Sunbird heads the cast in the $50,000 Lieutenant Governors Handicap as part of a Monday stakes doubleheader at Hastings on Canada Day. The card also includes the $50,000 Monashee Handicap for fillies and mares. Both races are 1 1/16 miles. Sunbird, who is owned by Pauline Felicella and the Estate of Nick Felicella, will make his first route attempt of 2024 in the Lieutenant Governors. A Terry Jordan trainee, Sunbird has won 3 of 4 distance races at Hastings, losing only the British Columbia Derby by a head last September. The gelding will be making the third start of his 4-year-old campaign with Amadeo Perez named to ride. Set to oppose Sunbird are eight others headed by At Attention, a Barbara Heads trainee who is always at his best going long. The 7-year-old prepped twice for this engagement, most recently encountering traffic trouble before finishing fast to be fifth in the George Royal on June 8. At Attention will be ridden by Antonio Reyes. Speedy Bold Arch has been most effective when sprinting but has returned a winner in 2 of 4 career races at Monday’s distance. Bold Arch is trained by John Morrison, and Kerron Khelawan has the mount. :: Get the Inside Track with the FREE DRF Morning Line Email Newsletter. Subscribe now.  There will be no shortage of pace competition for Bold Arch as Heads also sends out George Royal pacesetter Stormy Blue. Two other pace possibilities are the well-named Bakken Overdrive, a son of Bakken, and Soaringforthesun. Cindy Krasner trains Bakken Overdrive, and Edgar Mendoza will saddle Soaringforthesun. Others entered in a competitive edition of the Lieutenant Governors are Settecento, trained by Dave Milburn; Big Union, trained by Nicole Rycroft; and Space, to be saddled by Mel Snow. The Monashee Handicap will see four-time defending British Columia horse of the year Infinite Patience attempt to regain her winning ways after disappointing losses in each of her two starts this year. “She has always been happier over a distance, so we will see,” Heads said. “When she decides she is done with racing, it will be sad but okay. I will be ever grateful for her crossing my path.” Most significant among the competition is Air Force, a two-time route stakes winner at Hastings in 2023. On May 18, Air Force ran the fastest 6 1/2 furlongs over a sloppy track at Hastings in at least one-third of a century. Keith Pedersen trains Air Force. Having missed the Emerald Downs Stakes run at Hastings on June 8 because of a fever, Air Force will be attempting 1 1/16 miles off a six-week break and just a single sprint since September. We B Three won the Emerald Downs by 5 3/4 lengths in wire-to-wire fashion, and the Steve Henson trainee should be prominent once again. Others in the Monashee Handicap include Matsqui, trained by Mark Freeman; Miss Union, another trained by Henson; and Viva La Vino, still another trained by Heads. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.