We’ve shared a lot of great times this season at Hastings Racecourse. Some of the highlights that come to mind would be our salute to Canada Day, the BC Day Festival of Racing, the Deighton Cup and Sports Alumni Day with past and present members of the Canucks, BC Lions and Vancouver Whitecaps mingling with…
DetailsBy Greg Douglas – Dr. Sport SCENE & HEARD: Welcome to the last of this season’s race cards under the lights. The six regularly scheduled Friday Night Live dates were again a big hit at Hastings and tonight is a special mid-week gathering as a warm-up for what lies ahead Saturday with the…
DetailsVancouver, B.C. (Sept. 1/17) – Remember the “good ol’ days” in the 1980’s when going to a movie theatre cost $3 and you could dive into a big bag popcorn for 50 cents? A gallon of gasoline cost 59 cents; postage stamps were 13 cents and the average price of a new car was $7,200.…
DetailsBy Greg Douglas – Dr. Sport SCENE & HEARD: Whenever owner/trainer Patty Leaney visits the winner’s circle at Hastings there always seems to be an extra little ripple of delight among her peers. The words “good for you, Patty” are whispered softly throughout the grounds. It hasn’t been an easy ride for Leaney who fell in…
DetailsBy Greg Douglas – Dr. Sport SCENE & HEARD: Sohen Gill, a staunch supporter of the racing industry for as long as anyone can remember, was struck with a thought when he saw BC Sports Hall of Fame members Dale Walters (boxing) and Archie McDonald (media) huddled in a corner in deep conversation at Hastings…
DetailsBy Greg Douglas – Dr. Sport SCENE & HEARD: TSN Radio sports broadcaster Brook Ward did a riveting, in-depth interview with leading jockey Richard Hamel last Saturday afternoon on Team 1040. In case you missed, here are some of the highlights: BW: Did the recent smoke and haze from the fires in B.C. have…
DetailsBy Greg Douglas – Dr. Sport SCENE & HEARD: Having a Degree in Animal Biology is the perfect fit for Athina Weiss, pony girl and exercise rider at Hastings Racecourse who knew from an early age that her future would involve horses. Her late mom, Darlene Topouzis, was a successful trainer at Hastings in the…
DetailsBy Greg Douglas – Dr. Sport SCENE & HEARD: Flashing a million dollar smile, 23-year-old exercise rider Bailey Heggie jokes that she loves food too much to consider pursuing a career as a jockey. “It was my dream as a little girl,” she says, “but I enjoy getting to go fast while galloping horses…
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