Alert Bay, Koffee Grinder top likely contenders for B.C. Derby

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The field for the $150,000, Grade 3 British Columbia Derby at Hastings next Sunday is firming up, and there will be at least nine horses entered Wednesday. Wonder World, who won the $50,000 CTHS Sales Stakes last Monday, could round out the field to 10.

“I think he deserves a shot, but I’ll let his owners make the decision,” said trainer Carl Lausten. “I know it is coming back pretty quick, but he’s been bouncing around the shed row, and he just seems to be coming into himself.”

Wonder World is owned by Clive and Linda Lytle, who bought him out of the 2012 Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society sale for $13,000.

Alert Bay or Koffee Grinder will be favored.

If Alert Bay wins, he will give owner Peter Redekop his third straight win in the 1 1/8-mile race. The last two winners, Title Contender and Second City, were purchased privately not long before the Derby.

Redekop bought Alert Bay for $65,000 as a yearling at the Keeneland all-ages sale in January 2012. He’s been a great purchase, earning $240,300. The son of City Zip has won three races, including the $200,000 Echo Eddie for California-breds on April 5 on the main track at Santa Anita. He also came close to winning the $250,000 Snow Chief and the $100,000 Silky Sullivan on turf at Santa Anita. He started his career with three straight second-place finishes on Tapeta at Golden Gate, so it appears that he can run over just about anything.

The only time he finished worse than third was when he ran fifth as the lukewarm favorite going seven furlongs Aug. 1 in the $201,000 Real Good Deal at Del Mar, so it’s possible that he isn’t fond of Polytrack. He was trained in California by Blaine Wright. He was shipped in early August to Hastings, where Anita Bolton has overseen his training. She likes what she sees.

“He’s a very classy horse,” she said. “He also seems to be happy here, and he certainly handles this track well.”

Alert Bay breezed five furlongs in 1:01.40 on Aug. 29, and Bolton said she was going to give him a serious work this weekend. She also said Rico Walcott will ride Alert Bay in the Derby. Walcott rode Title Contender for Bolton and Redekop in last year’s B.C. Derby.

Despite his dull performance in his last start, Alert Bay received an 84 Beyer Speed Figure and goes into the Derby with the best last-race Beyer. The horse who won the race, Red Outlaw, came back Aug. 29 to win the $100,000 El Cajon at Del Mar with a 94 Beyer.

Koffee Grinder, trained by Craig MacPherson, hadn’t lost as a 3-year-old until Slice of Red stole the $50,000 Richmond Derby Trial from him. Slice of Red and Distillery were walking through extremely slow interior fractions in the 1 1/16-mile race while Koffee Grinder was biding his time in fourth. Koffee Grinder rallied strongly to finish second, but it was too little too late.

According to MacPherson, Koffee Grinder is coming up to the Derby in great shape.

“He ran a good race in the Derby Trial,” said MacPherson. “Slice of Red came home the last sixteenth in just over six seconds, so nobody was going to catch him. Hopefully, the Derby will shape up differently.”

Speed could be provided by Del Rio Harbor, who set the pace and held on well to finish second by a neck Aug. 10 in the $74,000 Emerald Derby. The horse who beat him, Mebossman, also is expected to start. He was purchased privately by Glen Todd and Mark Dedomenico following his win for trainer Frank Lucarelli. Todd said the horse was going to arrive Monday at Hastings, where he will be trained by Troy Taylor. The veteran trainer and Todd are looking for their first win in the most prestigious race at Hastings.

Trainer Robbie Anderson said Off the Top, 10th in the Grade 3 Canadian Derby on Aug. 16, would be entered along with Slice of Red.

Yearling sale set for Tuesday

There could be a future B.C. Derby winner in the CTHS yearling and mixed sale being held Tuesday at the Thunderbird Show Park in Langley, British Columbia.

A total of 94 yearlings have been catalogued, and hip No. 90 should receive plenty of attention.

He is by Second in Command, a stakes-winning earner of $271,622, and is out of the mare Chilli Chines. That makes him a half-brother to last year’s Grade 3 Longacres Mile winner, Herbie D.

Hip No. 11 is the only horse in the sale representing Grade 2 stakes winner Kafwain, who has sired a couple of Grade 1 winners. The yearling colt is a half-brother to Architecture, who won three stakes and was voted the champion 2-year-old filly in British Columbia last year.

There are five yearlings representing Rosberg, who was on his way to becoming a successful stallion but died while servicing a mare last spring.

A yearling parade is being held Monday. Prospective buyers also can win $5,000 toward their purchase in drawings held at the sale.