Cherokee in Me could give bettors a little PNE money

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The fences have gone up, vendors are moving in, and soon the irresistible smell of mini-donuts being deep fried will be wafting through the air. In other words, it is PNE time at Hastings Park, and the infield at Hastings Racecourse, which sits on the PNE site, will be used as a parking lot the next couple of weeks on Saturdays, Sundays, and Labor Day. Racing will be held on Fridays and Mondays during the fair, with Wednesday, Sept. 6, taking the place of the traditional Labor Day card. Post times for Friday and Sept. 6 are 7 p.m. Pacific. The next two Mondays will begin at 5 p.m.

The fair, which opens Saturday, is closed on Mondays, so people attending the races won’t have to fight the large crowds and also will get free parking. The track is segregated from the fair site by temporary fences, so the usual free admission to the track and casino stays in place during the PNE, which ends on Labor Day.

Friday’s card at Hastings is a decent one, with a $25,000 optional-claiming race for fillies and mares serving as the feature. If a lively pace develops, the 6 1/2-furlong dash could set up nicely for Cherokee in Me.

Trained by Greg Tracy, Cherokee in Me is coming off a fourth-place finish going 1 1/16 miles in the $50,000 Duchess of York at Northlands Park. She went into the Duchess of York off a third-place finish going the same distance in the $75,000 Monashee on July 2 at Hastings.

Cherokee in Me has made three starts since Tracy claimed her on behalf of Irving Devey for $25,000 on May 28. In her first start for her new connections, she rallied to finish second behind multiple sprint stakes winner C U At Eau Claire in a 6 1/2-furlong $35,000 optional claimer June 17.

She will break from post 6 in a field of seven, with leading rider Richard Hamel aboard.

KEY CONTENDERS

Cherokee in Me, by Zanjero

Last 3 Beyers: 58-77-69

◗ The eight-time winner knows where the wire is, and the shape of the race should work in her favor.

◗ She will appreciate the easier company with the drop in class, and she won’t mind the move back to a sprint.

Chianti, by Rosberg

Last 3 Beyers: 70-53-59

◗ She showed a new dimension when she sat just off the speed in her win going 6 1/2 furlongs in a $16,000 claiming race for trainer Dino Condilenios on Aug. 7.

◗ She was haltered out of the race by Tracy, who has a 26 percent strike rate with claimed horses running back the first time over the past five years.

Omi, by Rosberg

Last 3 Beyers: 67-58-50

◗ Trained by Condilenios, the 4-year-old is the speed of the speed, and she was coming off a layoff when she just missed to Chianti on Aug. 7.