ICYMI: August 11 – 13

TORONTO — By: Matthew Lomon

Hanover Helper

Driver Bob McClure and trainer Anthony Beaton certainly had fun at Mohawk on Saturday night.

Together, and with help from Legendary Hanover and Elodie Hanover, the driver-trainer duo captured both headliner races, the Dream Maker Final and Whenuwishuponastar Final.

To be fair, neither horse did the unthinkable, paying $4.40 and $7.10, respectively. But that’s not what’s important. What matters here, and this will be a recurring theme because it’s important for betting, is that horse racing is a team sport.

Seconds Please!

Driver Scott Young and trainer Jeff Gillis swept this Saturday’s Gold Cup and Saucer trials at Charlottetown Driving Park with stablemates Funatthebeach N and Covered Bridge.

The Mark Ford-owned horses took a different approach to the race, but sometimes, and especially in horse racing, the destination is more important than the journey.

Thanks to the strong showings, both trotters earned a spot in next week’s $100,000 final.

He’s Batting 1.000

Jockey Alonso Quinonez had three mounts on Saturday night at Canterbury Park and it’s safe to say he didn’t let his backers down.

The Sinaloa, Mexico native put on a show, going three-for-three with Thunders Rocknroll, She’s My Warrior, and Roses by Liam to capture the Minnesota Oaks, Glitter Star Stakes, and Minnesota Derby.

Now, betting isn’t a game saved by silver linings, but if there is anything to take from Quinones’ monster performance, it’s this: you’re betting on the jockeys too, not just the horses.

Remember that thing from earlier about horse racing being a team sport?

Inside Track

Malibu Mambo (great name by the way) and jockey David Moran ran a beautiful race on August 12 at Woodbine.

Coming into Saturday’s fifth race at 9-2, the 6-year-old, under a sly ride from Moran, waited patiently before sliding inside right around the furlong marker to secure the victory. It was a textbook performance from an accomplished rider and horse who’s been the model of consistency over his career.

Following his latest triumph, Malibu Mambo owns a sterling 4-5-4 line in 18 career starts.

Everything’s Coming up Attard

Here’s a pro tip: if you see “Trainer: Kevin Attard” beside a horse’s name in the program, I’d highly recommend taking a good look at that horse.

The King’s Plate-winning trainer did what he does best on Sunday afternoon at Woodbine and that’s win. In fact, he did it three times on the day with Tripolina, Langstaff Road, and Armaline, the latter paying $10.60.

Is this a sign of what’s to come next Sunday in the 164^th running of The King’s Plate? Attard has four horses going, including Wickenheiser, so you might want to consider playing the hunch.