Hall Dancer one to catch in Burnaby

VANCOUVER, British Colum-bia - Hall Dancer will try to carry his speed around three turns for the first time in the $75,000 Burnaby Breeders' Cup at Hastings Sunday. The first middle-distance stakes for 3-year-olds, the 1 1/16-mile Burnaby drew eight horses.

Hall Dancer, who is trained by Jim Loseth, has won all three of his races this year and in each case he led from start to finish. In Hall Dancer's most recent race, the $44,000 Klondike Stakes, One Special Hoss was expected to put some pressure on him, but when One Special Hoss had early trouble in the race, Hall Dancer cruised to an uncontested 3 1/2-length win. Nicky Wright rides Hall Dancer.

One Special Hoss has also been entered, and if he gets away a little better the race could set up for Spaghetti Mouse, Western Writer, or the most accomplished horse in the race, Alabama Rain.

Alabama Rain won two stakes last year, including the 1 1/16-mile Ascot Graduation in his final start of the year. He's only had one sprint this year, though, finishing third in the Klondike, and he might need a race before he's ready for his best.

Trainer Gary Demorest is hoping a lively pace will develop. He's taking the blinkers off Spaghetti Mouse with the hope that the bay colt will revert to his usual style of coming from off the pace.

"We experimented with blinkers in the Klondike and it was probably a mistake as he was up too close to the pace," said Demorest.