Hastings: Castinette Dancer takes another stakes

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Under a confident ride by Mario Gutierrez, Castinette Dancer came from just off the pace to beat Burnin' Britches by 1 1/2 lengths in the $50,000 Emerald Downs for 3-year-old fillies at Hastings on Saturday. She paid $4.40 as the favorite in the five-horse field.

With Overvalued carving out moderate fractions of 22.35 and 46.10 seconds in the 6 1/2 furlong sprint, Castinette Dancer was sitting comfortably in third behind Burnin' Britches. Burnin' Britches made an early move to take the lead going around the stretch turn, but after opening up a clear lead midstretch she couldn't hold off the late surge from Castinette Dancer. Overvalued held on to finish third. The final time over a fast track was a brisk 1:16.39.

"She was full of run early, but she relaxed nicely for me," said Gutierrez. "She really took off when I asked her to go."

Castinette Dancer is trained by Troy Taylor. Acting on behalf of Glen Todd and Patrick Kinselle, Taylor claimed her out of her second race at Golden Gate for $20,000 last November. She has won three straight races at Hastings, including the $50,000 Boulevard Casino in her previous start.