Woodbine Leading Jockey - Kazushi Kimura / Fort Erie’s Marketing and Communication’s Manager - James Culic / Lynne O’Brien - Executive Director of Sunrise Therapeutic Riding and Learning Centre /

Ann and Larry interview Woodbine Leading Jockey  Kazushi Kimura  who talks about his first  Kentucky Derby ride on Mandarin Hero and what he believes accounted for the 12th place finish. He also talks about how he ended up riding at Santa Anita and before that, Woodbine and when he rides, who does he believe that he is ‘riding for’. Kazushi also discusses todays Preakness and the upcoming Belmont Stakes and whether in his opinion Mage has a good chance of winning both and also discusses why Japanese Thoroughbreds are racing so well now and winning major stakes races around the world. Fort Erie’s Marketing and Communication’s Manager James Culic, who discusses Tuesdays Opening Day of the Thoroughbred racing season and some of the day’s races and mentions some of the Opening Day festivities planned.  He also discusses how the track is attempting to bring in new fans by making their race days an ‘experience’ , including having concerts after their Tuesday race cards in their Tiki Bar setting and also how the track has a media blitz in place to try and re-attract the American fans from Buffalo and the surrounding area. He also talks about the importance of the Prince of Wales Stakes on September 12th and how he was formerly a member of the local media, before assuming the Fort Erie position in late February.  Lynne O’Brien, Executive Director of Sunrise Therapeutic Riding and Learning Centre, who talks about the 40-year history of working with children and adults with special needs and how and why horses play such an important role in their programs. Lynne also discusses what are some of the programs found at Sunrise  and a horse by the name of ‘Jack’ who is part of the Woodbine Cares Community Investment Program. Lynne also talks about their Signature Fund Raiser, ‘Celebrate Sunrise’ on June 25th and what visitors can look forward to seeing during the days activities.  In our new feature, ‘ In Case You Missed It’ A Look At The Way It Was In Horse Racing News, Larry  discusses the racing career and now the retirement of Canadian Champion Mighty Heart and also talks about todays Preakness Stakes and gives a shout out to Kentucky Derby winning Jockey Javier Castellano and his horse Mage. Larry also talks about Jockey Chantal Sutherland, who was injured in a riding accident this past week and will be out for 2 1;2 to 3 months in order to recover. Larry also provides his ‘Ponies Picks of the Day’ selections for several North American Racetracks.
 
 

Key Points:

Kazushi  discusses the Kentucky Derby ride on Mandarin Hero and how the horse drew in from the Also Eligible list which forced him to start from the outside and  race wide throughout which he believes help cause the 12th place finish. He also talks about why Japan seems to be a new force in Thoroughbred racing now as Japanese horses seem to be winning everywhere and how the decision to ride at Santa Anita gave him the opportunity to eventually ride in the Kentucky Derby. Kazushi also talks about how he ended up riding at Woodbine and what is his pre-race routine before a day of riding and also talks about todays Preakness and the Belmont Stakes and whether he believes that Kentucky Derby winner Mage will be tough to beat. He also mentions that the plan for next year when Woodbine closes, is to once again ride at Santa Anita and also when he is riding, is there a special person that he believes he is riding for.

James, initially talks about Opening Day at Fort Erie this Tuesday and mentions about some of the special festivities that have been planned for the patrons attending. James also discusses how Fort Erie Racetrack is working at bringing in new fans by using their Tiki Bar and concerts after the races to make a trip the races as an ‘experience’. He also talks about his background in the media and how the racetrack has been working at trying to attract the US bettors back to the track and the importance of the Prince of Wales Stakes, not only to Fort Erie but also to Canadian Thoroughbred racing. 

Lynne, first talks about the 40-year history of SunriseTherapeutic Riding and Learning Centre and working with children and adults with special needs and how and why horses play an important role. She also gives an example of a horse that made a major difference to a first time visitor and how a horse by the name of ‘Jack’ is very important to many of the Sunrise programs. Lynne also mentions that ‘Jack’ is part of the Woodbine Cares program and talks about the Centre’s Signature Fund Raiser, ‘Celebrate Sunrise’ and what visitors can expect to see that day and how they can purchase tickets. Lynne also lists some of the programs being offered at Sunrise and where the farm is located, in Puslinch, Ontario.