The day after the first Triple Crown in all those years could have been something of an anti-climax, but Sunday at the Track of the Water and Mountains produced some outstanding performances, both equine and human. Jockey Keishan Balgobin won three and Richard Hamel won both stakes on the card. In fact, Hamel won three of the four stakes run on the weekend.Trainers Mike Anderson and Dino Condilenios doubled while splitting the two stakes between them.
Arabella’s Muse ran very well to win the Vancouver Sun and Modern ran very fast to win the Sir Winston Churchill.
The track has gotten fast again but it played fair with a mix of speed horses and closers winning races. The fans invested right at $1.1 million for the weekend on the local product and turned out in good numbers both days. Given what happened in New York on Saturday, it was a weekend to remember.
Arabella’s Muse Takes The Sun With An Inspired Effort
The first of the two stakes for older horses on Sunday, the Vancouver Sun Handicap at a mile-and-a-sixteenth, was won by Arabella’s Muse ($5.70) who went as the favorite off two strong but losing sprint efforts and got home in front of seven other fillies and mares in a final time of 1:44.58 to give jockey Richard Hamel his first of two stakes wins on the day.
On paper the Sun appeared to be a field with considerable depth of talent, seven of the eight contestants being stakes winners. In reality, it turned into a two horse race between the winner and Hollywood Miss. They went at it for most of the trip before Arabella’s Muse pulled away late to finish a length clear of Hollywood Miss. Touching Promise ran third all the way around without ever being a cause for concern to the first two.
The winner was bred in British Columbia by Leif and Karen Nordahl and is owned by Karen Nordahl and Bernie and Terry Gallagher. Mike Anderson trains the winner, along with quite a few others so far this season.
Modern Is Fast And Efficient
The Sir Winston Churchill Handicap was won by Modern who led every step of the way while setting rapid fractions that culminated in a mile-and-a-sixteenth in 1:43.43, good for length-and-a-half margin over the closing 21-1 shot Dontmesswithkitten. That one posed no real threat to Modern but was well clear of the winner’s stablemate, Classic Sense, who checked in third.
Richard Hamel rode Modern and having just authored a front-running victory in the Vancouver Sun, he had both the inclination and the horse to do it again in the Churchill. Modern broke on top and opened up daylight on the favored Title Contender right away. He had about 3 lengths on that one after a quarter in 23.29, but Title Contender mounted a challenge that had him closer following a half-mile in a rapid 46.50. It appeared to be contentious for about another quarter, but after 6 furlongs in 1:11.07 the proceedings turned ominous for Title Contender.
Modern left him going into the final turn and Dontmesswithkitten ran by him coming out of it and he would tire from chasing the winner and fade to sixth while Classic Sense was rallying from last to take the show.
Swift Thoroughbreds owns the Kentucky bred son of Tiznow who is out of an A.P. Indy mare. Suffice it to say that the mare’s family is laden with quality. Dino Condilenios trains and he has him right on top of his game.
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