TEIDE BREAKS SPAGHETTI MOUSE STREAK WITH VICTORY IN LIEUTENANT GOVERNORS

July 1, 2009

Vancouver, B.C. (July 1/09) – An overflow crowd at Hastings Racecourse made Spaghetti Mouse the heavy favourite in the feature race on the Canada Day racing card but a five-year-old looking for his initial stakes win had other ideas.

Teide, owned by Swift Thoroughbreds Inc. and trained by Dino Condilenois, won the $100,000 Lieutenant Governors with a great closing finish at the urging of jockey Chad Hoverson in a final time of 1:48.59 over the 1 1/8-mile course.

Spaghetti Mouse under Pedro Alvarado broke sharply, pressed the pace from three and four wide, but failed to respond to finish fifth in a six-horse field.

Teide paid $7.50, $3.60 and $4.10. Texas Wildcatter finished a strong second with Krazy Koffee a distant third.

“We had a real good trip,” Hoverson said in the winner’s circle. “There aren’t many horses that can be up close to that kind of pace and still run on in the stretch.”

It was a particularly great Canada Day finish for Condilenois, who had Almost Time scratched with a bruised foot for the $50,000 Chris Loseth El Cugat won the Chris Loseth for 3-year-olds by a nose over Senor Rojo in a final time of 1:44.09. El Cugat was ridden by Mario Gutierrez.

Gutierrez was also on heavily favoured Holy Nova in the $50,000 Vancouver Sun Handicap for fillies and mares and won by a neck over Tanika in a final time of 1:44.81 over the 1 1/16 miles.

Tierra Del Fuego overtook P.S. Good N Ready to win the $50,000 Supernaturel for 3-year-old fillies. Ridden by Pedro Alvarado, Tierra Del Fuego traveled the 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.33.

Hastings Racecourse General Manager Raj Mutti announced earlier in the day that the Friday Night Live July 3 card has been cancelled due a virus that has spread throughout the barn area.

“We have had a flu-like virus affecting the barn area for the last two weeks,” Mutti said. “In the best interest and well-being of our horse population, management has no alternative but to cancel Friday’s card.”

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