What was last night's handle? See bottom of column.

Cathy Gauthier
Hall of Fame curler to make
Chantilly presentation tomorrow

You may want to be at the Winner's Circle after the $30,000 Chantilly Stakes for 3-year-old fillies tomorrow night. Cathy Gauthier, Manitoba Hall of Fame curler and TSN curling commentator, will be making the presentation to the winning connections. She played lead on Jennifer Jones' team. The nine-horse field is very competitive with six of the eight horses having finished first or second in her last start.

How do you like your stake? How about "long and famous?" That would be the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes from New York late Saturday afternoon, the third leg of the Triple Crown. If you like your stake "fast and live," that would be the 6-furlong Winnipeg Free Press Stakes during the live card Saturday night. Both are worth adding to your plate.

Mine That Bird in final
blowout Monday
The Belmont Stakes will answer the question about the Canadian horse, Mine That Bird, that was purchased at a yearling auction for $9,500 by a Torontonian who outbid local trainer Aaron Sayler. If the gelding wins the race, as his jockey insists he will (see "Who's Right?" below), he will become another "just-about" victor of the elusive Triple Crown, having captured the Kentucky Derby and finished a fast-closing second in the Preakness. There hasn't been a Triple Crown winner since 1978. Oh yes--a little bonus--predict the "first and worst" in this race and win $100! Look for entry forms in the Race Book.

The Free Press has a different dynamic. It will answer whether last year's Horse of the Year, Monsoon Rain, can atone for his earlier loss to Rock'n U S A. I say "little chance." Rock'n is better than ever. See today's Free Press for valuable coupons including entry forms to play Deal or No Deal on Saturday.

What else is happening as June "busts out all over," as the song says? The local spotlight is on the "B's"--Brown and Baze. Jared Brown has given notice he'll do whatever it takes to capture the training title; Jockey Gary Baze returned from his knee injury to become the main danger to reel in Alan Cuthbertson in his bid for a fourth riding title. And who doesn't like birthday parties? The Downs' 51st birthday--with free cake and $1 tasty treats--is just six days away! P-a-a-a-rty!

"BIG BROWN" IS ON A MISSION

Can anyone stop trainer?

Drive. Chutzpah. Competitive zeal. Horse smarts. All these words flood to mind to describe a local trainer who is on a mission to crush his competition and be named top trainer for 2009. Has there been anyone here like him in recent memory? I don't

Trainer Jared Brown
Can anyone stop him?
think so. I'm talking about Jared Brown, sometimes called "Big Brown" because he's taking training to a new level. When another vanload of horses arrives at the backstretch gate, it's probably destined for Brown's barn.

"I want to be leading trainer," Brown says unabashedly. "If it takes 70 horses in my barn to get it done, I'll get it done!"

Yes, sir! Right, sir! His latest shipment of eight horses from Emerald Downs in Washington was to arrive Tuesday, boosting his stable to 69.

Training under the radar since 1999 with smaller stables, Brown last year made a serious bid for the training title after making history on opening day by winning the first four races. But, at the end of the season, he had to settle for the runner-up spot behind nine-time leading trainer Ardell Sayler because his horses were pooped out by the end of July.

Not this year, said the amicable 41-year-old. "The secret is to roll your stock over. I'm finding that wherever I bring the horses from, they fit." They sure have. His Portland Meadows horses have been running holes in the wind in the early going. As of last weekend, Brown had 12 wins and the next closest trainer was Carl Anderson with six. Sayler, with a stable of 55 and Emile Corbel, with a stable of 40, only had two.

Assiniboia Downs works for him, too. He said he's trained at many tracks--Portland, Emerald, Hastings, Delta, Fort Erie and others--but his style is best-suited for the local track and the costs aren't out of sight as they are at other tracks. "If I were training at Emerald, I'd need four or five wins with a horse to break even." He's also making use of the two best jocks: three-time leading jockey Alan Cuthbertson and Hall of Famer Gary Baze.

Move over, Unsinkable Molly Brown. Here comes the seemingly Unstoppable Jared Brown.

WHO'S RIGHT? Competing quotes on Belmont Stakes: "We're going to win it. No questions asked." -- Calvin Borel, jockey for Mine That Bird. "I wouldn't trade places with anybody." -- Kiaran McLaughlin, trainer of Charitable Man.

JANINE WATCH: Stianson responds to rumours

Hi Ivan: Just read the Insider about me coming back to wpg......very humerous. I enjoyed it. But have no idea where you heard that an urgent family issue prevented me

Janine Stianson
from returning......LOL. I didn't come back because I didn't feel like it. But that's the racetrack for you, can't always believe it even if you had seen it......HAHA. But I am still undecided on what I am doing. Like you said in your column, I left in a bit of a snit.....HAHA! Enjoyed many of the people and especially all my racing fans. But the stews.....well, not so much! So anyways, take care! Maybe u'll see me......maybe u won't! I can't even tell you that cuz I don't have a darn clue. HAHA! -- Best Wishes, Janine

Hi Janine: Thanks for your note I enjoyed it, too. As you know, you have lots of fans here who'd love to see you return. You always gave it your best and that's what race players want to see. The best to you. Pls email me when you've made a decision.

QUICK BITS: Canada is 8th in worlds; Holly death near?

Danish driver Birger Jorgensen, 51, captured the five-day world harness driving championships in Oslo, Norway last month with 164 points; Canada's Brad Forward,

Birger Jorgensen: world
harness champ
38, was eighth with 96 points. New Zealand and Norway finished second and third respectively. U.S. driver Jason Bartlett, 27, finished sixth. Jorgensen received $25,000 (U.S.) for his victory. Ten drivers competed in 20 races at five different race tracks. New Zealand has the best record at the worlds which began in 1970.

Costly no-show: The failure of Rachel Alexandra, winner of the Preakness, to enter the Belmont Stakes Saturday will deprive the New York track of an estimated 30,000 extra people in attendance. Now, 50,000 to 60,000 are expected. Last year, almost 95,000 turned out to watch Big Brown blow his chance to capture the Triple Crown.

Postscript to Big Brown's loss: The Downs was ready to hand out beautiful copyrighted souvenir posters of Big Brown to everyone at the track a year ago right after the Belmont Stakes to help everyone celebrate the first Triple Crown winner in 30 years. Instead, the posters were quietly dropped off at a daycare centre for kids to do whatever they liked with their crayons or scissors. Harsh.

Wanna home on the finish line? Talks are underway to turn the beloved 238-acre Hollywood Park race track into a $2 billion development consisting of 3,000 homes, a hotel and an office and entertainment complex. Developers want to begin construction within a year. Boo-hoo-hoo, that's a track I cut my teeth at--sort of--when I was 19 years old. I was thrown out because you had to be 21 to play the races. First, Bay Meadows (where I played my very first pick-6 in 1978) closes forever and now Hollywood. Is nothing sacred?

Changes in synthetic Beyer figures: Beyer speed figures in the Daily Racing Form will be adjusted in races where horses raced on synthetic tracks. It has been discovered that previous figures assigned to classy horses have been too low and figures given to more common horses have been too high. The figure adjustment will be applied retroactively to January, 2009.

Blitzen not just a reindeer: So you thought Blitzen was just Santa's reindeer? Think again. A filly racing at Belmont is Blitzen Too.

Wayne Pownall earned first of five Vegas trips in Saturday tourney

CONTEST CORNER

Pownall is first to earn a trip to Vegas

When he was 12, he earned pocket money by finding uncashed mutuel tickets on the floor at Northlands Park in Edmonton. In 1956, he hot-walked horses in the final season of the racetrack at Polo Park. Now he's retired from a civic job as a crane operator but his love of horse-racing has remained intact and, on Saturday, Wayne Pownall became this season's first winner of a trip to Las Vegas by finishing first in the monthly horseplayer tournament. He increased his $32 fictional bankroll to $66.40, beating out 42 other entrants.

His most important score was picking longshot Smiling ridden by Rocco "the Jocko" Bowen in the last race, he said. It paid $18.20 to place, catapulting him to the top of the leader board. Wayne Misko received $250 for finishing second, Bill Drew won $100 for third. The next tournament is the last Saturday of June. Pre-qualify for a reduced entrance fee by picking three winners on any Saturday's program. Look for entry forms.

King Terry recaptures throne
PAGEE IS KING--AGAIN: Printer Terry Pagee recaptured the poker throne Friday night! He paired an ace and 3-card to put away his final rivals to earn $100 and a seat in the finale that will send someone to Vegas to participate in the World Series of Poker. Also getting a seat in the finale were retiree Mike Kubara ($50 for finishing second) and educational assistant Dee Dee Bernhard ($25 for third). SIDE POOL GROWS: The side pool (winning a hand with a king and queen of diamonds) has grown to $200. Get into the game by playing the Triple Q Challenge or through a draw. Twenty-nine seats are up for grabs (the 30th automatically goes to the defending king, King Terry)!

ANOTHER REASON TO ENTER TRIPLE Q

20 top players will spin the Wheel of Fortune

Add another reason to enter the free Triple Q Challenge game during live racing: 20 of

Entering Triple Q could have you spinning Saturday nights
the best players Saturday night will get to spin the Wheel of Fortune in the VLT lounge after the races to win cash prizes up to $100. Three won $100 last week. As you already know, the Triple Q game itself has an ever-increasing jackpot when no one wins (it's now $400) and it's your gateway to (1) free poker on Fridays and (2) to be named the InstaFrame Fantastic Fan Wednesday and (3) to play the Memory Game for cash on Wednesday night. The Triple Q Challenge invites you to predict the top two finishers (in other words, the Quinella) in races 3, 4 and 5.

UPCOMING EVENTS: P-a-a-rty! 51st birthday nears

Next Wednesday is ASD's 51st birthday which means birthday cake for everyone, $1

ASD turns 51 next Wednesday
drinks, dogs and ice cream and programs.

Queen's Plate follows Father's Day Brunch! Sunday, June 21, will be extra-special. Not only is it Father's Day, it's also the 150th anniversary of the $1 million Queen's Plate for 3-year-olds, the biggest race of the year in Canada. Bring Dad out for the brunch then take in the Queen's Plate about an hour later in the Race Book. Eye of the Leopard is the early favourite, having won the Plate Trial last weekend. Reserve for the brunch at 885-3330.

Live racing schedule changes: Tuesday live racing will begin two weeks later than planned and the live racing season will be extended a week, ASD has announced. That's to ensure there will be enough horses to fill a four-times-a-week schedule. So Tuesday racing will now begin June 23, rather than June 9, and the live season will go to Saturday, Sept. 19 rather than end on Sept. 12.

TONIGHT'S ACTION: Here are races 6 to 9 at Lone Star to peruse and play at your pleasure.

LAST NIGHT'S HANDLE WAS ..... $167,000, down from last week's $185,000 because Woodbine's Horseplayer Interactive account-wagering service didn't feature our signal last night. But more U.S. tracks are picking up local races and wagering is increasing at some tracks. None of the 85 entrants to my "Predict the Handle" contest came close to the correct number so next Wednesday's prize will increase by $50, making it $100 plus $50 if the winning entrant is at the track. PICK-4 CARRYOVER: Since no one correctly picked all four races, just over $2,000 will be carried over to tomorrow's (Friday's) pick-4 pool.