At Attention seeks repeat in Premier's
?q=100)
Saturday brings a pair of traditional championship events at Hastings, with defending winner At Attention again the horse to beat in the $100,000 B.C. Premier’s Handicap over 1 1/8 miles. The Grade 3 Premier’s drew a competitive field of eight that includes Big Union and recent B.C. Derby one-two finishers Accidental Hero and Sunbird.
At Attention, trained by Barbara Heads, won the Premier’s in 2022 by just a nose and most recently battled hard on the front end before getting clear in the stretch only to be nailed late by Big Union in the S.W. Randall Plate on Sept. 9.
“He had a hard time with the track in the last stake and is much happier training over it this past couple weeks,” Heads said.
The top Beyer Speed Figure earned this year by any in the group was that assigned to recent allowance runner-up Just Jimmy, who earned an 82 over a course rated good when beaten narrowly by Bold Arch over 1 1/16 miles on Sept. 23.
There isn’t a lot of early speed in the field, and the Premier’s gives the impression that it will be quite a scrum from start to finish. The pair exiting the B.C. Derby will be tested for class by their elders, with each now listing a stakes win in the 3-year-old ranks during 2023. Sunbird, trained by Terry Jordan, has been lightly raced and seems a candidate to improve at any time. Accidental Hero is trained by Larry Grieve, and that runner has traded decisions with Sunbird so far in three meetings, although the B.C. Derby was his first win outside of the claiming ranks.
Also in the Premier’s field are Pay My Way, trained by Charlene Miller; Stay Fantastic, trained by Edgar Mendoza; and Itsmyday, trained by Robert VanOverschot.
Ballerina Stakes
Meriting at least equal billing on the Saturday card will be another appearance by Infinite Patience in the $100,000 Ballerina Stakes over 1 1/8 miles, which will go as race 3. Infinite Patience, also trained by Heads, has raced in 16 stakes races on dirt, winning them all.
In her most recent race, the Delta Colleen on Sept. 9, the great mare cruised comfortably on the lead and won by a measured two lengths over perennial foe We B Three. Rider Antonio Reyes never really let Infinite Patience go until they were halfway through what turned out to be a victory lap.
Infinite Patience worked a sharp half-mile last Sunday at Hastings and once again figures to be at concert pitch come race day. Her only loss in more than two years came in a July 16 allowance race when facing males after a nine-month layoff where she was basically blocked throughout the contest. The last time she finished behind a filly or mare was on June 15, 2021. The daughter of Sungold has started at odds of 1-20 on five different occasions.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.