Brian McGregor-Foxcroft

 

12/ 10/ 99 – Vancouver: The Thanksgiving weekend was a very busy one at the Park. But, the weekend was marred with profound sadness at the news of the death of Alan and Moe Cuthbertson’s brother Wayne, who had been a former jockey and backstretch worker. And on Monday morning a fatal hit and run accident at 5:15 a.m., just outside of Hastings’ gate, took the life of longtime track worker, owner and trainer Maureen Tubbs, and left her son Chris, a track outrider, in critical condition. Everyone at Hastings was in a state of profound shock and grief. Our deepest sympathies go out to both families over the loss of their loved ones.

 

The weekend started out with Friday night’s 5^th race at Hastings, in which Dr. Green broke his maiden and justified my opinion that he was a far better little horse than many had given him credit for. Even with the slight step up in class he smoked his opponents in the 1 1/16^th Mile run. I would not be surprised to see him moving up to high level claiming and even allowance runs next year.

 

Saturday saw the running of two stakes races at Hastings, The Count The Green, which was the 6^th race, and The Ballerina Breeder’s Cup, which was race 7 on the 8 race live card. In The Count The Green 6 ½ furlong sprint, it was the Sid Martin trained Get Smart that romped home first, with Frank Fuentes in the irons. Galavant, with Felipe Valdez on board got up for second money, and Ryson, with Dave Wilson riding, ran third. The Exacta paid $79.70 and Triacta paid $277.90. In The Ballerina it was the predictable David Forster trained Magic Code who swept home to beat out Deputy Sue  and Lasting Chance, after those two got locked in a speed dual for most of the 1 /18^th Mile route.

 

On Sunday Hastings featured the 1 1/16^th Mile BC Juvenile, in which the Terry Jordan trained Rampaging Alf got up for his fourth consecutive victory. This son of Alfaari (by Danzig), has answered everyone’s questions about the soundness of his sire as a future father of champions. Rampaging Alf, ridden by Dave Wilson, ran an impressive race in 1.46.21 and won by 7 lengths. In the same race, the David Forster trained Preamble, with Dan Brock in the irons, got up for second, with Prodigious and Handsome Kris rounding out the $2,484.20 Superfecta.

 

On Thanksgiving Monday’s The Fall Fashion, which was the 3^rd race in the 9 card race day, it was the Robert Vanoverschot trained American Cash, ridden by Ben Russell, that beat out the rest of the small 6 horse field of Passionate Play, Fair Apahce, B. B. Bell and Blue In Green. In the 8^th  1 1/16^th Mile Burnaby, it was the Kim Hart owned, Steve Bryant trained Wandering, winner of the $200,000 BC Derby, who overtook an impressive Code Name Fred (the Alberta invader with Jake Barton in the irons) to win in a photo finish over Yaletown, who ran an equally impressive third. But the most impressive race of the day was the 1^st, a 6 ½ furlong claiming race in which Megatron, another son of Alfaari, ridden by Gerry Olguin, charged around the track and wired the field of 9 entrants. Also notable was the 7^th race at Bay Meadows, where former Hastings horse, Lightening Bob, ran a very strong second in the $33,000 Allowance for 3 year olds and up. Lightening Bob was ridden by David Nuesch, a jockey who rode at Hastings Park last season.

 

For those brave enough, or foolish enough, to play the Hong Kong simulcasts from Sha Tin, there is no end of agony and ecstasy. In last Friday’s 1^st race from Hong Kong the trifecta in the Hastings’ pool paid $42,052.80. Nice money if you can get it, but it’s a handicapper’s nightmare. In conversations with my Asian brethren I have learned that they tend to play numbers rather than jockeys, trainers and back-breeding. Mind you, I still prefer to depend on traditional handicapping strategies in trying to choose the likely winners. Both Australia and Hong Kong simulcasts tend to offer big payouts, with some show bets paying as much or more than the usual win bets from North American tracks. And both tracks are a turf lover’s paradise. I have some interesting statistics which demonstrate the caliber of sires we have standing at stud in BC. According to The Blood-Horse, September 18, 1999, The Leading Sires of 2 Year Olds places Katahaula County at 66^th on the list of North American sires. While the 1999 Second Crop Sires list has Katahaula County at 23 and Turbulent Kris at 63. Finally, the 1999 Third Crop Sires list has Free At Last standing in 40^th position. I’ve said it before, and at the risk of sounding like a bore, I’ve got to say it again, we in BC can be justifiably proud of the quality of thoroughbreds being bred and raised in this province. By the way, if you’re looking for a handicapping angle to play in the near future, a season of first hand observation has demonstrated to me that horses by Free At Last (especially fillies), Katahaula County, and Alfaari are good bets to play at Hastings.

 

Finally, a report has just been circulated by The Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association of British Columbia regarding the state of horse racing in BC. The report was done by PricewaterhouseCoopers and concluded that horse racing had to come into line with other forms of gambling in the province. Even though the report suggested that additional forms of gaming, such as slot machines, be introduced to local tracks, the provincial government has vetoed any such move. It is noteworthy that several Ontario tracks have introduced slots which have directly improved those tracks’ income, with a noticeable hike in purses. The report did suggest some actions which the racing industry could introduce to improve public attendance at local tracks – these include, among other things, better public relations, advertising campaigns and customer service. One thing is certain, the local racing industry will be hurting if some action is not taken within the next few years to turn it around. But more about this later.

 

For those who like harness racing, Fraser Downs, Cloverdale, is back up. Fraser Downs is not charging admission this year, and has developed a number of customer incentives to “keep ‘em coming in.” All the best of racing luck until my next column.