VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The 52-day meet at Hastings opens Saturday with more of a whimper than a bang. Just 41 horses are entered for the seven-race card, which begins at 1:50 p.m. Pacific. The meet concludes Oct. 14. The weather this spring has a lot to do with the small fields. It has been raining incessantly since Hastings opened for training in early February, and eight training days were lost when the track was frozen. Sunday’s card is substantially better and is headed by the $50,000 Swift Thoroughbreds Inaugural, which drew a full field of 11 plus an also-eligible. “We were seriously considering not running Saturday and going with just one strong card,” said Hastings general manager Darren MacDonald. “We have a lot of groups booked for Saturday, though, and we didn’t want to disappoint them.” Despite the slow start, MacDonald is optimistic about the meet and the future. “The horse incentive programs we have put in place the past few years are really starting to show,” he said. “We have more horses than last year, and more mares are being bred in the province. Once we get past the first couple of weeks, we should be in good shape.” MacDonald is hoping an enhanced marketing budget will help get new fans to the track. “We have more money to spend this year, and we plan to focus on just about every demographic,” he said. “Our older, traditional fans will be able to see our promotions in newspapers, radio, and television. “For the younger generation, we are going to increase our presence online. We are also going to have more days where we have events going on. It is hard to get new people out to see live racing, but when they come out to see events like the dog races, they fall in love with racing. Friday nights, we plan to have more interactive events on the tarmac.” Hastings will race on Saturdays and Sundays until July 27, when Saturdays will be dropped for six Friday night cards. First post for Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays is 1:50 p.m. Fridays will have a 7 p.m. start. First post for two Monday cards, Aug. 20 and Aug. 27, is 6 p.m. They take place during the annual fair, held on-site. The Wednesday, Sept. 5, card during the fair also starts at 6 p.m. The Grade 3, $150,000 British Columbia Derby is the premier race of the meet. It is scheduled for Sept. 8 and will be supported by five stakes, including the $100,000 B.C. Oaks, $100,000 Jack Diamond Futurity, and $100,000 Sadie Diamond Futurity. The derby is the middle leg of the newly created Northwest Triple. The three-race series begins with the $50,000 Muckleshoot Derby at Emerald Downs on July 29 and concludes with the $100,000 Getaway Stakes at Emerald on Sept. 23. Any horse who sweeps the series will receive a $100,000 bonus. Horses who finish in the top three in all three races will earn a $10,000 bonus. Richard Hamel is back to try to win the riding title for the fourth year in a row at Hastings. He will miss the first weekend, though. “I had surgery on my knee, and it isn’t quite there yet,” said Hamel. “I am hoping to be back next weekend.” Hamel is just happy to be alive following a scary incident last winter when his house burned down. “It started in the garage, and within five minutes, the whole house was on fire,” he said. The presence of Aaron Gryder will enhance a strong riding colony. Gryder, who has won 3,808 races in his career, will ride first call for owner and trainer Glen Todd. He filled the same role for Todd at Hastings in 2013, when he won 45 races from 225 mounts. Phil Hall was the leading trainer for the first time last year, but isn’t expecting to repeat. He spent the winter in Arizona, where he won five races at Turf Paradise. “My numbers are down because I had a few claimed over the winter,” he said.