	110	136	$6,561,041
Eurico Rosa Da Silva	721	103	93	84	$5,794,791
Emile Ramsammy	840	101	103	115	$5,153,294

As you can see, there is also a race happening for third place between Emma Jayne Wilson and Eurico Rosa Da Silva.

Here are the entries over the final weekend for the battle to see if the headlines will read King James of Woodbine or St Patrick - Patron Saint of Stakes Races.

FRIDAY

HUSBANDS

Race 1 - Go Boldly
Race 2 - Wainfleet (Could be an all Husbands Daily Double to start the day.)
Race 5- Christo
Race 6- Ky Bluz Girl
Race 7 - Runoff to L A
Race 8 - Side Swipe

McALENEY

Race 3 - Foolish Vow
Race 4 Jimmymac Bear (Seems like we should all be placing a hunch bet here!)
Race 5 White Balance
Race 6 - Choir Practice
Race 8 Let Her Peek
Race 9 Six Roses
Race 10 Legendary Ella

SATURDAY

HUSBANDS

Race 1 - Faye's Gray
Race3 - Feather Bed Lane
Race4 - The Queen's Stamp (major shot with this one.)
Race 5 - Highland Gypsy
Race 6 - Shafted (Display Stakes 1 1/16 for two year olds. Have to like Husbands for Casse here.)
Race 7 - Distant Kain
Race 8 - Pool Play
Race10 - Boca Breeze
RAce 11 - La Gran Germaine

McALENEY
Race 1 - Quebec City
Race 2 - Smart Touch
Race 4 - Initforreal
Race 5 - Budka
Race 6 - Red Leader (Display Stakes 1 1/16 for two year olds)
Race 7 - Tea Bay
Race 8 - Criminal Power
Race 9 - Honeymoon Suite (If Jimmy Mac could grow wings...ugh, sorry cheezy song!)
Race 10 - Read's Bay

SUNDAY

HUSBANDS
Race 1 - Archie's Gal
Race 2 - Awesome Rhythm
Race 3 - Jump To Conclusions
Race 4 - Skip Code (Looking to peak at just the right time.)
Race 5- Sunset Pleasure (AE)
Race 6 - Lucius Vorenus AND Imalwaysright (AE) (Two at a time Patrick? That would be a first!)
Race 7 - Ascot's Legend
Race 8 - Sanibel
Race 9 - Southbound Again
Race 10 - No mount in the 1 3/4 Mile Valedictory Stakes?
Race 12 - Lost In The Forest
Race 13 - You're Funny

McALENEY
Race 2 - Not For Royals
Race 3 - Aliciainwonderland
Race 4 - Long Journey
Race 6 - Thunderbear
Race 7 - Ciano Nights
Race 8 - Bearusa
Race 9 - Beach Deputy
Race 10 - Include Us (Valedictory Stakes)
Race 13 - Stolonboy

That's a serious number of rides for two Woodbine veterans and I'm sure they'll both be too tired to celebrate come the end of Sunday's card. If we're lucky, we'll see a tie game going into the thirteenth race on Sunday with a head-to-head battle down the lane between two great jockeys.

As a teaser, here's the sort of finish we're looking for...Patrick Husbands outstanding ride on Canadian champion Sealy Hill at 48-1. He finished second, but we were all out of our seats that day at Woodbine to cheer on Patrick.



Best of luck to both riders. I do hope Woodbine's brilliant track announcer, Dan Loiselle, will give us dual commentary on the race within the race over the weekend.

Woobine Stretch Drive - Jimmy Mac v Patrick Husbands

With only five racing days left in the Woodbine meet, the jockey's race is heating up for what should be a very tight finish. Jim McAleney was hoping to wire the field this season after a very successful campaign riding horses for Terry Jordan and Steve Asmussen. However, as the season wears on, a determined Patrick Husbands has started to pile on the wins to go with his many stakes victories this season. Tonight's competitive card finds the jocks notched in a dead heat of 157-157. Sadly, Emma-Jayne Wilson, in third place with an impressive 110 victories will not have enough mounts to have the season end in a Triple Dead Heat!

The current standings are as follows:

Name	Starts	1st	2nd	3rd	Earnings
Patrick Husbands	775	157	132	108	$9,054,324
James McAleney	807	157	110	115	$8,316,182
Emma-Jayne Wilson	855	110	109	131	$6,493,412
Emile Ramsammy	826	101	101	114	$5,119,553
Eurico Rosa Da Silva	707	100	93	83	$5,707,955

Let's take a closer look at tonight's action.

Race 1
Jimmy Mac is on board a live Reade Baker mount Morani and should cruise into the lead in the standings as Patrick Husbands watches from the jock's room.

Race 2
McAleney is aboard the morning line favourite, Elkhart, while Husbands first ride of the evening is on Seaside View at 4-1. I have a good feeling about a horse named Prada Girl in this fixture however and expect both jocks to have a rough time beating Gerry Olguin's horse.

Race 3
Patrick Husbands steers Audre Capucciti's American Signature, who will be in tough against Emma Jayne on Wookin To Run.

Race 4
McAleney is Thumbin A Ride on the ML favourite. All should go as expected here. That's two wins for Mac so far.

Race 5
McAleney has Affinity One, while Husbands looks good on the Mark Casse trained Unique Incident. This battle should go to Patrick as the jock/trainer combo has been a solid one all meet long.

Race 6
Patrick Husbands rides Full of Wisdom in this six and a half furlong event but Robert Landry should steal the treasure on Pirate's Legend.

Race 7
In the $125K Sir Barton Stakes, Patrick Husbands will look to win yet another stakes race on the excellent Dancers Bajan. This mile and a sixteenth test features Roger Attfield trained Sand Cove carrying 126lbs. That is a lot of weight to give Wilson on the 119lb Executive Choice. Still, Dancers Bajan has had an excellent season and I expect Husbands to get the job done.

Race 8
Going into the late double, I expect the standings to be tied at 159 apiece. Husbands is on the Tiller trained Vegas Venture and Jimmy has only Gotaghostofachance with this Scott Fairlie gelding. Look for Husbands to edge ahead in the standings at an even 160.

Race 9
The final race of the evening saw Charley Tango scratched to end Husbands night. However, trainer Norm McKnight has not yet named a jockey on Strathclyde. It may not matter though, for a 15-1 shot from the 14 post isn't likely to win...but stranger things have happened and I'm sure both jocks would like a chance at another win.

Good luck to both jocks as they make the last few days of our Woodbine meet an exciting one to watch.