Down The Stretch Podcast

Marvin Katz is this year’s Cam Fella Award winner. Katz tells us how surprised and grateful he is for this honor. This is - in Chinese astrology - the Year of the Horse. Astrologer Sam Mukherjee breaks down what this means and we identify famous people born in the Year of the Horse - Barbra Streisand, Clint Eastwood, Jerry Steinfeld, Adam Sandler, Joe Biden, Denzel Washington and Steven Bahen. Har...

Every racehorse celebrated a birthday on January 1 and racing fans celebrate that the now 4-year-old Sovereignty will race in 2026. Pychic Nikki gives us her predictions for horse racing this year and trainer Marty Drexler predicts he will be a Sovereign Award finalist. The Ontario-bred Full Screen won a Stakes race at Aqueduct recently and we kick off the year with the first Kentucky Derby preps...

We wrap up the moments from 2025 with these great horses and people: Moria, Kevin Attard, Emma Jayne Wilson, Roger Attfield, James MacDonald, Chantilly, Patches O’Houlihan, George Millar, Robert Geller, Brooke Bays, Mansetti, Pietro Moran, Doug McPherson, Runaway Again, Ryan Munger, Sid Attard, Tom’s Magic, Rafael Hernandez, Travis Stone, Sovereignty, Jr. Alvarado, Journalism, Larry Collmus, Umber...

A look back at the ‘Uns’ of the year – the Unexpected, the Unusual, the Unsettling, the Unthinkable, the Under reported, the Uncanny and the Unimaginable: + Electrifying race calls from Pete Aiello, Frank Mirahmadi, Robert Geller, Chad Rozema and even... Conan O’Brien? + Horses that won at ridiculous odds + Crazy moments when race callers knew who the winner was....and then didn’t + A race where A...

Sunday was the last of 128 cards of racing at Woodbine- though it ended somewhat abruptly, Even so, we name the champion jockey, trainer and owner. Jody Jamieson drove into the winners circle for the 9,000th time and he discusses his excellent career. Louis-Philippe Roy crushed it in the Drivers’ Challenge at Western Fair; he had 6 wins as the industry made sure all kids get toys this year. We’ve...

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...

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 h...

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 Champion...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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....

There were 8 $300,000 OSS Gold Superfinals at Mohawk. The great 2-year-old pacer Beau Jangles is now 10 for 10, but is he concerned that a filly went faster? From Woodbine, fillies and mares were front and centre in the Ontario Damsel and Fashion Stakes. Two great jockeys help us celebrate episode 300. Mike Smith, now 59, is still winning stakes races and he talks about Zenyatta, Justify, Arrogate...

We have the $750,000 Canadian International Stakes from Woodbine along with the Nearctic and the Dance Smartly Stakes as well. Let’s just say Woodbine were very good hosts to visiting horse people. There were fireworks at Mohawk Park earlier in the week - on Monday, Doug McNair took down 3 OSS Golds - then on Tuesday, Bob McClure did the same thing. Tom’s Magic won the Breeders’ Stakes. His owner,...

It was the Breeders’ Stakes, 3rd leg of the Canadian Triple Crown at Woodbine. Trainer Dr. Ian Moore talks about his wonderful 2-year-old pacer, Beau Jangles and disagrees when host Peter Gross tries to make a comparison with the great Somebeachsomewhere. Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. won the 2024 Kentucky Derby with Mystik Dan, but is now in hospital after a life-threatening fall at Churchill Downs....

A huge night of harness racing at Mohawk – the $Million Metro Pace featured two unbeaten horses. The Mohawk Million had a mild upset. At Woodbine, a 17-1 shot surprised in the Durham Cup. Norm McKnight scored his 1,000th thoroughbred training win (behave when you hear the horses that comprised the exactor). At the Delaware Fairgrounds, the 80th Little Brown Jug produced a very low paying winner. T...

On Turf Champions Day, there were 5 Stakes races at Woodbine, including the $1 Million Woodbine Mile. Lots of action at Mohawk Park – on Friday there were 2 Champlain Stakes and an Elegant Image warm-up that produced a $100 winner: on Saturday, Beau Jangles and Frantic Hanover dazzled as Sylvia Hanover and Twin B Joe Fresh renewed their rivalry. A Canadian horse – Lexus Kody won the $1 Million Int...

We’ve got the Wonder Where Stakes and the Singspiel Stakes from Woodbine and let’s just say jockey Rafael Hernandez had a good day. There were 5 Grand Circuit Stakes at Mohawk on the weekend – we have the stretch calls of all of them. At Truro Raceway in Nova Scotia, veteran driver Claire MacDonald won 4 of 8 races on a recent card, but that wasn’t the most unusual result for her that night. We ha...

We lead off with a monster card from Mohawk, including the Maple Leaf Trot and the Canadian Pacing Derby. From Woodbine we have a 22-1 shot winning the Toronto Cup Stakes. Beau Jangles, Canada’s brilliant 2-year-old pacer ran his perfect win streak to 6. We have John Sikura telling us why his Hill n Dale Farms bought half of the sensational filly, Thorpedo Anna, though he doesn’t reveal how much t...

This podcast is loaded with important races: from Mohawk - the William Wellwood, The Eternal Camnation, the Peaceful Way, another huge win by Beau Jangles and a record tying mile from Bythemissal. A Canadian first as Aetos Kronos trotted under 1:50. Mark Casse hit the tri in the Eternal Search Stakes at Woodbine. Pietro Moran joins us to talk about his King’s Plate win and we find out if he is, in...

In the 166th King’s Plate, 20-year-old apprentice, Pietro Moran gave a master class ride on Mansetti, but did he gulp down pizzas to celebrate? Also from Saturday - the Catch a Glimpse, the E.P Taylor, the Bold Venture, the Soaring Free and the King Edward Stakes, and if you run into Kevin Attard, ask him if he had a good day at the track. We document another win at Saratoga by Canadian trainer, M...

We start with the $250,000 Bison City Stakes from Woodbine, then it’s off to the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame Inductions with owner Brad Grant and writer Dave Briggs. We’ve got jockey Ryan Munger who has been improving his strike rate lately and driver James Macdonald breaks down his Hambletonian Oaks win. A visit to Grand River Raceway on Industry Day when the horses kept breaking records....

We start with 3 Stakes races from Woodbine - the Trillium, the Niagara and the Seagram, then on to Saratoga for the $1 Million Whitney. Garnet Barnsdale was at the Meadowlands for the 100th Hambletonian. He tells us how that race went and about success on the day from James MacDonald and the great Sylvia Hanover. Less than 2 weeks until the 166th King’s Plate, so Woodbine’s Klaus Ebner teases us w...

They ran the Trillium and Ontario Colleen Stakes at Woodbine Saturday and that made it a great day for jockey Sahin Civaci. At Saratoga, it was the Jim Dandy with the heavy favourite, Sovereign. Only one Canadian trainer has found the winners circle at Saratoga this summer and we will tell you who she is. We have a pair of inspirational jockey stories in this podcast A year ago, Rico Walcott was d...