August Rain surges late to take British Columbia Derby

Heavily favored divisional leader August Rain found clear sailing on the outside going around the final turn and scored a decisive 1 1/4-length win in the Grade 3, $125,000 British Columbia Derby on Saturday.

Under a patient ride by Amadeo Perez, the winner was allowed to settle on the inside while several lengths behind the early pace. Running room was not plentiful inside the half-mile pole. August Rain found a seam a quarter-mile from the finish, kicking into high gear and moving outside to circle the leaders.

At about the same time, outsider Moneyshot also found high gear while just behind August Rain and also on the outside. In the end, August Rain had one more gear and managed to prevail after a strong stretch drive. Moneyshot, trained by Ian Jewell, finished second and was 3 1/4 lengths to the good of J Dutton in third.

Owned by Peter Redekop BC Ltd and trained by Barbara Heads, August Rain covered 1 1/8 miles over a sloppy course in 1:51.20 and returned $3.70 as the popular choice.

:: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets.

The win by August Rain followed his August 24 win in the Canadian Derby at Century Mile and cemented his position as the leading 3-year-old colt or gelding in Western Canada this year.

As for 3-year-old fillies in Western Canada, 30 minutes later it was the turn of another Heads trainee, Avana, to run her record to six wins from as many starts in 2024. Avana took the $75,000 British Columbia Oaks by three-quarters of a length over stablemate Viva La Diva. It was another 10 1/2 lengths back to Eyes of Beauty in third.

Heads is the trainer of 4-time defending B.C. Horse of the Year Infinite Patience, and the conditioner is sure to hold a strong hand at the final table when that title is awarded again next spring.

Earlier on the Saturday card were the Jack Diamond Futurity and the Sadie Diamond Futurity, each run for a purse of $100,000. Favorite Mount Doom ($4) won the Jack Diamond in wire-to-wire fashion by 2 1/4 lengths for Willow Creek Farms and Lorie Henson. Trainer Steve Henson gave a leg up to Antonio Reyes for the win.

Runner-up Puttingonthefoil, from the barn of Gonzalo Anderson, finished a half-length to the good of debuting Kris's Gold, who was third for trainer Patricia Leaney.

The Sadie Diamond Futurity went to Someday Lady and rider Kerron Khelawan for trainer Cindy Krasner. Longshot They Call Me Tom was 3 1/2 lengths back in second while 1-5 favorite Breezin Brianne was 5 1/2 lengths farther back in third.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.