Haberdasher outfit's latest hot pickup

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - For the past few years, Swift Thoroughbreds Inc. has had success buying horses from the powerful Darley Stable. Swift won the Grade 3 Premiers with a Darley castoff, Rosberg, in 2008. Teide has been its best purchase. He dominated the older handicap division at Hastings last year, and was named the local horse of the year.

Until now, all of the horses purchased from Darley were either colts or geldings. Haberdasher, the first filly Swift has purchased from Darley, will make her Hastings debut Saturday in a classified allowance race that includes four stakes winners. The six-furlong feature drew eight horses and goes as the sixth race.

Haberdasher is coming off of an easy win in a $35,000 maiden race for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin at Aqueduct on Feb. 24. Trainer Dino Condilenios handles Haberdasher for Swift at Hastings. So far he likes what he has seen.

"She's the real deal," said Condilenios. "I've been very impressed with her, and I think she belongs with the top fillies here."

Dave Wilson will ride Haberdasher.

Trainer Barb Heads is holding a pretty strong hand with a pair of stakes winners, including Vying Ty Grr, the local 2-year-old filly champion in 2009. A homebred daughter of Regal Intention, Vying Ty Grr won the B.C. Cup Debutante and the Sadie Diamond Futurity. She also placed in the Boulevard Casino.

Her stablemate Ebony N Ice closed out the year with a win in the 1 1/16-mile $103,000 Fantasy Stakes. They will run as separate interests.

Richard Hamel rides Vying Ty Grr, while Quincy Welch will be aboard Ebony N Ice.

Otero, trained by Dave Forster, could end up being the favorite. A Kentucky-bred filly by Honour and Glory, Otero is undefeated in two starts. She won her debut as the even-money favorite in a maiden special weight race last July, and then captured the Lassie Stakes as the odds-on choice. She has excellent speed, drew the rail, and will likely be forwardly placed by jockey Frank Fuentes.

Terry Clyde made an astute claim when she picked up Emerald City for $12,500 for owner Foster Carefoot last June. In her first start for her new connections, Emerald City scored an upset in the $54,000 Boulevard Casino on July 11. She came back to run second behind Vying Ty Grr in the B.C. Cup Debutante before being turned out for the year.

Emerald City will break from post 2 with Robert Skelly in the irons.