Canter for the Cause, Yearling Show, and more: The week in social media

by | Jun 6, 2019 | Breaking, Business, Regionwide, Top Stories

Yearling show hardware. Photo by The Racing Biz.

An upset took place in the Penn Mile (G2), over 170 Mid-Atlantic riders participated in the annual Canter for the Cause, the Yearling Show for Maryland-breds is drawing near, and Preakness Stakes winner War of Will is gearing up for the Belmont Stakes.

Here is the latest news on what the Mid-Atlantic region has been talking about:

Moon Colony flies to Penn Mile win

The $500,000 Penn Mile (G2) took place at Penn National Racecourse over the weekend, with the victory going to longshot Moon Colony.

Sent to post at odds of 9-1, Moon Colony skimmed the rail in the weekend feature to upset the Penn Mile by one length for owner John Oxley. Trained by Mark Casse and piloted by Julien Leparoux, Moon Colony completed the race in 1:37.45, returning $21.60 to those who backed him with a $2 win-bet.

Moon Colony’s score in the Penn Mile was the first graded stakes win of his career. To date, the 3-year-old son of Uncle Mo has a current record of three wins from seven starts, and career earnings of $370,635.

170 Canter for the Cause at Old Hilltop

The sixth annual Canter for the Cause took place at Pimlico Racecourse on June 2, with over 170 Mid-Atlantic riders raising both money and awareness for the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.

From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., riders ranging from all ages participated in the Canter for the Cause event, which was sponsored by the Maryland Jockey Club, along with the Equiery. Participants rode their horses and ponies over the legendary oval of “Old Hilltop” and were also allowed to walk their horses through the starting gates, as well as pose for pictures in the winner’s circle.

The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is a nonprofit organization that is responsible for inspecting and approving grants for aftercare organizations to retire, retrain, and rehome thoroughbreds that are coming off the track. To date, over 7,800 thoroughbreds have been aided by retirement foundations thanks to the help of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.

Yearlings galore

The 85th annual Yearling Show for Maryland-breds is fast approaching, with the show slated to take place on June 30.

Beginning at 10 a.m., the Yearling Show will take place at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium. Michael Stidham will be on scene to judge the yearlings in four separate classes. The classes include one for colts and geldings sired by Maryland stallions, one for fillies by Maryland sires, one for colts and geldings by out-of-state sires, and one for fillies who are by out-of-state sires.

A Grand Champion cash prize of $1000 will be awarded to the winner, with $500 being given to the Reserve Champion. Each of the yearlings showcased on June 30 will also be deemed eligible for the Yearling Show Purse Awards, with purse money totaling $40,000.

PREAKNESS HERO WAR OF WILL LOOKS TO DOUBLE UP IN BELMONT

The 151st running of the Belmont Stakes is set commence this Saturday, June 8. The field for the final jewel of the Triple Crown has been set, with Preakness Stakes hero, War of Will, drawing post 9 for the 1 ½-mile challenge.

Currently labeled as the 2-1 second choice on the morning line, War of Will will face nine rivals in the Belmont Stakes. His challengers include Joevia (30-1), Everfast (12-1), Master Fencer (8-1), Tax (15-1), Bourbon War (12-1), Spinoff (15-1), Sir Winston (12-1), Intrepid Heart (10-1), and the morning line favorite, Tacitus (9-5).

Post time for the Belmont Stakes is 6:37 p.m. ET.