Mandatory payouts, two juvenile stakes on meet closer

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The final day of the 2022 Hastings meet Saturday features two $50,000 stakes for 2-year-olds on a nine-race card that begins at 2 p.m. Pacific. All of the entrants in the Ascot Graduation, six, and Fantasy, seven, will be going around three turns for the first time in the 1 1/16-mile races.

First up in race 4 is the Ascot Graduation, where Legacy Square could be singled in the first leg of the pick six, which has a $20,663 carryover and a mandatory payout.

The Fantasy follows in race 5, where contention runs deep and anyone playing the pick five, which has a $26,783 carryover and a mandatory payout, will need to go deep.

The Edgar Mendoza-trained Legacy Square is coming off a dominating victory in the $100,000 Jack Diamond Futurity on Oct. 1. With Efrain Hernandez aboard, the British-Columbia-bred son of Lent forced the early pace before drawing off to win the 6 1/2-furlong dash by 7 1/4 lenghts. It was his third stakes win from four starts, and he was very unlucky to lose the $50,000 CTHS Sales Stakes by a head in his only loss.

Legacy Square has the pedigree to handle the assignment, and Mendoza is expecting another strong performance.

“He’s doing great,” Mendoza said. “He’s been aggressive in his training, and I don’t think the distance will be a problem.”

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Legacy Square will break from post 3 with Hernandez up.

Mendoza also has Bak to Liberty entered. The son of Bakken has finished second to Legacy Square in three of his four races, including the Futurity. He is a half-brother to Infinite Patience, who has never lost going a middle distance on dirt. She won her ninth straight stakes race when she romped in the $100,000 Ballerina on Oct. 8.

“I like the way he is training, too, and we all know who his sister is,” Mendoza said.

Sunbird showed a lot of promise when he won his only start in a $50,000 optional maiden claimer for trainer Terry Jordan on Aug. 11.

“He has a lot of talent but so does Edgar’s horse who has a lot more experience,” Jordan said. “I know my horse will go long, though.”

The Kentucky-bred son of Orb will break from the rail with leading rider Amadeo Perez aboard.

Take your pick in the Fantasy.

The Rob Maybin-trained Neighneigh was impressive in winning her debut Oct. 1, and the 48 Beyer Speed Figure she received is the best in the field.

“She is a hyper filly and trains hard, so she should be ready to go the distance,” Maybin said.

Adding to her appeal is that Maybin has a 21 percent strike rate and $4.49 ROI with horses going a mile or longer for the first time in the past five years.

The Kentucky-bred daughter of Cross Traffic will break from post 2 with Silvino Morales up.

Trainer Keith Pedersen has two solid chances with Air Force and Arundel Castle.

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Air Force is coming off a win in the $100,000 Sadie Diamond Futurity. Arundel Castle is a maiden, but in both of her starts she had less than stellar trips and finished like a horse who could thrive going a middle distance.

“I have to give the edge to Air Force because she is more seasoned,” Pedersen said. “Arundel will like going long, though.”

Loveaboveandbeyond, trained by Mark Cloutier, is the only two-time stakes winner in the field, with her latest victory an easy score in the $50,000 CTHS Sales Stakes on Aug. 22.

Cloutier also trains Above Average, who lost by a nose as the favorite to Air Force in the Sadie Diamond.

◗ The race for leading trainer will come down to the wire. Mendoza has one more win than Barbara Heads, but that will change when Arollercoasterride, who looks like death and taxes, wins the first race for Heads.

Amadeo Perez will be the leading rider for the third time.

Trainer Robert J. Anderson, jockey Richard Hamel, and Edward Wiebe will be inducted into the British Columbia Horse Racing Hall of Fame at the annual awards dinner that will be held in the spring.

◗ At Century Mile, 95-year-old trainer Robert “Red” McKenzie won his second race at the meet with Entitled Star on Oct. 14.

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