JOHHNY WILMOT CONTINUES GOOD FORM

Trainer Johnny Wilmot’s breakout season continued on Saturday when Runjohnny Run, under Wesley Henry, won the seventh race over the five-furlong (1,000m) straight course. Runjohhny Run made one move to win by two-and-a-quarter lengths over Nothingbutthebest and Pizarro in 59.3 seconds. it was Wilmot’s 19th winner for the season from 112 starts.

ELITE THOROUGHBREDS KILLED IN CALIFORNIA WILDFIRE

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Hundreds of elite thoroughbred race horses sprinted away from flames on Thursday (December 7) as one of California’s major wildfires tore through a training centre in San Diego County.

Not all of them made it. There was no official count of how many animals were killed in the hazy confusion as both horses and humans evacuated, but trainers at San Luis Rey Downs estimated that at least a dozen had died, possibly far more.

Horses worth hundreds of thousands of dollars who are usually carefully walked from place to place were simply set free and encouraged to run away as flames engulfed the centre near Bonsall, which is just a few miles from where the fire broke out.

Mac McBride, who was working with the centre’s trainers, said it was “total pandemonium when several hundred horses were cut loose,” but he believes most of the approximately 450 horses stabled there survived.

McBride, who works at the Del Mar racetrack, said some horses were evacuated to the nearby track where many of them compete.

“There was so much smoke it was difficult to see,” said horse trainer Dan Durham, who got his 20 horses rounded up and was loading them into vans to be evacuated.

“Some of the horses were turned loose so they could be safe. They were scattered around.”

San Luis Rey Downs is home to horses that run at nearby Del Mar and other top-flight California tracks like Santa Anita Park. Doug O’Neill, whose horses have won the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup races, is among the trainers who keep at least part of their stable there.

The sign at the front calls it “Home of Azeri,” the now-retired mare who was the 2002 US Horse of the Year who earned over US$4 million in her career.

Los Alamitos Race Course, the track where Southern California’s rotating thoroughbred circuit is currently running, cancelled all races Friday so that the racing community could mourn.

PICK-9 CLEARS $7 MILLION ON ROUGH DAY FOR PUNTERS

IT is not very often that we see almost every exotic wager having a carryover. Such was the situation at the end of last Saturday’s 11-race programme when punters found it very difficult to find the winners.

The popular Pick-9 exotic wager now boasts a carryover of $7,341,191.00 going into Saturday’s (December 16) race meet after punters again failed to spot the nine required winners.

The Twilight 6 (last six races) has a carryover of $1,397,906.25; the new Pick 5 has a carryover of $1,152,424.00; Pick 4 has a carryover of $839,319.65; Place Pot 8 has a carryover of $393,828.00, and the new Twin-Tri has a carryover of $52,383.50. Only the Sunrise 6 was caught and paid $622,245.

The major stumbling blocks were 53-1 long shot Top Eagle, who won the ninth race, and Kanaloa at 21-1 in the previous race.

Benediction warmed things up in the second race, winning at 11-1. Smokescreen at 6-1 and Warrior Princess at 4-1 played their part in frustrating punters.

K D FLYER, PLEASANT SECRET WIN JRTA TROPHY FEATURE RACES

TRAINER Gary Subratie’s K D Flyer and Pleasant Secret won both sections of the Jamaica Racehorse Trainers’ Association (JRTA) Trophy feature races at Caymanas Park last Saturday.

The Restricted Allowance races for native- bred three-year-old non-winners of two were contested over six furlongs (1,200m).

K D Flyer, owned by We’re Family and ridden by Dane Dawkins, won the first section by a comfortable four lengths over Bruce Wayne (Dick Cardenas) and Storm Valley (Shane Ellis) in a decent 1:13.0. “It was an excellent performance by K D Flyer.

I know he is getting fitter; he has some issues and so he can’t really be trained too hard, but he is sound.

Once he is sound, he is going to run well,” Subratie told the Supreme Racing Guide. Pleasant Secret, owned by Houston Stables and ridden by Anthony Thomas, won section two by a neck from Ictus (Shane Ellis) in a decent 1:13.3.

Third was Lady Exotic ridden by O’Brien White. Favourite in the race Aurelia’s Summer ended in eighth position.

BENEDICTION, SMOKESCREEN RELEASE MAIDEN TAGS 

Benediction, trained by Stanley Findlay and Smokescreen, trained by Christopher Pierre, were able to release their maiden tags on the 11-race programme at Caymanas Park last Saturday.

Benediction (Silent Valour – Follow The Train), ridden by Rayan Wilson, was able to get the job done over a mile (1,600m). Benediction came with a strong run in deep stretch to beat Willodeen and Princess Kavel by over three lengths in a time of 1:42.4. It was Wilson’s first winner in quite a while.

“This horse trained well coming into the race, and with the equipment change I was confident that she would run a good race.

I had put on the blinkers and she delivered,” said Findlay, who was winning his first race in over two years.

After eight starts, Smokescreen (Burning Marque – Withallmyheart) found the winning post in front under apprentice Oneil Scott.

The four-year-old chestnut colt came with a strong run on the inside rails to beat Lola Grey and Dan Dan by a length and a quarter going six furlongs (1,200m). The winning time was 1:17.0.

THREE HORSES CLAIMED ON SATURDAY

11-race programme at Caymanas Park last Saturday. Donovan Plummer claimed Pizzaro for Geraint Parchment for $350,000 from Marlon Anderson from the seventh race.

In the eighth race, Roy Matthews claimed Royal Assault for Michael Wray from Anthony Nunes, while O’Neil Markland claimed Storming for himself from Donovan Plummer.

Both claims were for $550,000.