Racing resumed Thursday with an eight race card that was held under extremely hot conditions. The mercury rose to almost 30 celsius for the day which made things a little tougher than usual for all that were participating.
The opener was for two year olds going six furlongs and Cathy Keogh and Mike Chabara’s SHANGHAI POSSE ($8.30) made his first start a winning one rallying from well back under Jose Gomez to win going away in 1:13.88. Winning trainer Mark Cloutier also saddled the runner-up TUXEDO who ran a much improved race at 18-1 to be second and PERFECT COMMAND ran on to be third.
The second race was the feature of the day and the favoured STAY FANTASTIC ($4.80) took home the top prize for owners Tod Mountain Stable and trainer Christine Ammann and rider Amadeo Perez. The son of 2011 Travers winner Stay Thirsty broke well and set a leisurely pace alongside 29/1 longshot Ranger Up (24.73 and 49.08) then proceeded to inch away on the turn and drew clear at the end to win by three lengths in 1:44.40. The Copper Water Thoroughbreds RANGER UP ran gamely and held second while CALGARY CAPER fell victim to the slow pace and finished a distant third.
The Copper Water Thoroughbreds POWER OF INTENTION ($5.40) relaxed nicely off of the blazing fractions (23.75 and 47.27) that were being set by runaway leader DISCRETIONARY then took over on the inside on the final turn when the pace setter drifted well off of the fence allowing Amadeo Perez an easier path to victory and finished the mile and a sixteenth in 1:47.64. The Craig MacPherson trainee was always travelling well and built up a four length lead at the top of the stretch but won by a diminishing length as Rennie Lumsden’s ROX STAR KIDRUN closed up strongly to make things interesting in the final sixteenth.
The early fractions in race four were extremely slow as CAPE LITE and MORI GIRL cantered through splits of 24.94, 49.60, 1:15.09 but the favoured OUREVELADY ($5.50) with Scott Williams up was never far away and asserted her superiority in early stretch to win by just under two lengths for owner Larry Potozny and trainer Olivia Carr in a very smart 1:46.56. Lenny Seecharan on MORI GIRL easily held second and SIMPLY GOLDEN who was always well back behind the slow pace rallied to be third.
The Tod Mountain Thoroughbreds WANDALITA ($6.90) was an impressive winner in her second career start this evening. The well bred daughter of Violence broke alertly and sat just off of the debutante BAYAKOAS IMAGE through sensible fractions of 23.90 and 47.45 and when Amadeo Perez asked her in the stretch for a little more she delivered a good surge to win by a little more than a length giving trainer Christine Ammann her second win of the night and Perez his third. The Nite and Day Stable and Joanne Todd’s BAYAKOAS IMAGE was impressive in defeat and stayed on well for second. Conrad Rozenek and Mel Snow’s TOUGH TEXAN was a solid third in his debut. The final time was 1:12.58.
R and L Stables and Wes Upton’s SPOKANE’S GEM gave Amadeo Perez his fourth winning ride of the evening as he led the field of $4,000 claimers throughout in 1:18.85. He broke well from his inside draw and was never really challenged and won geared down for trainer Rob VanOverschot. Don Danard and Mel Snow’s SMART DEAL tried to make a race of it in the stretch but he had too much to do and checked in second. VOLO VELOCE shortened up to a sprint and turned in a good effort to be third.
Favourites pretty well dominated the night and TOBELUCKY AGAIN amazingly registered the longest winning price of the day at $8.70. The Bruce Unwin and Dreamtime Stable runner sat in midpack on the rail under JoseGomez then approaching the far turn angled out to challenge the pacesetter SOME GOLD who had set some ambitious early splits 23.44 and 47.32 but TOBELUCKY AGAIN was too much and drew away for a four length score in a quick 1:46.10. The win gave jockey Jose Gomez his second winner of the day. The latter was very game throughout and did very well to finish second. The favoured SHRUGGY BEAR checked in a distant third.
The last race went to the heavy favourite BAKZONE ($2.80) who encountered a bit of bother on the stretch turn but Scott Williams wheeled her to the middle of the track and she blew by the leaders to get the win in 1:19.20 for trainer Craig MacPherson who earned his second win of the evening. Dennis Spence’s THE KAT’S BACK completed a very formful Exactor and Don Danard and Mel Snow’s BLUEBERRY HONEY ran on for third.
It was the second consecutive day when only 3 riders took down all of the races. Amadeo Perez bagged four and both Jose Gomez and Scott Williams had doubles.
The handle came in just north of $600,000.
The owners standings see the North American Thoroughbred Horse Company still on top with 12 and Tod Mountain Thoroughbreds cut the four win lead in half by winning two today to give them 10 victories.
The Jockeys standings show Amadeo Perez padding his lead with four wins to give him 36 on the season, Scott Williams is trying to keep pace and was able to bag two which gives him 29. Efrain Hernandez and Silvino remain tied for third with 21.
The trainers standings has a three way tie as Christine Ammann had a training double giving her 13 triumphs which enabled her to draw even with Hall of Fame trainers Barbara Heads and Glen Todd who also both sit with 13 wins.
A reminder to everyone that the $1 million Queens Plate is this Saturday and has drawn 14 entrants to run 1 ¼ miles and will run at approximately 2:40 pm our time. Also on the program is the $250,000 Bison City stakes for three year old fillies at a mile and a sixteenth and Hastings star Infinite Patience is in the lineup and that race is scheduled to go off at 1:15pm local time.
Our next live card at Hastings Racecourse is this Sunday with a nine race program that gets underway at 3:00 pm.
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