Hastings: Saturday Nite Ride makes local debut for Taylor

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Saturday Nite Ride will appreciate the substantially easier company she will be facing when she runs in a first-level allowance race for fillies and mares that will serve as Sunday’s feature at Hastings. The 6 1/2-furlong sprint drew five horses and goes as race 2 on the nine-race card that begins at 1:50 p.m. Pacific.

Saturday Nite Ride will be making her first start at Hastings for trainer Troy Taylor. She was purchased privately by Mark DeDomenico and Glen Todd following her seventh-place finish going 1 1/16 miles in a first-level $40,000 optional claiming race for trainer Bob Baffert at Betfair Hollywood Park on April 26. The horse who finished third, Royal Tiger, came back to win a similar race by 14 lengths and then finished fourth in the Grade 1 Vanity.

Saturday Nite Ride showed a lot of potential when she finished third to Zenyatta’s half-sister Eblouissante in her second start at Hollywood Park last Nov. 16, and she looked like she was headed for a bright future when she scored a 3 1/2-length win in a one-mile maiden special weight race at Santa Anita on Feb. 18.

She has shown good speed in all of her races, but the only time she sprinted she finished seventh in her debut going six furlongs in a maiden special weight race at Santa Anita last Sept. 30.

Taylor didn’t know what to expect from Saturday Nite Ride, who has been training at Pegasus Training Center in Redmond, Wash., for more than a month.

“She arrived here Thursday night, so I really don’t know much about her,” said Taylor. “They tell me she’s been training well at Pegasus, though.”

Aaron Gryder will be aboard Saturday Nite Ride.

Bilboa looks like the main threat off her close second in a similar race May 26. Trainer Dino Condilenios thinks she would have won the race with a better trip.

“She got hung out wide on the first turn and then had to check when she dropped inside on the stretch turn,” said Condilenios.

Locket, the only 3-year-old in the race, looked good winning a conditional $25,000 claiming race for nonwinners of two at Emerald Downs before getting waxed by Stopshoppingdebbie in the $50,000 Seattle Handicap. Stopshoppingdebbie remained undefeated when she won the Irish Day Handicap in her next start.

Trained by Frank Barroby, Locket closed out her 2-year-old season with a win in a $20,000 maiden claiming race here last Oct. 13.

Kataliah and Vinoterra complete the field.