Brother Duster looks to move forward in allowance sprint
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Trainer Anita Bolton is hoping that Brother Duster can take his game to the next level when he runs in the first race Saturday at Hastings. The 6 1/2-furlong sprint for 3-year-old non-winners of two or British Columbia-bred non-winners of three drew five horses. Post time for what appears to be a wide-open event is 1:50 p.m. Pacific.
Brother Duster was impressive in winning a maiden special weight race April 25 in his first start for Bolton. With Pedro Alvarado aboard, he broke alertly and set an honest pace, and when it looked like The Odds R Good was going to blow by him at the top of the stretch, he found another gear and drew off to win by 3 3/4 lengths.
“It was a good race for him,” said Bolton. “He did everything right, and he came out of the race with a lot of confidence.”
Brother Duster has the pedigree to move on to better things. He is a full brother to the stakes winners Excited Miss, Too Much Dirt, and I Want to Dust Her. Excited Miss, who earned $170,240, was the best of the three. She won five stakes and never lost in four route attempts.
Bolton isn’t getting ahead of herself, though.
“Right now, we are just looking for a good race from him Saturday,” she said.
Alvarado retains the mount.
Key contenders
Brother Duster (Last 2 Beyers: 13-54)
* The Beyer Speed Figure was just average, but it looked like he had plenty in reserve when he won his first start as a sophomore.
Mister Mecate (Last 2 Beyers: 64-65)
* Trained by Gina Wright, he owns the best Beyers in the field and is coming off a solid effort at Turf Paradise in his first start as a 3-year-old. The horse who beat him just missed on turf in the $35,000 Tempe at Turf Paradise in his previous race.
* He’s only had one work since he last ran, and it was a sluggish five-furlong move in 1:06.80 on May 3.
Forestry’s Devil (Last 3 Beyers: 51-53-45)
* He was a sharp winner when he debuted going 3 1/2 furlongs as a juvenile and was stakes-placed in his next three starts.
* Forestry’s Devil is trained by Craig MacPherson and will be ridden by Richard Hamel. According to DRF Formulator, over the past five years, the popular trainer-jockey duo has teamed up to win races at Hastings at a 32 percent clip.