Hastings' Review - Part One

We start our look back at all the horses nominated for honours at Hastings this year, beginning with what looked to be an above average two-year-old division

Dec 09, 2022

LEGACY SQUARE (Efrain Hernandez) — photo Patti Tubbs

The two-year-olds provided racegoers with plenty of excitement this year in both the fillies’ and boys’ divisions, although it may not have been until late in the season that we saw perhaps the two best performances of the campaign from either sex.

The 2YO Colts and Geldings

LEGACY SQUARE (Lent) carried all before him for most of the summer. Consummately campaigned by the Hastings’ leading trainer Edgar Mendoza, the youngster was classy enough to land the Spaghetti Mouse Stakes on his career debut at the beginning of July, before returning to action four weeks later to take the BC Cup Nursery Stakes.

Owned by Tod Mountain Thoroughbreds and James Redekop, Legacy Square looked the very likely winner turning for home next time out in the CTHS Sales Stakes but, eventually, went down by just a neck to the resolute BUCK IN COMMAND (Second in Command).

A special mention to the late BUCK IN COMMAND (above), who whose two wins from three starts included that CTHS Sale Stakes win over Legacy Square. A terrible loss and our sincere condolences go to everyone connected with the gutsy and talented youngster — **photo Patti Tubbs**

Legacy Square made no mistake next time, however, with Efrain Hernandez driving his mount out to take the Jack Diamond Stakes by more than seven lengths from stablemate BAK TO LIBERTY (Bakken).

A few weeks later, when odds-on to confirm his position as Hastings’ leading juvenile, Legacy Square stepped up to a mile-and-sixteenth for the first time in the Ascot Graduation Stakes. However, he again went down by a neck, this time to the previously impressive maiden winner SUNBIRD (Orb).

SUNBIRD (Amadeo Perez) — photo Patti Tubbs

Legacy Square ran arguably his best race of the season in defeat, the first two pulling almost five-lengths clear of the third, but it was impossible not to be impressed by the Terry Jordan-trained Sunbird, who refused to be passed when challenged at the top of the stretch and found more close home to win on merit for owners Nick and Pauline Felicella.

The 2YO Fillies

Incidentally, Buck in Command was bred in BC by Ralph Jesiak. The CTHS Vice President enjoyed quite a year with his youngsters, as he was also responsible for producing one of the season’s very best two-year-old fillies in LOVEABOVEANDBEYOND (Counterforce).

LOVEABOVEANDBEYOND (Efrain Hernandez) — photo Michael Bye

As with the boys, it seemed as though the fillies’ pecking order was decided in mid-summer, when Martin Miller’s Loveaboveandbeyond won both the BC Cup Debutante Stakes and the CTHS Sales Stakes for trainer Mark Cloutier.

The main threat to divisional honours looked, initially at least, to be Dennis Dale, Peter Morris and Ed Welsh’s AIR FORCE, another daughter of leading first season sire COUNTERFORCE.

AIR FORCE (Antonio Reyes) photo Patti Tubbs

Fifth behind Loveaboveandbeyond in the CTHS Sales Stakes, before subsequently breaking her maiden in September, the Keith Pederson-trained Air Force then came out a nose ahead of the previous runaway maiden winner ABOVE AVERAGE (Ralis) in a storming finish to the Sadie Diamond Stakes on October 1st.

However, both Air Force and Loveaboveandbeyond then played only supporting roles in October’s Fantasy Stakes, finishing third and fourth respectively behind Rob and Sheena Maybin’s NEIGHNEIGH (Cross Traffic), who ran out a comfy and deserving winner on just her second appearance. Neighneigh broke her maiden impressively on Sadie Diamond day after she overcame a wide draw easily, made most of the running and quickened off a smart pace to decide matters in a few strides. She may not have been around for the earlier skirmishes, but Neighneigh proved a treat worth waiting for.

NEIGHNEIGH (Silvino Morales) — photo Patti Tubbs

It will be fascinating to see which way voters go with the juveniles in what may have been a particularly competitive year.

Bloodstock Notes

While BC-based first-season sires COUNTERFORCE (Smart Strike) and RALIS (Square Eddie) both enjoyed high-profile success in 2022, it was Counterforce who made an early statement on his potential as a local sire, with Air Force and Loveaboveandbeyond the cream of a useful-looking debut-crop of runners.

Legacy Square’s sire LENT (Pulpit), meanwhile, continued his fine record of producing leading contenders each and every season.

Five of the six youngsters nominated for divisional honours this year were graduates of BC sales. Legacy Square, Air Force and Buck in Command were all bought out of BC’s annual CTHS Yearling and Mixed Sale, while Loveaboveandbeyond failed to make his reserve as a yearling and was successfully re-offered through the CTHS Horses of Racing Age Sale in the spring.

**Four of the six youngsters nominated for divisional honours this year were bred in BC, while five of the six were graduates of BC auctions**

Neighneigh, meanwhile, was originally pinhooked by the late Glen Todd’s North American Thoroughbred Horse Company at the Keeneland September Sale, before being snapped up by Rob Maybin at the CTHS Horses of Racing Age Sale, where the filly was offered as part of the Hole in the Wall Gang initiative.

Finally, Sunbird was purchased out of Todd’s dispersal sale, hosted as an exclusively-online event by Fasig-Tipton. The impressive-looking gelding, who is out of the Hastings’ Stakes winner MARKETWAY (After Market), was bred by Todd in Kentucky and is yet another reminder of the huge loss BC racing and breeding suffered this year when Glen passed.