Madeira Park returns to route in Vancouver Sun

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The preliminaries are over for Madeira Park, and she could be ready to start asserting herself like she did at the end of the 2013 meet, when she won the 1 1/16-mile Delta Colleen and the Grade 3, $100,000 Ballerina going 1 1/8 miles. She wanted more distance in her first two starts sprinting this year in the Brighouse Belles and Strawberry Morn, and she is clearly the one to beat when she goes around three turns for the first time this year in the $50,000 Vancouver Sun at Hastings on Sunday.

The 1 1/16-mile race for fillies and mares drew eight horses and shares the spotlight with the $50,000 Sir Winston Churchill for 3-year-olds and up.

Madeira Park actually came close to winning the 6 1/2-furlong Brighouse Belles in her first start this year but then was compromised by a slow pace in the $50,000 Strawberry Morn, where she made a strong middle move while going four wide.

Trainer Dave Forster is looking forward to letting her do what she does best in the Sun.

“Obviously, she is a much better horse going long, and she is coming into the race the way you want them to,” Forster said. “Hopefully, it will set up for her, but I’m not too worried because she’s pretty versatile.”

Amadeo Perez retains the mount.

It is hard to predict how the race will unfold. Miss Derek and Overvalued have the best speed, but trainer Craig MacPherson has been trying to get Miss Derek to rate since she arrived in his barn as a 3-year-old maiden last year. She was very relaxed when she came from a stalking position to win the Hong Kong Jockey Club for her second straight stakes win but finished third as the favorite in the $100,000 British Columbia Oaks when she wouldn’t settle while posting quick early fractions.

She made a middle move before tiring in the Strawberry Morn in her first start this year.

Overvalued, trained by Tracy McCarthy, was surprisingly taken off the pace in the Strawberry Morn. That basically gave the race to I Think So, who was the only other pure speed in the field. After cruising uncontested through moderate fractions, I Think So drew off to an easy win over Overvalued, who rallied to finish second. Overvalued could be dangerous if she gets away on her own.

Touching Promise, third in the Ballerina as a 3-year-old last year, won’t mind getting back on dirt following an even race in a first-level allowance on turf at Golden Gate Fields on May 17.