Saturday's runners and riders
Some cracking contests slated for both days at Hastings this weekend, with six races scheduled Saturday and a further seven on Sunday.
Trainer Rob Maybin saddles three here and his Eye Be Seeing You should again go close following a creditable third-place finish two weeks ago. Airaffair overcame an early duel to turn back his challengers in a thoroughly professional win last time, while WE’RE IN COMMAND has navigated marginally tougher competition than he meets here and, notably, has won previously when dropped into this level.
The first race run over the mile-and-a-sixteenth course this season has attracted five hard-knocking claimers. Three of the five clashed over 6 ½- furlongs just a week ago with You Don’t Own Me finishing second, just besting Dakati and MUSTACHIO. The latter is a different proposition going ‘long’ however and can reverse the tables. The 11-year-old Ace Deuce, meanwhile, has learned a thing or two down the years and he is also suited by the increase in distance.
Next stop, Cairo!
‘Safe trip’ to the Hastings Racing Club again this weekend! They’ll be out in force to cheer
on their latest recruit PRINCE CAIRO in the third race, a $25k Allowance over 6 ½ furlongs.
Bodega finished with a wet sail to grab victory a fortnight ago, but he’s now upped in class and this will be a different challenge against some useful sorts. He’s Relentless, who has been working well this spring, ran the speedy Smart Lad close on opening weekend and had Big Union just behind him. Both will be sharper again today. PRINCE CAIRO, who makes his debut for the Hastings Racing Club, is entitled to need this race after being off since last June. However, he is the class of the contest, with solid form against some of the fleetest around. It may pay to take his fitness on trust.
KOALA ran creditably in defeat to Bellaroo last time out. It shouldn’t be long before she breaks her maiden and is difficult to ignore here. The Woodbine import Gwen also showed up well for much of her race last week and she has been dropped several rungs to take these on. Visenya isn’t very big, but showed enough speed on her second and final outing last year to suggest she can be in the mix.
Fans of hard-knocking claimers will be excited by the prospect of this non winners of four races, featuring eight of the toughest street fighters on the backstretch. Finding the winner will not be easy. Texas Kid was troubled by traffic a fortnight ago and still ran creditably in fourth, with The Chances R behind him. Both should strip fitter and be in the mix again today. Marginal preference is given to SANAWAR, representing trainer Barb Heads and owner/hockey star Ryan Nugent Hopkins. The 9yo seems to run well enough when fresh and arguably has a small class advantage over several of these.
Mt Seymour showed up well before tiring on his seasonal debut, running fourth with Three Day Bender behind him. Fresh horse import Dr Benny also lost nothing in defeat, just missing out on second behind the useful-looking Better Tone and Y VEE R two weeks ago. The latter caught the eye that day, making most of the running before being passed late. The lightly-raced Monte may prove best of the rest. He bumped into some above average names last term and a fifth behind recent Stakes winner Soaringforthesun puts him firmly in contention.
Hastings Horse of the Year Nominees
With an announcement due any day, we’ve come to the final profile looking back at the 2021 Horse of the Year nominees. Last, but definitely not least, is the scintillating BC-bred filly, U DID IT
U DID IT b f, 2019, by Teide — Architecture (Dixie Chatter)
Owner: John Anderson
Breeder: Christine Ammann
Trainer: Edgar Mendoza
U DID IT is yet to taste defeat and is already a winner again this term. Last season the daughter of former local stallion Teide ran just the three times, winning all three and doing so in a manner that suggested there was a lot more to come. Just where the 3yo’s ceiling is remains to be seen.
Her racecourse debut came in July when, starting as the fourth choice of five in the betting market, she pulverized her fellow maidens, swinging home more than eight lengths ahead of her nearest rival and giving jockey Antonio Reyes one of his less stressful journeys around the Hastings oval.
Jumping up to Allowance company for her next outing U Did It, this time starting a very short-priced favourite, again showed little mercy to her rivals and needed only to be shaken up by Reyes under a supremely confident ride to win by 4 ½-lengths.
U Did It’s final race of the season was just 20 days later in August when she lined up for the $50k CTHS Sales Stakes contest. Once more, the result was a formality from a long way out as Reyes, again along for an enjoyable stroll, did little more than shake the reins to win comfortably by 4 ¾-length.
Bred in BC by Christine Ammann, U Did It is by Teide out of the former Champion 2yo filly in BC, Architecture — herself a sister to the British Columbia Oaks winner, Tiptoe.
There will be sterner tests ahead for U Did It, but she has so far done everything asked of her with a certain swagger. She is clearly among the very best performers anywhere on the Hastings grounds and her next appearance is eagerly anticipated.