By 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…
DetailsBy Darren MacDonald General Manager These are busy times heading into September with B.C. Derby/Oaks Day just around the corner. The lineup for Saturday, September 9 just doesn’t get any better: the 72nd running of the Grade 3 British Columbia Derby for three-year-olds; the 55th running of the British Columbia Oaks for three-year-old fillies; the…
DetailsBy Greg Douglas – Dr. Sport SCENE & HEARD: Like a relief pitcher in baseball, Hastings jockey Sahin Civaci is ready to take the call to action at a moment’s notice. It happened out of the blue this past Monday when trainer Jim Brown found himself searching for a rider for Hunters Appeal in place…
DetailsBy Greg Douglas – Dr. Sport SCENE & HEARD: Hard-working jockey agent Wayne Snow doesn’t get nearly the credit he deserves for his part in the Mario Gutierrez success story. Nor does trainer Terry Jordan. The massive effect Glen Todd and Troy Taylor have had on Mario’s career over the years has been well documented.…
DetailsBy Greg Douglas – Dr. Sport SCENE & HEARD: Word spread quickly through the shed row Tuesday when a CNN-style bulletin on Glen Todd’s newsletter read: “Mario Gutierrez Confirmed To Ride at Hastings on BC Festival Day – Monday, Aug. 7”. It is always “breaking news” when Marvelous Mario announces he is coming home for…
DetailsBy Greg Douglas – Dr. Sport SCENE & HEARD: Its official name is still the BC Cup Golf Tournament in order to maintain a longstanding tradition. But in reality, the event is now a lead-up to the newly named BC Day Festival of Racing on the Holiday Monday of August 7 at Hastings Racecourse.…
DetailsBy Greg Douglas – Dr. Sport SCENE & HEARD: When Friday Night Live racing was introduced at Hastings Racecourse several years ago the philosophy was quite simple: (a) to give a new and younger demographic the opportunity to enjoy live thoroughbred racing as a form of night-time entertainment heading into the weekend and (b) to…
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