Rafael Hernandez continue to impress at Woodbine racetrack with hat-trick.

With already 86 wins for the season Rafael Hernandez continues to impress by getting horses to the finish line first.  The only jockey to win more races than Rafael Hernandez this season is Kazushi Kimura with 97 wins for the season.  Last weekend between September 22 - September 25 Rafael scored 8 wins from four days with an impressive display on Saturday, September 24th winning four on the card and a natural hat-trick on the day.

One of the wins came aboard Ancient Spirit in the Victorian Queens Stakes for two-year-old old fillies.  The horse stayed on the pace over the EP Taylor turf track and at the half pulled away to eventually win by two and a half lengths.

Rafael Hernandez aboard Get Smokin in the Woodbine Mile

Rafael Manuel Hernandez is his name and he wasn't playing around at all.

derek.barntrack@gmail.com

It's 100 career wins for trainer Steven Gaskin

 Trainer Steven Gaskin finally got his wish when he sent out Diane's Wish on September 20th in the fourth race at Assiniboia Downs.  Being stuck on 99 career wins for a short while, Steven Gaskin reflected on all the grateful moments he has had so far which got him to this point in his career.  I quizzed Steven on the near misses he has had and asked him if he ever thought about the what-ifs.  Steven remained as humbled as ever and gave full credit to the riders who were able to get him to this point.  He also thanked everyone else who helped him along and is quite happy to be making a living to support his family with horse racing.

100 wins sealed with a kiss

From the Equibase statistics, Steven has been training since 2016 and has produced a record of 814 starts, 100 wins, 99 seconds, and 138 thirds.  

It's been a tough year so far he said with his record averaging slightly under what he has been used to but he has high hopes with the babies in his training.   Diane's Wish was claimed on her winning night and is in new hands with some new connections.  Steven praises the filly and complimented her with compliments like she will have a great career ahead of her and he knows that she will go on and do good things.

For now, the win was rewarding he says but it is time to head west as he packs up his tack and head to Century mile to join that meet which is already in full flight.

derek.barntrack@gmail.com

It's a win for Northern Passage and Trainer Carrie Russiani.

 On Thursday, September 22rd, 2022 Northern Passage finally broke her maiden in the very last race of the day.  The sun was setting and the rays from the sun shone deeply on the Woodbine grandstand which brought a romantic feel to the maiden breaking of this five-year-old mare.

The win itself means a lot more to Carrie Russiani than the purse itself.  The horse was gifted to her by her late uncle Robert Harvey who was very instrumental to her and her love for the horses.  When I spoke with Carrie earlier in the spring she expressed how much Northern Passage meant to her and the family so this win is very emotional to her.  

Both she and her partner David Grant who is co-owner of the horse are truly grateful for the win this season.  The horse picked up a 62 equibase speed figure from the win in the $32,000 maiden claiming in a six-furlong race.

Northern Passage playfully skips

I stopped by the backstretch to see how the horse was doing and she was in a very happy mood, putting on a dance and all for me.  

derek.barntrack@gmail.com

keeping up with the Jones

When I first met Slade Jones I couldn't believe how opened and relaxed he was to not only a stranger but also to media.  With his level of comfort at 16 years old and coming back to his land of birth with his developed Barbadian accent and charisma he seemed to be quite alert of his surroundings.  

He praised all the veterans who gave him encouragement and complimented them in public. He shook hands with no remorse during a time when we were told not to touch hands because of the pandemic.  

Slade Jones

He didn't win his first mount at Woodbine racetrack, those moments are special. 

Perhaps not winning his first mount gave him the fire to grind even harder or perhaps he has the DNA of a winner even at his tender age. Nevertheless, he has created a buzz among horse people and he has drawn lots of interest on track with handicappers also.

To date  he has a record of 230 starts, 33 wins, 29 seconds, 26 thirds and a purse earnings of $991,397 shown on the equibase statistics.

On Sunday September 18th in the 9th race at Woodbine racetrack, Slade Jones will have to go deep to be even more impressive as he takes on some seasoned veterans in the Singspiel stakes.  The race itself is 1 3/8 miles on the turf and his horse Enchant Me being the longest shot in the field will have some class test to prove.  He rides for trainer Santino C. DiPaola who is clicking at an 8% win percentage on the season.

derek.barntrack@gmail.com

Troy Hearn Jr gets ready for his first mount at Woodbine racetrack in 2022.

For some people being a jockey is everything and for Troy Hearn Jr it is everything and more.

He trains hard and he believes in his diet which he is proud to talk about if you ever get him into a good conversation about fitness.  Horse racing is a passion and a love for something that he was born into back in his native land of Trinidad and Tobago.

Troy Hearn Jr.

On  Friday, September 16 race 8 at Woodbine race track, Troy Hearn Jr will ride his first race for this year for trainer WV Armata.  Troy realizes that he rides a long shot and the odds will be against him for this race,  he also recognizes that this is the start he has earned with all the hard work he has so far put into returning to the track.

Behind the scenes caught up with Troy earlier in the summer.

So, Troy continues to work hard on the backstretch and he continues to stay focused on the goals he has set for himself and his future.

derek.barntrack@gmail.com

Another impressive win for Luckman at Woodbine racetrack.

 Luckman continues to impress with his return to the Woodbine race track this 2022 season.  He has now won 4 in a row after being shut out in his previous 9 career starts leading previous connections to have second thoughts.

So far this year Luckman has earned $130,099.00 and seems to be just getting better.    This season, jockey Patrick Husbands previously rode Luckman to victory the first three times this year but opted to ride First Empire trained by Mark Casse who finished 9th in the 10-horse contest over the EP Taylor turf track.

Some say you have to be lucky in order to be successful and some say luck has no place in their house.  Either way, Luckman has opened a few eyes around the track after the very impressive 4 in a row and perhaps another before the season comes to an end.  

Surprise! It's A girl who wins the Queen's Plate!

 Actually, the buzz horse that was being talked about was the Kevin Attard filly Moira and her ability to blow the field away, so she did just that.

Top horses are meant to be beaten and there was no change to that theory if you liked my top pick for the Queen's Plate The Minkster who finished a distant 9th in the field.  Plate trial winner Sir For Sure finished third with a very good run at the end with Hall of Dreams ridden by jockey Patrick Husbands in second.

When I handicapped the race the day before the Queen's Plate with Jim Bannon who is known for his expert handicapping ability.  He wasn't too concerned about the upstart horse Rondure with shipped-in jockey Flavien Pratt and he had settled on the Plate Trial winner Sir for Sure as the top pick who went on to finish third.

Leading up to the race as I searched the Woodbine grounds for people with different opinions on who was going to win the race.  I couldn't help but notice the number of females who were very excited about Moira winning the race.  I tried to let my brain take me to where perhaps they may have heard about Moira and who was pointing them to this amazing horse as it now turns out.

Women at the track were asking my opinion on who they should cheer for and they wanted to hear more about the new buzz horse Moira who was going to beat the boys.  It was that simple for them, beat the boys!   I couldn't tell them much at the time but I was able to point them to my YouTube channel in order to hear what Rankin had to say about the filly.  

The track itself was awesome as usual with live music and DJs spinning music all day long.  It took me back to many years ago when I just wanted to be amongst the many people who attended these events.  I admired the horsemen and women who dressed for the occasion and those who took time out of their busy lives to just unwind with the event and all the media around them.  This is a big deal for the people who work tirelessly at Woodbine backstretch to make this day happen with the horses.  They don't always get to enjoy the event like others do because the horses need lots of attention and especially if there is more than one horse on the card to look after.

The crowd lets always let everyone know who their favorite jockeys are when the horses are coming down the stretch.  The sound of cheers is like no other when the pack turns for home.

Coincidentally, the very last race of the day was won by jockey Keveh Nicholls on Cliff's Head and trained by Amber Mayers. Girl power all day long, what a day!