PLENTY OF REASONS FOR SMILING FACES

ON DAY TWO AT HASTINGS RACECOURSE  

 

Vancouver, B.C. (April 30/17) – Trainers Nancy Betts and Greg Tracy were wearing king-sized smiles in the winner’s circle at Hastings Racecourse Sunday afternoon for good – and different – reasons.

In Nancy’s case, she shared the fact during the post-race celebrations that she’d wagered $100 to win on Daz Lin Dawn, who scored an impressive victory for Betts in the $50,000 BC Cup Dogwood for 3-year-old fillies bred in B.C.   

“I’m not a gambler but I liked her so much I put the wager down on a win ticket,” Betts told track interviewer Drew Forster.  With revered jockey Richard Hamel in the irons, Daz Lin Dawn pulled away from the field and won by almost nine lengths over second-place Classic Statement in a 6 ½ furlong dash that saw even-money favourite Yukon Belle finish third.

“All I had to do was turn her loose at the top of the stretch,” Hamel said. Daz Lin Dawn finished in a dazzling final time of 1:15.97 and paid $8.20 and $4.40 in a four-horse field that did not include show betting.

Greg Tracy, the most consistent winning trainer at Northlands Park in Edmonton in recent years, has 30 horses stabled this year at Hastings and was able to share with his family – including Mom & Dad – a trip to the winner’s circle with Rock Victor in the $50,000 BC Cup Stellar’s Jay for B.C.-bred 3-year-olds.

“He had some breathing issues last year but we worked them out over the winter,” Tracy said.  “We never lost confidence in this big, long-striding colt and it paid off today.”

With Rico Walcott aboard, Rock Victor raced to the lead from just off the rail and after warding off a challenge from favoured Driller at the top of the stretch the end result was a 2 ¾ length win with relative ease. “He drifted a bit on the first turn,” Walcott said, “but once I got him to relax we were in good shape.”

Rock Victor finished the 6 ½ furlongs in a final time of 1:16.53, paying $9.60, $4.60 and $4.60.

FINISH LINES:  72-year-old Harold Barroby was presented with a commemorative blanket after the fifth race Sunday in honour of his induction last month into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.  Two races later Barroby returned to the winner’s circle with his wife Sandra as owners of Its in Command, ridden by Jeffery Burningham. Its in Command paid a handsome $22.90 to win but that wasn’t the biggest payoff of the afternoon.

Trainer Mike Anderson, who owns Zanita Rosae with Terry Clyde, paid a whopping $64.90 in winning the sixth, resulting in a $725.30 Exactor with another Anderson-trained horse – Moon Ride.  The $2 Triactor paid $2,922.90 while the $1 Superfecta  (8-6-3-2) returned $6,911.45.

Live racing resumes at Hastings with its regular Saturday/Sunday schedule beginning at 1:50 p.m.  The 143rd running of the Kentucky Derby goes Saturday shortly after 3:30 p.m. and will be shown live on the jumbo infield screen.  Hastings Racecourse Golden Boy Mario Gutierrez, winner of the 2012 and 2016 Kentucky Derby, rides Irap in this Saturday’s Run for the Roses. Post positions will be drawn mid-week. 

 

For further information:

 

Darren MacDonald

General Manager

dmacdonald@hastingsracecourse.com

 

Greg Douglas

Media Relations

drsport@telus.net