King Jeremy and the Kid battle Lord Nelson

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Lord Nelson figures to be a short price as he goes for his fourth straight stakes win at Hastings Park on Saturday in the $35,000 Sir Winston Churchill Stakes. The 1 1/8-mile feature attracted a field of seven older horses, including Kid Katabatic, who is looking for his first win of the year.

Lord Nelson totally dominated his fields in both the British Columbia Cup Classic on Aug. 6 and the S.W. Randall Plate on Sept. 3. Breaking sharply under Frank Fuentes both times, he was never threatened as he cruised to a 5 1/2-length win in the Classic followed by a four-length rout in the Randall Plate. He won't have the luxury of an uncontested lead on Saturday, as the

speedy and classy King Jeremy is also entered, but Lord Nelson has shown that he is ratable, and Fuentes felt pretty confidant about letting King Jeremy set the early pace.

"If King Jeremy wants the lead, we'll probably let him go," said Fuentes. "My horse doesn't need the lead, it's just that in the last two races there wasn't anyone that could go with him."

Lord Nelson's trainer, Dino Condilenios, was also confident but added a few words of caution: "He's training great and after his last two races he seems to think that he's really somebody now. But I haven't really geared him up for this one, because the next one's a mile and three-eighths," Condilenios said of the B.C. Premiers Oct. 14, "and it's worth $100,000. I just want to

keep him settled down for now."

Kid Katabatic has raced only three times this year, and his best showing was in his initial start of the year, when he finished a close third to Mike K in the 6 1/2-furlong Independence Day Handicap at Emerald Downs on July 4. He never got involved in his next two starts, but he loves Hastings Park and his last win, the 2000 B.C. Cup Classic, was here.

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