Cederberg puts unbeaten record on the line in River Rock Casino

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Cederberg will try to remain undefeated when he runs in the $50,000 River Rock Casino on Saturday at Hastings. The 6 1/2-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds drew five horses and features a rematch between Cederberg and Bluegrass Angus, the first two finishers in the $50,000 Jim Coleman Province on May 3.

According to trainer Troy Taylor, Cederberg came out of his convincing win in excellent shape, and he is expecting another strong performance Saturday.

“He’s doing well,” said Taylor. “There are no reasons he shouldn’t run another good race.”

David Lopez retains the mount and figures to put Cederberg, who drew post 3, into a stalking position early.

Trainer Craig MacPherson is hoping another “equipment” change will help Bluegrass Angus become settled enough to turn the tables.

Running as a gelding for the first time, Bluegrass Angus set the pace before giving way to Cederberg in the Province. He may have lost the race in the paddock, where he was very hard to control, and by the time he went in the post parade, he was washed out.

The blinkers are coming off, and if there is an attitude adjustment, he might be hard to run down.

“Believe me, we have been working with him every day to help him become more settled,” said MacPherson. “He’s been a regular visitor to the paddock, so maybe he won’t be as hard to handle. I expect him to wash out again, but hopefully not as bad.”

Bluegrass Angus hasn’t finished worse than second in four starts at Hastings. The only blemish on his record came when he was overmatched in the $100,000 Spectacular Bid on Jan. 3 at Gulfstream Park. The first two finishers, Barbados and Ready for Rye, won graded stakes in their next races at Gulfstream.

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KEY CONTENDERS

Cederberg (Last 3 Beyers: 85-58-42)

◗ He was a stakes winner at 2, but he improved dramatically in his first start as a 3-year-old in the Province and should get a similar trip here.

Bluegrass Angus (Last 3 Beyers: 81-46-59)

◗ The speed of the speed, he won for fun the last time he ran without blinkers.

DRF FORMULATOR FACT: Over the past five years, MacPherson has a 23 percent strike rate with horses taking the blinkers off.

Sam Slick (Last 3 Beyers: 80-52-73)

◗ Trained by Brian Kozak, he earned a decent Beyer Speed Figure (80) for his win in a maiden special weight race May 16 at Golden Gate.

◗ He also was very sharp in working a bullet four furlongs at Hastings in 45.80 seconds last Sunday.