By Greg Douglas – Dr. Sport

 

SCENE & HEARD: During these lazy, hazy days of summer – and we do mean hazy – there’ve been all kinds of new patrons surface at Hastings Racecourse over the past couple of months.

Case in point: a group of 50 from Canucks Sports & Entertainment taking over the Molson Trackside Patio for tonight’s seven-race card as part of a team-building exercise.

“It’s a first-time event for us and we’ve been looking forward to a social outing before the start of our hockey and lacrosse seasons,” says Caitlin Metcalf, Executive Assistant of Hospitality. “Besides hospitality, we have our teams from retail and operations all under the same leadership program. There’s been so much exposure about spending a fun night at Hastings Racecourse it just seemed like the perfect fit.”

The word might have spread through hockey circles with a 30th birthday celebration in honour of Adam Nugent-Hopkins, son of racing enthusiasts Roger and Deb and brother Ryan, first-round NHL draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers in 2011.

Adam, a local fitness and conditioning coach, had several of his clients join in the party under a covered area on the tarmac created by the Hastings’ marketing and corporate sales reps spearheaded by Amar Sohal and Tommy Bennett.

With Ryan’s R.N.H. Stable having Yukon Belle and Sanawar running at Hastings, members of the Nugent-Hopkins clan are regulars at the track.

In his capacity as manager of corporate sales and catering, Bennett continues to pursue the Vancouver sporting fraternity as potential customers. A graduate of Port Moody Secondary, Bennett joined the Hastings Racecourse staff this year from a retail management position with GardenWorks in North Burnaby.

“My grandparents and parents introduced me to the track as a kid,” he says. “Sports of all types have always been my passion and now being involved as part of the Hastings team provides challenges I totally enjoy.”