HorseRacing Central January 2, 2009

FRASER DOWNS CANCELLED FOR January 2, 2009

Due to snowfall and poor track condition, Fraser Downs has cancelled Live Racing for Friday, January 2. A decision on the Saturday afternoon card will be made Saturday morning. For details visit www.fraserdown.com or call 604.576.9141.

HERE’S TO A SAFE & HEALTHY 2009

Management and staff at Hastings Racecourse and Fraser Downs Racetrack & Casino wish you a safe, healthy and prosperous 2009 with much success during your visits that support our racing industry in British Columbia.

As you know, the weather has been playing havoc with our schedule at Fraser Downs. The traditional New Year’s Day card had to be cancelled because of unsafe track conditions. The limestone-based track had been frozen due to the unseasonable cold weather.

“We’ve had to cancel race days in previous seasons due to the track thawing, which turns the racing surface into a jelly-like substance,” General Manager Chuck Keeling said, “but we’ve never experienced a situation like this one where the frost has taken so long to come to the surface.”

Please phone ahead to our Fraser Downs switchboard at 604 – 576-9141 for an update as to when we will be able to resume racing. You can appreciate the fact there will be not risks taken to jeopardize our personnel … owners, trainers, drivers or horses. And, of course, we are always concerned about the safety and comfort of our customers.

All Friday night starting times have now been pushed back to 7:30 p.m. to allow our customers more time to get to Fraser and enjoy the Clubhouse experience. Please note that there wasn’t any Sunday racing scheduled for this weekend because the original plan was to go Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week.

OUT OF TOWN UPDATE

The first weekend in January marks the opening of Gulfstream Park where good weather, big fields and fresh 3-year-olds with eyes on the Kentucky Derby or the Oaks make the bulk of the race cards the most sought-after location for horsemen and punters.

There are two major stakes on Saturday’s opening day program: the $100,000 Spectacular Bid (11:42 a.m.) and the $100,000 Hal’s Hope (1:43 p.m.) On Sunday there is the $100,000 Old Hat Stakes (1:43 p.m.) with a competitive field of 3-year-old fillies headed up by impressive debut winner Elusive Heat out of champion sprinter Xtra Heat.
The first two-turn stakes for 3-year-olds will be run at Aqueduct Saturday in the $65,000 Count Fleet (12:49 p.m.) with the morning line favourite listed as Haynesfield who is out of the strong Steve Asmussen stable.


CALIFORNIA HERE WE COME

The $100,000 Monrovia Stakes (4:07 p.m.) for fillies and mares down the tricky hillside turf course is the main event at Santa Anita on Saturday. Bobby Frankel and Garrett Gomez will try to hook up for a win with Jibboom, who has been very sharp of late. She’ll take on the consistent mare Lethal Heat as well as recent winner Royal Taat. Sunday’s feature remains on the grass with fillies and mares going 1 1/8 miles in the $150,000 San Gorgonio (3:36 p.m.).

There will be some local interest at Golden Gate this weekend as lower level claimers Psammead and Galahad will compete in the seventh race while earlier in the card Sheen Falls races in a starter allowance heat for owner John Coonan.

INDYANNE DOESN’T NEED SURGERY

After pulling up in distress in the stretch last weekend it was determined the brilliant filly Indyanne did not need surgery to repair her damaged sesamoids. She will be off to the breeding shed later this spring. Indyanne displayed effortless speed in winning races across the USA and defeating local heroine Dancing Allstar last summer at Calder.
Indyanne went onto Saratoga where she suffered her first defeat in the Victory Ride Stakes but redeemed herself by winning the TCA Stakes at Keeneland. She was second in a rare appearance for 3-year-old fillies against older geldings in the $75,000 Sausalito at Golden Gate before her final start in the $250,000 La Brea at Santa Anita where she was leading champion Indian Blessing at the three-sixteenths pole before going wrong in the stretch. No stallion arrangements have been made.

BEHIND THE SCENES WITH T.W.

A special profile on Woodbine and Mohawk champion driver Mark MacDonald will be featured on Tom Wolski’s Sport of Kings show Saturday at 11 a.m. on Citytv. You will also get an inside look at the excitement behind the start of a race at Fraser Downs where officials have to be in sync in order to establish a clean break from the gate.

CHINESE NEW YEAR

The excitement continues to build for our Chinese New Year’s celebrations that will run from January 12 to February 1. Watch for more details.