triple dead heat

Can Carroll repeat Queen's Plate success?

2012-02-08T18:13:00.007-05:00

I caught up with trainer Josie Carroll over the phone on Tuesday night and the conditioner of Woodbine Oaks and Queen’s Plate champion Inglorious was in good spirits.

Inglorious on the Saratoga backstretch last summer

The miles have been adding up for Carroll who has been very busy over the winter months racing horses at both Gulfstream and Fair Grounds, while also overseeing the development of a number of promising young horses at Palm Meadows.

“Air miles, car miles, every kind of miles,” she laughed. “It’s been a busy winter but I’m fortunate to have some very nice horses so it’s worth it.”

Inglorious romps in the Woodbine Oaks, presented by Budweiser

The Queen’s Plate winner Inglorious, who is owned by Donna and Vern Dubinsky’s Donver Stables, made her first appearance on the work tab in 2012 on February 6 breezing an easy four furlongs in :50.60 at Palm Meadows.

“It went exactly as planned. It was just a nice gallop along for her,” said Carroll.

Carroll is reluctant to lay out a schedule just yet for the now four-year-old daughter of Hennessy-Noble Strike, but indicated that Woodbine would be the home base and a try over the turf is more than likely in the cards.

“I’m hoping so for the most part (to race at Woodbine), but I don’t think exclusively,” she said. “There’s great racing at home.”

The prospect of a turf start for Inglorious was brought to the forefront following the rousing performance by her half-sister, Dixie Strike, to win Saturday’s Florida Oaks over the lawn at Tampa Bay Downs.

“I think turf is something we’ll explore somewhere in the future,” admitted Carroll.

Inglorious wins the 2011 Queen's Plate

Given that Carroll trained Noble Strike, the dam of Inglorious and Dixie Strike, it’s safe to say she is more than familiar with the Sovereign Award nominated broodmare’s abilities and how that talent might best be coaxed from her filly.

That said, Carroll was quick to point out the differences between dam and daughter.

“Different personality’s altogether,” she said. “I think Inglorious is a much easier horse to train. A much more settled horse to train. Noble Strike could be a bit of a handful.”

Noble Strike, a bay daughter of Smart Strike-Green Noble, made 18 starts, most of them at Woodbine, compiling a record of three wins, three seconds and three thirds. Her best result being a length and a half score in the 2002 edition of the Belle Geste, raced at a mile and an eighth on the turf.

At that time, Noble Strike was trained by Ronald Burke for Arosa Farms. However, after moving to Carroll’s care, the mare would find the winner’s circle again on the turf taking a seven and a half furlong allowance at the Fair Grounds.

Carroll is well aware of the turf potential, but will not be jumping hurdles to put her filly on the lawn.

“It’s all speculation,” she said. “All I can tell you is at some point I’m going to try her on it.”

In addition to planning out a four-year-old campaign for Inglorious, Carroll is also attempting to become the first conditioner since Mark Frostad to win the Queen’s Plate in successive seasons. Frostad accomplished the feat with Scatter The Gold and Dancethruthedawn in 2000-2001 - - and a number of prominent trainers including Roger Attfield (multiple times) and Gil Rowntree, to name a couple, have pulled off an historic repeat.

King of England reigns supreme in the Woodbine walking ring

Carroll's quest rests on a trio of top prospects including the U.S Triple Crown nominated Canadian Navy and King of England, who are owned by Earle Mack, as well as the Donver Stable’s Forgotten Vow.

Canadian Navy, a gelded son of Pulpit-Maholo, was bred in Ontario by William D. Graham. The chestnut debuted on December 4 at Woodbine in a five and a half furlong Polytrack sprint and rallied from off the pace to chase home the well-regarded Kinghaven Farms runner Incredicat.

“I think he’s a very promising horse,” said Carroll. “He’s a tremendous mover and I loved his first race because sprinting probably isn’t something he wants to do and yet he did it quite brilliantly.”

Canadian Navy finishes second to Incredicat

Canadian Navy put in his first breeze of 2012 on February 4 covering four furlongs in :49.14 at Palm Meadows.

“He had a month off at Fair Hill and is just starting back,” said Carroll. “I think the break did him good, he did some growing up.”

Big things are also expected of King of England who has yet to work in 2012. The dark bay son of Lemon Drop Kid-Snow Lady, bred in Ontario by Christine Hayden, has a misleading record of one win, a fourth and a fifth from three starts as a two-year-old.

He debuted on August 7 in a six furlong main track sprint and, after a slow start, closed along the rail to finish fourth, defeated less than five lengths by Breeders’ Cup bound Excaper.

King of England would be crowned in his second start travelling a mile and seventy yards in 1:43.99 to defeat a top John C. Oxley Triple Crown nominated fellow by the name of Bluedacious.

King of England breaks his maiden

In his third start, King of England finished fifth in a loaded Grade 3 Grey Stakes field that featured a trio of Kentucky-bred Oxley horses including Prospective, Lockout and Bluedacious, as well as Excaper.

Carroll is also excited about a third Plate prospect, a son of Broken Vow-Unforgettable Too.

“The Dubinsky’s have a horse called Forgotten Vow that was fourth in the race Canadian Navy was second in,” said Carroll. “He ran a very good race.”

It would be wonderful story should Carroll manage to return to the Queen’s Plate with a Donver-owned horse.

Luis Contreras claps for Inglorious as Vern Dubinsky looks on

With Inglorious nominated as Champion Three-Year-Old Filly and the potential of Horse of the Year honours, as well as Donver Stables being nominated for Outstanding Owner, the entire stable will be looking forward to the Sovereign Awards which will be held on April 5 at Woodbine, on the eve of opening day.

“We’re pretty excited about it,” admitted Vern Dubinsky, who is cautiously optimistic of their chances at being named Horse of the Year. “I guess she has a shot. We’d be thrilled to death if she did but there are some other pretty good horses in there too. We’re just thrilled that people recognize her as being a pretty good racehorse.”

Memories of Queen’s Plate success still make Dubinsky smile.

“When you beat the boys it’s pretty special and to win the Queen’s Plate, one of the biggest races in Canada…,” he said.

Donver Stable's Silver Silhouette with assistant trainer Lorie Allen

Another point of pride for Dubinsky is being one of three western Canadian connections nominated as Outstanding Owner along with Glen Todd and Patrick Kinsella, who recorded 58 wins at Hastings in Vancouver to capture the 2011 Leading Owners title for the fifth consecutive year; and Bear Stables Ltd, owned by Albertan Danny Dion, who won 33 races at Woodbine while banking $1,607,408 to finish second in the standings to fellow nominee Eugene Melnyk whose 29 winners banked $1,654,201.

“It’s flattering to have three from western Canadian connections nominated for owner of the year,” said Dubinsky. “Just to be mentioned in the same group as them in an honour for us.”

That he might reach a second Queen’s Plate before even having an entry in the Canadian Derby at Northlands Park in Edmonton is a source of amusement for Dubisnky.

“It’s nice to win races everywhere but to win a race in your home town would be special,” he said. “My wife and I have always wanted to win the Canadian Derby in our hometown of Edmonton here and we’ve never even had a horse in the race."

The flashy filly Silver Silhouette breaks her maiden at Woodbine

Although there are high hopes for Forgotten Vow, the potential Plate prospect, Dubinsky acknowledges that he dreams most about a big campaign from his Queen’s Plate winner.

“At home here, I don’t go by one day without somebody asking me about her,” he said. “It would be great if she could come back and be good as a four-year-old.”

Inglorious enjoying a leisurely gallop last summer at Woodbine

Photo Essay: A visit with Fifty Proof, Rahy's Attorney and Wollemi Pine at Kinghaven Farms

2012-01-28T17:58:00.004-05:00

Skippy Bowen, assistant trainer to Ian Black, made me an offer I couldn’t refuse when he invited me up to Kinghaven Farms on Friday morning to watch their horses during a winter training session.

Not only was it a chance to eyeball Sovereign Award finalist Fifty Proof as he takes his first steps on the journey back to the races, it also meant I could bring a few treats to retired stars Rahy’s Attorney and Wollemi Pine.

Wollemi Pine remains the Woodbine track record holder at 1M70

Kinghaven Farms is nestled in a gorgeous tree-lined property in King City and I cursed the weatherman, who had predicted zero percent precipitation, for much of the drive from my home in Toronto as rain, then freezing rain and finally snow pelted my car.

Running up that hill...

However, it was well worth the white-knuckle drive upon arrival as the resulting photos look that much better with a little snow on the ground.

Stand up if you like snow!

I found Skippy standing under a heat lamp inside Kinghaven’s covered quarter-mile track, carefully watching a pair of young horses, including a little chestnut filly that seemed familiar to me in both colour and movement.

The little Lady Auchamore filly is named, I believe, Pied A Terre and she is a half-sister of Sovereign Award finalist Stormy Lord and the well-regarded Incredicat.

“She’s by City Zip,” says Bowen. “She’s built for speed and with the way her brother, Stormy Lord, and the now three-year-old Incredicat, have raced there’s high hopes for her. It’s a tough act to follow, but if she has a bit of filly fight in her, good things can happen.”

The little filly asks for a little love

Bowen is cautiously optimistic about the chestnut’s potential.

“She’s built more like Stormy Lord,” he says. “She’s a slender filly, very agile. She’s training well right now, but you never really know until you work them.”

The horse I was waiting to see train, however, was the immense Fifty Proof. As we made our way to the barn, a number of familiar faces poked their heads out of their stalls to say hello. Don’s Folly and Princess Niigon, who sports a long white brush along her nose, occupy stalls that flank the path leading from barn to track.

Looking to the end of shed row, I recognized the familiar long-eared noggin of multiple graded stakes winner Rahy’s Attorney. ‘The Champ’ was dapper in his shiny coat and blue blanket and happily crunched a few mints.

The handsome Rahy's Attorney

He was pleased with the attention, but the moment was interrupted when Skippy laughed, “Keith, you might want to turn around.”

Across the shed row, his neck fully extended out of his stall, was the massive cranium belonging to Fifty Proof. The Whiskey Wisdom gelding is tall, muscular and exudes the presence of a horse that won’t be denied a treat once asked.

Fifty Proof demands attention

As I fed a few mints to the huge-hoofed Grade 3 Eclipse Stakes champ, Bowen went over the details of Fifty Proof’s road to recovery after suffering an injury to his suspensory just prior to the Sky Classic Stakes in August.

“Recommended by Dr. Robert McMartin, we did stem cell and plasma injection,” explained Bowen. “We gave him the proper time off, did some ultrasounds and decided it would be beneficial to do some laser therapy on it.”

As we talk, Fifty Proof is led out of his stall to go for a jog with the filly May Island.

“At the beginning of the year we got the okay to start training him again and on January 16 we started him here again at Kinghaven,” says Bowen. “In a couple weeks he’ll head down to Payson Park to continue his training.”

Too dark in here for pictures!

Fifty Proof and May Island make for an odd, little and large, coupling as they made strides within the shadowy confines of the training track. May Island, sleek and athletic, glides over the surface. Fifty Proof moves with a purpose. His head is forward and he bulls his way through the workout.

He is a physical imposing specimen and the workout seems light, but the connections are being patient in re-building the foundation and fitness of their prized horse.

“The main thing is to get some weight on him and for him to do a lot of jogging,” explains Bowen. “Before he heads to Payson, he’ll have a couple weeks of galloping into him here at the farm and then he’ll go to Florida and be trained, more or less, like any other horse. Of course, we’ll keep a closer eye on him, but all systems are go right now and we’re just looking forward for the season to start.”

Stormy Lord hanging out in his Woodbine stall last summer

Fifty Proof, who won twice and placed twice in four starts in 2011, impressed enough to earn a Sovereign Award nomination in the Older Male category. Bowen is appreciative of the honour, but recalls a time when he thought the 2011 campaign might work out differently.

“It’s bittersweet,” he says. “At the beginning of last year, I really felt like we could have the three finalists for the turf. I felt that Rahy, Stormy and Fifty Proof could be the three finalists. And the little horse, Stormy Lord, is the only one who ends up in that category.”

Fifty Proof and May Island conclude their exercise and the big horse is stopped under a beam of light in the training centre so I can snap a photo.

In the photo, Fifty Proof’s exercise rider Matt Douglas is hidden behind the gelding’s massive frame - - but he offers an insight into the little chestnut filly he previously steered around the track.

“I went from riding the smallest horse to the biggest horse in the barn,” he laughs. “But I think her heart is the same size.”

Matt, somewhere up there, aboard Fifty Proof

If Fifty Proof maintains his current progress, he’ll find an allowance at Keeneland or Woodbine to make his comeback. Along with Stormy Lord, he’s expected to lead a promising stable for Ian Black in 2012 with the now three-year-old Incredicat, the chestnut filly and a two-year-old Pulpit-Lyrically colt named Apostolic.

The Canadian foaled Apostolic is currently in Payson with Black.

“He’s from Lyrically, a very nice mare for us,” says Bowen. “She’s from the Lover’s Talk family. That family means a lot to Kinghaven.”

Lover’s Talk won a Sovereign Award in 2007 as Outstanding Broodmare. The family includes stakes winners Love Grows, Barley Talk, Torrid Affair, Wild Whiskey and the stakes-place Lyrically.

“They’re down there right now at Payson with him (Apostolic) and we quite like him, otherwise he wouldn’t be down there,” says Bowen.

Incredicat, a Discreet Cat-Lady Auchamore chestnut (of course), is the barn’s Queen’s Plate hopeful for 2012. There was a fair bit of backstretch buzz last year about Incredicat who was slated to make his start in the Clarendon, but bucked shins in training, and instead debuted with a sharp victory going five and a half furlongs in December.

“Incredicat was such a physically amazing thoroughbred right from the get go,” offers Bowen. “He was a big, strong, gorgeous two-year-old. He looked like a three year old, really.”

Incredicat breaks his maiden at Woodbine

Distance is the main concern regarding Incredicat’s chances of succeeding on the Queen’s Plate trail. However, Black was impressed with the relaxed manner in which Luis Contreras engineered the debut victory.

Baby it's cold outside

“I thought he ran big because he broke really sharp and Luis was able to settle him and take him back off that,” says Black. “At five and a half furlongs a lot of people would have sent him, but I thought Luis rode him really well.”

Incredicat has continued his racing education at Payson over the winter and Bowen is hopeful the horse will outrun expectations.

“Discreet Cat was a two turn horse,” he offers. “Incredicat will get every chance to prove that he belongs in the Plate.”

While the barn is looking forward to seeing these future stars race, their former war horses are far from forgotten.

Rahy’s Attorney, who earned in excess of $2.2-million in a storied career highlighted by a victory in the 2008 Woodbine Mile, is expected to make it back to Woodbine as a stable pony.

“He’s doing great,” says Bowen of the 11-time stakes winner. “But he hates not having a job. The game plan with him is to eventually make him into our stable pony so he can be at the track, stand at the wire, and back up with the two-year-olds.”

Those who know Rahy’s Attorney will recall how much the horse enjoyed his little moments standing at the finish line in the morning watching the horses go by. The barn is hopeful he can lend his experience to younger horses making their first nervous steps on the Polytrack.

“To have a horse that will back up the younger horses and stand at the wire with them, and if a loose horse runs by and for that older horse not to be afraid really helps a two-year-old,” says Bowen.

Snow kiss!

With my morning visit winding down, there was one more horse I wanted to visit before braving the icy road home - - the speedy, pale-as-pale-can-be, mint-munching, tongue-wagging eight-year-old gelding Wollemi Pine.

We found him in a paddock shared with four other horses including Knightly Attire, Get Down, Colonel Kleeter and a jumper named Al.

I visited Wollemi Pine often during his racetrack days and I’d like to think he remembered me as I walked to the paddock fence. But, truth be told, his pink nose likely caught hold of the minty scent of my outstretched hand as he ambled up for a treat.

Get Down peers between the trees

As I ventured into the paddock, I was swarmed by the grey grifters Wollemi Pine and Get Down. The devilish duo ran an elaborate con, eating the offered treats as a form of distraction, while their paddock mates attempted to pick my pocket and make off with the sweet stash.

Pickpocket!!

With the snow flurries increasing, I bid my goodbyes to the lovable lugs and gave Wollemi Pine one last hug. As I drove my car down the winding farm road away from the paddock, I stopped and took one last look up the hill where the veterans continued to play in the snow.

Three heads are better than one

Knightly Attire, his four legs pointed straight up in the air, was wriggling horse-shaped snow angels in the snow as Wollemi Pine observed. With silent snow falling from the heavens, Wollemi Pine lifted his head in the air, exhaled, and decided this was a game worth playing.

Katerina's wit: The Science of Success

2012-01-18T15:52:00.004-05:00

Woodbine-based trainer Katerina Vassilieva, sporting a perfect record of two wins from two starts at Gulfstream Park to launch her 2012 campaign, has an eye for detail.

Katerina Vassilieva as a visitor (for now) at the Breeders' Cup

The 29-year-old conditioner, who previously worked as a hotwalker and exercise rider before signing on as Michael Pino’s assistant in 2009, hung out her shingle at Woodbine last year, and now oversees a compact, but talented, four-horse stable.

She wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I see them (the horses) in their stall and I get on them in the morning so if there was a key to the success that would be it right now,” says Vassilieva.

Keeping an eye on the little details was always going to be a part of Vassilieva’s vocation, even if she didn’t end up on the backstretch.

“Being a trainer was not my original plan at all,” she admits. “I was studying to be a forensic scientist. I did an Honours Bachelor of Science in Forensics and then a Masters in Genetics (at McMaster University) hoping to work in a lab one day. But, then I came to the racetrack and caught the bug and never left.”

The Mississauga native arrived on the Woodbine backstretch in 2006 looking to make some tuition money for university and immediately found work as a hotwalker and groom for trainer Mike Keogh.

Katerina and Petunia on show

In 2007, she ‘graduated’ from walking to riding, working as a gallop girl for trainer Reade Baker. Although she rode horses recreationally for some 15 years before starting at the racetrack, the transition to exercising racehorses proved to be a difficult venture.

“Since I rode, I thought it (exercising horses) would be natural and easy, but everybody told me it was so different,” recalls Vassilieva with a laugh. “You need to be so strong and it’s dangerous. People tried to dissuade me but I was stubborn and needed to prove myself. It really was very hard.”

To illustrate the point, she recalls a moment early on in her riding career in a quiet little corner of the Woodbine backstretch known as Baker’s Acres.

“Baker’s Acres is a very narrow track, lined by trees on either side, and if you go around the turn, and don’t make the turn, your horse is going into the tree,” starts Vassilieva. “One morning…my first month…the horse ran off and slammed into a tree.”

Although both rider and horse were, eventually, okay, the moment was something of an eye-opener.

“I had a lot of interesting moments learning how to gallop, but Reade was really nice to me and he didn’t fire me and let me learn,” she says.

Now she's got the hang of it!

Vassilieva, a student by nature, picked up her trade quickly, earning a reputation as an excellent exercise rider and was a go-to rider in the morning for a number of well-known Woodbine runners including Fatal Bullet, Bear Now and East End Tap.

Presenting on behalf of the Canadian Hall of Fame at the Spa

In 2009, she accepted a position as Michael Pino’s assistant and was immediately thrown into the deep-end, learning the ups-and-downs of the training game.

Pino, who runs a busy claiming operation racing at a number of tracks, put a lot of faith in Vassilieva’s abilities while he was on the road.

“We talked on the phone all the time,” says Vassilieva. “But sometimes I had 12 to 25 horses to manage at a time, plus staff, and I’d pretty much do that on my own. We had successful years both times that I worked for him. We were 21 percent the first year and 36 percent the second year.”

Sustainable Forest earned Vassilieva her first win as a trainer

The conditioner took out her trainer’s license in April 2011 with a modest group of horses completing her first year with a record of two wins, six seconds and four thirds from 19 starts.

Her first winner arrived on August 1 when Sustainable Forest wired a $55,900 MSW sprint over the Woodbine Polytrack.

“It was a relief,” says Vassilieva. “It was confirming to me that I could do this on my own. That I was doing the right thing and that I could do this.”

Katerina with her partner Tony Esposito (agent for jockey Luis Contreras) at Saratoga

If there is a favourite in the barn for Vassilieva, it has to be the six-year-old bay gelding Shabaab. The Stormy Atlantic-Serena's Sister fellow, once worth $300,000 to the Shadwell Stable, found his way to Pino’s barn, and Vassilieva’s heart, back in 2009.

“I instantly liked him,” she says. “As soon as I started getting on Shabaab, and started to know his personality, I loved him instantly. He loved his job, he loved to train and he was strong. He trained forwardly. He did everything right as a racehorse.”

Shabaab, who faltered in his lone start for Kiaran McLaughlin at Aqueduct, paid immediate dividends at Woodbine breaking his maiden in a six furlong 'Poly' sprint.

“Even though Mike wanted to run him for cheap, he never acted like a cheap horse to me,” recalls Vassilieva. “He always acted like a good horse.”

The maiden victory confirmed Vassilieva’s opinion of Shabaab, who put in a good effort in allowance company next out when second

“I knew he was going to be something special,” she says. “To me, he had the mind of a stake horse. Unfortunately, Shabaab’s body wasn’t always at the level of his mind. He always had issues along his career and interruption lines in his form because he had physical issues all along.”

Blues Dancing wins at Woodbine for Vassilieva

Shabaab, who endured a number of shin issues as a two-year-old, would routinely take time off from racing. The gelding won his last race for Shadwell in April of 2010, and when the horse came up with shin issues once more, Vassilieva stepped up and bought the horse for $20,000.

“He was supposed to be a great horse, but he had all these issues and his running was so sporadic,” says Vassilieva. “Good for a race and then something would happen to him.”

It would take seven months, until November 26, 2010, for Vassilieva to get Shabaab back to the track and he managed to pick up a cheque for his new owner finishing second, defeated just a neck, in a claiming event.

Vassilieva coaxed two more starts out of Shabaab, both at the Fair Grounds, before he had to go back on the shelf once more.

“He was off for 10 months and at a certain point I thought he might not make it back as a racehorse again as there were so many problems along the way,” she admits. “But, I had all the time in the world because he was my horse and I love him, but somebody else might have cast him away.”

Perhaps the trainer felt a special connection with the horse, or maybe she’s just been on the back of enough good horses to know talent when she sees it, but her patience is finally paying off.

“I thought about giving up and retiring him to be a pony lots of times, but there’s something about him, his spirit, that he always wanted to train and was strong and loved his job that I’d say, 'okay one more chance, I’ll try it again',” says Vassilieva.

Shabaab returned to the races with a second-place finish on December 4 at Woodbine, and her patience was rewarded on New Year’s Day with a gate-to-wire victory, under Luis Contreras, in a five-furlong turf allowance at Gulfstream.

“He came out perfect,” gushes Vassilieva. “He’s sounder and better than he’s ever been. I’m just tickled that I decided to go forward with him and didn’t’ give up on him.”

Vassilieva feels so strongly about the Florida-bred Shabaab’s ability that she has nominated him for the Sunshine Millions. If he were to find the wire first at that level, it would be a real coming out party for the conditioner.

Shabaab glides to victory at Gulfstream

Whether or not Shabaab is the horse that takes her career to the next level, the trainer is proud that to have followed her heart into a sport she loves, inspired, in part, by an Andre Gide quote that adorns the wall of her Facebook page:

"One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.”

“Sometimes in life you have to take risks. You have to get out of your comfort zone. That’s what that quote says to me,” explains Vassilieva. “A lot of times during my career, I wasn’t sure that this is what I should be doing. Am I wasting my education? Am I doing the right thing?

So, there were times when I was uncomfortable, but I always loved the horses, and I always knew that working with horses is what I wanted to do. So in my way, I stepped out of my comfort zone, knowing subconsciously, that it would pay off one day because that’s where my heart was.”

And now, that her fingerprints can be found on the back of a number of winners, perhaps the former forensic scientist can fully embrace the life she’s made for herself.

“You have to love it to do what we do,” laughs Vassilieva. “The hours we work, seven days a week, you have to love it. And now I ‘m happier than I’ve ever been.”

* * *

Vassilieva will send out Blues Dancing at Gulfstream Park on Thursday as she attempts to maintain her perfect record. The speedy filly is listed at 12-1 in the morning line after breaking her maiden in November at Woodbine.