I have a special exhilarating portion of my brain for the quarterhorse racing at Ajax Downs and some full disclosure here – I have been hired by Ajax Downs to be the on-camera host for their televised races.  It is nice to be generating some extra cash; my challenge is to lose less on any particular day at the quarterhorse track than I earn.

But my history with Ajax Downs goes back more than 25 years before the smart looking slots/track facilities were built just off Kingston Road west of Salem. I was lured out to Picov Downs in 1983. Norm Picov had been maintaining his family’s interest in quarterhorse racing, a sport that had pretty well been innovated by his father, Alex in the early 60s. Norm suggested I try my hand at riding one of the speedballs and in the early 80s, as tv reporter with Citypulse, I foolishly saw myself as equal parts journalist and stuntman.

I’d never been on a horse before, let along a fractious, hyper, edge-of-panic quarterhorse and when the one they put me on began to canter, I had no clue. I was filled with abject fear, but couldn’t get off the horse, because I felt committed – I’d come to Picov Downs to get video of me riding a quarterhorse.

In the starting gate, two jockeys huddled over me, giving me an initial lesson in wrapping the horse’s mane around the reins. I could feel my heart driving through my chest like a jack-hammer.

“Open the fucking gates!” I screamed. And in an instant, I was fulfilling my personal sports fantasy. I was a jockey! At full gallop, somehow centrifugal force kept me firmly glued to the paper thin saddle. In my mind’s eye, I was mimicking Sandy Hawley, flying at close to 40 miles an hour, the extraordinary power of a remarkable entity under my body. In less than 20 seconds, we reached the finish line and only then, did it sink in.

No one had told me how to stop this thing!

In those early, almost pre-historic, days at Picov Downs, the racing strip pretty well ended in an unmowed field. It was a ‘J’ track that curved away from the broken down grandstand into nothing more fancy than untended grass that had been flattened by horses’ hooves. I’m not sure what went through my terrified mind as my horse began to negotiate the turn, but the next thing I knew, I was hanging from her neck, having crawled up along her back, much like Jackie Kennedy trying to get out of that limo as snipers fired at the President. I do remember the resident jockeys at the time howling in hysterics at my undignified dismount.

They even staged a winners circle event for me. Actress Linda Renhoffer offered me an extended embrace and I recall thinking that in quarterhorse racing, the celebratory kiss can often go on longer than the race itself.

Ok, that’s your backgrounder for what ensued on Tuesday, June 15 at Ajax Downs. For last year’s racing, the ‘J’ track was replaced, Picov Downs was renamed Ajax Downs, a bright crisp sets of stands was built, there’s several hundred slot machines and a well-thought out off-track wagering facility and Norm Picov is always in attendance, a look of wonder and pride permanently pasted to his face as he realizes how forty years of persevering in this sport has made him an overnight success.

Less than a year ago, Nick Coukos was hired as the VP of Corporate Affairs. I have no idea what that title means, but Nick is a pro-active kind of guy. His genesis in horse racing began when he was betting the horses profusely as a much younger man. For several years he was president of the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Agency. He was a very good hire in terms of expanding the reach and impact of the racing at Ajax Downs. By virtue of his dogged persistence, Coukos persuaded Woodbine to carry the Ajax  signal and wisely decided to run races on Tuesday afternoon when the simulcast buffet is not as sumptuous as most other days. Tuesday, the 15^th of June was the first day that Coukos’ quarterhorse racing would be broadcast across the country, on the internet and in off-track betting theatres around the world.

It was also the first day for me as host of the proceedings. Coukos cracked that he had to decide between me and a nice looking woman and elected to go with the guy who can deliver a three hour dissertation on the merits of the daily double.

Our day began at 1:30 when Nick and I presented Talking Quarters in which we breakdown the races, offering our selections. It wasn’t quite up there with riding a quarterhorse, but it was kind of neat to see Pete’s Picks up on giant screen in the infield.

And if you’ve never seen quarterhorse racing in person, Tuesday might have been a good introduction to the game for you, although the action was more on the extreme end of horse racing. It seemed the animals were aware that something different was happening. Many were fractious and stubborn in the walking ring. Before the first race, I watched in near horror as Streaking For The Wire panicked when he stepped in a puddle. He reared up violently and at least twice drove his head into his handler, a brave young woman who refused to let go of his leash. It was remarkable that she wasn’t knocked down or that the horse didn’t manage to run loose. Streaking For The Wire would finish last in the first race, but not before a series of unfortunate events.

There was a 15 minute delay when Stollywood Style reared up and landed upside down wedged under the doors of the starting gate. David Piques had won the first race of the season on this horse and was fortunate to escape injury. After several scary minutes, Stollywood Style was extricated, apparently without serious damage, though he was scratched.

Jockey Jeff Mclaren had a painful day. His first race mount, Cruise My Fortune was fractious before the start and while jumping around in the gate, pinched McLaren’s foot. McLaren hobbled around with a noticeable limp the rest of the afternoon.

When the first race finally went off, the 10-horse, Mighty Oak, veered dramatically inward and crashed into Pegasos Willing who lost all chance. Ridden by Kim Ito, Mighty Oak was the race favourite at even money, but finished 7^th and after the stewards saw the bumper cars at the start of the heat, they disqualified Mighty Oak from 7^th to 8^th.

There was a nice all-female finish to the second race, the second of four $12,500 Maiden Derby Trials. The winner was the filly Lil Fishy who was ridden aggressively by Erika Smilofksy for trainer Bridgette Cheatham. Lil Fishy went off at 7-1, and there was a noticeable whoop from her peeps when it was announced that she had run the 330 yards in a 98 speed rating – an excellent figure that would be, easily, the fastest of the day.

Fifty year-old Marty Mercieca was the winning jockey in the third race, but not before a little grief. Mercieca was on the 9-horse Azoomin Thrill (which vividly describes this kind of racing) and he admitted that his filly did cut across the field from the outside.  Jockey John McInery on the 7^th place finisher, The Country Side, lodged a claim of foul, but the stewards saw no reason to change the finish. When the gates opened, Ten to Lousiana lunged and threw jockey Michell Reakelboom to the dirt. She was a little flustered, but unhurt.

The wildness carried on in race five. As the gates opened, the 4-horse, All Wacked Out and the 6-horse, Ms Mollie Malone ducked right and left respectively making the 5-horse, Eyediamond Face the filling of a quarterhorse sandwich. All Wacked out, trained by Bob Broadstock for his wife Marie won by half a length and Ms Mollie Malone, the 8-5 favourite came second and the judges were once again asked to consider a claim of foul, but in spite of the mayhem in the first twenty yards, they left the finish intact.

The potent combination of jockey Jesse Daigrepont, trainer Clinton Crawford and owner Roger Girard won another three races to widen their lead in all their respective categories. After each race, my job is to conduct interviews with the winning parties, so I got to chat with each of these guys, who form the three corners of a conversational triangle. Daigrepont never uses three words when one will suffice, Crawford talks with a broad Oklahoma drawl and enjoys expounding on the sport and Girard converses in a fast Quebec-born accent and made a point of welcoming the world to Ajax Downs.

And then there’s Kim Ito. I don’t know what voodoo dolls she plays with at home, but she was convinced that I was ‘jinxing’ her. In the pre-race show called Talking Quarters, Coukos and I identified several horses that the talented and tough Ito was riding for trainer Don Reid. Ito and Reid are off to a sensational start at Ajax. She won 11 of her first 25 rides and was hitting the board at a sensational 80%. So, naturally, anyone considering a bet has to take a long look at any Don Reid horse she gets on.

But after I set up one race in which I suggested the horse she was on had a strong chance, she turned to me as the horses paraded on to the track and asked,

“Do you dislike me, or what?”

I don’t buy the ‘jinx’ concept. 30 of the last 32 Queen’s Plate horses I bet on did not lose because of my wagering, but because, as I can do with great skill on any day, picked the wrong horse.

Somehow, Kim Ito thinks that telling people her horse has a chance diminishes any chance the horse has. Of course, she’s wrong and she proved it.

In the seventh race, she was on the Don Reid trained Freds Knockout and she won this heat in very un-quarter-horse fashion, rallying from off the pace (how do you rally from off the pace in a 350 yard sprint?), passing five horses in the last 150 yards to win by an expanding length. Her successful ride meant she had to be interviewed by me and my first question was:

“Tell me what happened in the first race when you were disqualified.”

Ito responded with,

“In this race, my horse broke well and was full of run at the end.”

And when I pointed out that she had a good shot to win on either of her final two mounts, she acted as if I’d pushed a knitting needle through a doll-like effigy of her. The interview came to an abrupt finish, though she was laughing at me as she ran off to be weighed.

In fact, Ito would win a second race on the card, leading from start to finish in the 9^th race on the 3-5 choice, True Country Choice.

There was more mayhem in the tenth and it sure illustrated the advantage for horses leaving either from the inside post or from the extreme outside. Right from the break, the 5,6,7, and 8-horses all went for the same spot; for an instant they formed a near-perfect triangle with My Illegal Runaway and jockey Regan Knowles getting much the worst of it, being pinched off on both sides. With the middle horses all converging, the 9-horse, Carlos Avenger and Jesse Daigrepont had nothing but open road and he took it to the wire, hanging on by a neck over the rail horse, Chicks Failure and Brian Bell, who also had a completely unimpeded trip. A subsequent stewards’ inquiry did not change the order of finish.

And Mr. Coukos had great reason to smile when he perused the betting totals. Two days earlier, the handle was 13,574. On that Sunday, there was no simulcasting. Tuesday handle, enhanced by satellite exposure was $60,205, a increase of almost 450%!

In the truest sense of the word, quarterhorse racing in Canada is now on the map.

This weekend verges on the sensational in terms of a wide variety of racing action on the North American scene. The primary source of our attention will be Sunday at Woodbine for the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks (presented by Budweiser). A couple of very speedy fillies will meet in that one. Embur’s Song and Resentless will see who can outrun each other. Enbur’s Song, trained by Todd Pletcher comes into the Oaks off a sensational mile and a sixteenth in which she missed the track record by .22. It was just the filly’s second career race, so if she improves off that, she’ll be a handful, Garret Gomez, the best jockey in North American drops into Rexdale to ride. The chief rival will be Resentless, trained by Ian Howard for Gordon Ross. Resentless, a daughter of Trajectory has not just won her last two races – she has crushed her opponents. In the Ontario Lassies Stakes last November, Resentless cruised home by 5 1/4 lengths at odds of 3-4. In her only start in 2010, she buried seven other fillies in the Fury Stakes, winning by five in 1:21.66 for seven furlongs. Chantal Sutherland has a great chance at winning her first Oaks with this one.

Also on Sunday is the $150,000 Queen’s Plate Trial with eight horses entered and all eight have something to prove, making this a a very appropriate Trial. Sid Attard has told me he thinks his Ghost Fleet has a shot, but he will have to proof his ability at a distance after losing by six lengths to Essence Hit man in the Queenston Stakes at seven furlongs. Big Red Mike will be ridden by Eurico Rosa da Silva, winner of last year’s Plate on Eye of the Leopard, but Big Red Mike’s last race makes you wonder. He was third, two lengths behind the winner Gold Medallion in an allowance race at a mile and 70. The time of 1:40.83 was excellent, so maybe Big Red Mike moves forward off that. Mobilizer, to be ridden by Jono Jones for trainer Roger Attfield comes into the Trial off a second place finish to Arctic Fern at a mile and a sixteenth and he was running nicely at the end.

Hollinger was unbeaten in 2009 for Attfield, but his 2010 opener was disappointing. He went off as the 3-4 fave in the Queenston Stakes and flattened out in the stretch for a fourth place finish behind the fast Essence Hit Man.

D’s Wando gets Emma-Jayne Wilson and he comes off an ordinary third in the Queenston Stakes.

Captain Canuck probably won’t attract much of the bettor’s action in the Trial. He broke his maiden with David Clark on May 28 at a mile and an eighth. Wisely, Clark had Captain Canuck close to the pace, because this race went quite slowly – the nine furlongs was timed in 1:53.18; if you extrapolate that to the mile and a quarter Queen’s Plate distance, you get about 2:06..which isn’t likely to win.

Giant’s Tomb comes into the Plate Trial after a non-descript third to Tierre Del Tigre in an optional claim at a mile and a sixteenth in early May. The son of Awesome Again has tons of ‘bottom’ as far as experience is concerned. Trainer Mark Frostad ran him around two turns in three races at the Fairgrounds and in the last of those three, Giant’s Tomb won by two lengths for Patrick Husbands who will ride him in the Trial.

Starting on the outside in this field will be Mobthewarrior for trainer Greg De Gannes. Mobthewarrior lost by a nose to the infamous Bug’s Boy in a seven furlong allowance race on May 9. Not sure how good that looks on his resume, but he was gaining dramatically in the last 100 yards.

So that’s the deal for Sunday. We also have both of North America’s great ladies running this weekend. On Saturday, Rachel Alexandra gets a chance to atone as she will be the very heavy favourite in the Fleur De Lis Grade ll Stakes at Churchill Downs. There doesn’t seem to be anything in the five-horse field that can beat Rachel at a mile and an 8th, but that seemed to be the case on April 30 when Rachel was stunned at the finish line by Unrivalled Belle in the La Troienne Stakes at Churchill. If Rachel Alexandra loses this race, she will never again be entered in a race with a French name.

On Sunday, expect horse racing history to be set when Zenyatta takes on five others in the Grade I Vanity Stakes at Hollywood Park. The sensational six year-old mare has won all of her 16 starts and, upon winning, will set the modern record for a thoroughbred running in unrestricted races- 17 wins in succession. Her five opponents should be fearful. Zenyatta is the defending champion of the Vanity and she has won four times at Hollywood. This is a handicap race and Zenyatta will be burdened with 129 pounds, some of which will be jockey Mike Smith. Zenyatta will be giving away as much as 17 pounds to her opponents.

This weekend verges on the sensational in terms of a wide variety of racing action on the North American scene. The primary source of our attention will be Sunday at Woodbine for the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks (presented by Budweiser).  A couple of very speedy fillies will meet in that one. Embur’s Song and Resentless will see who can outrun each other. Enbur’s Song, trained by Todd Pletcher comes into the Oaks off a sensational mile and a sixteenth in which she missed the track record by .22. It was just the filly’s second career race, so if she improves off that, she’ll be a handful, Garret Gomez, the best jockey in North American drops into Rexdale to ride. The chief rival will be Resentless, trained by Ian Howard for Gordon Ross. Resentless, a daughter of Trajectory has not just won her last two  races – she has crushed her opponents. In the Ontario Lassies Stakes last November, Resentless cruised home by 5 1/4 lengths at odds of 3-4. In her only start in 2010, she buried seven other fillies in the Fury Stakes, winning by five in 1:21.66 for seven furlongs. Chantal Sutherland has a great chance at winning her first Oaks with this one.

Also on Sunday is the $150,000 Queen’s Plate Trial with eight horses entered and all eight have something to prove, making this a a very appropriate Trial. Sid Attard has told me he thinks his Ghost Fleet has a shot, but he will have to proof his ability at a distance after losing by six lengths to Essence Hit man in the Queenston Stakes at seven furlongs. Big Red Mike will be ridden by Eurico Rosa da Silva, winner of last year’s Plate on Eye of the Leopard, but Big Red Mike’s last race makes you wonder. He was third, two lengths behind the winner Gold Medallion in an allowance race at a mile and 70. The time of 1:40.83 was excellent, so maybe Big Red Mike moves forward off that. Mobilizer, to be ridden by Jono Jones for trainer Roger Attfield comes into the Trial off a second place finish to Arctic Fern at a mile and a sixteenth and he was running nicely at the end.

Hollinger was unbeaten in 2009 for Attfield, but his 2010 opener was disappointing. He went off as the 3-4 fave in the Queenston Stakes and flattened out in the stretch for a fourth place finish behind the fast Essence Hit Man.

D’s Wando  gets Emma-Jayne Wilson and he comes off an ordinary third in the Queenston Stakes.

Captain Canuck probably won’t attract much of the bettor’s action in the Trial. He broke his maiden with David Clark on May 28 at a mile and an eighth. Wisely, Clark had Captain Canuck close to the pace, because this race went quite slowly – the nine furlongs was timed in 1:53.18; if you extrapolate that to the mile and a quarter Queen’s Plate distance, you get about 2:06..which isn’t likely to win.

Giant’s Tomb comes into the Plate Trial after a non-descript third to Tierre Del Tigre in an optional claim  at a mile and a sixteenth in early May. The son of Awesome Again has tons of ‘bottom’ as far as experience is concerned. Trainer Mark Frostad ran him around two turns in three races at the Fairgrounds and in the last of those three, Giant’s Tomb won by two lengths for Patrick Husbands who will ride him in the Trial.

Starting on the outside in this field will be Mobthewarrior for trainer Greg De Gannes. Mobthewarrior lost by a nose to the infamous Bug’s Boy in a seven furlong allowance race on May 9.  Not sure how good that looks on his resume, but he was gaining dramatically in the last 100 yards.

So that’s the deal for Sunday. We also have both of North America’s great ladies running this weekend. On Saturday, Rachel Alexandra gets a chance to atone as she will be the very heavy favourite in the Fleur De Lis Grade ll Stakes at Churchill Downs. There doesn’t seem to be anything in the five-horse field that can beat Rachel at a mile and an 8th, but that seemed to be the case on April 30 when Rachel was stunned at the finish line by Unrivalled Belle in the La Troienne Stakes at Churchill. If Rachel Alexandra loses this race, she will never again be entered in a race with a French name.

On Sunday, expect horse racing history to be set when Zenyatta takes on five others in the Grade I Vanity Stakes at Hollywood Park. The sensational six year-old mare has won all of her 16 starts and, upon winning,  will set the modern record for a thoroughbred running in unrestricted races- 17 wins in succession. Her five opponents should be fearful. Zenyatta is the defending champion of the Vanity and she has won four times at Hollywood.  This is a handicap race and Zenyatta will be burdened with 129 pounds, some of which will be jockey Mike Smith. Zenyatta will be giving away as much as 17 pounds to her opponents.

The Belmont Stakes will be run this Saturday and looking at the lineup it’s clear that once again we have a strong argument that the American Thoroughbred triple Crown asks way too much of three year-old horses. Of the 12 horses running the mile and a half on Sunday, not one has taken part in both of the first legs. Preakness winner Looking At luck is taking at pass..and Derby Champ Super Saver is not in the third leg as well. Ice Box, second in the Derby, might be the favourite – he wisely side-stepped the Preakness. In fact , 7 of the horses in the Belmont did not run in either the Derby or the Preakness.  The reality is that it’s just unreasonably cruel to ask young horses to run three distance races under top weights within a five week period. There is a much wiser Triple Crown schedule in Canada. The Queen’s Plate, the first leg is on July 4, a full two months after the Kentucky Derby. The second leg in Canada, the Prince of Wales at Fort Erie is on July 25, three weeks later. And the Breeders Stakes at Woodbine, on the grass is August 15. That’s 42 days – 7 weeks that the three races are spread out. Which explains why Canada has produced many more Triple Crown winners than the U.S. does. Affirmed in 1977 is the last American Triple Crown Champion, but since then, With Approval (1989), Izvestia (1990) ,Dance Smartly (1991), Peteski (1993) and Wando (1993).

It’s also interesting to note that Mine That Bird, after winning the Kentucky Derby last year, has not found his way again to the winners circle. It’s a whole argument about making sophomore horses go a mile and a quarter on unfriendly dirt so early in their careers and how much it can hurt them. Discuss amongst yourselves.

Meanwhile, have you noticed, how once again, Patrick Husbands is dominating the jockeys’ race at Woodbine. Eurico Rosa da Silva started the year brilliantly and through the first month seemed to have a healthy lead, but Husbands has been cranking out the wins at a prodigious pace lately. Over the last ten cards of racing, ending on Sunday, May 30, Husbands has totaled 13 wins to take over top spot from da Silva with 40 wins to Eurico’s 37. Husbands’ 40th win came in the 10th race on Sunday when he brought home 14-1 shot, Accomplice to victory in a maiden special weight. Husbands had to hold off 48-1 longshot Sir Andrew, ridden by his nephew Terry. The all-Husbands exactor paid a mind-boggling $1,136.00

On the harness side, Randy Waples is clearly in his comfort zone. After dominating the Woodbine meet with 129 winners, 30 more than runner-up Sylvain Filion, Waples is clearly very comfortable at his home track, Mohawk. Through the first nine cards at Mohawk, Waples has 19 wins, putting him easily in first, well ahead of Mark Macdonald who holds down second. And maintaining the theme of keeping it all in the family (ala the Husbands), on Friday, May 28, Randy won two races  and his father, the legendary Ron Waples won the fourth race on Learn The Lingo, who rang up a $47.20 win price. Waples the senior only drives a handful of times a year these days, but is still capable of teaching the younger generation of drivers a few things.