It Happened Again back quick in Derby Trial

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Despite drawing the outside post in an 11-horse field, It Happened Again figures to be a short price in the $50,000 Richmond Derby Trial on Monday at Hastings. The 1 1/16-mile Derby Trial is the final prep for the Grade 3, $275,000 British Columbia Derby on Saturday, Sept. 27. The Trial is one of five stakes races on the 11-race card. The co-feature is the $50,000 S.W. Randall Plate, which drew a strong field of older horses headed by Teide, who is coming off of a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Longacres Mile.

It Happened Again, who will pack high weight of 122 pounds, is coming back pretty quickly after finishing third in the Grade 3 Canadian Derby at Northlands Park on Aug. 22. From the looks of his sharp bullet three-furlong move on Sept. 2, he appears to be coming up to a big race. If he is, he'll be tough to beat. As well as being the class of the race, he easily has the best Beyer Speed Figures in the field. His trainer, Terry Jordan, likes the way he is coming up to the race.

"He seems fine," Jordan said. "He seems to be happy here, and I think he'll run a big race."

The main concern is that the first of three turns comes up pretty quickly, and It Happened Again's jockey, Pedro Alvarado, will have to figure out a way to avoid getting hung out wide early.

Senor Rojo, trained by Dave Forster, could be the main threat. He is coming off of a win in a $75,000 optional sprint on July 26 and in his previous start he lost by a nose to El Cugat in the $50,000 Chris Loseth Stakes. Senor Rojo has good speed and should be able to stalk what figures to be an honest pace.

"He's versatile," Forster said. "If they go too fast up front, he can lay off of them."

Leading trainer Troy Taylor has entered El Cugat and Gather de Justice. El Cugat is a multiple stakes winner but he is coming off of a dull effort in the Count Latham Stakes at Northlands on Aug. 1. Gather de Justice has won three claiming races in a row. His latest was for $35,000 going 1 1/16 miles.