Blog Post
Nigel Reid • August 25, 2020
Stay Fantastic (rail) holds off challenge of not yet to land his third win in as many starts.
With the 2020 CTHS BC Yearling and Mixed Sale just around the corner, it was gratifying to note that six of the seven BC-bred winners at Hastings last week were graduates of the annual sale.
This year, the auction has been moved down the valley to the Chilliwack Heritage Park on September 8. Catalogues are already available, as well as via the wonderful Equineline catalogue app, and there are currently 77 yearlings slated for auction.
And don’t forget that prospective buyers can also bid online, so there’s no excuse for missing out! Online bidding is being hosted by Direct Livestock Marketing Systems (DLMS), an internet marketing company specializing in real time internet auction sales and part of the largest livestock marketing network in Canada.
DLMS offers instant bidding, streaming live audio and video; creating a live auction experience from the safety of the purchasers’ computer, tablet or mobile devices. Purchasers may establish an account through the DLMS website at http://dlms.ca/Account/Register, or through the CTHS website at www.cths bc.org.
The winners of the opening two races on Thursday shared more in common than just having passed through the CTHS sale ring. Both horses were trained by Milton Palma, both were breaking their maidens and both the two-year-old filly MI REYNA and the three-year-old gelding TORIADOR are by the Stone Ridge Farm stallion, BAKKEN (Distorted Humor).
Bakken, whose first runners are now three-year-olds, is having a solid season. At the time of writing he was in sixth place nationally when compared to Canada-based sires by dirt runners.
There was much to like about the Elton Gunther-bred Mi Reyna, who took the lion’s share of the $16,000 purse in her gate-to-wire winning debut.
Toriador, meanwhile, has been improving with racing. He broke his maiden at the fourth time of asking and, like his stablemate, made every yard of the running to land the spoils on a day that favoured horses on the front end of affairs.
If Palma’s double salvo laid down a challenge to the Hastings trainers’ ranks, it was eagerly accepted and there were also two wins apiece on Thursday for Mark Cloutier and Keith Pedersen.
Both Pedersen-trained winners, WE GOT IT COVERED (Dontmesswithkitten) and HONKY TONK WOMAN (Violence) were CTHS graduates, as was the Cloutier-trained LITTLE GROOT (Harbor the Gold), whose win in a mile-and-sixteenth $8,000 claiming contest was the fourth of his 14-start career.
The final race on Thursday went to the seven-year-old veteran SANAWAR (Plan) and his trainer Barb Heads continued in winning ways on Sunday when saddling MOONMAN (Malibu Moon) and ADITYA (Mass Market) to significant victories. For the hard-knocking Aditya it marked a twelfth win of a 39-race career, while Moonman was returning to the winner’s circle for the first time since August 2018 after he ran just the once last year.
The “doubles” theme was continued on Sunday when Rob Maybin sent out APPELLANT (Midnight Lute) and MUSTACHIO (Justenuffhumor) to mark the small barn’s fourth and fifth wins of the season, respectively.
Sunday’s most valuable contest went to the Tod Mountain homebred STAY FANTASTIC (Stay Thirsty), who notched his natural hat-trick for the season in a manner that suggested he continues to improve with his racing. The win was an eleventh of the season for trainer Christine Ammann, who remains in joint-second place on the trainers’ table alongside Glen Todd and one behind the all-conquering Barb Heads team.
In a weekend where horses on or close to the pace fared better than those looking to preserve their fuel, CAPE LITE (Cape Blanco) was another who demonstrated how fortune can favour the decisive when showing her rivals a clean pair of heels to give the Renfrew Racing team a welcome winner.
Trained by David Milburn, Cape Lite’s campaign has been closely supervised by Renfrew Racing’s Mark Freeman and the team has done an excellent job of getting the good-looking Canyon Farms-bred filly back to winning ways.
The final race on Sunday went to another frontrunner in CHOREOGRAPHY (Discreet Cat). Sadly, however, the five-year-old’s third career win will have been scant consolation to the Glen Todd barn following Pan Handle’s fall in the race previous.
Remarkably, jockey Efrain Hernandez walked unaided from the dramatic spill, but he was replaced aboard Choreography by Scott Williams for the finale. Everyone connected with our glorious sport understands that ours is a game of highs and lows. However, seldom can there have been a 30-minute spell where the sport’s vagaries were underlined in such a stark manner and our heartfelt sympathies go to Glen and his hard working team at the North American Thoroughbred Horse Company.
Finally this week, a word of thanks to everyone who has worked so tirelessly behind the scenes to keep the show on the road at Hastings in these troubled times. Owners have, from last Sunday and with restrictions, been cleared to visit the track to see their horses run. It was a strange feeling to be there almost alone but, as the saying goes, the worst day at the track is better than a good day anywhere else, something feels even more appropriate and true in these COVID times.
Racing resumes on Thursday with eight more well-entered contests headlined by an allowance event that has attracted a good quality field of eight three-year-old geldings, including the hat-trick seeking BIG TIME LOUIE (Second in Command).
Huge blow to Hastings as CTHS President passes just two weeks after his Willow Creek Farms secures its second consecutive leading-owner title
Current leading 3rd crop sire in Canada, the son of Smart Strike, COUNTERFORCE is on the move. COUNTERFORCE who stood in 2024 at Stride Away Thoroughbreds (Steen and Cathy Reggelsen) in Armstrong, BC will be relocating to Empire Equestrian in Ardrossan, AB. For breeding information contact Lori Neyka 780-719-0400 or [email protected] .
The office will be closed Wednesday, December 20, 2023 - Wednesday, January 3, 2024 The office reopens on Thursday, January 4, 2024 Wishing you a happy, healthy holiday season and good racing in 2024! The Directors and staff - CTHS BC
Plan to attend on Monday August 7th BC Cup Day at the Marquis Tent area
On the Move: Current leading second-crop sire in Canada COUNTERFORCE (seen with Jack Bennett at Road's End Farm)
An Inspiration for 2023 CTHS BC Yearling & Mixed Sale
To: All members of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society (BC Division) NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING TAKE NOTICE THAT the Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society (BC Division) will be held: Time: Commencing at 11:30 am Date: Wednesday, June 21, 2023 Place: CTHS (BC Division) Office - Boardroom #7 – 5492 Production Blvd. Surrey, BC The main purpose of this meeting is for the following: 1. to receive the annual reports of the Society; 2. to approve the appointment of the auditor for the 2022 fiscal year; 3. to transact such business that may properly come before the Annual Meeting. Dated this 30th day of May, 2023. BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Note: Copies of the 2022 financial statements and minutes of the June 23, 2022 annual general meeting will be available at the meeting or upon request by contacting the office. As per Article XI, Section 9 (a) of the CTHS By-Laws, new business proposed to be discussed at the meetings of the Society, or any Regional Division thereof, shall be delivered in writing to the National Executive Secretary or Regional Secretary/General Manager as the case may be. Proposed new business, endorsed in writing by at least three (3) members entitled to vote at the meeting and received prior to the mailing of the Notice of the Meeting, shall be included in the agenda and may be subject of a vote at the meeting. Only voting members who are present are eligible to vote (no proxies).
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