Todd has numbers on his side Sunday

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – It could be a big day at Hastings for Glen Todd on Sunday. The owner-trainer will have four favorites among the eight races.

He also has three of the six horses running in the feature, an open allowance race for 3-year-olds that goes as race 2 on the eight-race card, which begins at 1:50 p.m. Pacific. They are Proof It, He’s the Reason, and Pan Handle.

Todd likes the way Proof It is coming up to the 6 1/2-furlong dash. A British Columbia-bred son of Texas Wildcatter, Proof It is coming off a front-running win in a nonwinners-of-three allowance race with a $25,000 claiming option on Aug. 20. It was his first start since he finished fifth in a second-level allowance race with a $20,000 claiming option at Turf Paradise March 20.

“He got sick on me in Phoenix,” said Todd. “I was hoping to have him ready for the B. C. Derby, but ran out of time. If he runs well Sunday his next start will be at Emerald Downs in the Getaway Stakes.”

Todd was referring to the $100,000 race for 3-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles on Emerald’s closing-day card, Sept. 23.

“He’s the Reason is no slouch either,” said Todd.

Proof It will break from the rail with Todd’s main rider, Aaron Gryder, aboard. He’s The Reason, fifth in the Sir Winston Derby Trial in his last start on Aug. 6, drew the outside post. Richard Hamel rides.

Todd’s other horse, Pan Handle, drew post 2 and will be ridden by Scott Williams.

Pan Handle won’t mind the move back to a sprint following a sixth-place finish in the Derby Trial. He is a stalker, and the shape of the race could work for him.

Under Par, trained by Mark Cloutier, has yet to run a bad race, and she is coming off back-to-back front-running wins in $25,000 optional-claiming races on July 21 and Aug. 20. Bred by Todd, the daughter of Stephanotis races for Canmor Farms and Maureen Goss. She is the speed of the speed, and was ridden by Gryder in all of her races this year. Amadeo Perez picks up the mount.

CTHS sale has 89 cataloged

The annual Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society, B.C. division, yearling and mixed sale will be held at the Thunderbird Show Park in Langley, a suburb of Vancouver, on Tuesday. Of the 89 horses cataloged, 88 are yearlings.

Hip No. 56 should attract some interest. The dark bay or brown filly is the first foal out of Now Hope and is by Shanghai Bobby who was the champion 2-year-old in North America in 2012. His first foals are 3-year-olds this year.

Now Hope won three races for earnings of $61,835 and is a half-sister to White Flag, a Belmont Park stakes winner who ran third in the Grade 2 Nearctic at Woodbine. White Flag won four races and earned $253,553.