Closing day arrived on Sunday and it was a lot like the day before, wet. Once again the Hastings track crew produced a functional racing surface despite the meteorological challenges and all contestants appeared to return in good order. Most of the day’s winners were horses that closed to some extent or the other. Track conditions presented no problem for the fans as the betting favorite won 7 of the 10 races.
It was a weekend that concluded the stakes schedule with the BC Cup Classic and Distaff as well as the thoroughbred season itself. The last two days provided almost $355,000 in purse money to owners spread over 20 races and it represented a concerted effort by the thoroughbred racing Associations and track management to provide as much opportunity as possible for horsemen as the season came to its end.
Following a somewhat subpar handle on Saturday, the Sunday crowd was chockablock with investors who brought the weekend total to something in excess of $1.2 million. A good close to a season that has once again come and gone. Winter well and we will reconvene next spring.
Crazy Prophet Wins The British Columbia Cup Classic
The favored Crazy Prophet ($4.30) proved to be quite a bit the best in the BC Cup Classic as the three-year-old beat a field that included some older veterans. He ran by the pace-setting Fifer on the last turn and drew away down the lane to win by 3 ½ lengths. Fifer stayed at it to hold second and Twistgrips ran evenly to be third. Final time for the sloppy mile-and-an-eighth was 1:51.14.
Fifer was not away best but he was soon in front by himself. Sedin was closest early while Crazy Prophet was down on the rail and not always as comfortable as he could have been. Fifer did not get any company until they had gone past 6 furlongs in 1:12.96 at which time jockey Denis Araujo moved Crazy Prophet off the rail, outside Fifer, and made his run. Fifer gave way grudgingly, he just was unable to match strides with Crazy Prophet as that one drew off all the way down the lane. Twistgrips ran third while failing to win for only the second time in 7 starts this season.
Crazy Prophet was bred in British Columbia by Mike Chernen and he is raced by Shamrock Racing Stable, Ltd. he is trained by John Snow. Crazy Prophet is a gelded son of Rosberg, as is Fifer, the runner-up. In fact, Rosberg sired three of the six horses in the Classic.
Touching Promise Takes The British Columbia Cup Distaff
The thoroughly professional race-mare that is Touching Promise ($2.80) ran a thoroughly professional race to take down the Distaff while packing the high-weight of 123 lbs. and giving up five to eleven pounds to four rivals. Sailingforthesun finished a brave second after setting fast early fractions (a quarter in 22.89 and 46.87 for the half-mile) before being overtaken by the winner, and Locket closed for third in the mile-and-an-eighth contest that required 1:51.49 to complete.
Sailingforthesun and Fire Beauty left the gate running with Touching Promise slightly back of them on them on the inside after breaking from the rail. Amadeo Perez aboard Touching Promise wisely pulled her out of what was developing into a three-horse firing line and settled into third while slightly outside the first two.
Going down the backside Touching Promise moved past Fire Beauty and engaged Sailingforthesun. It was the two of them around the final turn and into the stretch before Touching Promise gradually enforced her superiority over the very gritty pace-setter. She was a length-and-a-half clear at the wire. Sailingforthesun fought off Locket’s late run to relegate her to third.
Touching Promise was bred in British Columbia by her owners, Russell and Lois Bennett. She is by Touch Gold out of the Old Trieste mare Promise One. She is trained by Barb Heads. It was the seventh stakes win for Touching Promise who has won the Grade 3 Ballerina twice and placed two other times in the last four years. She epitomizes the meaning of racehorse.
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