Down The Stretch Podcast

This podcast is loaded with important races: from Mohawk - the William Wellwood, The Eternal Camnation, the Peaceful Way, another huge win by Beau Jangles and a record tying mile from Bythemissal. A Canadian first as Aetos Kronos trotted under 1:50. Mark Casse hit the tri in the Eternal Search Stakes at Woodbine. Pietro Moran joins us to talk about his King’s Plate win and we find out if he is, in fact, the youngest jockey to win the Plate and if he’s the first apprentice. Toronto’s Marvin Katz is on the phone to talk about getting into the U.S. Harness Racing Hall of Fame and why he named a horse after Ariana Grande. Jockey Cassandra Jeschke had a good day at Ajax Downs as the riders’ race tightened up. We’ve got a 5th place finish by driver Mario Baillargeon that pushed him past the $100,000,000 purse ceiling, and big prices – we’ve got a horse at Mohawk that paid off at 83-1.

In the 166th King’s Plate, 20-year-old apprentice, Pietro Moran gave a master class ride on Mansetti, but did he gulp down pizzas to celebrate? Also from Saturday - the Catch a Glimpse, the E.P Taylor, the Bold Venture, the Soaring Free and the King Edward Stakes, and if you run into Kevin Attard, ask him if he had a good day at the track. We document another win at Saratoga by Canadian trainer, Melanie Giddings and we go to Pocono Downs for a quarter million-dollar showdown between two great filly pacers. Arthur Silvera joins us and tells us how we can contribute to GoFundMe to help injured rider Omar Moreno, and Silvera hooks us up with Amanda Vandersmeersch, whom we all should have been betting. The top driver at Kawartha Downs is Nick Boyd and he tells us how he managed to win 6 races on the same night. Jockey Brian Bell had a huge day at Ajax Downs bringing in 3 winners. None of them paid a lot, but if you were playing ridiculous longshots at Mohawk last Tuesday, the lobster and steaks are on you.

We start with the $250,000 Bison City Stakes from Woodbine, then it’s off to the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame Inductions with owner Brad Grant and writer Dave Briggs. We’ve got jockey Ryan Munger who has been improving his strike rate lately and driver James Macdonald breaks down his Hambletonian Oaks win. A visit to Grand River Raceway on Industry Day when the horses kept breaking records. Longshots that amazed us – Snookered and Amanda Vandermeersch at Woodbine, Aye Eye and Javier Castellano at Saratoga and rider Kirk Johnson has some ‘splainin to do after Princess O Denmark blew a huge lead in the stretch at Fort Erie.

We start with 3 Stakes races from Woodbine - the Trillium, the Niagara and the Seagram, then on to Saratoga for the $1 Million Whitney. Garnet Barnsdale was at the Meadowlands for the 100th Hambletonian. He tells us how that race went and about success on the day from James MacDonald and the great Sylvia Hanover. Less than 2 weeks until the 166th King’s Plate, so Woodbine’s Klaus Ebner teases us with a tempting parimutuel buffet of available wagers. We talk with Melanie Giddings, the leading Canadian trainer at Saratoga and we have natural hattricks from 2 jockeys – Ryan Munger at Woodbine and Ismael Mosqueira at Ajax Downs.

They ran the Trillium and Ontario Colleen Stakes at Woodbine Saturday and that made it a great day for jockey Sahin Civaci. At Saratoga, it was the Jim Dandy with the heavy favourite, Sovereign. Only one Canadian trainer has found the winners circle at Saratoga this summer and we will tell you who she is. We have a pair of inspirational jockey stories in this podcast A year ago, Rico Walcott was diagnosed with brain cancer and given maybe 18 months to live, but now he’s cancer free, winning races and making his backers a lot of coin. We’ve got Walcott and his agent, Ron Burke Then there’s 71-year-old Perry Ouzts still bringing in winners and setting an amazing record Saturday at Belterra park. The terrific pacing mare, Sylvia Hanover went really fast at a track in Massachusetts last week...we chat with her trainer Marc Steacy. At Ajax Downs, 2 horses are carving out perfect records; we have their latest wins and a son of Bulldog Hanover made an eye-catching debut at Mohawk last Friday. You will wish that you bet on him.

Some important races this week – the Woodbine Oaks and Kings Plate trial and other Stakes races from Woodbine, and the $1 Million Haskell from Monmouth. Trainer Mark Casse got his 4000th win and tells us what that means to him. Jockey Pietro Moran is both the leading rider and leading apprentice at Woodbine, but can he duplicate the amazing season of Mickey Walls in 1991? Count the natural hattricks in this podcast - 2 on the same day at Ajax Downs, a Bob McClure triple at Mohawk and a remarkable day at Kawartha downs for Guy Chretien as he won 3 straight with the only 3 horses he owns and trains.

The sad news first - Horse of the Year, Patches O’Houlihan could not be saved. Saturday at Woodbine, a mind-boggling daily double produced by apprentice rider, Xarel Forde and a sweep of 2 Stakes races by veteran Rafael Hernandez. Jockey Flavien Prat did something no other rider has done in the 162-year history at Saratoga Trainer Randy Harris was back in the winners circle at Mohawk for the 1st time in 10 years. Garnet Barnsdale made a remarkable prediction last week about a 2-year-old pacer named Beau Jangles – and we ask Dr. Ian Moore is this horse as good as Barnsdale says he is? Then on Saturday, the Moore-trained Prince Hal Hanover came in 1st in the Meadowlands Pace, only to be disqualified and just how ironic was that? They ran the Gridiron Classic at Ajax Downs - it took less than 7 seconds, and 2 wins by Brian Bell meant free ice cream for the fans. And we give you 7 reasons to go to Mohawk this week to bet on horses in their race book.

We had to check in on Emma-Jayne Wilson, who was thrown from a horse Friday. She tells us she’s a little bruised, but otherwise ok. The Stakes race at Woodbine Saturday was the Hendrie for fillies and mares. Woodbine’s CEO Mike Copeland tells us everything we need to know about the Go Station being built on the racetrack grounds. Harness trainer Ashley MacDonald broke through at Mohawk on Canada – she talks about that and tells us which MacDonalds she is related to. Ismael Mosqueira had a monster day last Wednesday at Ajax Downs. And those who bet only favourites didn’t throw away many tickets Thursday night at Mohawk.

The Canada Day Racing Festival at Woodbine gave us 5 Stakes races and Canadian Horse of the Year Patches O’Houlihan gave us cause for concern after his wayward win in the Highlander. A great night at Mohawk Friday for Jody Jamieson – he had 4 wins including a pair of Stakes. We meet apprentice rider, Xarel Forde. He tells us how much he enjoys winning at Woodbine and how he got his unusual name. Harness driver Scott Wray won for the 1000th time; it took him only 16 years. We’ve got him on the phone to talk about it. This podcast has every race from last week’s card at Ajax Downs as those in attendance wondered if their coupon for free ice cream could be redeemed.

Also:

+ There’s going to a Go station built at Woodbine

+ Trainer Shawn Steacy has broken through the $10,000,000 mark

+ What were the odds that the first 4 winners last Thursday at Hawthorne would all pay exactly the same?

+ What were the odds that the first 9 winners Friday night at Mohawk would all be favourites?

+ And after proposing to your lady in the winners’ circle, wouldn’t you bet on a horse called Please Marry Me?

We’ve got Saturday’s Alywow Stakes from Woodbine which went to an invader; and from Friday’s card. Apprentice Xarel Forde became the first jockey in Canadian history with a name beginning with X to score a hat trick. Same day, veteran rider, Slade Callaghan won in his first race back. The great Emma-Jayne Wilson joins us to talk about what it feels like to win a race again and what her twin daughters, Grace and Avery think about what mommy does.

Chelsea Hackbarth is the editor in chief for the Paulick Report and she informs us about ICE agents arresting 84 undocumented workers from the backstretch of Delta Downs in Louisiana.

Brian Bell recorded his 800th win at Ajax Downs and explains why it’s much harder to put up big numbers in quarter horse racing. Also, why did we compare him to the Shawshank Redemption’s Andy Dufresne?

Good on Woodbine to quadruple their contribution to OSAS, the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Agency. Joanne Colville of OSAS tells us how important this was.

And what do you think happened to the 5-horse named Five in a race at the Meadows on the 5th day of the week?