Sunday's Previews
An ultra-competitive $20,000 Allowance contest headlines a cracking Sunday afternoon card at Hastings. First race off at 2:30pm
Claimed out of Arizona at the end of March, THIRSTY FRIEND plugged-on gamely to finish third on his Hastings debut and, now properly acclimatised to the circuit, should be thereabouts again. EBONY EYES represents the fast-starting Rob Maybin barn and has solid form against tougher opposition than she encounters here, while BARBERRY BANDIT makes his season debut and is good enough to be a threat if fit enough first time up.
ABOVE AVERAGE and WIRLY GIRLY are having quite the series of battles and they renew rivalry here with the score at 2-2 following Above Average’s hard-fought victory earlier this month. This is no two-horse race, however, and there is much to fear from VIVA LA VINO. Off since last August, her three runs last term came in the very best company and, more worryingly for her opponents, she’s been firing bullets in the mornings. MISS UNION was impressive when catching, and blowing by, tearaway leader Arikara two weeks ago and is from an in-form barn, while HIGHER IMAGE, who makes her first appearance for trainer Pat Jarvis, was also impressive in both her wins at Century Mile last season, ending her campaign with a third-place finish in the valuable CTHS Sales Stakes on the same track.
FOOTHILLS BLVD. had PETERSON LANDING behind when going down by just a neck in a thrilling stretch duel last time and the pair look to hold the key here. However, Peterson Landing was certainly rallying that day and, with another half-a-furlong to cover today, may be even closer this afternoon. I’M ALL SHOOK UP was a little further back in the same race, but that effort should benefit her today and a repeat of pretty much any of her three final runs of last season would put her firmly in the mix.
JOSE JOSE was a class act when rattling off back-to-back wins last June and July, before missing the remainder of the season. However, if the morning workouts are anything to go by, then his absence has not dulled his speed and he will be a tough nut to crack in what, on paper at least, looks to be a competitive heat. HORATIO had MR MORRIS well behind when winning on his final outing last season, following a solid campaign, and should take advantage of any weakness in the favourite’s armour, while stablemate PISCO has the advantage of a run and won’t need to improve much on that winning effort to feature prominently again.
Twice a winner at the now defunct Golden Gate last spring, TAMARA MINE’s form dipped at Hastings after making the move north and she was dropped several rungs of the ladder for her final outing last season. She runs for the first time for new connections after being claimed that day and, while she would be hard to handle at this level if anywhere near her best, has to prove she can still do it. BAKBURNER gave Hastings Racing Club members an exciting afternoon when going gate-to-wire to win two weeks ago and should be in the thick of the action again here. PINEAPPLE TIDBITS rarely lets her followers down and began her season with a solid third. That run will have tightened the screws and she’s a five-time winner at this distance. After arriving from Ontario over the winter, PRINCESS ALESKA was outclassed on her Hastings debut two weeks ago, but could be a more potent threat at this level.
MAX BOOSTER hit the board in five of his six starts last season and was third on his return to action earlier this month. He’s had 11 goes at winning and, with that run under his belt and an extra half-furlong of real estate, can finally get it done here. ZENARI was bustled out of the gate and tried to make every yard last time, hanging on with real tenacity to hold second ahead of Max Booster. She’s definitely in the mix again. The BC-bred MYGIRLLILLY returns to Canada after running once as a two-year-old in Minnesota last season. Impossible to weigh up on such scant evidence, she represents the flying Steve Henson team and will certainly know her business.
Lisa & Mike’s Sunday Selections
Statistics
From the Province:
Wannabe champs face tough returns to Hastings action
Fresh from their winter breaks, last season’s leading juveniles return to action as they embark on a season they hope ends in big-race glory.
by Nigel Reid
With two legs of racing’s Triple Crown already in the books, the Classic generation at Hastings is only now shaking off the winter rust, with last year’s leading juveniles slated to make their three-year-old debuts on Saturday.
Mount Doom, last year’s leading two-year-old male, faces six rivals in a valuable Allowance contest as he begins a campaign connections hope will lead all the way to September’s B.C Derby.
It won’t be easy. Despite carrying all before him last season, Mount Doom takes on older horses this Saturday, which is never a straightforward prospect, and particularly tough at this time of year. Four-year-old thoroughbreds are normally bigger and stronger than their junior rivals, and the two generations don’t normally clash until later in the season, when they are more evenly matched.
Fortunately, Mount Doom’s trainer, Steve Henson, who has saddled five winners already this term, remains undaunted by the prospect.
“We have to start somewhere,” he said. “It’s not ideal to run against older horses, but I really couldn’t be happier with him.
“I’d have been happy to go straight into the first Stakes race of the year without a race, but it’s preferable to give him a run.”
Breezin Brianne also faces older horses on Saturday, although her path to the top this season has not been harmed by the absence of last year’s leading juvenile filly, Someday Lady. She is currently based at Santa Anita in California and is slated to run there this weekend.
Trained by veteran handler Mel Snow, Breezin Brianne, named for a granddaughter of the owner, has pleased connections this spring and, like her male counterpart, has thrived during her winter break.
Bloodhorse Daily Headlines — Saturday, May 24
