Tizsation Breaks Maiden At Fort Erie

Tizsation, an At The Post 2010 CTHS Winter Mixed Sale "Horse To Watch", broke his maiden in Tuesday's fifth race at Fort Erie. Tizsation broke in front and put away his competition at the top of the stretch, winning the six and a half furlong maiden allowance for three-year-olds and up by seven and one quarter lengths.

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Posted in: Fort Erie

Pender Harbour Captures The Prince Of Wales Stakes

Pender Harbour (middle) won the 2011 Prince of Wales Stakes over Bowman's Causeway (outside) and Oh Canada (insider) in a thrilling finish Sunday at Fort Erie. Courtesy: Fort Erie Race Track / Michael Burns Photography

Jockey Luis Contreras kept his Triple Crown bid alive aboard Pender Harbour, who held off Bowman's Causeway and Oh Canada to win the 2011 Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie on Sunday afternoon. The victory was Pender Harbour's first of the year and third of his career.

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Posted in: BC,CYS,Fort Erie,Hippolytus,Oban,Oh Canada,Pender Harbour,WOM

Breaking Down The 2011 Prince Of Wales Stakes

Hippolytus, pictured, finished second in the Queen's Plate at 61-1 but how will he do as the 2-1 morning line favourite? Courtesy: WEG / Michael Burns Photography

The 2011 Prince of Wales Stakes, the second jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown, will be run on Sunday afternoon at Fort Erie Racetrack. The one mile and three sixteenth race on dirt has attracted a field of seven, all vying for the winner's share of the lucrative $500,000 purse. The 2011 Prince of Wales Stakes is the ninth race of a 10-race card on Sunday at Fort Erie and post time is scheduled for approximately 5:45 p.m. Here's how I see the race playing out.

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Posted in: BC,CYS,Fort Erie,Hippolytus,Oban,Oh Canada,Pender Harbour,Selections,WOM

Field Set For 2011 Prince Of Wales Stakes

The 2011 Prince of Wales Stakes will be contested on Sunday at Fort Erie Race Track. Courtesy: Michael Burns Photography

The post position draw for the 2011 Prince of Wales Stakes, the second jewel in the Canadian Triple Crown, took place earlier this afternoon at Fort Erie Race Track. Seven horses will vie for the winner's share of the $500,000 purse, led by the runner up in the Queen's Plate, Hippolytus. Let's meet the field and see how they will line up on Sunday:

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Posted in: BC,CYS,Fort Erie,Hippolytus,Oban,Oh Canada,Pender Harbour,WOM

Prince Of Wales Workout Report: July 9, 2011

Check Your Soul, pictured, hit the track this morning for his first workout since finishing a disappointing seventh in the 2011 Queen's Plate. Courtesy: WEG / Michael Burns Photography

With just one week left until the 2011 Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie, a number of the nominees hit the track this morning to begin final preparations for the race.

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Posted in: BC,CTM,CYS,Fort Erie,Hippolytus,Oban,Oh Canada,WOM

Smaller Field Expected For Prince Of Wales

Hippolytus, the runner up in the Queen's Plate, will likely vie for favourtism in the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie. Courtesy: WEG / Michael Burns Photography

Six of the 17 starters from the Queen's Plate on June 26th will look to capture the second jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown in the 72nd running of the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie on July 17th. The Queen's Plate winner, Inglorious, will not be one of them.

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Posted in: BC,CYS,Fort Erie,Hippolytus,Molinaro R,Oban,Oh Canada,Pender Harbour,WOM,Wonder Phil

Twilight Racing Begins At Fort Erie

Fort Erie Race Track will begin twilight racing on Monday. Courtesy: Michael Burns Photography

 

Fort Erie Race Track announced last week that they will be bringing back 4:00 p.m. post times on Mondays and Tuesdays for June, July and August. The first edition of twilight racing in 2011 begins this afternoon at 4:00 p.m.

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Posted in: Fort Erie

Fort Erie Launches New Website

With excitement building towards the start of the Fort Erie 2011 meet, the race track launched a new and improved website on March 21, 2011. Racing fans will be able to get all of the information they need about the 114 year-old facility by logging onto forterieracing.com.

The new site not only has an updated look but it offers many great resources for race-goers including free tip sheets, free race replays, free race programs and a promotional schedule. Fans will also notice a new Stats and Bios page in which viewers can get to know some of The Fort's racing personalities.

The website was created by Fort Erie's Web Management Team and designed by Esolutions Group. "We spend a lot of time listening to our fans," said The Fort's Web Developer Ken MacFadyen. "We wanted to know how we could make our site work for them. The end result is a comprehensive website which is easy to navigate."

I had a look at the new site and I think it is a great upgrade for Fort Erie. For me, the best part is the addition of the free replays. I could never find replays for Fort Erie races anywhere online, but now I will be able to keep up with the track on a daily basis if I happen to miss the simulcast live. Overall, I think the new look and additions to the site will attract more Ontario racing fans to the track, hopefully increasing interest and handle.

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Posted in: Fort Erie

Fort Erie Holding Job Fair For Upcoming Meet

With their upcoming meet beginning on May 7th, the Fort Erie Live Racing Consortium is holding their first ever job fair on Saturday, March 26th. There are over 30 positions that need to be filled before opening day. Fort Erie asks that those people who are interested in applying bring their resume, including references, to the racetrack's Clubhouse between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

Jobs are available in departments such as Maintenance, Food and Beverage, Security and Administration. Since many of the positions are seasonal, students looking for summer employment may find the job fair of tremendous value.

"We have such a wide range of positions available, everything from dishwashers to accounting clerks," said Greg Claroni, Fort Erie's Human Resource Manager. "It's a great feeling to confidently open the doors to the local community and encourage employment, especially when the venue is such a huge part of our town's history."

Not only will Fort Erie be accepting resumes for current available positions but management will also be accepting resumes in order to prepare for jobs that may become available in the future.

"We are optimistic that the job fair will have a large turnout," said Chief Operating Officer, Rick Cowan. "It acknowledges our commitment to the 2011 season and the great year that we have planned."

Here is a list of positions that are available:

Maintenance - General Labourers and Landscaping

Food & Beverage - Tier 3 Cooks, Salad Bar Attendants, Dishwashers, Night Kitchen Cleaners, Dining/Cocktail Servers, Bartenders and Porters

Security - Security Guards

Administration - Administration Assistant and Accounting Clerk

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Posted in: Fort Erie

A New Voice At Fort Erie Race Track

On February 25th, Fort Erie Race Track officially named Mike Dimoff their new track announcer for the upcoming 2011 season. Previously, Dimoff has been a race caller at several thoroughbred race tracks in North America, including Northlands Park in Edmonton, Turf Paradise (Arizona), Bay Meadows (California) and the Fair Grounds in New Orleans.

"It's a privilege to get the opportunity to call at a track as historic as Fort Erie," said Dimoff. "I can't wait to see what the 2011 season has in store."

Along with his duties as The Fort's race caller, Dimoff will also become a part of the daily handicapping show alongside racing analyst Elissa Blowe.

"Mike will be taking over the tip sheets this season and he will also be passing along his handicapping knowledge to our racing fans," said Blowe.

Opening day for Fort Erie's 114th season of live racing is set for Saturday, May 7th. First race post time is 12:45 p.m.

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Posted in: Fort Erie

109 Three-Year-Olds Nominated To Canadian Triple Crown

Although this news did not come in a press release of its own, at least not yet, the list of the nominees to the Canadian Triple Crown was revealed in Woodbine's release of the winterbook odds for the 2011 Queen's Plate. The list includes all three-year-old Canadian-breds who were nominated to the Canadian Triple Crown in the early nomination period.

While 109 horses appear on the early nomination list, horses can be added or removed from this list on the next major date, May 1st. For horses already on the list, a sustaining payment of $1,500 must be made by May 1st to keep horses eligible for the race. Any horses who do not have the $1,500 payment made will be made ineligible and will be removed from the list. For horses who are not already on the list, a $5,000 late nomination fee can be paid by May 1st to become eligible for the Triple Crown. If the horses are still not on the list of nominees after May 1st, they can still be nominated for the Triple Crown, however, owners will have to make a $25,000 supplementary payment ($15,000 + $10,000 entry fee) at the time of final entry to be made eligible for the first race, the Queen's Plate.

The 2011 Canadian Triple Crown will take place at Woodbine and Fort Erie racetracks. The first jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown is the Queen's Plate, which will take place at Woodbine on Polytrack on Sunday, June 26th. The chase for the Triple Crown will resume three weeks later with the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie on dirt on Sunday, July 17th. The final jewel of the Triple Crown, the Breeders' Stakes, will be run at Woodbine on turf on Sunday, August 7th. The Canadian Triple Crown truly is a difficult task for any horse as it puts the three-year-old thoroughbred to the test, challenging them at three different distances on three different surfaces.

Below is the full list of the 109 horses that were nominated for the 2011 Canadian Triple Crown by the early nomination deadline:

2011 Canadian Triple Crown Early Nominees
Anna May Capri (f)	Good Better Best	Pass Partout (f)
Big Bruce	Gran Tsar	Path to Home
Bigstormbrewin'	Grand Style (f)	Pender Harbour
Bissix Hill	Head Honcho	Perfect Prospector
Black N Beauty	Hippolytus	Piamento
Blackstone Bay	Holy Crusader	Put It on Hold
Blindsidehit (f)	Hothersal	Queen'splatekitten
Bobcaygeon	I Want You To Know	Readyman
Bob's Tale	Ice Danger	Real Dingo
Born to Boogie	Ice Pilot	Red Ace
Bowman's Causeway	Imhotep	Reigners Lane
Calius	Inglorious (f)	Report Card Time
Call Time	Justin's Tapit	Roxy Gap (f)
Celestial Fire	Kurogane	Runaway Whiz
Celtic Conviction	Lisvernane (f)	Salvatorio
Chant My Name	Maple Leaf Kitten	Sandy Gully
Check Your Soul	Maritime Missile	Sardonicus
Classic Chaffee	Mays Treasuretrove (f)	Sensational Slam
Clean House	Merchant of Menace	Sir Berringer
Control	Molinaro Chef	Sir Mcintyre
Creeping Barrage	Molinaro Departure	Song River
Crown's Path	Molinaro FT Sassy	Soul of Gold
Curgone	Molinaro Handsome	Speed Ring
Curiosity Seeker	Molinaro Remarks	Storm Light
Delawana	Most Unusual	Strike Oil
Denialer	Mystery Man	Stunning Split
Diego Bay	Nanaimo	Super Strike
Do the Math	Oban	Superbull
E Assault	Occasional View	Timber Thunder
East High Street	Oh Canada	Top Prospect
Eliana Querida (f)	Ojibway Signal	Top the Podium
Enduring Star	Okiyama	Welloiledmachine
Eternal Rule	One Big Gator	Withdrawal
Excellency	Opening Meet	Wonder Phil
Eyes of Blue	Orocomo	Yankee Bailey West
Ghost Gunner	Padmore Village	Yoho
Ghost Time

*(f) denotes a filly

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Posted in: Fort Erie,Inglorious,Queens Plate,Woodbine

CTHS Rewards Top Ontario Stallions

The Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society's (CTHS) Ontario Division announced the top recipients of the Thoroughbred Improvement Program's stallion awards. A total of 44 Ontario stallions received awards totaling $400,000 based on the success of their Ontario-sired offspring on the track during the past year.

Earning top spot on the list was Bold Executive, who received a $50,000 award. Bold Executive sired 67 winners from 121 starters during 2010. Those 121 starters combined to earn $3,766,493 in purse earnings last year, headlined by multiple stakes winners Sand Cove and Jacally.

Where's The Ring placed second and earned a $30,000 award. Where's The Ring produced 39 winners from 83 runners, including stakes winners Race for Gold, Gypsy Ring and Doctor Jack. Where's The Ring sired horses earned $2,802,449 in purses during the 2010 racing season.

Rounding out the top three was Trajectory, who received an award totaling $30,000. Trajectory had 102 horses race in 2010, with 35 of those horses finding the winners circle. Trajectory's leading horses included Resentless, Daniel Be Good and Dancer's Bajan. Trajectory's offspring earned $1,658,894 in purses last year.

Old Forester was the top freshman sire this year and as a result, he earned an award of $50,000. Old Forester had 14 winners from 37 runners last year but his offspring's purse earnings ranked him among the top five first-time sires in all of North America. Old Forester had stakes winners Tree Pose and Citius among his top horses. In total, Old Forester runners earned $1,045,669 in purses last season.

Every year, the Thoroughbred Improvement Program awards $400,000 to stallion owners in two categories. The first category, the stallion year end points awards, sees $250,000 distributed on the basis of points earned by the stallion's offspring during the course of the calendar year. The second category, the year end top stallions awards, sees $150,000 distributed to the owners of stallions who's offspring achieved the highest in North American Earnings last year.

Will Bold Executive continue his domination of the sire rankings next season or will we see a new set of Ontario sires burst onto the scene in 2011? We also have a number of first-time sires who will have runners reach the track for the first time, and many owners and trainers will be looking to see if certain sires will feature the next great horses in Canada. It will certainly be an interesting season in 2011 and the Ontario Sire Stakes series. I am looking forward to the new season and following both old and new sires on the Woodbine circuit for the next great Ontario racehorse.

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Posted in: Fort Erie,Woodbine

2011 Ontario Racing Dates

I don't believe there has been an official announcement on this yet, but I noticed on the Ontario Racing Commission (ORC) website, that racing dates for Ontario Thoroughbred Racing appear to have been approved. Woodbine will begin its 2011 Thoroughbred meet on Saturday, April 2nd, while Fort Erie will begin its 2011 Thoroughbred meet on Saturday, May 7th. Click here to check out the calendar, which also includes Standardbred race dates.

Woodbine's meet will run for 167 days in 2011, just like in 2010, and will take its normal April to December schedule. Early on in the meet, Woodbine will only operate on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, but will add Wednesday racing at the end of April and Thursday racing in June. The Queen's Plate is scheduled for Sunday, June 26th and another special 12:30 p.m. post time day will occur on Sunday, October 29th. I can't think of why there would be a special 12:30 p.m. post time the week before Breeders' Cup, but I guess we will find out soon enough. Normally the Pattison Canadian International takes place two weeks before the Breeders' Cup. The final day of the Woodbine meet will be Sunday, December 4th.

Fort Erie will run 78 live racing days in 2011, down from 81 live racing days in 2010. Racing will take place on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays, with opening day occurring on a Saturday and another Saturday racing date scheduled in October. The Prince of Wales Stakes, the second jewel in Canada's Triple Crown of Thoroughbred racing, will most likely take place on either Sunday, July 10th, or Sunday, July 17th. The final date of the Fort Erie meet will be Tuesday, November 1st.

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Posted in: Fort Erie,Woodbine

Fort Erie Meet Wraps Up With Battle Of Breeds

The 2010 Fort Erie meet will conclude on Tuesday, but not before the thoroughbreds battle the quarter horses in a pair of races over this weekend. The first one took place earlier today and another will be run tomorrow. In today's race, a 440 yard dash, quarter horse Fast Flung Floyd took the win in :21.91 in a field dominated mostly by quarter horses.

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Posted in: Fort Erie

Daverick Wins Horse Of The Year At Fort Erie

Daverick, who I have covered a couple of times in this blog, has been named the Horse of the Year and the Top Male Sprinter at Fort Erie for the 2010 meet. Owned by Sante Cigana and trained by Justin Nixon, Daverick has won four races in a row and has finished either first or second in all six of his starts this year. In his last two victories, he has posted a 91 Beyer Speed Figure.

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Posted in: Fort Erie

Where's Daverick Been?

If you look back in my blog roll a little bit, I wrote about a top Fort Erie sprinter Daverick on August 18th. The horse had just won his fourth race in a row at five furlongs that day, using a style that caught my eye and blew away the rest of his competition. Daverick has not raced since August 17th and I'm a little curious as to why. He most likely isn't injured, as the Daily Racing Form has recorded his last workout on September 19th.

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Posted in: Fort Erie

Daverick Does It Again

Fresh off a stakes win in the Don Valliere Memorial Cup on August 1st at Fort Erie, Daverick continued his winning streak as he won his fourth race in a row on Tuesday.

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Posted in: Fort Erie