Saturday's Previews
With many of the best equine athletes Hastings has to offer set to clash in the first Stakes contests of the season, Saturday promises to be a memorable afternoon of racing action - and sunshine!
YOU DON’T OWN ME returns to the bottom rung for the first time since edging out Knopfler to win last August. He’s had a run to blow away the cobwebs and should be right in the mix here. Not many have the dubious honour of being out-nodded by perennial bridesmaid Knopfler, but PADDY D’ORO couldn’t have done any more when narrowly missing out last time and the pair were clear of VALUE MAX at the line. EYE BE SEEING YOU rarely runs a poor race and his second to Quagmire on his season debut should have prepared him perfectly for today, while the FORT LANGLEY of old would eat most of these for breakfast but makes his season debut here and may need the race.
BECKETT’S BEST had ROLLIE’S SPIRIT behind him when going down narrowly to here Goes My Hero last month in arguably a career-best effort. If he can repeat it, he’ll take some stopping. ASKMENOQUESTIONS makes his first start of the new campaign and lines-up on the back of some eye-catching morning work, while DON W, in fourth, was only just behind Beckett’s Best and Rollie’s Spirit last time and showed up well enough in tougher company than this last year to suggest he has a major chance here.
FRANKE MACHINE has won five times at this distance, has had a couple of good ‘primers’ over shorter and represents the in-form Steve Henson barn. This looks like a good opportunity for the veteran to add to his tally in what is a wide-open affair. SLEW’S DA BOSS had BARNEY GOOGLE behind when staying on well behind Texas Moonshine last time and is another who excels on the Hastings long course. TEX HANELY can’t be ruled out after stumbling when leaving the gate on his Hastings debut, while COUNTRY COWBOY’s second to Family Biz over this distance last September brings him firmly into contention.
With Air Force now scratched, all eyes will be on Horse of the Year INFINITE PATIENCE, who looks to get back to winning ways after a solid effort on her season debut. However, while she clearly excels over longer distances, she hasn’t won at 6½ furlongs since defeating WE B THREE in the Monashee Handicap back in ’22 and this is certainly no ‘gimme’. WE B THREE’s hat-trick of valuable wins in her first three starts last year (on the way to Champion Sprinter honours) will give connections every confidence that they can pull off a rare win over ‘Patience’, while VIVA LA VINO split Air Force and MISS UNION (with Infinite Patience in fourth and ABOVE AVERAGE in fifth) when they met last month and she is certainly good enough to take advantage of any weakness shown by her rivals today. Like Infinite Patience, ABOVE AVERAGE would also prefer more real estate at this stage but is no slouch either and will definitely have come on for that initial foray.
A mouthwatering rematch between SOARINGFORTHESUN, Sunbird and Big Union, who were separated by less than a length when they clashed last month on a sloppy track in a prep race for this Stakes contest. Soaringforthesun was mightily impressive that day, taking them gate-to-wire and grittily holding off SUNBIRD’s late lunge, with last year’s George Royal winner BIG UNION right there. AT ATTENTION plugged on gamely and was doing his best work late behind the three, but will probably be seen to better effect when he steps up in distance. Former BC Derby winner REGAL RIOT makes his reappearance following a year on the sidelines. He’s a class act and not without a say in proceedings but is perfectly entitled to need the race after such a lengthy absence. BAKKEN OVERDRIVE, meanwhile, has a win under his belt and was third in this event last season.
Twice a winner at Turf Paradise already this season, LEFT THE BAR finished just ahead of MORETHANSOULTITLE on his Hastings debut in a similar contest last month — the two chasing home Somthing Elusive (who ran well here on Friday night) and subsequent winners Knopfler and Quagmire. VALUABLE COWBOY fluffed his lines when favourite on his season reappearance, hopping at the start and becoming the grey meat in a bay sandwich, his chances ended after less than a furlong. He’s been working well of late, however, and remains a serious threat today … with a clear passage.
Lisa and Mike’s Picks
Belmont Stakes - Scheduled for 3:41pm
Mike Heads runs his rule over today’s Belmont Stakes:
The $2 million Belmont Stakes is being run at Saratoga this year and thus has been reduced from its traditional mile-and-a-half distance to a mile-and-a-quarter. The race is scheduled to go off at 3:41 p.m. Vancouver time.
I have been impressed with the two runs from the #10 MINDFRAME who has shown he’s a Stakes star in the making as he easily breezed through his first couple of conditioned races in swift times, earning big speed ratings in the process. He is a huge but athletic son of Constitution, appears to have the talent and DNA to get the ten-furlong trip and will have Irad Ortiz Jr. at the controls. I know this is a big leap in class for him but I respect the connections and the horse and think he will be able to run with the top three-year-olds in just his third career start. I think he gets a perfect trip sitting just off of the #1 SEIZE THE GREY and #6 DORNOCH and can run them down in the stretch.
The #9 SIERRA LEONE will have less traffic to deal with and will go postward as the favourite but he seems to get just enough things wrong to get himself beat, which is why I am putting him in the second spot.
The #1 SEIZE THE GREY like #3 MYSTIK DAN are running for the third time in five weeks, so one would assume the gas tank must be on empty soon. I strongly believe we will see a third different victor of a Triple Crown race although it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to see either the Kentucky Derby or Preakness winner come home on top today.
Mike’s Top 3:
#10 – MINDFRAME
#9 – SIERRA LEONE
#1 – SEIZE THE GREY
Hastings Stakes Schedule
