Square Dancer will come running

VANCOUVER, British Columbia –Square Dancer should get the right kind of trip when he runs in a $25,000 waiver-claiming race that will serve as the feature at Hastings Saturday. The 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds and up drew six horses and will go as race 3 on the seven-race card, which begins at 1:50 p.m. Pacific.

Square Dancer is coming off a huge effort, losing by a neck to Absolutely Fabulous in a 1 1/16-mile $25,000 optional-claiming race on Aug. 17. Absolutely Fabulous returned to win the $50,000 S. W. Randall Plate by 6 1/2 lengths on Sept. 8, and the 91 Beyer he received is the best at Hastings this year.

Trained by Steve Henson, Square Dancer needs a pace to run at and he should get it with Ace Deuce and Dashing Don in the field.

Square Dancer isn’t as good as when he was voted the local horse of the year in 2015, but he hasn’t been worse than second in his last four starts, and the last time he ran in a $25,000 claiming race he beat Handsome Chef by a length going 1 1/16 miles on July 1.

Square Dancer will break from the rail with Scott Williams retaining the mount.

With Henson taking advantage of the waiver-claiming rules that are in effect for the rest of the meet in all claiming races at Hastings, Square Dancer’s owners, the Hastings Racing Club, can rest easy knowing he will not be claimed. The rules were instituted last week in order to protect the local horse population from being raided, which has occurred the last few years.

“Last year, from Labor Day on we had 28 horses claimed and the majority of them didn’t come back to race at Hastings,” said Dave Milburn, president of the local Horsemen’s Benevolent Protective Association. “We are giving owners an opportunity to insulate their horses from being claimed and taken to other tracks to race.”

KEY CONTENDERS

Square Dancer, by Circular Quay

Last 3 Beyers: 78-70-70

◗ The most popular horse at Hastings, he followed up his strong effort in his last race with a bullet half-mile move on Sept. 8 and appears to be sitting on another big performance.

Dashing Don, by Popular

Last 3 Beyers: 53-70-74

◗ He wants to be involved early and he had his two-race winning streak halted when he had a hard time keeping up to a rapid pace in a $35,000 optional-claiming sprint on Sept. 8.

The Anita Bolton-trained 5-year-old will have other speed to deal with, but they won’t be going as fast as they were in his latest sprint, and with four wins from nine starts at the distance he is very capable going around three turns.