It was a case of quantity and quality with BC-bred winners in our region this past week, as well as a maiden win for a filly who gave signs that she might just be something very much out of the ordinary.

There was also a welcome return to winning form for a BC-bred mare with a very familiar name. Former BC Oaks heroine DAZ LIN DAWN ended any premature talk that her best days might be behind her, landing the $50,000 R. K. Red Smith Handicap Stakes at Century Mile on Sunday with a redoubtable display of front running.

Every two-year-old filly in training aspires to be half as good as Daz Lin Dawn was in her pomp but, as the daughter of Popular approaches the twilight of her career, racegoers at Hastings on Friday evening witnessed the debut of a filly who might one day be mentioned in the same breath.

Friday was merely the first baby step for INFINITE PATIENCE, but William DeCoursey’s homebred daughter of Sungold could not have been more impressive, and must have given everyone connected with the Barb Heads’ barn quite a thrill.

Bearing a name with which every breeder can certainly associate, Infinite Patience enjoyed the perfect education under Antonio Reyes, cruising home by close to ten lengths - a coming out parade of real significance.

By the A. P. Indy stallion Sungold, who stands at the Bennetts’ Flying Horse Farm near Kelowna, Infinite Patience is out of the Louis Quatorze mare Montero - herself no slouch and the winner of close to $200,000 – and is a half-sister to multiple Stakes winner RAIDER (Stephanotis), among others.

All of which means that hip number 34, a half-sister to Infinite Patience by Second in Command, will likely be among the busiest young horses on the grounds at Thunderbird Park at this year’s CTHS Yearling and Mixed Sale in September.

Infinite Patience has an interesting pedigree for followers of such things, with the first four dams all being by legendary names of the turf.

Seeing four dams on the catalogue page can be a little off-putting, although this is most certainly mitigated in this instance by her fourth dam being a Stakes-placed daughter of the great Round Table.

Her third dam, called Pushy, is by Assert, a grandson of Northern Dancer who was among the very best of his generation, winning several of Europe’s top races as a three-year-old before being syndicated for a mind-boggling amount (thought to be around $25 million) upon his retirement.

The second dam, Push Her, is by the magnificent Devil His Due (Devil’s Bag), who won close to $4 million over four seasons, putting him close to the top of the all-time earners’ list when he retired.

Montero herself, meanwhile, is by the former Preakness winner Louis Quatorze, another grandson of Northern Dancer who is famous for running the first six furlongs of the Triple Crown’s center jewel more quickly than any other horse in history.

Of equal interest to breeders will be the disbursement of the great BOLD RULER throughout Infinite Patience’s pedigree. The filly is inbred 5 x 5 to the legendary sire of, among many others, Secretariat, while both paternal and maternal grandsires also include Bold Ruler on both sides of their respective families.

Pedigrees aside, Infinite Patience has rewarded DeCoursey’s tenacity in spades. Many congratulations to him, all of her connections, and to the connections of all BC-bred winners in our region this past week.

July 19
Hastings:
INFINITE PATIENCE, Bay Filly, by Sungold out of Montero, by Louis Quatorze. Foaled Apr 06, 2017 in BC. Breeder: William DeCoursey.

WILSON, Bay Gelding, by Pop Artist out of Storm Forcast, by Slew Gin Fizz. Foaled Mar 10, 2017 in BC. Breeder: Swift Thoroughbreds Inc.

G M T BABY, Dark Bay or Brown Filly, by Shrug out of Greenwich, by Forestry. Foaled Apr 01, 2016 in BC. Breeder: Maureen Goss.

R W STANLEY, Chestnut Gelding, by Pop Artist out of Kokeeno, by Nightofthegaelics. Foaled Apr 19, 2015 in BC. Breeder: Joanne Todd & Brian O'Connell.

PAYTON'S BEST, Chestnut Gelding, by Cape Canaveral out of Payton's Pride, by Exclusive Era. Foaled Mar 28, 2010 in BC. Breeder: H. Barroby & R. McLellan.

July 20
Century Mile:
ALL UNDER CONTROL, Bay Gelding, by Storm Victory out of Rose Garland, by Awesome Again. Foaled May 09, 2014 in BC. Breeder: Doug Clyde.

Hastings:
NEXT OTIS, Gray or Roan Gelding, by Stephanotis out of Sky Borne, by Sky White. Foaled Feb 27, 2015 in BC. Breeder: Ole A. Nielsen.

SOME GOLD, Chestnut Gelding, by Gottcha Gold out of Lil Miss Bean, by Mass Market. Foaled Apr 09, 2017 in BC. Breeder: Irene Marian Johnson & Matteo Ieraci.

PANNING FOR GOLD, Dark Bay or Brown Gelding, by Finality out of Drop of Gold, by Stephanotis. Foaled Apr 05, 2014 in BC. Breeder: Mr. & Mrs. E. M. Dittloff & K. Dittloff.

TIPTOE, Bay Filly, by Tiz Wonderful out of Harmony Creator, by Yankee Gentleman. Foaled Apr 21, 2015 in BC. Breeder: Whitewood Farm.

LA MER, Chestnut Filly, by English Channel out of Montefiore, by Rahy. Foaled Mar 24, 2016 in BC.

Breeder: Canyon Farms.

MORI GIRL, Chestnut Filly, by Jersey Town out of Soul of the Forest, by Perfect Soul (IRE). Foaled May 09, 2015 in BC. Breeder: Mr. & Mrs. R. J. Bennett.

July 21
Grande Prairie:
GO FLY A KITE, Chestnut Filly, by Gottcha Gold out of Victorious Vye, by Vying Victor. Foaled Mar 12, 2016 in BC. Breeder: Kim Cutteridge & Charles McDonald.

Century Mile:
DAZ LIN DAWN, Dark Bay or Brown Mare, by Popular out of Summer Bay, by Meadowlake. Foaled May 01, 2014 in BC. Breeder: John Shone, Jacqui Shone & Samantha Shead.