There were some nice horses running at Hastings Racecourse on Sunday. There were three quality allowance type races (including two Maiden Special Weights) with a $25,000 maiden claimer thrown in for good measure. Both upper level maidens for three-and-ups went as straight three-year-old races as has happened so many times this season.
Leading riders Richard Hamel and Pedro Alvarado both won two on the day and Tod Mountain Thoroughbreds gave us the winners of both Maiden Special Weight races. The handle was in the $700,000 range and one of those wiener dogs won the Wiener Dog Stakes. Whatever it takes.
Aditya Wins By Daylight
Favored Aditya ($4.60) won Sunday’s featured sixth race, an Allowance Optional Claimer for three-year-olds that had never won two (3 for BC-breds), the option being a $25,000 price tag. By virtue of being foaled in British Columbia, Aditya was not in for the price despite having won two. He took full advantage of his birthright by powering to a near four-length win, covering the 6 ½ furlongs in 1:16.63. It was the second straight front-running win for Aditya and jockey Pedro Alvarado. Second choice Party Pooper ran evenly to be second best without ever threatening the winner. Stoneridge Ruler closed well to be third.
Aditya went to the lead at the break, was headed by Shuswap somewhere around the second statue, then moved through on the inside to be in front as they straightened out for the run down the backside. Shuswap tried to put some pressure on the winner going to the half, but by the time they got there the futility of this particular chase had begun to sink in and he backed up a bit, but did not quit.
Party Pooper took up the chase with a rail move around the final turn, but the effort was never going to be for more than second. Stoneridge Ruler closed from the outside for the show. It was an admirable effort, and all the more so considering that Stoneridge Ruler broke his maiden for 16K two races back and ran this race at a considerable remove from the rail. The fourth place finisher Shuswap had a somewhat unorthodox trip and could get a much better result next time.
Aditya is a son of Mass Market, out of the multiple stakes winner Remarkable Miss. She is a half-sister to the graded stakes winner Trick of the North and Sadie Diamond Futurity winner Sunnyside Gal. He was bred in British Columbia by L.S. and K. Nordahl. He is trained by Anita Bolton for owner James Redekop.
Hippie In Winner’s Circle On First Trip
The debuting filly Hippie ($9.00) was long on laying a beating on the boys and short on peace and love in the third, a Maiden Special Weight for two-year-olds at 6 furlongs that she won with considerable ease in 1:12.43 while finishing almost 5 lengths clear of the favored first-timer B C Charlie. Blue Storm Cloud was another length back in third.
Good as They Get went immediately to the front, but Hippie was by his side by the time they got to the first turn although going a shade wide in the process. Good as They Get continued to lead as they ran down the backside, but a sub 23 second quarter that got the two of them to the half in 45.97 was more than he wanted to deal with. Hippie quickly separated herself from him and the rest.
The race was over with a furlong left to run and Hippie used that to increase her margin with Antonio Reyes doing just enough to keep her mind on business. She widened to the wire and galloped out about half a time zone in front. Both B C Charlie and Blue Storm Cloud ran promising races but they were not ready for what Hippie brought to the party.
Hippie, who cost $43,000 in last year’s CTHS Yearling Sale, was bred in British Columbia by Tod Mountain Thoroughbreds. She is by Schramsberg, a son of Storm Cat who is out of the great racemare Serena’s Song (winner of 11 Grade 1’s). Swift Thoroughbreds owns and Dino Condilenios trains.
Burrard Breeze Runs Up A Storm
The three-and-up Maiden Special Weight was once again in actuality a race for straight three-year-olds, six of them in this case, and four of them got to the wire within a length of each other. Burrard Breeze ($24.40) closed from last to get there first under Marklee Buchanan, a neck in front of The Odds R Good who was another neck ahead of favored Torniador. The final time was 1:17.30.
The Odds R Good outran Torniador and Windstrong for the lead going into the first turn and kept it until there were three-sixteenths to go, at which time the same two challenged again from the outside. They went around the final turn three across and hit the head of the lane that way.
Burrard Breeze had begun to move up along the rail behind them and he moved to the outside to make a run at the leading threesome. It briefly looked as if all three were going to run past The Odds R Good late, but when he switched leads he regained momentum and only the charging Burrard Breeze got by.
The winner is by Quiet Cash out of the Elusive Quality mare Faidra. He was bred by Tod Mountain Thoroughbreds who sold him in the 2013 CTHS Yearling Sale for $7,500. George Matkovich, Rick Munro and Fraser Rawlinson own him. Brian O’Connell trains.
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