HorseRacing Central December 20, 2007

SLIMMING DOWN FOR CHRISTMAS

Fraser Downs will be racing only Fridays and Saturdays for the next two weeks: Dec. 22, 23, 29 and 30. But there will be special holiday cards on Boxing Day Dec. 26 and New Year’s Day Jan. 1 with post times set for 1:15 p.m.

Make sure you pick up your copy of the simulcast schedule or check our website to monitor when your favourite tracks are operating.

A couple of major promotions are in the works at Fraser Downs beginning with the popular California Dreamin’ contest that begins on Dec. 29. It’s based on races from Santa Anita with each weekly winner invited back for a one-day final. The overall winner will spend the weekend in sunny California watching the Santa Anita Derby up close and personal! More details are available from Guest Services at Fraser Downs.

Saturday, Jan. 19 has been designated Men’s Day at Fraser with three major prizes being offered. We’ll let you in on one of them: A pair of tickets to the Canucks game against the Los Angeles Kings on that very night – Jan. 19 - including a limousine ride to and from GM Place.

And a belated congratulatory message to popular driver Barry Treen on posting career victory 1,000 with Shalesfreighttrain.

SPEAKING ABOUT PRIZES!

It’s called the Hastings Horsepower Giveaway and on Thursday, Feb. 7 at precisely 7 p.m. someone will be driving away from our Hastings Gaming Floor in a brand new 2008 Honda Civic EX-L supplied by Happy Honda in North Burnaby.

Ballots will be available at Hastings Gaming Floor and daily in the Ming Pao and Sing Pao Newspapers. Starting in January ballots will also be in the North Shore News, Vancouver Courier East and Burnaby Now. Every Friday, beginning Dec. 28, there will be a weekly prize draw for $500 and every day patrons can win Hot Seat Draws on the Gaming Floor from envelopes stuffed with coupons, merchandise and cash.

THEY DID US PROUD …

The Hastings delegation at the 33rd annual Sovereign Awards ceremony Dec. 14 in Toronto had its own cheering section standing by in Vancouver. Robust rounds of applause filled Jerome’s Sports Bar at Hastings Racecourse when owners Bob Cheema and K.K. Sangara each won two categories. Sangara’s brilliant Financingavailable won both the Champion Female Turf and Champion Sprinter awards. Cheema-owned True Metropolitan was named Champion Older Male and Dancing Allstar was named Champion 2-year-old Filly.

Financingavailable and True Metropolitan were also 2007 Sovereign Award winners.

Terry Jordan finished second to Woodbine’s Mark Casse in the Top Trainer category; Cheema finished as a runner-up to easterner Eugene Melnyk as Top Owner and Mario Gutierrez finished third as Top Jockey.

A LOOK TO THE FUTURE

The 2008 thoroughbred season at Hastings opens Saturday, April 26 with the 68-day card concluding on November 2. There are 40 stakes races scheduled with purses totaling more than $2.7 million.

BC Premiers winner Sir Gallovic has been nominated for two stakes on Boxing Day at Santa Anita: the $250,000 Malibu Stakes at seven furlongs and the $100,000 Sir Beaufort Stakes at one mile on the grass. And the great champion mare Monashee is currently residing at Santa Anita Park, prepping for her first southern California start in early January.

We wish all of our friends and racing fans a safe and happy holiday season.