Post by peter gross on Sept 22, 2009 6:14:59 GMT -5
They had two great grass races at Woodbine on Sunday resulting in one amazing finish and a precedent setting outcome for a female horse and one controversial decision by the stewards.
The $Million Woodbine Mile was won by the five year-old Mare Ventura who kicked in down the long stretch of the E.P. Taylor Turf Course, passing 8 of 9 rivals to win by a length. The win by Ventura is the first by a female horse in the 13 year history of this race. By surging past the field in front of the grandstand, Ventura and jockey Garrett Gomez set a record for the Stakes - 1:32.04. That's why they designed the turf course the way they did...to set up great finishes and off-the pace charges. This win got Ventura an automatic spot in the Breeders' Cup Mile, but it appears that she will run in the Filly and Mares Sprint at seven furlongs, a race she won last year. Ventura is owned by the Juddmonte Farms who almost pulled off a wonderful double, but the stewards denied them the glory.
Earlier in the day, in the Northern Dancer Stakes - a mile and a half on the grass - Juddmonte's Marsh Side hit the wire first, but in the last sixteenth, it was clear to all that he had come in sharply, pushing Quijano into Champs Elysee who was making what might have been a winning move along the hedge. Jockey Garett Gomez had to press on the brakes and take Champs Elysee to the middle of track, but the pinch-job cost that horse any chance of winning.
The tote board lit up right after the race; the second, third and fourth place horses - Just As Well, Quijano and Champs Elysee all expressed their unhappiness with the events in the final moments of the race ( well, actually, their jockeys did). After 15 minutes of examination, the stewards, correctly, disqualified Marsh Side and place the late charging Just As Well on top. That's got to kill, seeing your horse win a $750,000 race, only to have it taken away. That being said, the stewards really had no choice.
I stuffed my face on the Mohawk buffet the night before and watched as Muscle Hill treated the rest of the field in the Canadian Trotting Classic with disdain, winning by at least three lengths as no other horse seemed brave ( or good) enough to challenge him. Brian Sears allowed Muscle Hill to settle in fifth off the start and as soon as everyone was in single file, he moved the odds-on favourite to the outside and in a benign second quarter that was timed in :30, Sears was able to get Muscle Hill in front. From that point on, it was clear everyone else was playing for second money. Muscle Hill didn't have to entertain anyone on the outside of him and he trotted happily down the lane to his 17th straight win and an easy $600,000. He paid just $2.20 to win and the $100,000 bet on him in place pool assured a $2.10 payoff for coming in second.
If you've been following my wagering adventures, you know that Saturday was day 25 of my 50 days of Doubles, a proclamation imposed on myself to bet only daily doubles. That meant I couldn't bet the Trotting Classic, not that there was any money to be made.
As for the experiment, I'm sad to relate that I'm down about $300 in my doubles. The problem is, now that I cant' bet exactors, or pick threes or win/place, I search for tracks that allow doubles and I've been making bets at Fairplex and Philadelphia, and Mountaineer when I might normally ignore tracks like that.
Anyway, I still have almost a month to redeem myself parimutuelly.
The $Million Woodbine Mile was won by the five year-old Mare Ventura who kicked in down the long stretch of the E.P. Taylor Turf Course, passing 8 of 9 rivals to win by a length. The win by Ventura is the first by a female horse in the 13 year history of this race. By surging past the field in front of the grandstand, Ventura and jockey Garrett Gomez set a record for the Stakes - 1:32.04. That's why they designed the turf course the way they did...to set up great finishes and off-the pace charges. This win got Ventura an automatic spot in the Breeders' Cup Mile, but it appears that she will run in the Filly and Mares Sprint at seven furlongs, a race she won last year. Ventura is owned by the Juddmonte Farms who almost pulled off a wonderful double, but the stewards denied them the glory.
Earlier in the day, in the Northern Dancer Stakes - a mile and a half on the grass - Juddmonte's Marsh Side hit the wire first, but in the last sixteenth, it was clear to all that he had come in sharply, pushing Quijano into Champs Elysee who was making what might have been a winning move along the hedge. Jockey Garett Gomez had to press on the brakes and take Champs Elysee to the middle of track, but the pinch-job cost that horse any chance of winning.
The tote board lit up right after the race; the second, third and fourth place horses - Just As Well, Quijano and Champs Elysee all expressed their unhappiness with the events in the final moments of the race ( well, actually, their jockeys did). After 15 minutes of examination, the stewards, correctly, disqualified Marsh Side and place the late charging Just As Well on top. That's got to kill, seeing your horse win a $750,000 race, only to have it taken away. That being said, the stewards really had no choice.
I stuffed my face on the Mohawk buffet the night before and watched as Muscle Hill treated the rest of the field in the Canadian Trotting Classic with disdain, winning by at least three lengths as no other horse seemed brave ( or good) enough to challenge him. Brian Sears allowed Muscle Hill to settle in fifth off the start and as soon as everyone was in single file, he moved the odds-on favourite to the outside and in a benign second quarter that was timed in :30, Sears was able to get Muscle Hill in front. From that point on, it was clear everyone else was playing for second money. Muscle Hill didn't have to entertain anyone on the outside of him and he trotted happily down the lane to his 17th straight win and an easy $600,000. He paid just $2.20 to win and the $100,000 bet on him in place pool assured a $2.10 payoff for coming in second.
If you've been following my wagering adventures, you know that Saturday was day 25 of my 50 days of Doubles, a proclamation imposed on myself to bet only daily doubles. That meant I couldn't bet the Trotting Classic, not that there was any money to be made.
As for the experiment, I'm sad to relate that I'm down about $300 in my doubles. The problem is, now that I cant' bet exactors, or pick threes or win/place, I search for tracks that allow doubles and I've been making bets at Fairplex and Philadelphia, and Mountaineer when I might normally ignore tracks like that.
Anyway, I still have almost a month to redeem myself parimutuelly.
