Friday Night Previews
Friday night features seven highly-competitive puzzles, as we also take a first look at Saturday's entries; there's also news of local horses doing well in Alberta and the sad passing of "Joe" Manzo
SETTECENTO won a Del Mar claimer last July and lines up here after being claimed out of Santa Anita in February. He should be match fit after three runs already since the end of December and has been working well enough to suggest he can be a factor here. It won’t be easy. SET TO SHINE may be making his season debut but the 7yo has posted three bullets from four workouts and it’s worth remembering that he won very easily on his debut last season. Barn-mate SMART LAD beat Set to Shine last June but then finished behind him in his next three runs. He’s a handful on his day, however, and has also been working well. STAR ENTRY has plenty on his plate here and his most recent wins have come in less challenging company, but he represents the highflying Steve Henson barn and must be respected. Finally, PURSUE enjoyed a terrific 2023, winning three times and hitting the board twice more in classy company and should not be far away.
PRINCE CAIRO, the Hastings Racing Club’s pride and joy, ran exceptionally well on his seasonal reappearance earlier this month. He’ll appreciate the extra few yards and is a serious contender here. DESIRED OUTCOME was the definition of consistency last year, winning once and hitting the board in all six of his races. His trainer won with his first runner of the season last weekend (albeit in Alberta), and he looks a major danger here. BRIAN’S DE LEIGHT wasn’t too far behind Desired Outcome when they met last October and has been catching geese in the mornings, while TIME TICKER should be match fit after taking on some useful sorts on opening day. This company should be more to his liking and he represents the in-form Steve Henson barn.
All eyes will be on APPREHEND, who makes his Hastings’ debut after arriving from Santa Anita; where he last appeared in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes. And, even though that was in 2022 and he’s been out of action for more than a year, the expensive son of Triple Crown hero Arrogate, should have enough class to handle this as long as he’s fully recovered from whatever kept him away from the track. LUCKY FORCE, the winner of six of his eight career outings, opened his ’24 campaign with a gutsy victory and last year’s Ross McLeod winner, who is often close to the head of affairs, will not be waiting for stragglers. Stablemate JUST JIMMY should also ensure there’s no dawdling and certainly has the class to take this if there is any weakness in the favourite’s armour. SPACE was recruited back east last season for a BC Derby bid and the plan all but worked when the son of Ghostzapper ran third in the Grade 3 contest. He then closed out his campaign with two Allowance wins, although they were over the mile and sixteenth course, and he is clearly a talented performer.
A wide-open affair that will take some deciphering. ZETAMARIE, the only filly or mare here not to have had a run already this season, takes a little class relief and won at the first time of asking last year. JERSEY LILLIE ran well to finish second on her reappearance earlier this month and had CARLA’S HONOR, RICHARDS COMMAND and PINEAPPLE TIDBITS all behind her. That was a half-furlong shorter than today, however, which should certainly suit Pineapple Tidbits, who ran well for a long way last time and should be match-fit today. BAKZONE got the rough end of a speed duel with Arikara in her opening effort of the year and should be a different proposition today.
Third in last year’s Century Casino Oaks, SUPER CARO should certainly be fit following a Golden Gate campaign that ended only in April. Whether she is good enough to handle what is a strong-looking field of talented fillies and mares remains to be seen. HOAX impressed many with a five-length, gate-to-wire win two weeks ago, although this does represent a return to a level at which she struggled last season, while INDYETTA lost nothing in defeat to geldings Lucky Force and Rockcliffe on her final outing of 2023. On her best form, SOLARITY, so often a handmaiden to the great Infinite Patience, would be the one to beat. However, the veteran mare ran just three times last year and has been out of action since a valiant third to We B Three in last July’s Monashee Handicap Stakes. SHAMRA won first-time out last season although, on paper at least, this looks a tougher challenge.
ANOTHERSUNNYDAY had AMANDA and ICE BREAKER behind her when chasing home Arikara over six furlongs earlier this month. The trio look like major players again in what looks to be a wide-open claimer. MISS THE HYPE is the only runner without the benefit of a run this term, but she did win over this distance last August at a marginally higher level and has been working well enough to suggest she can make her presence felt. LASTING LIGHT finished a good way ahead of TEXAS HUMOR and ROSE OF TEXAS two weeks ago when third in a similar contest and a repeat of that performance might be good enough.
RACING RIVER made every yard to see off SLEW’S DA BOSS and READY HERO two weeks ago and this looks like a good opportunity for a quick return to the winner’s circle. However, this is a half-a-furlong further and it would be no surprise to see the finishing positions altered. Slew’s Da Boss had to switch lanes late and was eating up ground, while the patiently ridden READY HERO, who was making his Hastings debut after being brought in from Woodbine over the winter, was never nearer than at the finish. HOLY EMPEROR makes his first appearance for the Hastings Racing Club and their newest recruit should lack nothing in fitness, having run four times at Turf Paradise between January and March. DEPUTY’S DANCER made a winning return to action on opening day and a repeat of that performance would put him firmly in the mix.
Lisa & Mike’s Picks
Saturday’s Overnight Entries
Century Mile Success for Hastings Raider
Trainer Rob VanOverschot is no stranger to saddling winners on both sides of the Rockies and he struck with his first raider of the season when sending FORCE TO REKN WITH to land a $25,000 Allowance contest at Century Mile last weekend.
The four-year-old filly, who won the Sonoma Handicap at the same track last July, just a few weeks after finishing third in the Supernaturel Stakes at Hastings, has now won twice in three visits to Edmonton. The victory came in the stewards room when the daughter of Counterforce, who is owned and bred in BC by JDP Holdings, was rightly promoted after going down by a head, despite having to check under rider Brian Boodramsingh when the ‘winner’ drifted out. PRETTY ARIA, who is also trained by VanOverschot and was twice a winner at Hastings last season, finished third.
VanOverschot should again be a regular visitor to Edmonton this year and reports his stable heavyweight ITSMYDAY in excellent order ahead of another campaign that will focus on Alberta.
VanOvershot said: “It’s a bit too tight for him here at Hastings, so he’ll be running at Century again, this season. It suits him better there. He’s wintered well and is in great condition, just ask Bailey!”
Bailey Williams rides ITSMYDAY in all his work and was quick to concur with the trainer’s assessment: “He’s in great shape,” she said. “He’s my boyfriend!”
Bred in BC by Grant Watson and owned by Ironside stables, the son of New Year’s Day capped a solid campaign with an excellent second-place finish in the $100,000 Speed to Spare Championship Stakes at Century Mile on Canadian Derby Day.
Joe Manzo
As many of you will have heard this week, Hastings has lost another one of its backstretch heroes. Giuseppe Manzo, known to everyone at Hastings simply as “Joe”, was a constant presence around the Pat Jarvis barn for many years and has been an ever-present at the track for decades. A familiar sight in Jerome’s (in the Hastings Racecourse grandstand), where he had his own seat at the bar, Joe was a kind and welcoming character who had a deep knowledge of the racing game, as well as the horses he doted on. Although Joe usually kept himself to himself, he was by no means unapproachable and would generously share his knowledge and experience with anyone who needed it. It was also very much a case of still waters run deep with Joe, who was a well-educated gentleman, comfortable talking on a wide variety of subjects. He was also a fluent French speaker. His passing, which was sudden and unexpected, came as a big shock to those who called him a dear friend and he will be sorely missed. Rest in peace, Joe.
Breakfast at the Gap
