Épisodes

  • Down the Stretch for December 8, 2025

    Down the Stretch for December 8, 2025
    Dec 7 2025
    The Valedictory Stakes was the feature at Woodbine Saturday and on that card, Rafael Hernandez won 5 races - he may now be unbeatable for the jockeys’ title We lost trainer Mike Doyle last week Janice Murchison, owner of Bourbononaholiday, Doyles’ last winner, tells us about the long-time trainer. We have multiple story lines on jockey Dane Nelson - why he brought his tack east from Alberta, what happened when his horse fell, and how did he do in Jamaica’s most important race, the Mouttet Mile on Saturday? Debbie Salhani, now in her 50th year at the Raceway at Western Fair, talks with us about the art of charting horses. Question - what’s a more amazing accomplishment; wining 10 races on a single card of harness racing or winning every single race on a card of thoroughbred racing? And you could go years without witnessing a triple dead heat…or you can hear about one in this podcast.
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    23 min
  • Down the Stretch for December 1, 2025

    Down the Stretch for December 1, 2025
    Dec 1 2025
    There were 2 Stakes races Saturday at Woodbine; both worth $250,000 - the Princess Elizabeth and the Coronation Futurity. We love it when Emma-Jayne Wilson wins a Stakes race. She did it with Duckduckduck in the Clarendon, and the trainer Evette Chartrand-Hoek tells us that the 2 Stakes she won this year are the first 2 of her career. Woodbine’s Jamie Dykstra breaks down the method by which your horse welfare initiative can get up to $5,000. from the track. Harness driver Austin Sorrie wore the Maple Leaf in France last Friday in an international drivers’ event. We have the race call – in French, of course. Imagine watching a quarter horse race and as the field is galloping down the backstretch, the track ambulance is barrelling towards them. This actually happened at Evangeline Downs. How many horse races get mentioned in a list of the 50 greatest sports moments? We found…one. And someone always wins a horse race, but what is the track protocol when no one wins?
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    23 min
  • Down the Stretch for November 24, 2025

    Down the Stretch for November 24, 2025
    Nov 23 2025
    We have 3 Stakes races from Woodbine. Robert Geller called the Ashbridges and Lake Ontario Stakes, but why was it Doug McPherson for the Shady Well? Canadians winning in the U.S. – John Bianco sent out Bourbon Day at Aqueduct and Total Heart won at 12-1 for Susan and Jim Hill at Churchill Downs. No fries or burgers, but we go to MacDonald’s twice; James MacDonald reviews his World Driving Championship and Anthony MacDonald gives his wife Amy props after she wins a qualifier. And Sunday, November 17 was a very good night at Mohawk for Louis-Philippe Roy - he had 5 winners.
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    30 min
  • Down the Stretch for November 17, 2025

    Down the Stretch for November 17, 2025
    Nov 16 2025
    How immature can we be reporting that Nobals won the Kennedy Road Stakes for the 2nd year in a row? James MacDonald won the World Driving Championship in New Zealand. Not quite so glamourous was Jody Jamieson who tells us he’s just fine after a scary spill at Mohawk. LongRun’s Vicki Pappas expresses her gratitude for Woodbine’s generous donation and reminds us of our commitment to the horses that entertain us so much. We go to the Meadowlands to see how many U.S. dollars Canadians reaped in a night of big money Stakes action. Shelly Silver passed last week and long-time racetracker, ‘Coffee’ John Calleja tells us about Silver and the danger of gambling too much. And from Hoosier Downs, a horse named On To Norway who has put together a world record streak.
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    27 min
  • Down the Stretch for November 10, 2025

    Down the Stretch for November 10, 2025
    Nov 9 2025
    From the Saturday card at Woodbine - the Maple Leaf Stakes, the Bessarabian Stakes and the Autumn Stakes. We update Canada’s James MacDonald at the World Driving Championship in New Zealand, and while we’re down under, Australia’s Ric Chapman reports on the Melbourne Cup which was won by a lady jockey. Questions - Is it better for Mohawk Park to run race on Sunday instead of Thursday? And - Can a 2-year-old pacer who never raced in the United States, be acclaimed Horse of the Year by U.S. Voters? American writer Brett Sturman tells us why the unbeaten Beau Jangles should win the Dan Patch as Horse of the Year. And neat stuff from Aqueduct: Flavien Prat became the first jockey ever to win 7 races at a New York track and Canadian John Bianco sent out a winner at Aqueduct.
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    25 min
  • Down the Stretch for November 3, 2025

    Down the Stretch for November 3, 2025
    Nov 2 2025
    We have coverage of the Breeders’ Cup from Del Mar – great finishes, big payoffs and European dominance on the grass, though little Cancon to brag about. Emma-Jayne Wilson was back at Woodbine after a 3-month layoff; she didn’t win, but Rafael Hernandez took down 3 races and Fraser Aebly won 4. This podcast features 3-year-old Brooks Ratchford cheering on dad, Todd to a Breeders Crown win and Todd talks with us about the greatest night of his life. Jody Jamieson won a race Monday night with a horse that paid off at 80-1 and Garnet Barnsdale told you in the Mohawk Journal that The Bear a Cuda would win and when it did, the win price was $81.30 and do the rules at Keeneland allow a horse to be ridden by a rider…with no head?
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    23 min
  • Down the Stretch for October 27, 2025

    Down the Stretch for October 27, 2025
    Oct 19 2025
    The Breeders Crown Finals at Mohawk included the still unbeaten Beau Jangles, driver Todd Ratchford winning in his Crown debut and a guest appearance by 3-year-old Brooks Ratchford. On Saturday night a 68-1 shot dead heated with a 1-5 favourite and there was more magic from Scott Zeron who miraculously produced a 62-1 bomb that everyone’s Bubbe will love. At Woodbine it was Austin Adams and Little Teddy capturing the Eternal Search. Trainer Bill Tharrenos has been winning Stakes races at a lucrative clip and he talks with us about his very good year. On the last card of quarter horse racing at Ajax Downs, 4 jockeys doubled up, fans got free ice cream, and we have Jennifer Morrison to help wrap up the 25 days of racing. And you won’t need a medical autopsy to understand why we have a race from Hawthorne in which a horse won with surgical precision.
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    32 min
  • Down the Stretch for October 20, 2025

    Down the Stretch for October 20, 2025
    Oct 12 2025
    It was a weekend full of eliminations for next week’s Breeders Crown at Mohawk and the standouts were Beau Jangles, Brandon Drive, Delaney Hanover, Miki and Minnie, Ervin Hanover and many more. Kings Plate Champion, Mansetti was nailed just before the wire in the Ontario Derby at Woodbine. He won the jockeys’ crown and the Sovereign Award last year; now Sahin Civaci has taken his tack to New York. His agent, Leroy Trotman breaks down the reasons. Friday night celebrated lady drivers at Western Fair Raceway and veteran Marie Claude Auger put on a clinic. Driver Travis Henry cracked open the 300 win plateau and tells us what it means to him. It was the penultimate card of racing at Ajax Downs and once again, free ice cream for the fans, and we have a race from Australia where the announcer nearly loses his mind when an unbeatable favourite, gets beaten.
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    29 min