Hastings notes: Hall of Fame stakes a no-go

Not surprisingly, none of the four $32,000 Hall of Fame stakes races scheduled at Hastings for Saturday and Sunday filled. With B.C. Cup Day coming up, it was a good idea to try to have races for non-British Columbia-bred stakes horses, but with the condition that seven horses had to be entered to make the race go, they were probably doomed from the start.

One of the Hall of Fame races was going to honor George Cummins, who died July 7. Cummins, 93, was the leading trainer at Hastings six times and was inducted into the British Columbia Hall of Fame in 1999. He is survived by his son, James.

◗ Apprentice Corrine Andros is excited about riding in the H.H. Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Apprentice World Championship that begins in Sacramento, Calif., on Saturday. The apprentice championship is part of a series of races restricted to pure Arabians. The next three races Andros will participate in are in the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. According to Andros, the apprentice with the most points will ride in the championship race in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 9.

“I’m really excited about riding all over the world, and I plan to be in the championship race,” said Andros.

◗ After testing positive for marijuana July 10, jockey Richard Hamel was suspended and denied the privileges of the grounds for 30 days, beginning this past Wednesday. Hamel, who won six of the seven races at Hastings last Saturday, is leading the jockeys’ standings with 46 wins, seven more than Amadeo Perez.

◗ Due to a horse shortage at Hastings, the July 23 card has been canceled and will be rescheduled. The day being canceled wasn’t part of the original schedule and was supposed to make up for a day that was canceled earlier this year.