Hero's Amor captures British Columbia Oaks

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Hero’s Amor proved her first stakes win in the $50,000 Sonoma at Northlands Park wasn’t a fluke when she won the $100,000 British Columbia Oaks at Hastings on Sunday. She paid $9.60 for her half-length win over Ambleside Park in the 1 1/8-mile race.

Prior to her win in the Sonoma, Hero’s Amor won a $20,000 claiming race.

“We thought she might just be a sprinter so we ran her for a price,” said her trainer, Tim Rycroft. “She got a lot of confidence from her win. We started training her a little harder and she just kept getting better.”

Northlands’s leading rider, Rico Walcott, had Hero’s Amor sitting just off Eustacia and Morning Coffee, who carved out quick interior fractions of 22.43 and 46.41 seconds. She started to move into serious contention on the stretch turn, took the lead soon after turning for home, and was all-out to hold off Ambleside Park. Morning Coffee held on to finish third.

“She broke sharply and wanted to go with the front-runners but I knew they were going fast so I got her to settle behind them,” said Walcott. “I could see the horse on the inside was done so I eased her outside and she finished full of run.
The final time was 1:52.43.

Hero’s Amor is owned by Riversedge Racing Stables Ltd.

Square Dancer by nose in S.W. Randall Plate

Despite a wide trip, Square Dancer was able edge longshot Dontmesswithkitten by a nose in the $50,000 S.W. Randall Plate. He paid $4.60.

“I thought we were in big trouble,” said Richard Hamel, who rode Square Dancer in the 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds and up.

“Coming out of the first turn he wanted to run off,” said Hamel, the leading rider at Hastings. “I moved him to the outside so I could get a quick look at the clock to see how fast we were going, and he wouldn’t let me tuck him back in when I tried to get him to settle behind horses. He is just so good right now and he knows where the wire is.”

Under pressure, Dontmesswithkitten set interior fractions of 23.20 and 46.77. He still had the lead after six furlongs in 1:12.40, but it looked like he was done at the top of the stretch. However, he dug in and was very game in defeat. Shooting Jacket rallied from along the rail to finish a neck behind Dontmesswithkitten.

Square Dancer was coming off a nose win in the $100,000 Redekop Classic. He hasn’t lost in three starts at Hastings for trainer Steve Henson and the 200 members that make up the Hastings Racing Club.

The final time was 1:49.91.

Touching Promise narrowly prevails in Delta Colleen

In the first race of the day, Touching Promise paid $4.30 for her narrow win over Locket in the $50,000 Delta Colleen.

With Amadeo Perez aboard in the 1 1/8-mile race for fillies and mares that drew five horses, Touching Promise broke on top, set moderate fractions of 23.65 and 48.00, turned back a bid by Dear Lilly on the stretch turn, and then was all-out to hold off Locket to win by a nose. Dear Lilly finished third.

Touching Promise was coming off a similar win over Locket in the $75,000 Pegasus Distaff, where she held on to win by a neck.

The final time was 1:51.10.

Touching Promise is trained by Barbara Heads and owned by her breeders, Russell and Lois Bennett.