Canadian Derby to Fancy As

EDMONTON, Alberta - Fancy As made a bold move in the stretch to overtake Stage Classic in last Saturday's $150,000 Canadian Derby here, leaving him undefeated in 11 starts in Alberta.

As expected, Harbour Ice and the favored Ontario import Stage Classic set the early pace with Fancy As stalking through the first mile of the Grade 3, 1 3/8-mile race.

As the field approached the final turn, jockey Richard Hamel asked Fancy As to move, and the two favorites battled down the stretch, much the same as in the Aug. 6 Manitoba Derby. But this time Fancy As caught Stage Classic.

"The race went pretty much as expected," said Hamel. "He broke really sharp, and we found our spot through the first half before we started to make a move down the backside.

"We knew we couldn't let him [Stage Classic] get away, and he ran up to him real nice. He's a real professional and he has a great mind for racing. He knew when it was time to go."

Stage Classic easily held second, finishing 5 3/4 lengths ahead of third-place Thurston. Bubblegum Kid, Kid Copper, Harbour Ice, and Krakow completed the order of finish.

Fancy As, trained by R.K. Smith, has now won 11 of 13 career starts and $368,770.

Saturday's card also featured the return of Scotman in the $35,000 Westerner, but Alberta's reigning horse of the year again looked sluggish while finishing third, beaten 11 lengths. The winner, at 19-1, was Rancour with Run Joey Run finishing a distant second.