Vancouver, B.C. (Sept. 7/19) – It was shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday when track announcer Dan Jukich warned the crowd at Hastings Racecourse of a “spoiler alert” and proceeded to share the news that 19-year-old Canadian Bianca Andreescu had just defeated Serena Williams to capture the U.S. Open tennis championship. It would the first of…
By Darren MacDonald General Manager, Director of BC Racing It seems like just yesterday we were dusting off the welcome mat with four $50,000 stakes of our own that coincided with the running of the 145th Kentucky Derby from Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 4. Now here we are celebrating the 74th edition of…
By Greg Douglas – Dr. Sport SCENE & HEARD: There are so many intriguing storylines behind tomorrow’s 74th running of the BC Derby it’s a challenge to know where to begin. Let’s start with Peter Redekop, the BC Racing Hall of Famer (Class of 2013), who’s been a major part of the local thoroughbred…
Vancouver, B.C. (August 30/19) – It was another CTHS Sales Stakes ‘game day’ under the lights Friday at Hastings Racecourse and for a short time Ryan Nugent-Hopkins appeared to be on his way to first star status, something hardly new to him as a key player with the NHL Edmonton Oilers. The Burnaby-born Nugent-Hopkins was…
By Greg Douglas – Dr. Sport SCENE & HEARD: Picture this: Michel Lara, 21 years young and weighing in at 87 pounds, makes her riding debut at Hastings in the sixth race of last Monday’s card. She has drawn the number three post on Alderglory, sandwiched between seasoned jockeys Richard Hamel to her left…
Vancouver, B.C. (Aug. 23/19) — If ever there was a perfect advertisement for the 2019 CTHS Yearling & Mixed Sale next month in Langley, it was in full view Friday night at Hastings Racecourse. When the tears and cheers subsided, a couple of CTHS Sales grads were surprise winners of the $50,000 stakes featured…
By Greg Douglas – Dr. Sport SCENE & HEARD: Apprentice jockeys and identical twins Lenny and Learie Seecharan are affectionately referred to in the backstretch at Hastings as the ‘Sea Urchins’. The well-liked Trinidadians accept the clever play on words as a form of endearment and continue to go about their riding assignments in…
By Greg Douglas – Dr. Sport SCENE & HEARD: Ole Nielsen normally prefers to keep things to himself but that wasn’t possible when he wound up smack in the middle of racing’s spotlight following the 90th edition of the Canadian Derby last Sunday at Century Mile in Edmonton. In the days leading up to…