Hall closes on second straight Hastings trainer title

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Phil Hall isn’t counting on being the leading trainer at Hastings for the second straight year, but he may as well start enjoying the accomplishment because the race is over. Going into this weekend, Hall has won 34 races, 12 more than Glen Todd, who is his nearest challenger with 22 wins.

“The meet isn’t over and we’ll just see how it pans out,” Hall said.

With just 10 days left in the meet, including Saturday, it should pan out very well for Hall. He also has a couple of bullets to fire with Summerland in the $100,000 Fantasy on Sept. 29 and Absolutely Stylish in the Grade 3, $100,000 Premiers on Oct. 8.

Summerland is coming off a 10-length win in an open allowance race for 2-year-olds on Sept. 8. Her final time of 1:17.44 for the 6 1/2 furlongs was almost two seconds faster than the 1:19.22 that Dancin Shoes posted for her win in the $100,000 Sadie Diamond Futurity in the next race. Dancin Shoes, undefeated in two starts, also is being pointed to the Fantasy by trainer Barbara Heads.

Summerland dominated her opponents in her two previous races at Hastings in a maiden special weight race and the $50,000 Spaghetti Mouse. Her trip to Del Mar, where she finished seventh in the Grade 2 Sorrento on Aug. 5, apparently didn’t set her back.

“The trip to California didn’t knock her out, and she came out of her last race beautifully,” Hall said. “She’s not tired, she’s happy, and the way she trains I don’t think she’ll have a hard time going a mile and a sixteenth in the Fantasy.”

The 91 Beyer Speed Figure that Absolutely Stylish received for his front-running win going 1 1/8 miles in the $50,000 S.W. Randall Plate is the top figure at Hastings this year. With just 10 career starts, the 4-year-old Uncle Mo colt probably hasn’t reached his peak.

Hall was looking forward to bringing him back in the 1 3/8-mile Premiers.

“He’s like a machine right now,” Hall said. “He just keeps getting better every day.”