Koffee Grinder on path to British Columbia Derby

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Following Koffee Grinder’s impressive win Tuesday in the $50,000 Chris Loseth Handicap, trainer Craig MacPherson immediately started mapping out the best way to have the talented 3-year-old primed for the Grade 3, $150,000 British Columbia Derby on Sept. 14.

“He’s a B.C.-bred, so we are probably just going to keep him here for the rest of the year,” said MacPherson. “We plan to bring him back in the Stellar’s Jay on B.C. Cup Day [Aug. 1] and then the Derby Trial [Aug. 22]. I haven’t talked anything over with his owners, but right now, I am not really interested in sending him to Northlands for the Canadian Derby.”

It was Koffee Grinder’s third straight win this year, and nobody was surprised that he thrived in his first try going around three turns. His dam is a half-sister to Krazy Koffee, who won the 2008 B.C. Derby for his breeder and owner, Butch Goertzen. Along with his wife, Renata, Goertzen also is the owner and breeder of Koffee Grinder. With Cindy Krasner as his trainer, Krazy Koffee swept the three races planned for Koffee Grinder before losing by a neck to Rosberg in the Grade 3 Premiers, in which he faced older horses for the first time.

“We’ll have to correct that,” said MacPherson, referring to the loss in the Premiers. “He’s shown us all along that he’s a good horse, and the way he trains told us he had a chance to be something special when he went long.”

The final time of 1:43.98 was fast for 1 1/16 miles at Hastings, and the 82 Beyer Speed Figure was his career best in five starts. But it was the manner in which Koffee Grinder won the race that has his connections dreaming about much bigger things to come. He was trapped down on the rail until Richard Hamel moved him into the clear approaching the final turn, where in just a few strides, he found a new gear after opening up a clear lead in midstretch and was taken in hand late.

“Wow,” said Hamel. “He was happy to let me loose-line him when he was stuck behind horses on the rail. He knew exactly what to do when I gave him the bit.”

MacPherson didn’t get to enjoy the victory for very long. In the next race, he saddled Miss Derek, who finished last in the $50,000 Monashee Handicap for fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles. The hard-to-predict Miss Derek was coming off a powerful 5 1/2-length win in the Vancouver Sun and was sent off as the favorite in the seven-horse field.

“This girl keeps my hair thinned and turning gray,” said MacPherson. “I couldn’t have been happier with the way she was training going into the race.”

It didn’t help that Miss Derek hopped at the start, but she never really picked up the bit in the race.

“It seems like she came out of the race in good shape, so we’ll just carry on with her,” said MacPherson, who wasn’t sure when she would make her next start.

Rematch in Longacres Mile

Mr. Bowling and Title Contender, the first two finishers in the $50,000 Lieutenant Governors’ Handicap for 3-year-olds and up, likely will square off again Aug. 24 in the Grade 3 Longacres Mile at Emerald Downs.

According to his trainer at Hastings, Troy Taylor, Mr. Bowling already is at Emerald Downs, where he is trained by Mike Puhich.

Trainer Anita Bolton wasn’t sure if Title Contender would run again before the Mile or if she would just train him into the race.

“It’s hard to say,” she said. “He’s had four races in a relatively short time, so it wouldn’t hurt to back off of him a bit. He’s still pretty sharp, though, so we’ll just play it by ear.”