Post by Peter Gross on Apr 6, 2009 7:13:24 GMT -5
The Down The Stretch gang had a terrific day at Woodbine on April 4, first day of the thoroughbred racing season. And that was one busy crowd at the track, even on a day that was cold and windy. It seems the recession only drives more people to the races, as if they believe they can bet their way out of debt!
Down The Stretch, Canada's most informative and entertaining horse racing newspaper, had a table for Community Day in which dozens of businesses that intersect with Woodbine got to promote themselves and we weren't shy at all in that regard. We gave out Down The Stretch pens (they ran out) signed covers ( Richard Dos Ramos, Paul MacDonell and Chantal Sutherland) free programs, and copies of our Perry and Mooch cartoons - the only cartoon characters that hang out at the track.
Also, associate editor Eleanor Leblanc ( who looked even prettier than she normally does) brought a huge jar and 150 purple ribbons inscribed with the phrase For the Love of Horses. Eleanor, in a warm and charming way, solicited donations from the racing fans with the money designated to save a horse from slaughter. What surprised me was the generosity of the fans who I thought might not want to deplete their betting reservoirs. People put in 5's and 10's and 20's. Woodbine President Nick Eaves came by and immediately put in 20 dollars. Then he allowed me to take him to the grandstand and make him pose in front of the fully occupied seats, pretending to count the house. It's a funny shot, Nick is a good sport and look for this one in the next issue of Down The Stretch.
As for the races, Chantal Sutherland fired her opening salvo, rallying Flashy N classy to victory in the first. Sutherland is planning to ride the full season at Woodbine, after a winter of racing in California. If she gets her fair share of good horses, she just might be the one to overhaul Patrick Husbands. Sutherland ended day one with two wins, but Husbands scored three times, including the first Stakes race of the season -La Voyageuse - which he won with Mullins beach.
And the 8th race was notable, maybe more for me than most fans. I was taking a bit of a beating and looking for a way to get back. I saw Steve Bahen on the filly, I'm a Moon Too, making her first career race in a field full of non-intimidating maidens. I bet $3 win/place on it and Bahen had I'm a Moon Too running hard up the rail to nail the front runner just before the wire. She paid $37.40 and set up a very nice 9-2 exactor that coughed up $458.50. The tri was worth cashing too at $2963.60, but how about that superfecta? Even though it was just a field of 9, the 9-2-7-10 combination paid $100,138.70. Well, that's how it was posted. There was only $27,248 bet on the super, so that means one person, who bet just .20 cashed for $20,000. Good luck trying to do that in 649.
In the jocks room, we renewed our relationships with the jockeys. Emma-Jayne Wilson, who was practically bouncing out of her socks, showed me an hilarious video of a stunt the jockeys played on clerk of the scales, Robert Bertrand. In the late hours on the night before the last day of racing last December, Wilson and her devious band filled Bertrand's office with over 4000 balloons. Bertrand is not a lightweight; he has to run a colony of reckless and willful jockeys and there's not much wiggle room for frivolity. From what we learned though, Bertrand was thrilled that the jockeys cared that much to prank him.
Chantal Sutherland was kind enough to meet us in the interview room. She posed for a picture with my daughter Emily (who wasn't as impressed as I was). The next issue of Down The Stretch has a two page feature on Sutherland, written by Perry Lefko, so we asked her if she would allow us to take a shot of her wrapped in the Canadian Flag.,
"It will be an iconic shot," I implored and Chantal immediately agreed. This woman is approaching superstar status. She's in that widely-viewed Animal Planet series Jockeys, was named one of the world's 50 Most Beautiful People last year by People Magazine and, perhaps the most important thing, she is becoming one of the very best jockeys on the planet. Anyone paying attention for a six week period last summer at Woodbine saw Chantal putting on a clinic on the grass. It doesn't hurt that the camera loves her. The next issue of Down The Stretch will features several appealing pictures of her; most likely she will grace the cover, wrapped cozily in the Canadian flag.
Not quite as cute, but close, are jockeys Eurico da Silva, Jim McAleny, Justin Stein, Corey Fraser and Patrick Husbands. I got to spend a few moments with each, asking the uninspired question, "What's it like to be back?"
The thoroughbred season is underway. We'll come up with better questions in ensuing weeks. Like, Who do you like in the Queen's Plate? or How are the roast beef sandwiches today? or Can you lend me $20 for the last race tri?
Down The Stretch, Canada's most informative and entertaining horse racing newspaper, had a table for Community Day in which dozens of businesses that intersect with Woodbine got to promote themselves and we weren't shy at all in that regard. We gave out Down The Stretch pens (they ran out) signed covers ( Richard Dos Ramos, Paul MacDonell and Chantal Sutherland) free programs, and copies of our Perry and Mooch cartoons - the only cartoon characters that hang out at the track.
Also, associate editor Eleanor Leblanc ( who looked even prettier than she normally does) brought a huge jar and 150 purple ribbons inscribed with the phrase For the Love of Horses. Eleanor, in a warm and charming way, solicited donations from the racing fans with the money designated to save a horse from slaughter. What surprised me was the generosity of the fans who I thought might not want to deplete their betting reservoirs. People put in 5's and 10's and 20's. Woodbine President Nick Eaves came by and immediately put in 20 dollars. Then he allowed me to take him to the grandstand and make him pose in front of the fully occupied seats, pretending to count the house. It's a funny shot, Nick is a good sport and look for this one in the next issue of Down The Stretch.
As for the races, Chantal Sutherland fired her opening salvo, rallying Flashy N classy to victory in the first. Sutherland is planning to ride the full season at Woodbine, after a winter of racing in California. If she gets her fair share of good horses, she just might be the one to overhaul Patrick Husbands. Sutherland ended day one with two wins, but Husbands scored three times, including the first Stakes race of the season -La Voyageuse - which he won with Mullins beach.
And the 8th race was notable, maybe more for me than most fans. I was taking a bit of a beating and looking for a way to get back. I saw Steve Bahen on the filly, I'm a Moon Too, making her first career race in a field full of non-intimidating maidens. I bet $3 win/place on it and Bahen had I'm a Moon Too running hard up the rail to nail the front runner just before the wire. She paid $37.40 and set up a very nice 9-2 exactor that coughed up $458.50. The tri was worth cashing too at $2963.60, but how about that superfecta? Even though it was just a field of 9, the 9-2-7-10 combination paid $100,138.70. Well, that's how it was posted. There was only $27,248 bet on the super, so that means one person, who bet just .20 cashed for $20,000. Good luck trying to do that in 649.
In the jocks room, we renewed our relationships with the jockeys. Emma-Jayne Wilson, who was practically bouncing out of her socks, showed me an hilarious video of a stunt the jockeys played on clerk of the scales, Robert Bertrand. In the late hours on the night before the last day of racing last December, Wilson and her devious band filled Bertrand's office with over 4000 balloons. Bertrand is not a lightweight; he has to run a colony of reckless and willful jockeys and there's not much wiggle room for frivolity. From what we learned though, Bertrand was thrilled that the jockeys cared that much to prank him.
Chantal Sutherland was kind enough to meet us in the interview room. She posed for a picture with my daughter Emily (who wasn't as impressed as I was). The next issue of Down The Stretch has a two page feature on Sutherland, written by Perry Lefko, so we asked her if she would allow us to take a shot of her wrapped in the Canadian Flag.,
"It will be an iconic shot," I implored and Chantal immediately agreed. This woman is approaching superstar status. She's in that widely-viewed Animal Planet series Jockeys, was named one of the world's 50 Most Beautiful People last year by People Magazine and, perhaps the most important thing, she is becoming one of the very best jockeys on the planet. Anyone paying attention for a six week period last summer at Woodbine saw Chantal putting on a clinic on the grass. It doesn't hurt that the camera loves her. The next issue of Down The Stretch will features several appealing pictures of her; most likely she will grace the cover, wrapped cozily in the Canadian flag.
Not quite as cute, but close, are jockeys Eurico da Silva, Jim McAleny, Justin Stein, Corey Fraser and Patrick Husbands. I got to spend a few moments with each, asking the uninspired question, "What's it like to be back?"
The thoroughbred season is underway. We'll come up with better questions in ensuing weeks. Like, Who do you like in the Queen's Plate? or How are the roast beef sandwiches today? or Can you lend me $20 for the last race tri?
