HorseRacing Central June 11, 2010

CONCERT MUSIC GOES FOR FIVE IN A ROW

The $50,000 Senate Appointee Saturday afternoon is the highlight of a busy weekend at Hastings Racecourse that features eight races on all three cards Friday night (7 p.m.) as well as Saturday and Sunday at 1:40 p.m.

Concert Music, a budding super star on the Hastings scene, is undefeated in four starts for trainer John Snow following an impressive win on May 9 in the $50,000 Brighouse Belles. A four-year-old Florida-bred filly owned Ross McLeod and Rob Fiorvento, Concert Music is listed at 6-5 on the morning line.

Can she make it five in a row? Snow realizes it won’t be a slam-dunk with Emerald Downs invader Clair Annette (2-1) in the five-horse field for fillies and mares going six and one-half furlongs.

“She has tremendous natural speed,” Snow says, “but so does Clair Annette.” Should a speed duel between the two develop, it clearly would be to the advantage of Kaweah Princess and Blue Sky Holiday. Kaweah Princess finished second to Concert Music in the Brighouse Belles. Summer Song, making her first start of the year, rounds out the starting lineup.

HANDICAPPING CONTEST STARTS TONIGHT

The HPI Friday Night Handicapping Contest gets launched tonight with each weekly winner receiving a $100 deposit to his/her HPI account and an invitation to play in the final contest at Hastings on Sunday, September 26. The big prize is one of two entries to the Coast Casino’s Horse Player World Series Handicapping Contest in Las Vegas Feb. 17-19, 2011. The top four cumulative finishers will also receive an invitation to play in the final contest.

‘THE ODDS PROFESSOR’ IS ON HAND TO HELP

New fans to racing, casual visitors and experienced horseplayers are all now able to take advantage of the limitless knowledge of ‘The Odds Professor’ at Hastings Racecourse. With the construction of a new Handicapping Information Centre on the ground floor facing the track (just inside the edge of the tarmac), ‘The Odds Professor’ shares his inside information with the Customer Service staff who are ready and willing to pass his data along to patrons as part of a “player development” program. Also, ‘The Odds Professor’ is also available every live race day at Hastings to answer questions. You can catch him on even-numbered races between the paddock and gazebo.

Otherwise known as Fraser Rawlinson, he is a former jockey agent and horse owner who has worked in the gaming industry for 40-plus years in Reno, Las Vegas and the Caribbean. He’s also been a regular at Hastings over the past 30 years.

“My goal is to assist newcomers and casual players who may only come to the track occasionally,” Rawlinson says. “On a more advanced level is my simultaneous program designed to help regular players improve both their handicapping skills and show them the best ways to optimize their wagers.”

Hastings Racecourse currently publishes a live card tip-sheet called ‘The Odds Professor’ that is available on site for just $2.00. As Rawlinson points out, it lists each race entrant in the computer’s order of preference according to the horse’s “power” rating and, most importantly, it lists each horse’s break-even odds.

Drop by and say hello to him on your next visit to Hastings. It could be a rewarding exchange.

OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD

Plenty of activity is on the out-of-town weekend agenda, beginning with the $250,000 Ogden Phipps at Belmont (11:36 a.m.) Saturday. Churchill Downs has five consecutive stakes races beginning with the sixth race and the Fleur de Lis (12:26 p.m.) with Rachel Alexandra trying to get back on the winning track. It’s followed by the Jefferson Cup, the Northern Dancer, the Regret Stakes and then the $600,000 Stephen Foster at 2:29 p.m. Also on Saturday at Monmouth is the $250,000 Monmouth Stakes at 2:20 p.m.

Sunday at Hollywood sees the undefeated Zenyatta take on five others in the $250,000 Vanity (4:35 p.m.) At Woodbine there are two major stakes on the calendar: The Plate Trial goes at 1:41 p.m. followed by the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks at 2:16 p.m.

MAJOR EVENTS UPCOMING AT HASTINGS

Jockey April Friesen suffered serious injuries in a spill at Hastings last month and is on the mend at her home in Langley. She suffered a fractured neck and had permanent titanium rods placed in her spine to stabilize the fractures. She also suffered three broken ribs and a punctured lung.

The Gaming Staff at Hastings has organized a fund-raising event next Saturday – June 19 – that will include a silent auction and 50/50 draw to help her with medical costs during her recovery period. Hastings GM Raj Mutti has pledged on behalf of Hastings and Great Canadian Gaming Corporation to match all monies raised up to $5,000. Auction items will be graciously accepted at the reception desk in the main lobby at Hastings.

On Sunday, June 20 – Father’s Day – live racing begins at 10 a.m. and the special day begins with a free pancake breakfast in the Paddock at 8:30 a.m. Dad’s can enter the $100,000 hole-in-one golf contest that will take place on the infield between races. With the BC Lions playing their first-ever Canadian Football League game at Empire Fields (vs. Edmonton at 2 p.m.), Hastings will have its initial pre-game show radio broadcast live on Team 1410 from our casino at 12:00 noon with host Bob Marjanovich. Also, watch for the introduction of our 2010 Pre-Game “Huddle at Hastings” entertainment zone.

ROBERT MURPHY HONOURED TONIGHT AT THE DOWNS

The late Robert Murphy, an icon in Canadian harness racing circles, will be honoured tonight at Fraser Downs Racetrack & Casino with his wife, Mary, and 25 other family members and friends in attendance. The ceremony will include the unveiling of the new Robert Murphy Room located off the Atrium in the main entrance to Fraser Downs. Born in Vancouver, Mr. Murphy’s horses were credited with more than $105 million in purse earnings over two decades. Robert and Mary were saluted by the B.C. Standardbred Breeders’ Society in 2008 with the renaming of the BC Breeders Stakes for 3-year-olds. Mr. Murphy was inducted into the British Columbia Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2009.

ROCK ‘N RACING/SURREY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

A major benefit is set for tomorrow night (Saturday, June 12) at Fraser Downs in support of the Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation. For this event only, live racing starts at 6 p.m. followed by an evening of outstanding entertainment with live music from three bands: All About Jack, Drink The Fat and Keith Diamond & the Rockets. Tickets are still available at Fraser Downs.

CUSTOMER APPRECIATION NIGHT JUNE 19

With the regular season at Fraser having only two weekends left on the calendar, Customer Appreciation Night is set for the finale on Saturday, June 19. There will be prizes galore, including the major draw for a Twin Anchors Houseboat Vacation for 15.