Last year’s winners Infinite Patience and Sunbird will return in the 2024 renewals of the $100,000 Ballerina and the Grade 3, $100,000 BC Premier’s Handicap, respectively, on Saturday afternoon at Hastings. The Premier’s will be contested over the traditional distance of 1 3/8 miles, with a trio of 2024 Hastings stakes winners set to face Sunbird. Only Sunbird and At Attention, who finished second in the race last year, have competed at the 11-furlong distance. The now horse in the field is Apprehend, who recently captured his first stakes race while winning for the third time in a row. Barbara Heads will saddle both Apprehend and At Attention. Last year’s BC Derby winner, Sunbird, is due for some better luck. After missing by a nose July 1, he encountered traffic at a crucial point in the BC Cup Classic on Aug. 5, finishing second while beaten one length. The Terry Jordan trainee then became mired behind a slow pace in the S.W. Randall Plate on Sept. 7, finishing a dull sixth, beaten 5 3/4 lengths. Apprehend and Settecento ran one-two all the way in the Randall Plate. A solid win in a Sept. 22 allowance event assures that Sunbird still has what it takes, and he will appreciate the return to the extended distance of Saturday’s co-feature. The Ballerina will be headed by the 2022 and 2023 winner of the race, Infinite Patience, who is 14-1-1 from 16 races run over one mile or longer on dirt. The three-time defending British Columbia horse of the year is one of two trained by Heads in the field of four. Sophomore Viva La Diva is the other. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. Bunny, a daughter of Mo Town, has been making a name for herself under the care of Dino Condilenios. The filly attained the rank of stakes winner on Sept. 7 when narrowly defeating Air Force in the Delta Colleen over 1 1/16 miles. Though late in her 4-year-old season, Bunny has raced only seven times. “She had a few minor soundness issues last year,” Condilenios said. “Thankfully, the owners, Swift Thoroughbreds, have allowed me to be patient with her, and it’s beginning to pay off. “She’s really turned the corner, and I am super happy with where she’s at right now. I really do think she’s getting better with every start.” Air Force, the likely pacesetter in the Ballerina, loves a wet track. It is October in the Pacific Northwest, so the weather could go in her favor. In May, the Keith Pedersen trainee ran 6 1/2 furlongs over a sloppy track in 1:15.77, the fastest time recorded at Hastings in at least over three decades. It should be noted that 6 1/2 furlongs is by far the track’s most popular distance. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.