There were two significant stakes run as prep races for the British Columbia Oaks and Derby, on Monday at Hastings Racecourse, that will be presented on September 10. The Derby prep went to a horse winning its third stake in a row and the Oaks warm up fell to a maiden making its second career start.
Racing resumes on Friday night and will feature the Sales Stakes for two-year-old fillies as well as one for the colts and geldings. Both serve as prep races for the Jack and Sadie Diamond Futurities that will go on September 18.
Opportunistic Makes The Most Of His Chances
The Sir Winston Churchill Derby Trial for three-year-olds was won by Opportunistic ($3.80) who in doing so established himself as the solid local choice in the upcoming British Columbia Derby. Silvertown ran a brave second, even though he was unable to hold off the winner in the lane, and Stanz in Command came running, as he always does, to finish third. David Lopez rode the winner to a final time of 1:46.07.
Dashing Don led for about a quarter before longshot Omega Victory took over a lead that lasted through a dawdling 6 furlongs in 1:13.49. Shortly thereafter, Silvertown and Opportunistic both ran past him and engaged in some pretty serious horse-to-horse combat around the turn and deep into the stretch before Opportunistic got the upper hand. The winner was a half-length clear at the wire and he earned every inch of it as Silvertown exhibited no quit whatsoever. Stanz in Command produced his customary close, he has never stopped coming forward in 9 starts and he galloped out like a freight train. But Opportunistic did his best work when it counted most, overcame a slow pace and wore down a determined foe. It was his race.
It was the third straight win for Opportunistic and his third consecutive stakes score, the Emerald Downs Derby in his previous outing and the Chris Loseth before that. The winner is a Kentucky bred gelded son of Sky Mesa and is to date by far the best foal out an El Corredor mare named Mona Quita. Fortunately for his owners Mark DeDomenico LLC and the North American Thoroughbred Horse Company, he does not appear to have much Quita in him. Troy Taylor trains.
Victory For Victress
The Hong Club Jockey Club Handicap, a fixture for three-year-old fillies, was won by the maiden Victress ($21.80) who launched a last-to-first move that saw her blow past the 1-2 favorite C U At Eau Claire in the lane with consummate ease while widening to a three length margin at the wire. Princess O’Prado ran second with a race that looked like she should have been 3 to 1 instead of the 31-1 she went off at. C U At Eau Claire easily held on to third. The final time for the mile-and-a-sixteenth was 1:46.10, only three-hundredths slower than the boys would go two races later. Amadeo Perez’s early patience was rewarded with the win that gave him a double on the twilight card.
Omi was a beat late at the break but got to the front and set legitimate fractions for three-quarters of a mile before C U At Eau Claire, her closest pursuer in the early going, dispossessed her of the lead. Meanwhile, Victress, although still last, was kicking into gear and as she got moving it became apparent that she did in fact have some gears. She advanced steadily on C U At Eau Claire around the final turn and when she switched leads early in the stretch, it was over and out. Princess O’Prado by running second took an enormous step forward from her last when she broke her maiden for 16K and C U At Eau Claire ran decently as the heavy favorite even if she did not run her A race. However, Victress, in just her second lifetime start, was undeniably best and if she improves with racing she will be even more difficult to deny down the road.
Victress is by Include out of a Victory Gallop mare. Include’s offspring have an average winning distance of more than a mile and Victory Gallop stopped Real Quiet’s Triple Crown bid in the Belmont at a mile-and-half. The longer the better says the pedigree. Victress is owned by Victoria Gilker and Robert Gilker who also trains her.
Victress was bought in March at the Hastings Paddock sale and she is the second stakes winner to come out of that sale as Assets Included (previously Dejango) won the Nursery on BC Cup Day. Victress and Assets Included cost a total of $11,000 for both. They were among 19 horses sold, so over 10% are stakes winners to this point. The average for thoroughbreds is around 3% stakes winners.
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