Down The Stretch Podcast

More fun than you ever thought possible in a horse racing podcast. The Louisiana Derby was the first Kentucky Derby prep to offer 100 points to the winner and the favourite flopped. We present Buck Dancer, who deserves to be in the conversation when we argue who’s the best trotter in Canada. His trainer Carmen Auciello tells us about him. The fastest pacer in Canada so far this year is Sintra and he was one of 4 wins for driver Jody Jamieson Saturday night. More success in the Meadowlands for Scott Zeron and Mark MacDonald and you will wish you bet on them. Kyle Ruhl is the grandson of John Ferguson and while Kyle won’t duplicate the great forward’s hockey career, he’ll take his best shot as a standardbred owner and trainer. Brian Henderson was a mutuel clerk at Ontario racetracks for 50 years; we preview his book Win Place Show and tell you how to get a free copy. We also have a mind-blowing story of an English horse player who bet a 5-race accumulator and cashed £250,000 even though his final selection lost. And you will enjoy the race caller who didn’t like the move the jockey made, so he called him a “bloody idiot.”

In this week’s podcast, Camilla Christoforou started her training career with a bang, winning with her first entry. Bob Baffert sent out his 13,595th horse and it won the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn. Drivers James MacDonald and Doug McNair showed how unbreakable they are – both were thrown from their bikes on Thursday, both came back to win races on the weekend. Jockey Ademar Santos won a race for Colebrook Farms at Tampa Bay and why horse owner Johnny Taboada uses the word autism every time he names a yearling.

There was a huge upset in the Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct as Ontario-bred Weyburn stunned at odds of 46-1. Canadian drivers Mark MacDonald and Rick Zeron picked up a lot of cash at the Meadowlands Friday night and we have a story about Cool Rock who found a way to the winners circle after losing 57 in a row. Lori Cirillo is just 17, but she owns several racehorses, both harness and thoroughbred and she tells us just how thrilling it is to be young and winning races. Woodbine’s Mark McKelvie reveals the 6 heavy hitters who have staked themselves to the next Mohawk Millions and veteran jockey Ademar Santos is looking forward to posting some big numbers this year at Woodbine.

Garnet Barndale, now the Bo Derek of harness racing, defied the odds by picking all 10 winners on a card at Western Fair. Canadians Jim and Susan Hill sent out the winner of the $200,000 Mac Diarmida Stakes at Gulfstream. Two heavy favourites won Kentucky Derby Preps in the States and when Gretzky The Great came 3rd at Turfway at even money, trainer Mark Casse was surprisingly pleased. Scott Zeron scored a double at the Meadowlands. Jockey Tony Phillips raps for us about Quarter Horse of the Year, Feisty Icon and trainer Angus Buntain talks about the expansion of Malta Manors thoroughbred stable.

Pari-mutuel harness racing has recommenced in Ontario. Host Peter Gross drops in on Mohawk Park, Rideau Carleton and the Raceway at Western Fair. Woodbine CEO Jim Lawson has been fighting for single sports betting at racetracks and he tells us how that project is getting closer to reality. Greg Gangle and Shannon ‘Sugar‘ Doyle express how happy they are that racing is back in London. There was an upset in the $20 Million Saudi Cup and O’Brien Award winning writer Garnet Barnsdale made a dumb mistake – he punched the wrong horse on a pick-5 bet and it turned out to be the smartest dumb thing he ever did.

Harness racing resumes this week at Mohawk. Woodbine’s CEO Jim Lawson gives us the good news and he also talks about the battle to implement historical horse racing in Ontario. Mark McKelvie brings us up to speed on the second Mohawk Million. We talk with Michelle Gibson after she found out she’s the Sovereign Award winner as Groom of the year and the flamboyantly charismatic Will Wong tells us how excited he is to be nominated for Outstanding Photograph. This podcast looks back on great race calls by Marshall Cassidy who passed last week and what could possibly go wrong if you bet a horse called Whacudposblygowrng?

Trainers Josie Carroll, Kevin Attard and Bob Tiller talk about their Sovereign Award nominations as does Nikki Alderson, up for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey. Dr. Ian Moore had a great night at the O’Briens, so he provides an upbeat interview. The only horse racing in Canada took place in Prince Edward Island. Track manager Lee Drake explains how their harness racing was conducted safely. Scott Zeron is winning at the Meadowlands and we have two of his victories. Find out what happens when a jockey and her horse interfere in a race and it’s her brother who gets clobbered, and if there was a horse named Punxsutawney Phil running on Groundhog Day, don’t you think it makes sense to bet him?

This podcast has all the results from the O’Brien Awards with special props to Garnet Barnsdale, winner in the Written Work Category and Dr. Ian Moore, owner-trainer of horses that prevailed in 4 categories, including Horse of the Year. Jason Portuondo co-hosted with Ken Middleton and Portuondo is also half the equation (with Chad Rozema) of the new Horse Racin’ Around the World on HPI. We have coverage of the Eclipse Awards in which the best horses in the U.S. got their silverware. Ontario Racing’s Jonathan Zammit reveals how harness horsemen can get compensation as their horses sit idle. This podcast has stretch calls of the Holy Bull and Robert B Lewis Stakes, precursors to the Kentucky Derby. Jennifer Morrison tells us that she’s going to write the book on Mighty Heart, the one-eyed colt who won the Queen’s Plate and the Prince of Wales last year. And have a listen to what ensues when a developmentally arrested host presses the Winbak Farms manager to explain how harness stallions provide for their mares when denied the actual physical embrace.

Trouble on the high seas for the Down The Stretch Podcast. Are we going to be sued by famous race caller Dave Johnson who has trademarked his iconic phrase And Down The Stretch They Come? Peter’s toe-to-toe with Johnson’s lawyer, Andrew Mollica is epic! So was Knicks Go in the $3 million Pegasus at Gulfstream. We have wins by horses with Canadian connections in Florida and at the Meadowlands, and Marvin Katz, talks about the thrill he got when his Tall Dark Stranger won the Dan Patch Award as Horse of the Year. On January 31, the Canadian O’Brien Awards will be given out and our host, Peter Gross talks with Jim Marino, whose Major Custard went 15 for 16 in 2020, but because he did all his work out west, he’s the underdog against Tattoo Artist in the Three Year-Old Colt category.

This podcast has 5 storylines. Danny Vella explains why lasix is not a bad thing. Ray Paulick tells us about the Ray Paulick Report and why the Ontario government made a mistake with the horse racing file. Harness horse owner, Mike Tanev has a unique point of view on the stoppage of racing. We meet Ferrin Peterson who is both a jockey and a veterinarian. The groom is the foundation of the entire industry and two of them – Tanya Mitchell and Brady Jackson tell us what it feels like to be nominated for an O’Brien. And we also have the very weird story of a horse with a nasty name.