With seven nominations to Saturday’s Canadian Derby card that has six stakes races including AUGUST RAIN in the $200,000 Derby itself, it only appears that Vancouver trainer Barbara Heads has sent her entire barn to Century Mile.
“It seems like it,” said Heads, perennially one of B.C.’s leading conditioners.
“We condensed it as much as we can. We nominated seven so that we can consider our options in case we had no choices,” said Heads, who trains a powerful barn of 25 Thoroughbreds.
“It will be interesting to see how all of them run on a mile track.”
While small in stature, August Rain is the big boy in the mile-and-a-quarter Derby. He has won five of his nine career starts. He also has a second and two thirds missing the board just once.
“He’s a cool little horse,” Heads said of August Rain, who was last year’s top two-year-old in B.C. and who has won two stakes – the Chris Loseth and McLeod stakes this year.
“He’s a little lazy to train and work but when it’s time for business he’s right there. He loves his job.”
After winning the Loseth and McLeod, August Rain ran third – beaten just a neck for it all – in his last start, the Sir Winston Churchill B.C. Derby Trial.
“He was forced early and hung wide but still ran pretty good,” said Heads.
“In his start before that, the Loseth, he was in trouble too. He was in tight the whole way with nowhere to go until very late.
“But he found a way to win.”
Just like he usually does.
The favourite in his last seven races and probable favourite again in Saturday’s Derby, Heads said she has only briefly looked at the other entrants – none of which are overpowering or stand out.
“I’m worrying about my own horse at the moment.”
Among those expected to face August Rain is Classy City, a sharp $50,000 purchase out of California who has won the Western Canada and Count Lathum in his only two appearances in Edmonton but who was sixth when he ventured west for the Loseth.
Also nominated are J Dutton, who finished a couple of inches from Autumn Rain in the Churchill running fourth and defeated by just half a length for it all; Awesome Road, the favourite in the Manitoba Derby and trained by Canadian Derby killer Robertino Diodoro; Itsallgoodman, last year’s Alberta two-year-old champion who was a close second to Classy City in the Count Lathum and could be the pace setter; McEwen, who was second in the Manitoba Derby and Skipper’s Pride, who was second in the Western Canada and third in the Count Lathum.
Two ‘dark’ horses could be Roussette, an interesting individual who was bet quite heavily in the Manitoba Derby and who broke his maiden in Kentucky, where he was claimed for $30,000 by Henry Witt Jr. and Rebellious, who has been running in Woodbine, Ontario.
Other than August Rain, the Derby appears to be wide open.
“In horse racing you never know,” said Heads. “Some horse jumps up and finds some life. You never know.
“I never go in thinking a race is going to be easy. No matter what goes on Autumn Rain always shows up. He’s a fun horse to have,” she said of the horse owned by Peter Redekop who has already won $164,450 in his young career.
“He’s been running very well. He’s a versatile horse to do what you want him to do.”
Another champion that Heads is sending to Edmonton is Infinite Patience, a winner of a remarkable 20 races in 29 starts.
Infinite Patience is nominated to Northlands Distaff Handicap.
A winner of her first five races, Infinite Patience couldn’t connect in Ontario but came back west to win 10 in a row including last year’s Northlands Distaff Handicap.
Uncharacteristically Infinite Patience got off to a slow start this year finishing disinterested fourths in her first two races.
But after running second on July 1 in the Monashee Handicap, Infinite Patience turned it back on winning the B.C. Cup Distaff wire to wire by almost eight lengths.
“When she ran second she was a different horse,” said Heads. “She looks like her old self again.
“I had a tough spring with her. She was overweight. Terribly overweight.
“She’s finicky about how she trains. There’s a fine line getting her ready,” Heads said of the seven-year-old who has already won $823,700.
Infinite Patience is co-owned by Edmonton Oiler star Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and William Decoursey.
“To be honest, I think I ran her too soon this spring. I didn’t think I had any options. I ran her instead of trying to work her. It was a bad decision on my part.”
Infinite Patience could be tested by Big Hug, easily Alberta’s top mare.
Trained and co-owned by Rick Hedge along with Empire Equestrian, Big Hug has won 10 of her 17 outings.
Big Hug’s last two starts have been the definition of easy as she romped home under a strong hold by jockey Rafael Zenteno Jr.
Saturday’s test will reveal just how good she is.
Also on the card are the Canadian Juvenile for two-year-old boys; the Princess Margaret for two-year-old fillies; the Century Casino Oaks and the Speed to Spare.
In the Oaks, Heads has Avana nominated. Also owned by Redekop, Avana has won four in a row in just five career appearances. Her only loss came at Del Mar, California.
At Hastings Park in Vancouver, Avana has won stakes by three-and-a-half lengths, eight lengths, two-and-three-quarter lengths and three-and-a-quarter lengths.
“Avana is just a really nice, straight-forward filly,” said Heads, who also nominated Viva La Diva, who has finished second to Avana in her last two starts.
The Speed to Spare, as usual, looks like a monster race. Heads has nominated both Apprehend and At Attention.
Apprehend won an allowance race in Vancouver last time out. Before that he was running south of the border – primarily in California where he won an allowance race by more than eight lengths while earning a huge Beyer Speed Rating. He also ran second in the $250,000 Zia Park Derby in New Mexico.
At Attention has won 11 of 37 races while earning $510,660. He has been first or second in five of 10 races at Century Mile.
In his last start he was third behind Space and Sunbird, who are also both nominated to the Speed to Spare.
Certainly also well worth considering is Varatti. Trained by Craig Smith, Varatti has crossed the finish line on top four times in a row but was disqualified in the Century Mile for drifting out in the stretch.
He won his last start by six lengths.
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