Hall horses key to Sunday pick four

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The pick fours at Hastings this year often seem to be paying more than they should. A case in point is the late pick four last Monday.

There was a free space in race 6, the third leg of the pick four, with Alliford Bay, who paid $2.30 for her win in the $50,000 Vancouver Sun. Blue Law paid $4.40 for his second straight stakes win in the $50,000 George Royal, the second leg of the pick four. Second choice Maggie’s Guy won the first leg, the fourth race, and paid $9.20, and El Diamante was an overlay at $18.20 in a wide-open bottom-level maiden-claiming race to close out the bet in race 7. The $1 payoff was a surprisingly high $294.40.

Sunday’s pick four is more complicated. Contention runs deep in most of the races in the sequence, beginning in race 4 with the first 2-year-old race of the meet.

Horses trained by last year’s leading trainer, Phil Hall, will have a big impact in three of the races, including a first-level allowance race for 3-year-olds that closes out the pick four and the seven-race card, which begins at 1:50 p.m. Pacific.

Hall has two horses entered in race 7, a 6 1/2-furlong dash that drew eight horses. He had a hard time separating Another Guinness and Fort Mac, each of whom is coming off a win in a maiden special weight race May 5.

“I can’t tell you which one is better,” Hall said. “They both ran about the same time, and when I worked them together they went head and head. “

European, who will likely be favored, and Gimme Some Slack should be part of any ticket.

Hall is looking forward to running Apalachee Bay in the sixth race, a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight. The first foal out of the Grade 3-winning sprinter Golden Mystery, Apalachee Bay is coming off a couple of decent efforts on Tapeta at Golden Gate Fields, and he impressed the local clockers when he breezed a half-mile in 48.60 seconds with Amadeo Perez aboard May 17. Golden Mystery won nine races on dirt, so it is possible Apalachee Bay will thrive in his first start here.

“Amadeo really likes him,” Hall said. “I’ve only had him for a couple of weeks, so I don’t really know a lot about him.

He drew the outside post in the 11-horse field

Pan Handle appears to be the main threat to Apalachee Bay.

Summerland, trained by Hall, is one of many possibilities in the 2-year-old race, which matches a field of nine going 3 1/2 furlongs.

“She can run, but it all depends on how they break,” Hall said.

Among the contenders is Proud and Loud who is a half-sister to Include Betty, who won the Grade 1 Mother Goose.

Numaany’s Reward, Snappy Ginger, Vintage Man, and Discriminating have all shown potential in the mornings.

If there is a single in the pick four it is R W Stanley in race 5. He spotted the rest of the field quite a few lengths when he debuted in a $25,000 maiden claimer for trainer Brian O’Connell on April 29. After getting into gear, he made a strong move before understandably tiring late. With two solid interim works, he could be tough to handle if he breaks with the field.