Bluegrass Angus faces short field in Richmond Derby Trial
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The $50,000 Richmond Derby Trial at Hastings on Friday evening is the most important of the six stakes on the eight-race card that begins at 7:05 p.m. Pacific. It is the final local prep for the Grade 3, $200,000 British Columbia Derby on Sept. 13, and a win in the Trial would guarantee a spot in the 1 1/8-mile B.C. Derby, which usually has a full field of 12 horses.
Just five horses entered the 1 1/16-mile Derby Trial, and Bluegrass Angus is the one to beat.
Trained by Craig MacPherson, Bluegrass Angus is coming off a sharp win in the 1 1/16-mile Chris Loseth Handicap on July 1, when he stretched out to a middle distance for the first time. With Richard Hamel aboard, he sat just off wicked fractions before making a visually impressive move to take control of the race approaching the third and final turn.
With the B.C. Derby as the main goal for Bluegrass Angus, MacPherson resisted the temptation to ship the high-strung gelding by Bluegrass Cat to Edmonton for the Grade 3, $200,000 Canadian Derby or the Longacres Mile at Emerald Downs.
“He can get pretty wound up, so we decided to keep him here and train him into this race,” said MacPherson. “He’s doing extremely well, but he was a bit of a handful when I paddock-schooled him the other day.”
Bluegrass Angus drew the rail, with Hamel retaining the mount. It will be interesting to see if Hamel puts Bluegrass Angus on the lead or tries to stalk Aditya.
◗ Morning Coffee and Sailingforthesun look like the main players in the $50,000 Hong Kong Jockey Club. The 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-old fillies is the final local prep for the $100,000 British Columbia Oaks on Sept. 13.
Morning Coffee, trained by Rosann Anderson, used her good speed to win the $50,000 Supernaturel in her first start at Hastings on July 1 and could be tough to catch if she breaks alertly from the rail with Pedro Alvarado riding.
Richmond Derby Trial, Race 4
KEY CONTENDERS
Bluegrass Angus (Last 3 Beyers: 76-89-83)
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: Over the past five years in route races at Hastings, MacPherson has a 30 percent strike rate with horses coming back in 31-60 days.
Aditya (Last 3 Beyers: 80-79-79)
◗ Aditya, trained by Anita Bolton, just missed when he went around three turns for the first time in the 1 1/16-mile B.C. Cup Stellar’s Jay, a race restricted to horses bred in B.C. He was coming off back-to-back wins sprinting and could be the one they have to catch if he breaks alertly with Alvarado riding.
Brother Duster (Last 3 Beyers: 78-71-66)
◗ A hotly contested pace would benefit Brother Duster, who rallied to finish second in the Loseth and third in the Stellar’s Jay.