Rainbowsinthewood has much going for her at Hastings

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – A dramatically improved Rainbowsinthewood looks like the one to beat in Saturday’s feature race at Hastings. The $25,000 claiming race for fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles drew seven horses and goes as race 7.

Trained by Rob VanOverschot, Rainbowsinthewood closed out 2009 with a win over $7,500 nonwinners-of-two claiming horses, and her first win this year came in a $7,500 claiming race July 17. Since then she has been a different horse. Sent off at 15-1 in the $54,000 B.C. Cup Distaff Aug. 2, Rainbowsinthewood came within a nose of upsetting Wind Storm. She came back with a solid effort to finish third in a $35,000 first-level optional claiming race Aug. 14, and in her latest start she came from off the pace to win a 1 1/16-mile claiming race for $25,000 Sept. 2.

There is going to be a torrid pace for Rainbowsinthewood to close into and she should get up in time with Richard Hamel retaining the mount.

Include the Grand set sprint-like fractions in Rainbowsinthewood’s win Sept. 2, and then came back nine days later to just miss when she cut back to a sprint for the same price. A winner of 10 races in her 39-race career, Include the Grand will be racing without blinkers for the first time since she began using them in her seventh start.

Trained by Dave Milburn, Include the Grand could be dangerous if the equipment change will help her relax more than she has lately. Last year she won four races, three at 1 1/16 miles.

Daymaker came from off the pace to finish second for the third straight race in Rainbowsinthewood’s win Sept. 2, and should be heard from late.