The skies cleared about 1:00pm on Sunday at Hastings Racecourse and the race goers poured in for what appeared to be the largest opening day crowd in many, many years.
General Manager, Darren MacDonald in his first year as G.M of the East Hastings Oval was grinning from ear to ear as the handle was up 38% over 2013 and by my statistics which only goes back to 2010 it was the largest opening day handle in at least 5 years.
TITLE CONTENDER EASIEST OF WINNERS IN THE GEORGE ROYAL
Peter Redekop’s, Title Contender was a romping winner of the $50,000 George Royal Stake under a excellent ride by Rico Walcott. Conditioner Anita Bolton had the 4 year old son of Pulpit ready to roll at first asking as he stalked the pace makers of Golden Triumph and Success Rate who set the blistering fractions of 21.4, 44.1, 1:09.1.
Walcott was contend to lay just behind and made his move inside the quarter pole and it was all over from there on.
Twistgrips at odd of 27-1 came flying at the end to get second from the charging Senor Rojo who got up in time to capture third.
The final running time was 1:16.1 over the track labeled as fast.
HOLLYWOOD MISS WINS BRIGHOUSE BELLES
Hollywood Miss making her first stakes appearance in the Brighouse Belles stalked the early pacesetters of Overvalued and her stable mate Dear Lilly who set a very decent early pace of 22.2, 45 , 1:10 and made her move nearing the quarter pole opened up a length at the eighth pole and just held off the late charging Madeira Park who came on like a bullet to get second and Bamboo Dream at 44-1 was absolutely flying at the end got third.
The final running time was 1:17.1 a full second slower then the George Royal for the boys.
It was the fifth time veteran HOF trainer Troy Taylor has won the Brighouse Belles in the last six years. Hollywood Miss races for Peter Tom, Greg Hopper, Russell Morrison and NATHC.
TRACK WAS VERY BIAS TO CLOSERS
The track was very bias yesterday to closers which was exactly opposite to what I thought as usually after heavy rains that we have had for the last few weeks the surface gets very hard underneath and it becomes very speed bias. That was certainly not the case on Sunday as horses were coming from far back as the speed was dying on the front-end.
THREE RIDERS SCORE DOUBLES
Last seasons leading rider Amadeo Perez, Rico Walcott and Aaron Gryder all won two races on the card.
Perez won the first aboard Appreciatetheroses and the 8th with Ice Rules, Walcott won the 5th with the wily veteran Bearrock N Roll and the George Royal with Title Contender. Gryder won the 2nd with Admiral Morgan the Brighouse with Hollywood Miss.
BOLTON AND TAYLOR BOTH WIN TWO
Both trainers Anita Bolton and Troy Taylor won two races on the day with Bolton taking the George Royal and Taylor the Brighouse.
Live races continue on Saturday and Sunday with the first post at 1:50pm
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