Square Dancer pointing to Premier’s

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – There will be more space needed than usual when the annual Thoroughbred Awards Dinner for Hastings is held at the Newlands Golf and Country Club on Dec. 3. The extra room will be needed to accommodate some of the 200 members of the Hastings Racing Club.

One of the horses the club owns, Square Dancer, wrapped up older-handicap-division honors with a win in the $50,000 S.W. Randall Plate on Sept. 13. The club allows members to own a small piece of a horse after paying their $250 annual membership fee.

Trainer Steve Henson said Square Dancer came out of the race in excellent shape and will be pointed to the Grade 3, $100,000 Premier’s Handicap on Oct. 12. The 1 3/8-mile race headlines a stakes-rich card that includes the Grade 3, $100,000 Ballerina for fillies and mares, the $75,000 Ascot Graduation for 2-year-olds, and the $75,000 Fantasy for 2-year-old fillies. They are the final four open stakes at the meet that ends Oct. 25.

Square Dancer hasn’t lost at Hastings and likely will be favored in the Premier’s. He was coming off a third-place finish in a $25,000 claiming race at Emerald Downs when he beat some of the top older horses on the grounds at Hastings in an optional $50,000 claiming race in his first start here July 18. He proved that his win was no fluke when he rallied to win the $100,000 Redekop Classic by a nose Aug. 3, and he thrilled the crowd again when he edged Dontmesswithkitten by the same margin in the Randall.

In the Randall, he had an extremely wide trip with leading rider Richard Hamel aboard. Hamel is confident Square Dancer will be able to handle the marathon distance of the Premier’s.

“He just went a mile and three-eighths,” Hamel said immediately following the nine-furlong race. “I think he’ll thrive going that far. He really knows where the wire is.”

“I am not worried about the distance,” said Henson. “He also just seems to be getting better every day. It’s been a lot of fun since he arrived here.”

A win in the Premier’s would put Square Dancer in the running for the local Horse of the Year title. Academic, who became the first filly to win the Grade 3 British Columbia Derby since Ky Music won the most prestigious race in western Canada in 1959, is the current front-runner for the award.

2-year-old honors at stake in Ascot Graduation

We could see a rematch between Power Corrupt and Stanz in Command in the 1 1/16-mile Ascot Graduation, where divisional honors will be on the line.

Power Corrupt, with Jeff Burningham aboard, upset Stanz in Command in the $100,000 Jack Diamond Futurity last Sunday, and according to trainer Mike Anderson, he came out of the race in excellent shape.

Power Corrupt went into the race off a win in a $30,000 maiden-claiming race Aug. 16. He paid $16.50 for his 2 1/2-length win. Anderson wasn’t surprised by the big effort.

“He didn’t get beat by that much in the Nursery, and he trained super after he won his next race,” said Anderson. “I liked him going into the race and was just a bit surprised to see him on the lead. Jeff gave him a great ride.”

Trainer Charlene Miller was pleased with Stanz in Command’s effort in the 6 1/2-furlong sprint.

Stanz in Command won the British Columbia Cup Nursery in his debut and came back to win the New Westminster in his only other start. Miller said that after he was given a few days of rest on the farm following his win in the New Westminster, he came back to the track with a respiratory problem.

“I was very proud of him,” said Miller. “Because of his breathing problem, I couldn’t train him the way I would have liked. He was a pretty tired horse after the race, but if he bounces back, we’ll give him a shot in the Ascot. I’ll know more in a day or two when I put him back in training.”