Post by Peter Gross on Jun 11, 2010 4:59:58 GMT -5
This weekend verges on the sensational in terms of a wide variety of racing action on the North American scene. The primary source of our attention will be Sunday at Woodbine for the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks (presented by Budweiser). A couple of very speedy fillies will meet in that one. Embur's Song and Resentless will see who can outrun each other. Enbur's Song, trained by Todd Pletcher comes into the Oaks off a sensational mile and a sixteenth in which she missed the track record by .22. It was just the filly's second career race, so if she improves off that, she'll be a handful, Garret Gomez, the best jockey in North American drops into Rexdale to ride. The chief rival will be Resentless, trained by Ian Howard for Gordon Ross. Resentless, a daughter of Trajectory has not just won her last two races - she has crushed her opponents. In the Ontario Lassies Stakes last November, Resentless cruised home by 5 1/4 lengths at odds of 3-4. In her only start in 2010, she buried seven other fillies in the Fury Stakes, winning by five in 1:21.66 for seven furlongs. Chantal Sutherland has a great chance at winning her first Oaks with this one.
Also on Sunday is the $150,000 Queen's Plate Trial with eight horses entered and all eight have something to prove, making this a a very appropriate Trial. Sid Attard has told me he thinks his Ghost Fleet has a shot, but he will have to proof his ability at a distance after losing by six lengths to Essence Hit man in the Queenston Stakes at seven furlongs. Big Red Mike will be ridden by Eurico Rosa da Silva, winner of last year's Plate on Eye of the Tiger, but Big Red Mike's last race makes you wonder. He was third, two lengths behind the winner Gold Medallion in an allowance race at a mile and 70. The time of 1:40.83 was excellent, so maybe Big Red Mike moves forward off that. Mobilizer, to be ridden by Jono Jones for trainer Roger Attfield comes into the Trial off a second place finish to Arctic Fern at a mile and a sixteenth and he was running nicely at the end.
Hollinger was unbeaten in 2009 for Attfield, but his 2010 opener was disappointing. He went off as the 3-4 fave in the Queenston Stakes and flattened out in the stretch for a fourth place finish behind the fast Essence Hit Man.
D's Wando gets Emma-Jayne Wilson and he comes off an ordinary third in the Queenston Stakes.
Captain Canuck probably won't attract much of the bettor's action in the Trial. He broke his maiden with David Clark on May 28 at a mile and an eighth. Wisely, Clark had Captain Canuck close to the pace, because this race went quite slowly - the nine furlongs was timed in 1:53.18; if you extrapolate that to the mile and a quarter Queen's Plate distance, you get about 2:06..which isn't likely to win.
Giant's Tomb comes into the Plate Trial after a non-descript third to Tierre Del Tigre in an optional claim at a mile and a sixteenth in early May. The son of Awesome Again has tons of 'bottom' as far as experience is concerned. Trainer Mark Frostad ran him around two turns in three races at the Fairgrounds and in the last of those three, Giant's Tomb won by two lengths for Patrick Husbands who will ride him in the Trial.
Starting on the outside in this field will be Mobthewarrior for trainer Greg De Gannes. Mobthewarrior lost by a nose to the infamous Bug's Boy in a seven furlong allowance race on May 9. Not sure how good that looks on his resume, but he was gaining dramatically in the last 100 yards.
So that's the deal for Sunday. We also have both of North America's great ladies running this weekend. On Saturday, Rachel Alexandra gets a chance to atone as she will be the very heavy favourite in the Fleur De Lis Grade ll Stakes at Churchill Downs. There doesn't seem to be anything in the five-horse field that can beat Rachel at a mile and an 8th, but that seemed to be the case on April 30 when Rachel was stunned at the finish line by Unrivalled Belle in the La Troienne Stakes at Churchill. If Rachel Alexandra loses this race, she will never again be entered in a race with a French name.
On Sunday, expect horse racing history to be set when Zenyatta takes on five others in the Grade I Vanity Stakes at Hollywood Park. The sensational six year-old mare has won all of her 16 starts and, upon winning, will set the modern record for a thoroughbred running in unrestricted races- 17 wins in succession. Her five opponents should be fearful. Zenyatta is the defending champion of the Vanity and she has won four times at Hollywood. This is a handicap race and Zenyatta will be burdened with 129 pounds, some of which will be jockey Mike Smith. Zenyatta will be giving away as much as 17 pounds to her opponents.
Also on Sunday is the $150,000 Queen's Plate Trial with eight horses entered and all eight have something to prove, making this a a very appropriate Trial. Sid Attard has told me he thinks his Ghost Fleet has a shot, but he will have to proof his ability at a distance after losing by six lengths to Essence Hit man in the Queenston Stakes at seven furlongs. Big Red Mike will be ridden by Eurico Rosa da Silva, winner of last year's Plate on Eye of the Tiger, but Big Red Mike's last race makes you wonder. He was third, two lengths behind the winner Gold Medallion in an allowance race at a mile and 70. The time of 1:40.83 was excellent, so maybe Big Red Mike moves forward off that. Mobilizer, to be ridden by Jono Jones for trainer Roger Attfield comes into the Trial off a second place finish to Arctic Fern at a mile and a sixteenth and he was running nicely at the end.
Hollinger was unbeaten in 2009 for Attfield, but his 2010 opener was disappointing. He went off as the 3-4 fave in the Queenston Stakes and flattened out in the stretch for a fourth place finish behind the fast Essence Hit Man.
D's Wando gets Emma-Jayne Wilson and he comes off an ordinary third in the Queenston Stakes.
Captain Canuck probably won't attract much of the bettor's action in the Trial. He broke his maiden with David Clark on May 28 at a mile and an eighth. Wisely, Clark had Captain Canuck close to the pace, because this race went quite slowly - the nine furlongs was timed in 1:53.18; if you extrapolate that to the mile and a quarter Queen's Plate distance, you get about 2:06..which isn't likely to win.
Giant's Tomb comes into the Plate Trial after a non-descript third to Tierre Del Tigre in an optional claim at a mile and a sixteenth in early May. The son of Awesome Again has tons of 'bottom' as far as experience is concerned. Trainer Mark Frostad ran him around two turns in three races at the Fairgrounds and in the last of those three, Giant's Tomb won by two lengths for Patrick Husbands who will ride him in the Trial.
Starting on the outside in this field will be Mobthewarrior for trainer Greg De Gannes. Mobthewarrior lost by a nose to the infamous Bug's Boy in a seven furlong allowance race on May 9. Not sure how good that looks on his resume, but he was gaining dramatically in the last 100 yards.
So that's the deal for Sunday. We also have both of North America's great ladies running this weekend. On Saturday, Rachel Alexandra gets a chance to atone as she will be the very heavy favourite in the Fleur De Lis Grade ll Stakes at Churchill Downs. There doesn't seem to be anything in the five-horse field that can beat Rachel at a mile and an 8th, but that seemed to be the case on April 30 when Rachel was stunned at the finish line by Unrivalled Belle in the La Troienne Stakes at Churchill. If Rachel Alexandra loses this race, she will never again be entered in a race with a French name.
On Sunday, expect horse racing history to be set when Zenyatta takes on five others in the Grade I Vanity Stakes at Hollywood Park. The sensational six year-old mare has won all of her 16 starts and, upon winning, will set the modern record for a thoroughbred running in unrestricted races- 17 wins in succession. Her five opponents should be fearful. Zenyatta is the defending champion of the Vanity and she has won four times at Hollywood. This is a handicap race and Zenyatta will be burdened with 129 pounds, some of which will be jockey Mike Smith. Zenyatta will be giving away as much as 17 pounds to her opponents.
