Down The Stretch Podcast

In this very busy episode:

+ Moira wins an Eclipse Award; Donato Lanni accepts

+ Wins in the U.S. by Sahin Civaci, Sofia Vives and Steve Owens

+ The $3 Million Pegasus Invitational from Gulfstream

+ The $1 Million Southwest Stakes from Oaklawn

+ Marty Drexler talks about his great start at Gulfstream

+ Trainer Tony Beaton tells us which of his horses he thinks deserves the O’Brien

+ Groom Natasha Steacy is excited and grateful to be nominated for an O’Brien

+ Did you see how Ryan Munger and his wife swept the double in South Africa?

+ And did you know that Garnet Barnsdale has a new gig?

When was the last time a Canadian jockey did this? – Sahin Civaci won 7 races over a 3-day span at Aqueduct. We also have jockey Sofia Vives, owner Bruno Schickedanz and trainer Marty Drexler. Time to start looking at prep races for the Kentucky Derby and you should observe what Disco Time had to do to win the Lecomte at the Fair Grounds. This podcast bows to driver Trevor Henry who crushed it at Mohawk with 5 wins Monday night. Trainer Nick Gallucci joins us to help answer the question – can a 2-year-old filly be named Horse of the Year in the upcoming O’Brien Awards? And a race result at the Meadowlands that had never happened before.

Something for Donald Trump to address – Canadians taking U.S. money: a pair of wins for Marty Drexler at Gulfstream and a winners circle pic for Sahin Civaci at Aqueduct. Harness driver, Billy Davis explains why it took 17 years for him to decide to drive full-time at Mohawk. James MacDonald looks back at his spectacular year and looks forward to his honeymoon in Hawaii. We ‘sample’ Free Rein, Woodbine’s documentary on the people and horses in thoroughbred racing. Producer Alanna Nolan describes what they’re trying to do. Will Moira win the Eclipse Award as Outstanding Lady on the Turf? Host Peter Gross and Moira’s exercise rider, Korina McLean assess her chances. And when a 60-1 bomb won at Gulfstream, announcer Pete Aiello nailed it, which is why we’re running his stretch call.

Familiar faces from Woodbine were winning in the U.S. - Kazushi Kimura rode a Tall Oaks Farm-bred filly to a huge upset in a Stakes race at huge odds at Santa Anita. We’ve got wins at Aqueduct from Sofia Vives and Sahin Civaci. Marty Drexler and Bruno Schickedanz scored at Gulfstream. We don’t know the creeps who let War Envoy, a Breeders’ Cup horse end up starving, emaciated and knee high in mud, but we do have Olivia Dixon of the Kentucky Humane Society to tell us how the horse was rescued. Katie Larsen runs Southern Belle Thoroughbreds. In 2024, she found homes for 200 retired thoroughbreds, but suffered a terrible accident that has her on crutches. We go to Mohawk Park for the last race of 2024 and the first of this year, and we have another one of those amazing nights at the track from James MacDonald. Bern Tobin tells us about the incredible Get Around Town, now retired after racing 459 times and how did we manage to get the Beach Boys in this one?

In this special year ender, we look at the great and not so great moments in horse racing in 2024. Along the way, we enjoy the great work of Moira, Caitlinhergrtness, Velocitor, Roscar, Mystik Dan, Seize the Grey, Dornoch, Julie Walker, Sofia Vives, Rafael Hernandez, Patrick Husbands, Doug McNair, Jody Jamieson, James MacDonald, Pietro and David Moran, Nijinsky, Emma-Jayne Wilson, Justin Stein, Josie Carroll, Mark Casse, Kevin Attard, Scott Zeron, and Bill Megens.

In this very special episode, we have edited together the funniest, weirdest, wackiest and most wonderful moments in horse racing from 2024. Sit back and enjoy:

+ The bad beats - A sulky explodes in deep stretch; a leading horse jumps the fence just before the wire

+ Shamrock wins on March 17, Count Dracula wins on Halloween and Saturday wins on Thursday

+ How mature are we that we loved it when Nobals won?

+ Appearances by Belichick, Lucille Ball, Rosa Parks, Nyquist, Koufax and a happy horse named Ha Ha Ha

+ Frank Mirahmadi on the Price is Right

+ A sample of the wonderful race calls of Larry Lederman

+ When a deer tried to beat the thoroughbreds

+ Darryl Ezra on cheeky horse names - Horizontal Helen, Tiny Tinker, Abolish It and Toilet Paper

+ James MacDonald proving he is much better as a harness driver than a race caller

+ The horse players’ anthem performed at Mohawk

+ Santa Claus defeating The Grinch in Charlottetown.

From the final day of racing at Woodbine, we check out the Steady Growth Stakes and the individuals who dazzled in 2024. On Saturday, the La Prevoyante Stakes came down to a very close photo between a heavy favourite and the longest shot. We celebrate the career of Justin Stein, who has quit riding to become a steward. Ron Sadler’s Northern Ruby, a 10-year-old, ran for the last time and finished her career in the winners’ circle. Another extraordinary milestone for driver James MacDonald, but he’s got a long way to go to match what 84-yearold Don McKirgan did last week. Western Fair’s Drivers Challenge means a lot of children will get toys this year. We’ve got a race from England in which brothers James and Sean Bowen dead-heated and perhaps the most important horse race of the year took place in Charlottetown when The Grinch went up against Santa Claus.

The Valedictory Stakes at 1 ½ miles was the feature at Woodbine; what kind of a price could you get on a horse ridden by the leading jockey and sent out by the leading trainer? From Paris to New Jersey in a matter of hours – Doug McNair talks about 2 dramatically different harness racing experiences. Jonathan Drury and Tyler Borth broke through the same plateau this week, and Western Fair Raceway’s Amy O’Toole helps promote the Toys for Tots drive. And how much grief did jockey Paco Lopez heap on himself for hitting a horse in the face – after he had won the race? Jonathan Stettin and Ken McPeek elaborate.

The Princess Elizabeth Stakes and Coronation Futurity at Woodbine were each worth $250,000. We talk with Jennifer Stein who brings us up to speed on her husband Justin, who was badly injured in a 5-horse spill. There was an amazing debut win by a horse named Little Red Domi. Mark Romeo of Terra Racing Stable tells us no one was as surprised as he was with this 2-year-old’s first race. Driver Doug McNair was hoping for a better outcome at an International Drivers’ competition in France on Friday. Eleven years ago, it all went south, and this year...it wasn’t much better. Why would Highfield Stock Farm in Alberta purchase a high-quality stallion named Tapiture? We find out from Jennifer Buck. Harness driver Austin Sorrie had a huge night at Western Fair that included his 1000th win. And we ask the question - what happens more...a natural hattrick in hockey or in horse racing? And that will bring us to Fraser Aebly, who had a sensational week.

We take the good with the bad this week – 5 horses down and 3 jockeys to the hospital after the first race Thursday at Woodbine. The good refers to Sahin Civaci, who won the Shady Well Stakes on Saturday and it was one of his 6 wins on the card. Another jockey, Austin Adams has been piling up the wins and taking advantage of being the go-to apprentice. Driver Mark MacDonald talks to us about the challenge of leaving the New York circuit and coming to Mohawk where he just might funnel some wins away from his brother James.

Have you ever seen a horse pay over $400 to place? It happened at the Meadows and we’ll tell you why. And those of us who feel strongly about racial equality had to be cheering when Rosa Parks took the lead at Del Mar and refused to give it up.