by Jeff Renton, media/communications, the Woodbine Entertainment Group
Toronto, May 21, 2005… Pepsi North America Cup eligibles Oliver Jackson, Thin Blue Line and Isle Of Patmos put in qualifying miles this morning over the Mohawk seven-eighths strip, along with Peaceful Way, Honour Way, Invitro, Dr No and Vino Camielle.
Oliver Jackson and Thin Blue Line competed in the first race on the docket, finishing second and third, respectively. Bob McIntosh, who also trains Oliver Jackson, was the victorious conditioner in the dash, as All Over The Place, a three-year-old Artsplace colt driven by Chris Christoforou, tripped the timer in 1:55.2.
With Jack Moiseyev in the bike, Oliver Jackson, a son of Western Hanover, closed for second and finished two lengths in arrears, pacing his mile in 1:55.4, the first charted mile of his 2005 campaign. Thin Blue Line and driver Steve Condren sat third throughout the entirety of the mile and finished 5½ lengths back in third, pacing in 1:56.2.
This morning marked the second qualifying mile of the season for Thin Blue Line, who recorded a 1:58.1 win on May 10 at The Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky.
Contacted shortly afterward, McIntosh commented on Oliver Jackson’s performance.
“I was pretty satisfied with him,” McIntosh said, referring to the brown gelding who compiled a 3-0-2 record and $39,268 record from nine starts last season. “He made a nice move between the half and the three-quarter pole.”
Two of Oliver Jackson’s three victories last year came in a preliminary leg of the Dream Maker Pacing Series and in a Metro Pace elimination, where he closed from third in the final quarter, going on to record a three-quarter length over Load The Dice in 1:53.2 off a :26.3 final quarter.
“Last year with him it was only a question of attitude,” McIntosh said of Oliver Jackson, who he co-owns with CSX Stables and Michael Kohler.
“Physically there was nothing wrong with him, but he just wouldn’t try hard at the end of [his miles]. I put off castrating him until this spring. I came to the conclusion that to geld him would be the only thing that might turn his attitude around. He is somewhat better as a gelding – it hasn’t been that long since he was gelded and he seems to be getting better every week.”
Seeing as though this morning was Oliver Jackson’s first time on the track this season, McIntosh is realistic in terms of his N.A. Cup (June 18 at Woodbine) prospect.
“He’s probably a longshot for the Cup, but you never know because it is still a few weeks away,” said McIntosh. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to find an overnight race for him and we’ll go from there.”
Fellow N.A. Cup eligible Isle Of Patmos faced off against older rivals Invitro and Dr No in the morning’s third dash. Making her second qualifier back this season, Invitro, in rein to Paul MacDonell, made the front in the second quarter and never trailed from that point onward, going on to stop the clock in 1:56.1.
Dr No, piloted by Randy Waples, finished 1½ lengths back in second, while Isle Of Patmos, driven by his trainer Mark Capone, finished third, 1¾ lengths back, pacing in 1:56.3.
With Chris Christoforou at her lines, Peaceful Way, the two-time O’Brien Award-winning trotting mare, broke stride off the gate in the second race and was subsequently distanced. It was the Dave Tingley pupil’s first qualifier back off sensational years at two and three, where she racked up over $1.3-million in earnings, a mark of 1:52.3, multiple stakes and 19 victories overall.
Later, Tingley and Christoforou would hook up in the last race, as Honour Way, a three-year-old trotting filly whom they both have a stake in, pranced to a 4¼ length victory in 2:01. The bay Angus Hall filly compiled a 3-3-2 record and $198,464 in earnings from 11 starts last year.
Also a notable on the morning, Vino Camielle, a three-year-old Self Possessed trotting colt, recorded a half-length victory in 1:59. Last year, the bay went wire-to-wire at Mohawk in a $107,243 division of the Champlain Stakes on September 6.
Carolina Sunshine goes sub-1:50 Friday Evening at Woodbine
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WEG Photo
Carolina Sunshine and driver Chris Christoforou.
On Friday evening, Carolina Sunshine, Woodbine’s pacing mare track record holder (1:48.4), became the first female of the 2005 campaign to put in a sub-1:50 mile, as she stopped the clock in 1:49.2 during the C$45,000 Fillies and Mares Open.
Chris Christoforou was at Carolina Sunshine’s lines for conditioner Darren McCall and sat fourth through the first three calls after starting from post position four. Burning Point, with driver Luc Ouellette calling the shots, notched all the fractions, recording them in :26.4, :54.1 and 1:21.1, respectively. After advancing to third, 1½ lengths off the pace at the head of the lane, Carolina Sunshine ($12.80, $6.40, $3.50) collared Burning Point ($3.10, $2.90) and drew away en route to the 1¾-length victory.
The exactor returned $40.20.
Stonebridge Kisses ($4.00), who was driven by Rick Zeron, finished 3¼ lengths back in third and rounded out the $104.10 triactor.
With the effort, Carolina Sunshine, a six-year-old black mare by Cambest out of Peggy Seale, recorded her first victory of 2005, increasing her seasonal resume to 1-1-3 and $61,772 in earnings from eight starts.
In her career, the winner of over $970,000 in purse earnings has reached the winner’s circle 32 times.