Hastings: Tracy juveniles have that precocious look

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – With summer kicking in, 2-year-olds will start to take a more prominent role at the Hastings meet, which is more than a third of the way completed. Saturday’s fourth race, a maiden special weight race for 2-year-olds, drew nine horses and, not surprisingly, trainer Greg Tracy has a couple of very live-looking first-time starters in the field.

Post time for the first of eight races carded is 1:50 p.m. Pacific.

Tracy is well known for his ability to have 2-year-olds ready to roll first time out, and he likes the way Montana Skies and Indian War Cry are coming up to their debuts.

Both horses are by Storm Victory, a son of Storm Cat who is an excellent debut sire. Horses sired by Storm Victory have won their 2-year-old debuts at a 23 percent clip.

Tracy thinks Montana Skies has the best chance of winning Saturday.

“They are both nice colts,” Tracy said. “But Montana Skies breaks out of the gate like a Quarter Horse. He’s just flat-out fast.”

Montana Skies has a right to be quick. He is the first foal of West Coast Fun to race. West Coast Fun won six sprints.

Indian War Cry is a full brother to Boundless Cat, a stakes winner on turf and dirt, and to Surprisal, who placed in three stakes and earned $117,381.

Scott Williams rides Montana Skies. Richard Hamel will be aboard Indian War Cry.

Trainer Pat Jarvis entered C B Cosmo, Habida, and Asippa Cider, who will be making her debut.

C B Kosmo finished second when he debuted in a $20,000 maiden-claiming race here May 26, but had a rough trip when he came back in a $30,000 maiden claimer in his second start.

“He showed he can run a bit in his first start, but he got shut off pretty bad in his second,” Jarvis said. “I think he’ll be fine this time. It’s three and one-half; it all depends on the break.”

Habida ran evenly while finishing fourth in the same race C B Kosmo had the trouble in. She could be dangerous with leading rider Frank Fuentes retaining the mount.

Three Way Trade shows up with a moderate work tab, but he is trained by Troy Taylor, who the past five years has won with a third of his 2-year-olds debuting in maiden special weight races.

Balancing Dancer is out of the speedy Voxilo, who won two stakes races as a 2-year-old. A couple of Balancing Dancer’s siblings, Postmaster General and Returnotis, won their initial start at 2.