Look for Joyride in stretch

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - There should be a quick enough pace to set up the late moves of Joyride and Future Flash in the Saturday feature race at Hastings, a $50,000 optional claimer for 3-year-olds. The 6 1/2-furlong sprint appears to be wide open and Joyride, who is the lone stakes winner in the field, figures to be a lukewarm favorite.

Joyride, who is trained by Barb Heads and will be ridden by Chris Loseth, will need some breaks to weave his way through in the nine-horse field, though. A lack of speed and luck cost him a lot of money in the $100,000 Jack Diamond Futurity last year.

A homebred son of Dixieland Brass, Joyride was making a tremendous move heading into the stretch, but was stopped dead in his tracks when a tiring Caledonia Road impeded his progress. With a clean trip he might have won the race. He made amends by winning the 1 1/16-mile Ascot Graduation. Heads said that she is using Saturday's race as a prep for the City of Vancouver Stakes May 24.

Future Flash is a full brother to 2002 B.C. Derby winner Cruising Cat, and like Joyride he doesn't get involved until late in his races. He came from 17 lengths behind to break his maiden in his debut last year, and he also made a late run to just miss to Joyride in the Ascot Graduation. He's trained by Daryl Snow and will be ridden by Robert Skelly.

Caledonia Road is the likely pacesetter, and he's coming off of a good effort in a six-furlong allowance race April 24, when he set quick fractions and held on to finish fourth.

He could be joined on the lead Saturday by Daring Mood.