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Nigel Reid • August 5, 2020

The late scratch of BC Oaks heroine AMAZONIAN (Malibu Moon) took a little luster from Sunday’s Black Type Monashee Stakes. However, the return to the battlefield of HERE’S HANNAH (Numaany) and UNDER PAR (Stephanotis), as well as the presence of the Hastings’ Racing Club’s four-time winner WARRIOR’S PROMISE (Warrior’s Reward), made for a fascinating renewal of the Black Type contest.

Making the most of a moderate early pace, Under Par had too much pep in the final stages for her opponents, although Sovereign Award winner Here’s Hannah lost nothing in defeat and will surely have benefitted from the outing following our enforced layoff.

Bred in BC by Glen Todd, the five-year-old Under Par continues to demonstrate remarkable consistency and now has a record of ten wins, four seconds and a third-place finish from 16 starts. What a servant she is to the Mark Cloutier barn and owners, Canmor Farms and Maureen Goss.

Under Par was the middle leg of a three-timer for rider Amadeo Perez, who also teamed up with ACE DEUCE (Lewis Michael) in the nightcap for trainer Barb Heads and, earlier in the afternoon, aboard the upwardly mobile PORTER GENT (Second in Command).

Porter Gent (pictured) stepped up again on a promising maiden win on his seasonal debut to take an allowance event that, on paper at least, looked hot enough to be a Stakes contest in all but name.

Taking on some of the best juveniles seen last season, the Tod Mountain Thoroughbreds homebred continued the impressive early-season form of trainer Christine Ammann, landing the spoils ahead of fellow BC-breds, CASCADE BILLY (Bakken) and BAKTURA (Bakken).

Four of the eight races on Sunday went to BC-bred runners, with BIG TIME LOUIE (Second in Command) scoring for the second time this season for the red hot “Twink” Baumgartner barn.

Twink has now sent out five winners from six runners and Big Time Louie, who Baumgartner bred in conjunction with White House Stables, was a third win of the season for the fledgling Sandown Racing Club. The members must be thinking the game is a fairly straightforward affair!

It was an afternoon of twos and threes. Aside from Perez’s hat trick, Porter Gent was one of two winners for the veteran BC sire Second in Command, while there were training doubles for Barb Heads (who also saddled LUCKY ENDING for owner/breeders RJ and Lois Bennett) and Glen Todd.

CURIOUS RUMOR (Jimmy Creed), Todd’s second winner of the afternoon and ridden, like the first, by retained jockey Efrain Hernandez, represented a particularly impressive training achievement with the mare winning on her first appearance since May 2018.

Moving to a Sunday helped boost the overall betting handle and it will be interesting to see if the positive decision to switch days reaps further reward on Thursday.

Racing on the most appropriate days is, of course, essential, but getting the message out to the betting public is equally vital and it has been disappointing to see how little promotional support racing in BC is currently receiving for the new dates from the digital platforms belonging to Hastings Racecourse and Great Canadian Gaming.

At the time of writing, there was no information at all on the Hastings website to announce the date changes, while the track’s Twitter feed was last used back in May. The Great Canadian Twitter feed and website are equally lacking in updates.

Racing returns to Hastings on Thursday afternoon beginning at 4:30pm and features the $50,000 Lieutenant Governor’s Handicap - which has attracted a field of five runners headed by last season’s BC Derby winner, FIVE STAR GENERAL (Fort Larned). It promises to be another exciting and highly competitive card of eight races, so don’t forget to tell your friends. Heck, tell your enemies, as well. Tell everyone

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BAKKEN on the move

By Nigel Reid • January 8, 2025

BAKKEN on the move Bakken on the Move BC's leading sire for the past five years has been relocated and will stand at Steen and Cathy Reggelsen's Strideaway Thoroughbreds in Armstrong for the 2025 season

Remembering Dairen Edwards

By CTHS BC • October 29, 2024

Please join the Edwards family to honour Dairen

Dairen Edwards Passes October 23, 2024

By Nigel Reid • October 25, 2024

Huge blow to Hastings as CTHS President passes just two weeks after his Willow Creek Farms secures its second consecutive leading-owner title

Counterforce to Relocate

By CTHS BC • September 23, 2024

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] .