Tue, 07/01/2008 - 00:00

Jiggs Coz upsets Dominion Day

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Jiggs Coz, the second choice in a four-horse field, upset the 2-5 favorite, True Metropolitan, in Tuesday's $206,000 Dominion Day Stakes at Woodbine.

Jiggs Coz inherited an easy lead in the 1 1/4-mile event, and set soft fractions of 24.76 seconds, 50.07, and 1:14.50 under David Clark.

True Metropolitan was rated early by Jim McAleney, before assuming a stalking position on the outside. Jiggs Coz began to pull away early in the stretch and prevailed by 2 3/4 lengths in a time of 2:04.99.

Tue, 07/01/2008 - 00:00

Zenyatta's beauty more than skin deep

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - John Shirreffs had been warned.

Scouting prospects at the massive Keeneland September yearling sale in 2005, Shirreffs was tipped by bloodstock agent David Ingordo on a promising Street Cry filly.

"I found a really nice, very athletic filly, looks like a colt with a real regal look," Ingordo told Shirreffs.

There was a catch. The filly, Hip No. 703, was battling a skin disease, Ingordo told the trainer. When Shirreffs saw the filly himself, her condition took him aback.

Tue, 07/01/2008 - 00:00

Tax breaks possible for Woodbine project

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The “Woodbine Live!” project, to be located here on racetrack property, could benefit from multimillion-dollar tax breaks under the city of Toronto’s community improvement program.

A news release issued Monday by the city of Toronto said the city’s Economic Development Committee will meet next Tuesday and will consider a city council report recommending that Woodbine receive financial incentives that come in the form of tax breaks.

Tue, 07/01/2008 - 00:00

Winless streak doesn't worry McLaughlin

Lone Star Park
Lady of Venice comes into Saturday's CashCall Mile off a pair of troubled seconds in 2008.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The losses have been mounting for Lady of Venice since she won the $750,000 CashCall Mile at Hollywood Park last July, but trainer Kiaran McLaughlin is not worried.

Considering the way Lady of Venice has performed in two starts this year, McLaughlin sent the 5-year-old mare to California earlier this week convinced that she can defend her title.

"Her last two races have been her best for us," McLaughlin said.

Mon, 06/30/2008 - 00:00

Amoss tries to hold off Asmussen

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Tom Amoss might well be hearing footsteps. In recent days, Amoss has been fighting and scraping to maintain a tenuous lead atop the trainer standings at the Churchill Downs spring meet, but a rival trainer with far greater resources is right on his heels.

Mon, 06/30/2008 - 00:00

Nicki Knew struts her stuff going long

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Trainer Kevin Attard always has maintained that Nicki Knew's forte would be route racing.

On Sunday, Nicki Knew rewarded Attard's faith when she rallied to win the $250,800 Bison City, the 1 1/16-mile race that is the second leg of the triple tiara for Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies.

"She'd trained well as a juvenile, and I was looking forward to stretching her out," said Attard, who trains Nicki Knew for Sally Stavro and family's Knob Hill Stable. "Today, everything came to fruition. She proved she was capable; she showed that quality."

Mon, 06/30/2008 - 00:00

U.N. tops seven stakes in three days

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Monmouth Park is heading into one of the biggest weekends of the season with seven stakes on tap, including the Grade 1 United Nations.

It starts Friday, July 4, with the Grade 3, $150,000 Jersey Shore Stakes for 3-year-old sprinters.

Silver Edition, trained by Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas, will be one of the top contenders in the Independence Day feature.

Mon, 06/30/2008 - 00:00

Plan for improvements put on hold

During the first week of the fair racing season, the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton, Calif., had a case of buzzard's luck.

A proposal that would have allowed an additional 1 percent takeout to finance major improvements at Pleasanton was deferred by the California Horse Racing Board at its Friday meeting at the Alameda County Fair satellite facility.

Mon, 06/30/2008 - 00:00

Pletcher expects better

ELMONT, N.Y. - By most trainer's standards, being ranked third nationally in purse money won and tied for fifth in races won would be considered a pretty good six months' work.

By Todd Pletcher's standards, the first half of 2008 was pretty mediocre. Through the first six months of the year - and including the results of Dubai World Cup Night - Pletcher has won 114 races and his horses have earned $7,227,546 in purses.

Mon, 06/30/2008 - 00:00

Part Girlie Girl rallies

Part Girlie Girl bested 10 other Ohio-accredited 3-year-old fillies in the $55,000 Cincinnatian at River Downs. Trained by Kris Nemann, Part Girlie Girl was kept just off the pace to upper stretch where jockey Nathan Solomon asked her for run and Part Girlie Girl responded to win by three-quarters of a length. The Cincinnatian was originally carded for the turf course, but was moved to the main track because of heavy rain.