HorseRacing Central November 13, 2009

BC BREEDERS CLASSIC BIG SUCCESS

Casie Coleman’s homecoming swept her off her feet. Canada’s top female harness racing trainer returned to Fraser Downs Wednesday for the first time in almost nine years and the track people she knew growing up in Surrey turned out in droves to welcome her back.

“I’ve talked with folks I haven’t seen in years,” Casie said between signing autographs and accepting greetings from long-time friends. I’m overwhelmed with the turnout and response. It’s heart warming.”

Coleman, 29, was a special guest of Fraser Downs on BC Breeders Classic Day and her presence resulted in two of Canada’s premier drivers joining the celebration: Mark MacDonald and Rick Zeron.

While Zeron drove favourite Legal Suspensory to victory in the $75,000 Mary Murphy BC Breeders Stake for 3-year-old fillies, it was MacDonald who charmed the huge turnout at Fraser with four wins … three in succession in what track announcer Rick Uppal termed “a natural hat-trick”. MacDonald was in the winner’s circle after the third, fourth and fifth races, then completed his day’s work by winning the nightcap 12th race.

What MacDonald did not manage Wednesday was a Stake Final victory. He watched from the sidelines as Dave Hudon dominated the $75,000 Robert Murphy BC Breeders Stake for 3-year-old colts and geldings with a powerful drive behind the favoured Camblazer.

Ed Hensley won both $40,000 non-wagering BC Breeders Stakes for 2-year-olds, beating Red Star Dana by a neck in the fillies division and urging Nobody Can to a one-length victory over True Humility in the colts and geldings division.

Casie Coleman made a point of visiting the winner’s circle for each of the four Stake Finals and each time she appeared the fans greeted her with a rousing ovation. Coleman was the catalyst of a hugely successful silent auction that resulted in all proceeds going to the Burn Unit at Victoria’s Royal Jubilee Hospital. She credits the staff at Royal Jubilee for saving her life 10 years ago when she suffered severe burns to her body in a barn accident at Sandown Park.

Casie’s presence at Fraser Downs on Remembrance Day was her way of saying thank you. The final tally isn’t in yet but the total raised in the auction will be over $23,000.

Racing resumes at Fraser Downs with Friday and Saturday night start times at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday afternoon at 1:15 p.m.

HPI HARNESS POOL SET TO GO

The $5,000 Horseplayer Interactive Harness pool gets launched on Friday, Nov. 20. It’s easy to play. All you have to be is an HPI member and it’s free to join. The concept is like a hockey pool where you’ll be given a list of horses in six categories and you pick one horse from each category to form your stable and points are earned when your horse finishes in the top three each week. Entry forms are available at TBC locations, Sandown Park, Hastings and Fraser Downs.

TEIDE AT WOODBINE SATURDAY

There is a local touch in Saturday’s $150,000 Autumn Stakes at Woodbine (1:31 p.m.) with Swift Thoroughbreds’ Teide listed at 4-1 on the morning line behind favourite Ice Bear at 3-1. Winner of three stakes races this year at Hastings for trainer Dino Condilenios, Teide could be a Sovereign Award candidate as Older Horse of the Year with a win Saturday. Regular rider Chad Hoverson will be guiding Teide over the 1 1/16 miles on a synthetic surface. After watching Teide work four furlongs in 49.80 seconds on Monday at Woodbine, Condilenios said: “He’s a pretty sound horse and comes into this race on top of his game.”

Teide won the Lt. Governors, S.W. Randall Plate and Winston Churchill at Hastings during the 2009 season and was beaten three-quarters of a length as the third-place finisher in the Longacres Mile, where a win would have earned him a guaranteed starting spot in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.

THOROUGHBRED AWARDS NIGHT DEC. 12

Top rider Fernando Perez, leading trainer Troy Taylor as well as owners Glen Todd and Patrick Kinsella will all be honoured at the 2009 Industry Awards Night on Saturday, Dec. 12 at The Derby Bar and Grill. Also sharing the limelight will be Frank Barroby, latest inductee into the British Columbia Horse Racing Hall of Fame. Barroby, 66, was the leading trainer at Hastings on three occasions and is the only person to be both a leading trainer and leading jockey at Hastings.

Perez finished the 2009 season at Hastings with 107 wins in 529 starts and $1.7 million in purse earnings. For Taylor, this is the third consecutive year as leading trainer and it’s also a three-peat for Todd and Kinsella.

AVALANCHE OF CASH

BC GOLD cardholders will have several opportunities to win cash and plenty of it with the launch Sunday of “Avalanche of Cash” at Hastings. There are four weekly draws with a chance to win $1,000 and a grand prize of $10,000 to be drawn on Dec. 18/-09.

All draws will be held on Fridays at 7 p.m. from Nov. 20 thru Dec. 11 and winners must be present in order to win. More details are available at http://www.hastingsracecourse.com/