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Abrianna
● She’s saved her best race for last, at least the last one before her biggest test to date. Abrianna, a dark bay daughter of Lemon Drop Kid, didn’t have to squeeze out her maiden win, besting her closest rival by 2 ½ lengths in a 1 1/16-mile Polytrack race on May 14. Now, she’ll take to the track in her initial added-money event, with top prize of $300,000 on the line.
● Her name means noble, strong and virtuous. Trainer Roger Attfield, who has three Oaks victories (1986, Playlist; 1994, Plenty of Sugar; 1997, Capdiva) to his name, is hoping his filly brings all those traits to the gate on Sunday.
● “She’s a lightly raced filly, isn’t she?” offered Attfield, of the four-time starter. “But although she’s light on experience, she has quality and ability. Every race, she seems to have gotten better. She’s definitely gotten the hang of things.”
● Favoured in her first start, a seven-furlong Polytrack race at Woodbine on October 24, Abrianna rallied six-wide from eighth to finish second, a head back of the winner. She was once again the public’s choice on November 18, a 1 1/16-mile ‘Poly’ race. Second at the half-mile pole, the Ontario-bred faded to finish sixth, eight lengths behind Oaks rival Silver Ami.
● Almost five months to the day later, Abrianna kicked off her three-year-old campaign in Keeneland, once again at 1 1/16 miles. A “bold bid, four-wide,” as noted in the comment line, resulted in a runner-up performance. And while the third time wasn’t the charm, it suggested she was ready, willing and able for her return to Woodbine on May 14.
● Part of an entry, Abrianna, at 2-5, netted her milestone win and in doing so, gave her connections the confidence to let her contest the Oaks.
● “I’ve always liked her and she seems to be putting it all together,” said Attfield. “She’s improved in so many ways and she’s continuing to train well. I did expect her to run well in her latest start and she did. Actually, it would have been disappointing if she hadn’t have won.”
● Attfield liked what he saw in the filly before she even contested her first race. And while she doesn’t remind the Hall of Fame conditioner of his past Oaks winners, he does have faith she can produce a solid performance in the 1 1/8-mile Oaks. “I liked her last year, but she was a little backward at the beginning. But over the winter, she matured, and she’s doing quite well. She’s a light filly, in frame, but she’s got a little attitude, too.”
● Could that translate into a winning attitude come Sunday? “That would be nice, wouldn’t it?” quipped Attfield. “It’s a tough field, but she deserves a chance. I like the way she’s progressed and if she can run to the meaning of her name that would be wonderful.”
● Distance won’t be an issue. “Not at all. I think she likes some speed to run at, although you never know how a race will set up. She’s really come into herself and we’ll just have to see how it goes.”
● “I’ve had a lot of good luck out of that female line,” noted Attfield, in referencing Abrianna’s granddam, Primarily. “Poetically (a Kinghaven-bred, multiple stakes-winning filly/mare and Canadian champion two-year-old filly of 2000) comes to mind. Hopefully, she (Abrianna) can come up with a big effort on Sunday. She’s coming along and we’re hoping she can continue to get better and better as she’s shown over her races.”
Javier Castellano
Born in Maracaibo, Venezuela on October 23, 1977, Javier Castellano came to the United States in 1997 and began riding on the south Florida circuit. He was the leading rider at Tropical-at-Calder for the 1999-2000 season, notching 72 wins, then defended his title a year later with 61 wins.
Castellano went to the New York circuit in 2001 and quickly established himself as an up-and-comer, winning seven stakes, including the Gazelle and Beldame aboard Exogenous. He was the leading rider at Aqueduct for the 2002-03 winter meet, with 76 victories and also won the track’s spring meet honours in 2004. The 2004 season proved to be his coming out party, as he won 212 races and over $13 million in purses. His year was highlighted by four wins aboard Horse of the Year Ghostzapper, including the Breeders’ Cup Classic. He won the Beldame Stakes with Sightseek and became one of only seven jockeys to win five races on a card at Saratoga.
Castellano continued to excel in 2005. In addition to Ghostzapper, who opened his campaign with an awesome display in the Met Mile in May before being retired, he was the regular pilot of George Steinbrenner’s highly-regarded Bellamy Road, who won the Wood Memorial in record-setting fashion. He finished the year in sixth place overall, with 206 wins and over $12.5 million in purses.
In 2006, the Mineola, New York resident was the pilot of Bernardini, who won the Preakness, Travers and Jockey Club Gold Cup. Other mounts included Pine Island, Remarkable News, Stormy Kiss, Ozone Bere, Smokey Glacken and Outperformance. Overall, he ranked 11th in earnings.
Castellano posted the 2,000th win of his career on April 26, 2007 at Calder. His top mounts in 2007 included Jambalaya, Miss Shop, Sky Conqueror, Silver Wagon, Corinthian, Timber Reserve and Nobiz Like Shobiz.
In 2008, Castellano won 157 races and accumulated over $12.1 million in earnings. Among his stars were Music Note, Heros Reward, Ginger Brew, Backseat Rhythm and Sugar Swirl.
In 2009, Castellano recorded $9.1 million in earnings and tallied 152 wins from 1028 starts. He’s scored in 25 added-money events, including the Grade 1 King’s Bishop with Capt. Candyman Can, the Grade 1 Sword Dancer with Telling and the Grade 1 Acorn with Gabby’s Golden Gal. An overturned disqualification credited him with a win aboard Marsh Side in the Grade 1 Northern Dancer at Woodbine.
Last year, Castellano won five races in a row at Saratoga Race Course on July 25. Although records are incomplete, it is believed Castellano is the first jockey to ever win five in a row on a single card at the Spa. Overall, he won 246 races, along with over $13-milllion in purse earnings. He won two Grade 1 events, including the Travers with Afleet Express. Other graded winners included Battle Plan, Blues Street, Get Stormy, Interactif and Ave, in the Flower Bowl, for trainer Roger Attfield.
He has two Grade 1 wins so far this year, Get Stormy in the Maker’s Mark and Lilacs and Lace in Ashland. He is currently sixth in the national rankings with over $4.67 million in earnings through May 31.
Frank Stronach (Stronach Stables)
Born September 6, 1932 in Weiz, Austria, Frank Stronach is Chairman of the Board of Magna International, based in Aurora, Ontario and of Magna Entertainment, a subsidiary. Magna International Inc. is a leading global supplier of technologically-advanced automotive systems, components and complete modules, employing 72,000 people at 202 manufacturing divisions and 45 product development and engineering centres throughout North and South America, Mexico, Europe and Asia.
With Magna Entertainment, Stronach has become the largest operator of thoroughbred racetracks in North America, owning/controlling Santa Anita Park (his first purchase in 1998), Pimlico, Laurel, Gulfstream, Golden Gate Fields and Portland Meadows.
Stronach moved with his family to Canada in 1954. His first job was washing dishes at a hospital in Kitchener-Waterloo. He then went to work in the tool & die business, forming Multimatic Investments Limited in 1957, which eventually merged with Magna Electronics before evolving into Magna International in 1973.
In 1964, Miss Scooter was the first horse to run in Stronach's powder blue and black diamond silks. His first winner was Gay Bride in 1965. That year his stable earned $8,280. In year 2000, Stronach horses, running under the new red, black and white silks of Adena Springs, earned $11 million. He now has several hundred horses at racing operations throughout North America, based at Adena Springs North in Aurora, Adena Springs in Midland, Kentucky and Adena Springs South in Ocala, Florida. The Kentucky operation stands such sires as Alphabet Soup, Awesome Again, Congaree, El Prado, Touch Gold and Ghostzapper.
Many Canadian champions have raced in Stronach’s silks, including 1980 Canadian Horse of the Year Glorious Song (the first Canadian horse to earn $1 million and his first Eclipse Award winner), Cash Deposit, Canadian Factor, Hero’s Love, King Ruckus and Sintrillium.
In addition, he has received Sovereign Awards as Canada’s top breeder (1984, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008) and top owner (1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003 and 2005). He also received a special Sovereign Award in 1998 for Awesome Again, winner of the 1997 Queen’s Plate and the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 1998. His stable has raced more than 100 stakes winners, many of them homebreds, including Basqueian, winner of the 1994 Queen’s Plate and 1999 Woodbine Oaks winner Touch Dial.
Stronach was voted Eclipse Awards as North America’s top Owner from 1998 to 2000 and Top Breeder in 2000 and 2004-2007. He was inducted into Canada’s Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2002.In 2000, his Red Bullet won the famed Preakness and the stable won two Breeders’ Cup races, the Juvenile with Macho Uno and the Filly and Mare Turf with Perfect Sting. Several years earlier his Touch Gold had denied Silver Charm a U.S. Triple Crown by winning the 1997 Belmont Stakes.
In 2002, Stronach Stables wound up as the leading owner in North America, with 122 wins and over $8.3 million in purses, including a leading $3.6 million at Woodbine. In 2003, Stronach Stables earned the money title at Woodbine with over $4.6 million in purse earnings, winning seven stakes, including two with Sovereign Award-winning older horse Phantom Light. He also finished second to Michael Gill in North America, with over $7.2 million in purses.
In 2004, Stronach finished second to Sam-Son Farm at Woodbine, with over $2.7 million in purses and third overall in North America, with $7.1 million. His big horse was Ghostzapper, a son of Awesome Again, who was unbeaten in four starts, won the Breeders’ Cup Classic en route to a Horse of the Year title. In 2005, at Woodbine, Stronach horses won 34 races and $1,716,352 in purse money. One year later, the stable won 29 races at the Toronto oval, including four stakes with four different horses, headlined by Royal Challenger’s Breeders’ Stakes score.
In 2006 Stronach Stables won 29 races at the Toronto oval and $1,484,284 in purse earnings. The stable also won their third consecutive Sovereign Award in the Breeder category and seventh overall.
In 2008, Team Stronach celebrated their second win in the Woodbine Oaks with Ginger Brew en route to 114 wins and over $6.6 million in purses (second in North America) In 2009, Stronach silk-bearers won 70 races and over $2.7 million in purse earnings.
Last year, Stronach Stables was the Sovereign Award winner as Canada’s top breeder, their eighth overall. They had 280 starters, with 38 winners and 115 top-three finishes.
Roger Attfield
One of Canada’s most accomplished horsemen, Roger Attfield has trained a record-tying eight Queen’s Plate winners (Norcliffe, 1976; Market Control, 1987; With Approval, 1989; Izvestia, 1990; Alydeed, 1992; Peteski, 1993; Regal Discovery, 1995; Not Bourbon, 2008). Three of them (With Approval, Izvestia and Peteski) went on to win Triple Crowns. He’s also won the Breeders’ Stakes, third leg in the Canadian Triple Crown, on eight occasions and the Oaks three times (Playlist, 1986; Plenty of Sugar, 1994, Capdiva, 1997).
He has conditioned six Horses-of-the-Year. In addition to the Triple Crown winners, Norcliffe, Play the King and Alywow were also accorded that honour, among his numerous Sovereign winners.
The Nobleton resident has won scores of stakes at Woodbine during his 30+ years as a trainer and is a seven-time (1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1993, 2002 and 2009) Sovereign Award winner as Canada’s outstanding conditioner. In 1999, he was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.
Born November 18, 1939 in Newbury, England, Attfield was an accomplished show-jump rider and amateur steeplechase jockey before immigrating to Canada in 1970.
In 2000, he won 10 stakes, including three with Sovereign Award-winning juvenile filly Poetically. In 2005, Attfield saddled six stakes winners at Woodbine, including two with Palladio, who took the Ohio Derby and top three-year-old Sovereign honours. In 2006, Pellegrino gave him his 300th career stakes winner.
In 2009, Attfield won his seventh Sovereign Award as Canada’s Most Outstanding Trainer. He finished fourth in the Woodbine standings with 52 wins and captured stakes with 12 different horses, including Palladio, Hollinger and Perfect Shower.
South of the border, Attfield was highly successful in 2010, including the Grade 1 Flower Bowl at Belmont Park with Ave. He’s also won added money events with Lady Shakespeare, Musketier and Society’s Chairman. At Woodbine, he capped off his fine campaign with Sovereign Award No. 8, a year in which he won 41 races at the Toronto oval, 13 of which were stakes events.
This year, he saddled Musketier to victory in the Grade 2 Elkhorn and No Explaining to a win in the Grade 3 Gallorette.
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