Alpine Garden rolls into Oaks

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Alpine Garden will put her three-race win streak on the line when she goes off as the favorite in the Grade 3, $125,000 British Columbia Breeders' Cup Oaks at Hastings Saturday. The 1 1/8-mile feature drew a strong field and all eight fillies will carry 121 pounds.

Alpine Garden, who is trained by Terry Jordan, has won all three of her races since she was purchased privately by Bob Cheema. In her first start for her new connections she won a maiden special weight race at Woodbine July 27. Jordan shipped her to Northlands Park for her next start and she easily won the $100,000 Sonoma Handicap Aug. 11. Alpine Garden beat a stubborn Pat of Gold when she shipped to Hastings for the Hong Kong Jockey Club Sept. 1.

According to Jordan, Alpine Garden is coming into the Oaks in peak form. He also thinks the tough one in the race is Pat of Gold, who is trained by Pat Jarvis.

"The good thing about Alpine Garden is that she'll run on anything," said Jordan. "Turf, Polytrack, dirt, it doesn't matter. She just needs a muddy track to round out her resume. I think my filly will be tough to beat, but that was a big race by Pat's filly and she worries me the most."

Quincy Welch will ride Alpine Garden.

Pat of Gold has started only five times and she was stretching out for the first time in the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

Napa, who is trained by Dino Condilenios, broke poorly in the Hong Kong Jockey Club and then closed strongly to finish third. She got off to a bad start when she lost by a nose to Suva in the B.C. Cup Dogwood in her previous start.

"She broke nicely when she worked out of the gate last Thursday," said Condilenios. "They tailed her, and hopefully that will help her break better in the Oaks."

Rivoltella ships in from Emerald Downs where she won the Washington Oaks Aug. 18. She's the only horse in the field with a win at 1 1/8 miles.

Tanika has never been worse than second in her eight-race career. In her most recent start she finished second to Alpine Garden in the Sonoma.

* Following the Oaks, Monashee will try and win her 10th straight stakes race in the $50,000 Delta Colleen. It won't be an easy task for the remarkable 5-year-old mare as she's been assigned 130 pounds for the 1 1/16-mile race.