Down The Stretch Podcast

This podcast has the highlights from the 35th O’Brien Awards in Charlottetown. It was a very good night for James MacDonald, Dr, Ian Moore and the filly, Sylvia Hanover. We have Steven Chircop winning at Penn and Kazushi Kimura taking a Stakes race at Santa Anita. The Kingmaker is a new book about Northern Dancer written by Avalyn Hunter and Hunter reveals some amazing figures about the Dancer’s progeny. Woodbine trainer, Ted Holder talks with us about what it would mean to him to win the Sandy Lane Gold Cup in Barbados and the two horses he plans to send to next month’s big race. Garnet Barnsdale helps us explain ‘takeout’ and tells us which tracks treat you well and which tracks chisel your bet down. And if you hit the 11th race Saturday night at Mohawk., you could care less about takeout as a 40-1 shot won with a 105-1 shot second - what did that pay?

We’re everywhere this week – from the Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream and the Eclipse Awards in which we feature Cody’s Wish, Kylie and Kelly Dorman and Sofia Vives. Then to Steven Chircop and Bruno Schickedanz winning races at Penn National, Marty Drexler and Raroma Stable scoring at Gulfstream. We’ve got Kazushi Kimura and Luis Contreras winning at Santa Anita. There was over $790,000 bet in the mandatory Jackpot Hi-5 Saturday at Mohawk and when Natasha Day won at over 50-1, the payoff was life-changing. Janaya Gallant is a 20-year-old trainer and her first winner paid over $100. We talk with Rachel Slevinsky, who was chosen by an international company to promote their racing products. And when a sulky disintegrated in mid-stretch in an Aussie harness race, Ben Wallace was reminded when it happened to him.

Woodbine introduced a tempting promotion on the Mohawk Pick 5 and Garnet Barnsdale explains why this is a good thing. When Sylvia Hanover’s groom, Natasha Steacy rises at the O’Briens to accept the trophy for Outstanding 3-Year-Old Pacing Filly, she will do so in her custom-made Sylvia Hanover sneakers...Horseowner Chris Nolan is from the U.S. but he tells us why he really likes Woodbine, Sam-Son Farm and his trainer, Steven Chircop. We were on the phone to Milena Kwiecien just after she learned her speedball, Snow Moose had been named Canadian Quarter Horse of the Year. And welcome back to the booth Ken Middleton, who tells us what it was like calling the races again more than 6 months after a dreadful training spill.

Standardbred racing takes the stage this week – Woodbine’s Bill McLinchey tells us about 3 significant changes to the Mohawk Million and a few more bucks added to the Metro Pace. Phil Hudon was just as amazed as we were when he won 4 in one night recently, and he breaks down his most excellent night. Linday Rainey of the Canadian Horse Racing JHall of Fame explains how you can bid for a service from among the most impressive thoroughbred and standardbred stallions. Talking about stallions – not only does Garnet Barnsdale provide us endless material for this podcast, he is also the sire of Nicholas Barnsdale who is a finalist at the O’Brien Awards in the Media Excellence Writing category. And if you thought after last Thursday that Belichick would never win again, you were wrong.

In episode 207 – and the first for 2024 - props to Woodbine Entertainment, whose broadcast team won an Eclipse Award for their Secretariat – The Last Race. Honours to trainer Harold Ladouceur, inducted into the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame. James MacDonald hit the 400-win mark at Mohawk; he was good to the very last drop. Jockey Fraser Aebly was golfing with his dad, Derek when we found him to talk about his good start at Woodbine. A win at Santa Anita for Ajax Downs regular, Ismael Mosqueira, and for this first podcast of the year, we have Psychic Nikki with her horse racing predictions.

Can you jam every memorable moment from horse racing into 30 minutes? No, you can’t, but this episode takes us on a journey through the most amazing results, the most intriguing stories and the most talented horses and people who made the headlines in 2023. Host Peter Gross points out that both the Canadian and U.S. Triple Crowns produced 3 winners. He also tells us that invaders took most of the cash from the big money races at Woodbine. Harness racing had all kinds of great stories – TCI winning the William Wellwood, then surging back in the Mohawk Million after breaking stride; Scott Zeron winning the NA Cup, the Hambletonian, the Little Brown Jug, the Jugette and the Kentucky Futurity. Ken Middleton was badly hurt and his absence allowed an army of race callers necessary to replace him. And our Story of the Year is both inspiring and heartbreaking – the tale of Cody Dorman and the great horse named after him.

In this episode we review the most outrageous, unpredictable and certifiably insane moments in horse racing. Included in this delicious buffet are:

+ 5 straight races in which the #1 was the winner

+ A night of harness racing where it seemed only the Millers could win

+ A horse that paid $1,000 to show

+ The night Ken Middleton teased Maple Leafs fans only to have it turn badly on him

+ The easiest horse racing question ever on Jeopardy that all the contestants got wrong

+ Pete Aiello’s self-deprecating race call at Gulfstream

+ A dead heat between brothers

+ A race in which Somebody was coming late in the lane

+ The 4th place horse that was placed 1st

+ Katie Davis winning a race with her brother 2nd, her husband 3rd and her sister 4th

+ Driver Doug McNair carving out the sign of the devil one night at Mohawk

+ The track scraper who had one job....and did it during a race

+ Frank Mirahmadi’s entertaining impressions

+ How we worked in the Beatles and Chuck Berry into a story about a mare with a 17-race win streak

With the Thoroughbred racing season concluded, we officially identify the champion jockey, trainer and owner, which means references to Kazushi Kimura, Mark Casse and Bruno Schickedanz. Trainer Marty Drexler cracked the 100-win mark this year and he tells us how he became a major force at Woodbine. Doug McNair put on a show Saturday night at Mohawk. He had 4 winners, not that anyone got rich betting him. Jockey Isabelle Wenc rode professionally for the last time and reveals just how mentally and physically the sport wore her down. And – Moops is not only a winning pacer in Australia, but a hilarious episode of Seinfeld, which we sampled.

Starting with the La Prevoyante and Steady Growth Stakes from Woodbine, this episode has an interview with leading jockey Kazushi Kimura who talks about his compatriot Shohei Ohtani and why he’s looking forward to driving all the way to L.A. Friday was a big day at the track for newly arrived jockey Fraser Aebly. Writer Dave Briggs expands on his Harness Racing Update story called Only a dope would think harness racing doesn’t need serious change. Driver Louis-Philippe Roy erupted for 5 wins last Friday at Mohawk and we have a tasty call from Robert Geller that includes steak, cheese and soup.

Stakes races for 2-year-olds from Woodbine. Three jockeys – Emma-Jayne Wilson, Desean Bynoe and Rachel Slevinsky talk about their scary race-related accidents – all three injured in November. Owner Lou Tucci won the Queen’s Plate with Midnight Aria 10 year’s ago and has a chance to double up with a King’s Plate win after his Babbo won the Coronation Futurity. We had two longshots in the first 3 races last Thursday night at Mohawk – prices so huge, no one hit the Pick-3. Jockey Justin Stein has burst out of his long slump; in fact, recently he’s practically torrid. Nikki Cowper is the owner, trainer and exercise girl for a horse named Seattle Signal and when that filly won at 24-1, it was her first thoroughbred win. And who many people named Miller need to win on the same night before you crack open a beer?