Down The Stretch Podcast

It was the final weekend of thoroughbred racing at Woodbine for 2022 and it took place without either of the 2 leading jockeys. Woodbine CEO Jim Lawson is along to tell us how and why Canada’ next premier race will be called the King’s Plate. Did you catch what James MacDonald did last Monday at Mohawk? We breakdown his record setting night. Woodbine riding champion Kazushi Kimura needed 3 days to drive his car from Toronto to Santa Anita. We ask his agent, Jordan Miller... why? And Colleen Dalos explains why she believes owning horses is extending her life.

The Valedictory Stakes at Woodbine on Sunday had a mind-blowing finish. The night before at Mohawk, the great Bulldog Hanover was front and centre at Mohawk for his retirement sendoff. We meet his groom, John Mallia.

Nicholas Boyd is a owner/trainer/driver who specializes in catching runaway horses on harness tracks. He talks about his latest rescue at Flamboro Downs.

How many times do you think this happens in horse racing? Jockey Katie Davis won a race at Aqueduct less than a year after giving birth.

And before he committed suicide, Anthony Bourdain was this brilliant television journalist who travelled the world to taste great food. We’ve got a clip of him eating a Jamaican patty at Aqueduct.

In this podcast, we have 3 Stakes races from Woodbine and stretch calls from the Meadowlands of the final race of two brilliant harness horses. Dexter Dunn and Jack Darling give their reactions to the end of Bulldog Hanover’s brilliant career. Driver Doug McNair schooled 7 others at Century Mile to earn the right to rep Canada in next year’s World Driving Championship and he tells us how he pulled it off. Then there’s rookie driver, Damian MacLellan who has a habit of making winning debuts. It took us 149 episodes to finally interview legendary trainer Roger Attfield, who turned 83 on the Monday this podcast was released. And even though he’s been gone for more than a year, Barney Curley’s legend lives on and we have the story of his incredible coup at the hands of the Irish bookmakers.

Thanks to the weather, only 2 races were run at Woodbine in Sunday. We have jockey Justin Stein talking about the vile message he found on his phone and we segue into the politics of race riding – i.e. is it kosher to let your brother through on the inside when your horse is fading? Chantal Sutherland chimes in on that. A nice chat with Taylor Logan and her dad, Elliot about Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and their creative way of bringing awareness to the painful disease. Newly arrived jockey Jose Campos is winning races at Woodbine. We discuss that with him and his agent Gerry Olguin. We have a pacing mare who has won 15 times this season, a disqualification at Gulfstream in which the elevated horse describes the reason for the dq; and when it comes to a horse’s name, how about the one in the 2nd race last Friday at Woodbine that actually told you what to do? Plus musical contributions from The Hollies, Alanis Morrisette and The Who.

Imagine you’re a 16 year-old-boy in Richmond. Kentucky, and a horse named after you wins a Breeders’ Cup race while you’re in the winners circle. We have the inspiring story of Cody Dorman. Hall of Fam trainer, Mark Casse tells host Peter Gross how wrong he was last week describing Casse’s win in the Juvenile Fillies, and Casse predicts an impending Sovereign Award for rookie jockey Sofia Vives. Ho hum, just another 5-win night at Mohawk for James MacDonald, two nights after he won a Stakes race at Dover with a horse that paid…$74 to show. How happy was Allywag Hanover that Bulldog Hanover wasn’t in the Potomac Pace? So happy, he paced the fastest mile ever on a 5/8th track.

We’ve got the Maple Leaf Stakes and the Bessarabian Stakes from Saturday at Woodbine, and Ivan Dalos’ terrific horse, Avies Flatter is about to have a new career.

Warning: Don’t listen to this podcast if you don’t care for thrilling finishes, emotionally uplifting stories, or sensational performances by jockeys and harness drivers. From the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland on the weekend, we have several race calls, including profitable finishes for trainer Roger Attfield and owner Charles Fipke. Cody’s Wish won the Breeders Cup Dirt Mile, which just added another wonderful chapter about the horse named after teenager, Cody Dorman. COSA President Bill O’Donnell gives his take on the Breeders’ Crown races the previous week at Mohawk. In a week in which hattricks abounded in the NHL, driver Doug McNair pulled off the natural hattrick at Mohawk. Have you ever heard of jockey Sofia Vives? We think you will. We talk with her after she won 3 of her first 8 races at Woodbine. And award winning horse writer Curtis Stock is about to release a book that tells the story of 5 Turcotte brothers from New Brunswick, all of whom were terrific jockeys, a ll of whom encountered tragedy in their lives.

Bulldog Hanover’s authoritative win in the Open Pace is one of 12 Breeders Crown Championship races from Mohawk featured in this podcast. Driver Dexter Dunn and trainer Jack Darling talk about the amazing pacer. Race caller Doug McPherson breaks down his 5 most memorable moments as the racing season ends at Fort Erie. Another Quarter Horse session is in the books at Ajax Downs. Not only do we have Jennifer Morrison to tie a bow around things, but jockey Tony Phillips wraps up his championship season with his Championship Rap. Harness driver Travis Henry hits a plateau and have you ever seen a horse pay $260... to show?

This podcast features several Stakes races from Woodbine and the most riveting elimination heats from Mohawk Park for next weekend’s Breeders Crown Finals. Another milestone for driver James MacDonald, and because there was no actual race for the world’s fastest pacer, Bulldog Hanover decided to take part in a qualifier – but how fast did he go? Trainer Jack Darling tells us. Dead heats – how often do they occur – last week more than you’d think, and we’re monitoring the Redemption Tour of jockey Leo Salles.

It really deserves consideration for the horse racing story of the year – harness driver Natasha Day swept the 6 races in the Ontario Women’s Driving Championship at Western Fair. She tells us how it happened. All 6 of Day’s winning drives were called by Melissa Keith who puts the historic event in perspective. We document another huge night of racing at Mohawk Park with the 8 OSS Gold Super Finals – winning the 2 Year-Old Colts and Geldings final was Stockade Seelster and we feature his owners Sally Macdonald and her nephew, Paul MacDonald. And trainer Mike Keogh, who directed Wando to Canada’s last Triple Crown sweep, talks about his battle with prostate cancer.

How did Rougir and Kazushi Kimura win the E.P. Taylor Stakes and why was Queen’s Plate champion, Moira disqualified? A defeat in Kentucky for Bulldog Hanover; perhaps taking the shine off an otherwise great week for trainer Jack Darling who got into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. Darling, jockey Eurico Rosa da Silva and race caller Frank Salive talk about the honour of their inductions. Why can’t we bet on horse racing at Bet365 or Fanduel or Bet MGM. Woodbine’s Michael Copeland says be patient..it’s going to happen. And it did happen for harness driver Gilles Barrieau – he scored his 5,000th win.