Seldom Free should get the trip

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Seldom Free, who has won his last two sprints and finished fourth when he tried to stretch out for the first time Aug. 3, should get a nice trip behind what figures to be a hotly contested battle for the lead in the feature race at Hastings Sunday. The $25,000 sprint for 3-year-olds drew seven horses.

Seldom Free was claimed out of his last race for $20,000 by Kim Hart, and Hart's trainer, Steve Bryant, has been on fire lately. The Hart-Bryant combo teamed up to win the B.C. Cup Nursery with Proud Son, and just about anything Bryant has led over recently has had an impact.

Seldom Free is stepping up in class but he appears well spotted, and with his tactical speed he should be sitting just behind Orchid's Spirit and Here's Your Ticket, who both appear to have just one way of going. Chris Loseth rides.

Orchid's Spirit and Here's Your Ticket battled through quick fractions when they met in a $35,000 claiming race July 27, and Here's Your Ticket, who had the advantage of an inside post, held on the longest, finishing third to Boiling Point. Orchid's Spirit didn't give up easily, though, and was only three-quarters of a length behind Here's Your Ticket at the finish.

With a reversal in post positions Sunday, Orchid's Spirit, who has the best Beyer Figure in the field at 6 1/2 furlongs, could have the edge.

Golden Niblet, who is owned and trained by Juan Olmos and will be ridden by Cayetano Chaparro, comes out of the same race, and he finished a half-length behind Boiling Point while making just his third lifetime start.