VANCOUVER, British Columbia - The $50,000 B.C. Cup Sprint was already shaping up to be a very good race, but with the likely addition of Metatron, the 6 1/2-furlong Sprint could be the most intriguing race on B.C. Cup Day at Hastings on Aug. 7. Metatron, trained by Mel Snow, was one of the top stakes horses at Hastings in 2004, when he won four races, including the Sir Winston Churchill Stakes. He also finished second in the Independence Day Handicap at Emerald Downs and led for the first six furlongs in the Longacres Mile before tiring to finish fifth. The Churchill was his last time he won until last Saturday, when he blitzed a very good field of $50,000 optional claiming horses, which included the 2005 B.C. Cup Sprint winner, Commodore Craig. Metatron broke sharply but was immediately taken in hand by his rider, Chad Hoverson, and after stalking a very fast pace set by Celt, he took control of the race leaving the quarter pole. He never looked threatened as he cruised to a 3 1/4-length win over Commodore Craig. His final time for the 6 1/2 furlongs - 1:15.65 - is the fastest at the meet. Metatron, who has earned $332,484, started only four times in 2005, and his best race was in his initial start, when he finished a close third to Blowin in the Wind in the George Royal Stakes. He just never got untracked after that, and in his first three races this year he didn't beat a horse, which helps explain the $36.40 mutuel. "He's a pretty legitimate horse," said Snow. "He was very consistent until we started running into problems with him. It was a combination of physiological things that were bothering him." Because of the nature of Metatron's problems, it wasn't easy for Snow to pinpoint what exactly was causing his difficulties. According to Snow, a breathing problem was just one of the difficulties Metatron had to overcome. "It took a while to determine what it was and what it was doing and then come up with something to deal with it," he said. "It sure felt good on Saturday, though." Snow was pleased with the way Metatron came out of the race and was optimistic about running Metatron in the Sprint. "As long as the program is still working, he should run in the Sprint," he said. "Right now everything looks pretty good."