Sailingforthesun has proven she can fire fresh

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Sailingforthesun will make her seasonal debut in a $35,000 optional-claiming race at Hastings on Saturday. If she runs as well as she did coming off the bench in 2015 and last year, she is going to be a handful in the 6 1/2-furlong dash for fillies and mares that drew seven horses.

Trained by Robbie Anderson, Sailingforthesun was making just her second start when she romped in a maiden special weight race in her initial outing of 2015. She closed her sophomore campaign by winning the $50,000 CTHS Sales Stakes.

She also was an easy winner when she returned in a six-furlong, $25,000 optional-claiming sprint last year, romping by 4 1/4 lengths.

Despite a setback this spring, Anderson is expecting a strong performance from the homebred 5-year-old on Saturday.

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“Her bowel got impacted, and we thought we might lose her,” Anderson said. “She fully recovered though, and she really impressed me in her last few works. She obviously runs well fresh, and as long as she breaks well, I think she’ll run a big race.”

Sailingforthesun, who drew the rail, is fast but doesn’t need the lead to win. With plenty of other speed in the field, Anderson is hoping for jockey Jeff Burningham to put her into a stalking position early.

The speed of the speed is C U At Eau Claire; she is dropping into a conditional race for just the second time since she finished second in her 2-year-old debut in a maiden special weight race at Hastings in 2015.

Since then, the Greg Tracy-trained 4-year-old has won five stakes and earned $222,878. In her last start, she set the pace before tiring to finish fifth in the $50,000 Vancouver Sun on May 13.

KEY CONTENDERS

Sailingforthesun, by Sungold

Last 3 Beyers: 73-65-60

◗ She usually brings her “A” game as a fresh horse, and her bullet five-furlong work in 59.80 seconds tells us all we need to know about how she is coming into the race.

C U At Eau Claire, by Haynesfield

Last 3 Beyers: 68-50-68

◗ She ran an improved race in the Vancouver Sun, and with two sharp interim works, she could be ready for a big effort. Catch her if you can.

Cherokee in Me, by Zanjero

Last 3 Beyers: 56-67-71

◗ She got stuck behind a moderate pace in a $25,000 claiming race May 28, and with plenty of speed signed on, she should appreciate the shape of the race.

◗ She won at this level two back and should get a similar trip in her first start for Tracy, who claimed her on behalf of Irving L. Devey.