Picture Terry Greer in his office, dreaming up matchups between thoroughbreds. An old movie reel would help. “His office was a little crazy to see,” said son Brandon, 43, trainer of Town Cruise, the surprise winner of the $1-million Woodbine Mile on Sept. 18, the kind of win that scattered the pigeons. In fact, Town Cruise is one of the few horses Greer trains. He’s chief of … [Read more...] about Town Cruise: Horse of a Lifetime
Woodbine Mile
A Jubilee of Epic Proportions
“Come on, mama,” Tino Attard repeated to Starship Jubilee as she floated into the paddock before the $1-million Woodbine Mile on Sept. 19. It was almost like a chant. He was rather like a pacing parent. The elder Attard was a believer in this spunky 7-year-old mare. She made believers out of the rest of us moments later. At odds of 6 to 1, Starship Jubilee trounced … [Read more...] about A Jubilee of Epic Proportions
The Last Pot of Gold
Eurico Rosa da Silva knew time was running out, like sand in an hourglass. With three months left in his riding career, there was but one stakes race at Woodbine that he had never won. He had won two Queen’s Plates, and the Canadian International Championship Stakes two years ago on 43 to 1 shot, Bullard’s Alley, in a race dominated by non-local jockeys. But the … [Read more...] about The Last Pot of Gold
Woodbine Mile: Running Shoes Needed
Woodbine was giving away $1,575,000 in purse money on Woodbine Mile day, enough to attract horses that had run in Britain, France, Germany and the United States. They came all that way, only to find some Canadian horses had tied their racing slippers on and just wouldn’t give in. Northern Dancer would have approved. The Dancer raced the last start of his … [Read more...] about Woodbine Mile: Running Shoes Needed
Can This Claimer Win the Woodbine Mile?
Jockey Eurico Rosa da Silva wears a Brazilian flag imprinted on his breeches (alongside the Canadian one.) Woodbine trainer Vito Armata fights the hot autumn sun, wrestling with hoses and towels and pails, decked out in a t-shirt that celebrates the place of his birth, Italy. See, the Woodbine Mile is already an international event, even before the track asks for world-wide … [Read more...] about Can This Claimer Win the Woodbine Mile?