Koffee Grinder will be tested against winners in River Rock Casino Handicap

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – It is never easy facing other winners for the first time, especially when the horses are proven stakes winners.

Nonetheless, trainer Craig MacPherson thinks Koffee Grinder might be good enough to make the leap from winning a maiden special weight race to becoming a stakes winner when he runs Saturday in the $50,000 River Rock Casino Handicap at Hastings. The 6 1/2-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds drew five horses and goes as the third race.

Sharing the spotlight is the $50,000 Emerald Downs Handicap for 3-year-old fillies going 6 1/2 furlongs. The Emerald Downs immediately follows the River Rock Casino on the seven-race card.

Koffee Grinder was impressive in beating Slice of Red in his first start as a sophomore, and the 79 Beyer Speed Figure he received is the top figure any 3-year-old has earned at the current meet. The race was validated when Slice of Red came back to win a maiden special weight race last Saturday. It was further enhanced when Remembertobreathe, who finished fourth, beat Tempest in a conditional allowance race last Sunday. Tempest was coming off a second behind Aspen Getaway in the $50,000 Jim Coleman Province Stakes.

“In this situation, I think it’s a logical move,” MacPherson said. “It’s a five-horse field, and the race he came out of turned into quite a key race. When Remembertobreathe came back to beat winners, it kind of cinched the deal.”

Richard Hamel rides Koffee Grinder and likely will have him involved early.

Aspen Getaway is undefeated in two starts and came back with a couple of sharp five-furlong workouts following his win May 3 in the Jim Coleman Province.

According to his trainer, Anita Bolton, Aspen Getaway is a sharp horse heading into the River Rock, and she hopes to strike while the iron is hot.

“We’re just not sure how he’ll do when he stretches out, so we’re hoping for another strong race sprinting,” Bolton said.

Aspen Getaway, Koffee Grinder, and Jordan’s Quest all have good speed. If they get carried away up front, the race could set up nicely for Richter Red, who rallied to finish third in the Jim Coleman Province. Unlike Bolton, Richter Red’s trainer, Bruce Unwin, is looking forward to stretching his horse out after he runs Saturday.

“He needed his first race, but he’s tight and ready to go now,” Unwin said. “He really wants to go long, but the way he is training, I think he’s going to run a good race Saturday.”

Neverabettercause, who won the $75,000 Ascot Graduation Stakes and the $50,000 CTHS Stakes last year, completes the field.