Moving On Up
It's all about transition on Saturday, with some well-bred two-year-olds making their first starts and three-year-olds, such as Daphne (below), stepping up to Allowance class for the first time
PRETTY ARIA appears to be the class of the race and should a popular selection to get favourite backers off to a flying start. Her win against previous winner Walkinthewalk at the same level as she encounters here should ensure she has a major say. The Kat’s Back sits on a four-timer following three consecutive victories and handled the small step up in class well enough last time to suggest she can be a factor in this. Lasting Light has adapted well to Hastings, winning on her first start before finishing third behind The Kat’s Back last time, with Bakzone back in fourth. Definite Pleasure, a half-sister to horse-of-the-year Infinite Patience, is dropping into shallower waters and can’t be ignored.
WISE MARKET has proved as good as ever this season and he goes for a hat-trick here with two wins from his last two starts. The Heads’ barn sends out Ourevelady and the veteran Ace Deuce. Both are noteworthy for their consistency at this level and there is little between them. Debatable won over a mile-and-sixteenth two starts ago and returns to the distance following a lacklustre effort at 6½ furlongs last time, while Von Dom has hit the board at this distance in his previous two races and should be a factor again today.
The remarkable vetran Aditya drops down a rung on the class ladder here following a solid fourth behind Bills Smokn Bullet last time. MASTER EWEN won on his first effort this season, with Quagmire behind him and his third last time to Wise Market and Ace Deuce put him in the mix. Ave’s in Command, Quagmire, Ring of Kerry and Dakati all run here after winning last time, with marginal preference given to the latter.
All bar one of these juveniles is making their racetrack debuts and the betting market may help claify the picture. The Edgar Mendoza-trained Wellsley and Time Ticker from Barbara Heads’ barn are the first ever runners for local freshman stallion Ralis, while Honor the Queen is the only entry with experience following a patrticularly tough debut in the $50k Spaghetti Mouse Stakes. She should leave that effort well behind today. Swift Thoroughbreds’ BUNNY has been working well in the mornings and is by the exciting young sire Mo Town out of Swift’s leading Hastings’ performer, Snuggles.
Five of these renew rivalry after butting heads in a similar contest over the same distance last month. Coulterberry had a neck to spare over Just Make Believe that day with Mr Quality third, Frankie Machine fourth and Kopfler less than four lengths behind the winner in fifth. Marginal preference is given to MCMURPHY, who has winning form at the distance and whose fourth behind Arch Prince last time represented deeper waters than he faces here.
Kloepatra failed to read the script last time, duelling with the short-priced favourite Ayellowroseoftexas throughout before turning her rival back close home. That was a first run on the Hastings track for the runner-up, however, and it wouldn’t take much for the places to be reversed. Daphne beat Amanda back in early June and the form was boosted later the same month when Amanda broke her maiden. MARYS TAPPIN SHOES has been consistent in her previous four efforts at Stakes level and this represents a marginally less challenging opportunity. A repeat of Alobrah’s sole run to date, at Gulfstream last October, would make her a serious threat.
TEXAS HUMOR, Don’t Tess Me and Groovy Girl all drop significantly in class to contest this fiendish finale. Groovy Girl showed up well before weakening behind the useful Pretty Aria and Walkinthewalk last time, while Texas Humor has shown solid form in deeper waters than she faces here. Don’t Tess Me has more to prove while Koala may have bumped into an above average winner in Jersey Lillie last time.
Mike & Drew’s Derby Bar & Grill Picks, Saturday July 16
Winners Bred in British Columbia
A bumper week for locally-bred horses with the BC suffix appearing next to winners at Century Mile, Emerald Downs and Crooked River. Meanwhile, at Hastings, more than half the races run went the way of the BC-breds.
It was nice to see a familiar name in the list of winners. Morning Blurs was a smart sprinter at Hastings back in 2017, winning six times, including a leg of the HBPA Claiming Championship. She then moved on to win at Woodbine, Century Mile, Turf Paradise, Grants Pass, Rillito and, now, Crooked River Roundup!
Many congratulations to the successful breeders and to all the winning connections.
CENTURY MILE
Asyoubelieve, 3yo dk b/br, by Second in Command - I Believe in Angel (Cause to Believe)
Breeder: Bennett/Caravetta
Owner: Shot In The Dark Racing Corp.
Trainer: Tim Rycroft
Dad's Legacy, 4yo dk b/br, by Bakken - Drop of Gold (Stephanotis)
Breeder: Gladys Dittloff & Karen Dittloff
Owner: Lori Going
Trainer: Tim Rycroft
Gotcha Jenny, 5yo dk b/br m, by Gottcha Gold - Miss Jenny (Lac Ouimet)
Breeder: Kerry Wilson
Owner: Kerry H Wilson
Trainer: Cheryl Humbke
EMERALD DOWNS
Nine One One, 4yo gr/r g by Maclean's Music - Gift Wrap (Sky Mesa)
Breeder: Steen Reggelsen & Cathy Reggelsen
Owner: Gilker, Robert and Gilker, Victoria and Smith, Ted
Trainer: Robert Gilker
Lookout Taylor, 7yo dk b/br m by Gayego - Perfect Connection (Phone Trick)
Breeder: Tod Mtn. Thoroughbreds
Owner: John E. Parker
Trainer: Candice Cryderman
HASTINGS
Kay's Kitchen, 3yo ch f by Jersey Town – Windy (Wild Rush)
Breeder: Tod Mtn. Thoroughbreds
Owner: Tod Mountain Thoroughbreds
Trainer: Edgar Mendoza
Rea Mea, 4yo ch f by Lent – Strangelove (Tiznow)
Breeder: Christine Elena Ammann
Owner: Christine Ammann
Trainer: Edgar Mendoza
Mt Seymour, 3yo dk b/br g by Abraaj - Susan's Day (Colonel John)
Breeder: Cameron Hill Mortgage LTD.
Owner: Cameron Hill Mortgages Ltd. and Forster Stable
Trainer: David Forster
Eddie Who, 4yo dk b/br g by Bayern - Brice's Fire (Friesan Fire).
Breeder: Gladys Dittloff & Karen Dittloff
Owner: Snow, Mel and Fran
Trainer: Mel Snow
Pineapple Tidbits, 4yo ch f by Shackleford - View Halloo (Halory Hunter)
Breeder: Demetrick Racing
Owner: Musgrove, Donald H. and Johnson, Lyle
Trainer: Keith Pedersen
Rememberthealamo, 2yo b g by Texas Wildcatter - Dear Lilly (Graeme Hall)
Breeder: Glen Todd
Owner: Swift Thoroughbreds, Inc.
Trainer: Dino Condilenios
Finding Ways, 4yo b g by Harbor the Gold – Ouch (Gilded Time)
Breeder: Dino Condilenios & Sandra Loseth
Owner: Don B. Danard
Trainer: Mel Snow
Jacobs Call, 5yo dk b/br g by Second in Command - Glory Is Forever (Roar)
Breeder: Phoenix Rising Farms
Owner: Felicella, Nick and Pauline
Trainer: Terry Jordan
CROOKED RIVER
Morning Blurs, 8yo dk b/br m by Second in Command - Everythings a Blur (Joey Franco).
Breeder: Paul Caravetta
Owner: Tiffani McDevitt
Trainer: Tiffani McDevitt