Down The Stretch Podcast

This podcast features the Ricoh Woodbine Mile, Justin Stein in the Prince of Wales, Kevin Attard on his champion Velocitor, Bob Tiller explaining how he missed his horse winning the Vigil Stakes and Doug McNair delivering Grace Hill in the Milton Stakes. Trainer Lauren Spada and jockey Rachel Isaacs each recorded their first Stakes win last Wednesday at Ajax Downs. Veteran jockey Helen Vanek ended her thoroughbred career with a win at Fort Erie. Two-year-olds were trotting for big money Thursday at Mohawk and did harness fans do a double take when they heard thoroughbred caller Robert Geller describing the standardbreds last Monday?

This week’s episode is jammed with Thoroughbred and Standardbred Stakes races – from Woodbine – the Singspiel, Moira back in form in the Canadian Stakes, Sahin Civaci wining both the Zadracarta and the Wonder Where on Sunday. From Mohawk – Bob McClure taking down 3 of 4 OSS Golds to start the week. From the Meadowlands, another superb post-10 win with Tactical Mounds from Scott Zeron. Doug McNair winning a Stakes at Yonkers. We chat with Dr. Ian Moore about Canadian Pacing Derby Champ, Tattoo Artist, and after the interview, Moore flew to Scioto Downs to watch both Tattoo Artist and a 2-year- old Clever Cody win Stakes races. And irresistible jockey, Katie Davis relives the most remarkable superfecta finish in horse racing history.

This podcast has the Toronto Cup Stakes from Woodbine and both the Canadian Pacing Derby and Maple Leaf Trot from Mohawk. Louis-Philippe Roy with a candid moment. Had to Be Ivory, Canada’s greatest quarter horse won a Stakes race at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Trainer Carmen Auciello hit a major milestone. After witnessing too many horse deaths at Saratoga, Mark Casse says American tracks need to do what Woodbine has done. Teesha Symes talks about the out of control starting gate at Georgian Downs. How did Emma-Jayne Wilson and Kirk Johnson celebrate their birthdays at Woodbine on Friday? How did two senior citizens, Doug and Carmen Hie deliver two sisters in a pace at Kawartha Downs? Did you see how Katie Davis won at Saratoga with her brother, husband and sister right behind her? And were horseplayers at Fort Erie cheated out of a legitimate payoff because of a terrible rule?

Lots of Stakes races this week - from Woodbine - the Muskoka, the Elgin, the Algoma and the Simcoe; from Mohawk - the William Wellwood, the Peaceful Way, 2 Nassagaweya finals and a pair of Eternal Camnation finals. We drop in to Saratoga for the Travers Stakes and we visit Ajax Downs and talk with the amazing Ed Walton, the 60-year-old jockey who is still bringing in winners.

We’re on the phone with Mark Casse who explains why he could not tip us on his King’s Plate winner or his Oaks winner. Host Peter Gross went to Woodstock, Ontario to participate in some virtual harness racing and the latest issue of Down The Stretch is now on line, and we have an 8-year-old who gives it a good review.

The big story is, of course, the first King’s Plate since 1951, only somewhat overshadowing a brilliant day for trainer Mark Casse and jockey Patrick Husbands. This podcast also has the Catch a Glimpse, the Bold Venture, the Soaring Free and the Dance Smartly, as well as a huge upset on Saturday in the Sweet Briar Too. Mark Romeo of Terra Racing Stable looks back on the last time Queen Elizabeth attended Woodbine and the thrill of their horse, Big Red Mike winning. Woodbine CEO Jim Lawson tells us just how hard it was to finally get horse racing on the Bet365 platform.

A wild night of harness racing at Mohawk park and we have the 3 eliminations for the William Wellwood Memorial Trot. Vance Cameron exhilarates us with his rendition of the the $100,000 Cup and Saucer Stakes from Red Shores. Father and son are still winning at Ajax Downs, and Melissa Keith breaks down Sunday afternoon at Clinton when she called the whole card.

Amazing and historic moments in horse racing – Scotty Zeron won his 3rd Hambletonian, but his drive with Tactical Approach may very well be the greatest harness drive of all time. Louis-Philippe Roy broke out with 5 wins at Mohawk Saturday night. Jockey Katie Davis made history twice at Saratoga, each time doing something that had never been done before. We have the Vice Regent and Hamilton Stakes from Woodbine and trainer Michelle Love tells us how she won a Stakes race for the first time in her 13-year career. And we have all of the quarter horse card from Ajax Downs on a day when Ramiro Castillo and his son Alexis Sanchez won 5 of the 7 races.

A week before the King’s Plate, this podcast features the Bison City Stakes from Woodbine. Scott Zeron breaks down his amazing Hambletonian day at the Meadowlands. From the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame Inductions, we chat with Gilles Gendron, Eurico Rosa da Silva, Jack Darling and Frank Salive. A harness race from last Tuesday whose poignancy greatly exceeded its purse - Ken Middleton talks about his 2-year old winner, his sadness over the death of co-owner John Watkins and his ongoing recovery. Race caller Vance Cameron gives us two trials for next week’s Gold Cup and Saucer from Charlottetown - it was trainer Jeff Gillis, owner Mark Ford and driver Scott Young winning both heats. At Ajax Downs, fathers and sons, husbands and wives, daughters and dads winning. And a shoutout to Terra Racing Stable, winners of Woodbine’s first race on Saturday.

Woodbine CEO Jim Lawson sweats it out, telling us how extreme heat caused two cards of racing to be cancelled. We have 3 Stakes races from weather friendlier Woodbine on the weekend and the CanCon from an Hambletonian Elimination at the Meadowlands. Russell Baze, the all-time winningest jockey in North America was the latest winner of the Avelino Gomez Award, but our attempted interview didn’t get out of the starting gate. We did better with Flavien Prat, who is winning races at both the Saratoga thoroughbred track and the Saratoga harness track. We run the entire card of quarter horse racing from Ajax Downs and challenge the listeners to figure out what all the winners had in common.Driver James MacDonald scored another grand slam at Mohawk, but this one had a fascinating twist to it and a bizarre race from Harrah’s Philadelphia in which each of the first 3 finishers were DQ’d.

Deviating dramatically from all previous episodes, this 30-minute epic concerns host Peter Gross and his buddy Jim McKenny and their return to Saratoga after a 4-year absence. Over 11 days, the pair were joined by Gary ‘Suitcase’ Smith and Garnet Barnsdale. The betting was uninhibited and, for the most part, unsuccessful. Listen in horror as Pick-5 bets die after just one race. Mark Casse had an opening day winner and tells us why that matters, while indicating he has good reason to go to Woodbine for the Oaks and Plate Trial. The host takes a bath, financially and literally as he enjoys the Roosevelt Spa and Massage. Then he interviews race caller Frank Mirahmadi and gets pep talks from Rodney Dangerfield, Marv Albert, Robert De Niro and Andy Rooney. The trip was not fruitless thanks to the free kiwis given out daily. On the final Saturday of the trip, Down The Stretch hooked up with trainer Jeff Gillis who had 2 strong entries in the $250,000 Joe Gerrity Pace at the Saratoga harness track. And on the way home, Gross and McKenny place more losing bets on the Queen’s Plate Trial and Woodbine Oaks, leaving them wonder how they could leave the Casse horses out.

Ken Middleton tells us how he got badly hurt in a training accident, what the doctors needed to do to fix him up and when he might be calling races again. We have 2 Stakes races from Woodbine -the Lake Huron and the Georgian Bay. Jump in - the water’s fine! Trainer Mark Casse talks about his epic Canada Day at Woodbine, and he thanks jockey Sahin Civaci. Agent Leroy Trotman is putting his riders on winners and he thanks Civaci. And we thank Civaci for allowing us to interview him!

Driver Doug McNair won a free for all with Logan Park, who trotted faster than any other older male horse in Canadian history.

How often does this occur - a father and a son riding parimutuel winners in the same week? We’ve got it because it happened to Ramiro Castillo and Alexis Sanchez.

And don’t be confused if you go to Mohawk on a Tuesday and see it’s Wednesday or Friday at the track.