Several new faces in feature

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Sunday's feature race at Hastings, a 1 1/16-mile allowance race for horses that haven't won a stakes in 2006, appears to be a wide-open event.

Four of the six horses that have been entered made their last start outside of British Columbia.

Trick of the North, trained by Ron Jewell, is winless this year but he finished a close second to Quiet Cash in the City of Edmonton at Northlands Park on July 29 and was also second to True Metropolitan in the Westerner on Aug. 20. In his most recent race, Trick of the North closed strongly and just came up short to Blowin in the Wind in an allowance on Oct. 14.

Maktub, trained by Dino Condilenios, looks like the one they will have to catch. Bred in Argentina, Maktub won his last three sprints in his home country before arriving at Hastings this past summer. In his only start in the Northern Hemisphere, he finished fourth in a four-horse allowance going five furlongs at Emerald Downs on Oct. 1.

Alabama Rain won the Grade 3 Canadian Derby and earned more than $265,000 in 2005. He hasn't been nearly as productive as a 4-year-old, however. He dead-heated with Eternal Secrecy in an allowance at Northlands on Aug. 19 for his only win this year.

Arthurlooksgood has improved dramatically in his last couple of starts and is coming off of a second-place finish in the Alberta Breeders Handicap at Northlands on Sept. 23.