Hastings Review — Part Two
We continue our look back at all the horses nominated for honours at Hastings this year by celebrating the achievements of the Classic generation
Three-year-old colts and geldings
It was a small but select group of Stakes-winning three-year-olds at Hastings in 2022, led of course by the remarkable REGAL RIOT.
Kim Peacock and Lance Giesbrecht’s son of former BC-based sire Jersey Town enjoyed quite the campaign under the guidance of Hastings stalwart Rob Anderson, improving throughout the season to make a serious claim on horse-of-the-year honours.
After a promising debut effort in Maiden Special company at Century Mile as a juvenile, Regal Riot returned to Hastings for the 2022 season and broke his duck at the first time of asking, running out a more than seven-length winner . The chestnut then followed his maiden win with a promising, if unspectacular, third-place finish behind fellow nominee SOARINGFORTHESUN (Sungold) in the Jack Diamond Maturity event later the same month.
However, the promise shown in the Jack Diamond was confirmed in the Ross McLeod Stakes the following month, when the gelding reversed placings with Soaringforthesun before moving on to confirm that superiority in July’s Chris Loseth Handicap Stakes.
Regal Riot then took on all-comers in the Canadian Derby at Century Mile and overcame a wide draw and rough passage under Efrain Hernandez to finish with a wet sail in third after spotting the first two home a dozen lengths from the top of the stretch.
It was a superb effort in the circumstances by Regal Riot, who gave notice in Alberta that he was among the best sophomores in the nation.
Any doubts regarding the merit of his Century Mile performance dissolved on BC Derby Day as, together with Peter Redekop’s California shipper, AROLLERCOASTERRIDE (Curlin), they put on a scintillating stretch drive, with Regal Riot franking the Canadian Derby form and getting the better of the import in a head-bob finish.
Award nominees Regal Riot and Soaringforthesun faced each other in six races last season and, while the score was 4-2 in favour of the BC Derby hero, the figures don’t tell the whole story. Edgar Mendoza’s charge endured a rough passage out in Alberta and could do nothing about the unexpected slow pace in the BC Derby. Regal Riot had no need of such excuses, of course, but it was a close rivalry nonetheless. Racegoers will be hoping 2023 brings more of the same.
Three-Year-Old Fillies
The fillies’ division proved to be marginally deeper waters than the boys last season, with KLOEPATRA (Prince Cairo) developing into a top-class filly for the newly minted Wyn Racing Stables and trainer Larry Grieve.
Kloepatra’s rise has been rapid. She broke her maiden only in July and then finished just fourth in an Allowance event next time. Her breakout performance came with a more than seven-length victory over AMANDA (Sungold) and fellow nominee U DID IT (Teide) in the BC Cup Hong Kong Jockey Club Handicap Stakes.
The climb to the summit is never straightforward however and, returning to action less then three weeks later, Kloepatra caused some head-scratching with a lacklustre fourth in the CTHS Sales Stakes.
Fortunately, she left any disappointment behind quickly and, the following month, ran the race of her young career to take the BC Oaks from Ayellowroseoftexas. Her final outing of the season saw her have a jog round in third and last place behind reigning Horse of the Year Infinite Patience but, by then, she was already a deserving Oaks winner and an obvious candidate for end-of-year honours.
Sapphire Stables’ SHAMRA (Lent) earned her deserved nomination with a two-length victory win over stablemate and fellow nominee U Did It in the River Rock Casino Stakes – which came after she demonstrated an abundance of promise with a second-place finish to the same horse in the Sadie Diamond Maturity Stakes back in May.
John Anderson’s U Did It, meanwhile, proved the perfect a model of consistency all season for trainer Edgar Mendoza, finishing out of the frame just once in six starts last year - and she wasn’t beaten far that day, either, finishing fifth in the BC Oaks.
However, the highlight of her season came in defeat when going down by a neck in the Century Casino Oaks at Century Mile. Overcoming a wide draw and an equally wide trip close to the pace under Antonio Reyes, U Did It hit the front at the top of stretch and gave way to winner Tone It Up only late and extremely grudgingly.
Bloodstock Notes:
Bred in BC by Suzanne Anderson, REGAL RIOT is a half-brother to the former Hastings Stakes winners WILO KAT (Katahaula County) and SLICE OF RED (Rosberg), as well as the three-time winner GEM OF INCEPTION (Finality).
A graduate of the CTHS Yearling & Mixed Sale, where she was led out unsold, Sapphire Stables’ SHAMRA is a half-sister to GUNS N AMMO (Fort Larned), a three-time winner at Hastings in 2022.
Another BC-bred, U DID IT was also a CTHS Yearling & Mixed Sale graduate and is a daughter of the former Champion juvenile at Hastings, Architecture; herself a half-sister to the BC Oaks runner-up, Tiptoe.
KLOEPATRA was originally pinhooked out of the Keeneland November Sale by local breeder Jim Alendal and was subsequently purchased at the CTHS Yearling & Mixed Sale by the late Glenn Todd. The future star was then obtained by Wyn Racing Stables for $60,000 at the Glen Todd digital dispersal auction hosted exclusively online by Fasig-Tipton. By Cairo Prince out of Kaiserin, an unraced half-sister to the Grade 2 winner CHIEF HAVOC (Giant’s Causeway), Kloepatra is a great-granddaughter of the Grade 1 winner and former Champion older mare, QUEENA (Mr Prospector).
SOARINGFORTHESUN was bred in BC by his owners David and Sylvea Gregory. He is out of the extremely tough California-bred mare RANDOM HIGHS (High Demand) a 12-time winner of 62 races and the dam also of full-sister SUNGOLD BEAUTY, twice a Hastings winner in 2022.
Canadian Horseracing Industry - National Economic Impact Study
Standardbred Canada (SC) and The Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society (CTHS) are pleased to announce the development of a National Economic Impact Study.
The two organizations are working with Serecon, a third-party research company, to conduct an economic scan and facilitate key stakeholder interviews through a national survey and provide further analysis.
The goals of the project are:
To increase the understanding of the current state of the sector;
To identify and articulate the economic and social impacts of horse racing across the country;
To develop strategic recommendations to ensure the sustainability and inclusivity of the horse racing sector;
Socialize findings with key federal government stakeholders
The study will review such economic drivers as cost of ownership, economic contribution from horses, and industry trends.
To take the survey click here.
