Speedy Absolutely Stylish may be too much for Premier's field

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Absolutely Stylish will try to carry his speed around four turns when he runs in the Grade 3, $100,000 Premier’s at Hastings on Monday. If he is up to the task he will be a handful in the 1 3/8-mile race for 3-year-olds and up that drew 10 horses.

The Premier’s is a weight-for-age stakes, with older horses packing 124 pounds. The 3-year-olds in the field, Day Raider and Brave Nation, get in at 119. It goes as race seven on an eight-race card that begins at 1:50 p.m. Pacific.

Absolutely Stylish is peaking at the right time for leading trainer Phil Hall and owner Peter Redekop, who shelled out $285,000 for him at the Barretts 2-year-olds in training sale in 2016. After a disappointing eighth-place finish in the $50,000 B.C. Cup Classic on Aug. 6, he was all out to beat Square Dancer by a neck in a conditional allowance race with a $25,000 claiming option 11 days later.

With Enrique Gonzalez riding, he took a huge step forward in his next start when he cruised to a 6 1/2-length front-running victory going 1 1/8 miles in the $50,000 S. W. Randall Plate on Sept. 8.

He will be facing many of the same horses he easily handled in the Randall Plate, and again should be the one they have to run down.

“I sure hope he can go the distance,” Hall said. “He galloped out like he wanted to do more in the Randall Plate and he also trains like he’ll go that far. I think he’ll go to the front, but I’ll leave that up to Enrique. All I can really tell you is that he is training extremely well.”

The 4-year-old Kentucky-bred colt will break from post 6.

Moonman is taking a big step up in class after finishing third in a $16,000 claiming race for nonwinners of three on Aug. 20. However, he was good enough to finish third behind Hoppertunity going 1 1/2 miles in the Grade 3 Tokyo City at Santa Anita on April 8, so he should handle the distance. Hoppertunity is a multiple Grade 1 winner with more than $4.7 million in earnings.

Moonman will be making his first start for trainer Barbara Heads, who claimed him out of his last start on behalf of Mark and Patti LeSage and Lorne MacDougall.

“I quite like him,” Heads said. “He had some foot issues when we got him, but they have cleared up and he seems to be going the right way. The distance isn’t for everybody, and one of the reasons we took him was the way he ran in the Tokyo City.”

KEY CONTENDERS

Absolutely Stylish, by Uncle Mo

Last 3 Beyers: 91-79-47

◗ His 177 Tomlinson for 1 3/8 miles is a bit of a concern, but the way he won and galloped out in the Randall Plate suggests he’ll get the distance.

◗ Unless Silent Eagle goes on a suicide mission he should be able to set a moderate pace.

◗ He is also a 4-year-old with just 10 races, so his best races could be in front of him.

Day Raider, by New Year’s Day

Last 3 Beyers: 73-76-74

◗ He showed he can handle the marathon distance when he closed with a rush to finish second in the Grade 3 Canadian Derby at Northlands Park on Aug. 25, and it may have been asking too much when he finished fifth in the Grade 3 British Columbia Derby two weeks later.

◗ The Craig MacPherson-trained sophomore is coming back in a more reasonable time and signaled his readiness with a sharp five-furlong move on Sept. 29.

Square Dancer, by Circular Quay

Last 3 Beyers: 76-78-70

◗ Trained by Steve Henson, he is a sharp horse right now and the 87 Beyer he received for his runner-up finish in the 2015 Premier’s is easily the best at the distance.

Moonman, by Malibu Moon

Last 3 Beyers: 68-70-49

◗ He comes into the race off a couple of sprints, but he is in good hands with Heads, who won the 2009 Premier’s with Trick of the North, who was also partly owned by the LeSage’s.