VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Over the last two years Hastings saw gains in both attendance and handle, and management is hoping the trend continues when the 2013 season gets under way Saturday. It might be hard to top the early numbers from 2012, though.
It was a perfect storm in 2012, with unseasonable dry weather, a first-round loss by the Vancouver Canucks in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the implausible run by local jockey Mario Gutierrez aboard I’ll Have Another.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Windsurfer will likely end up in a graded stakes sooner than later, but rather than rush him into one as they did last year, his connections opted for the more conservative approach and found a cozy spot in Friday's $69,000 second-level allowance feature at Aqueduct.
Windsurfer returned from a nine-month layoff to win a first-level allowance race by 7 3/4 lengths on Feb. 15 at Gulfstream Park. There were graded opportunities such as the Skip Away at Gulfstream or the Excelsior at Aqueduct, but WinStar Farm and trainer Todd Pletcher exercised restraint.
Call Me Bubba may be a maiden but he still merits strong consideration as the favorite when a field of eight Nebraska-bred colts and geldings meet at six furlongs in the $25,000 Fonner Park Special Stakes on Saturday afternoon.
Trained by LaVerne Ballhagen, Call Me Bubba has made 5 of his 7 starts against stakes company and has only been off the board once since making his career debut last summer in the Lincoln Futurity, where he finished a late-running fifth going 4 1/2 furlongs.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The Canadian Thoroughbred racing season begins Saturday, and for the first time in recent memory, Hastings will get the ball rolling.
The eight-race card will be the first of 69 days scheduled for the 2013 meet. Post time for the first of eight races is 1:50 p.m. Pacific.
The biggest day of the meet is Sept. 8, when the Grade 3, $150,000 British Columbia Derby will headline six stakes that include three $100,000 races – the British Columbia Oaks, Jack Diamond Futurity, and Sadie Diamond Futurity.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The Woodbine Entertainment Group is lowering its takeout on win wagers to 14.95 percent, the lowest in North America, beginning with the opening of the Thoroughbred meeting on April 20.
“We have to continue to take care of the loyal horse-playing customer, and this is a great way to do it,” Greg Martin, director of wagering operations, said in a press release.
“The win bet is our most popular wager, and reducing that takeout by 2 percent will financially benefit most horseplayers, from the sophisticated fan to the novice.”
GRAND ISLAND, Neb. - Track officials at Fonner Park on Thursday morning made the decision to cancel Friday's card after a storm left the racing surface, as well as the city, covered in a layer of ice.
Freezing rain and sleet began falling Tuesday afternoon and continued well into Wednesday, leaving more than an inch of ice covering the track. Temperatures Thursday were forecast to reach only the mid-30's with overcast conditions.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Rose to Gold will be heading into next month's Kentucky Oaks in top form after winning her second consecutive Grade 3 stakes Wednesday, the $400,000 Fantasy at Oaklawn Park. She led throughout for a 4 1/2-length win over Manuka Honey, while it was another length back in third to Marathon Lady.
The Fantasy opened the 39th annual Racing Festival of the South, a weeklong series of stakes run over the final four dates of the Oaklawn meet. The eight stakes are worth a cumulative $2.9 million, with the festival to continue Thursday with the $100,000 Carousel.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Abigail Adsit, a former assistant trainer to Linda Rice, won her first two races last week since going out on her own earlier this year.
On Friday, Adsit won a starter allowance at Aqueduct with Giant Indian. On Saturday, she won a $7,500 claiming race at Parx Racing with Miss Mexique. From seven starters, she has had two winners and a third.
"It was unbelievable, an honor, a lot of hard work that paid off," Adsit said about her first two wins.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Cluster of Stars, the undefeated New York-bred filly, will meet six rivals in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Distaff Handicap at six furlongs.
Cluster of Stars drew post 4 and will be ridden by Junior Alvarado, who replaces Javier Castellano, who is at Keeneland on Saturday.
Cluster of Stars, a daughter of Greeley's Galaxy, has won all four of her races over Aqueduct's inner track. Two starts back she won the Correction Stakes over the eight-time stakes winner Nicole H.
