Two-year-olds tested in Fantasy, Ascot Graduation

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Two $75,000, 1 1/16-mile stakes races for 2-year-olds are part of the Canadian Thanksgiving Card at Hastings on Monday. In both the $75,000 Fantasy for fillies and the $75,000 Ascot Graduation for both sexes, all of the participants will be stretching out to a middle distance for the first time.

The Fantasy, which goes as race 6, appears to be anybody’s race, while the Ascot is Lord Rosberg’s race to lose. The Ascot is the last leg of an all-stakes pick four that includes the Grade 3 Ballerina and Grade 3 Premiers.

Zeroing in on breeding is one way to go in identifying the contenders in the Fantasy. Using that method will lead you directly to the Dave Forster-trained Ambleside Park, who is by Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus. She was bred by her owners, Exclusive Stable and Raymond Hanson.

Her half-sister Madeira Park, who is trained by Forster and will likely be favored in the Ballerina, is a Grade 3 multiple stakes winner with more than $309,000 in earnings. Another half-sister, Langara Lass, also trained by Forster, won the Fantasy and is the dam of the stakes winner Battlefield Angel, who finished third in the Grade 1 Alcibiades at Keeneland last year.

Ambleside Park is a maiden, but she lost by just a head to Seedle Surprise in the $50,000 Hard Rock Casino going 6 1/2 furlongs, and given her breeding, she figures to relish the added distance.

“Every horse in her family improved going long, and I don’t see any reason why she won’t,” said Forster.

FANTASY (RACE 6)

KEY CONTENDERS

Ambleside Park (Last 3 Beyers: 42-32-40)

Everything suggests she’ll thrive at the distance.

She will be ridden by Northlands Park’s leading rider, Rico Walcott.

DRF FORMULATOR FACT: Since 2012, Walcott has won with 39 percent of his mounts for Forster.

Rockport Dancer (Last Beyer: 42)

Trained by Barbara Heads, she rallied to finish third in her only start, which came in the $100,000 Sadie Diamond Futurity.

Splendid Cat (Last 3 Beyers: 50-49-12)

Trained by Craig MacPherson, the daughter of Scat Daddy was finishing fastest of all in the $100,000 Sadie Diamond Futurity.

ASCOT GRADUATION (RACE 8)

Lord Rosberg (Last 3 Beyers: 61-61-55)

Undefeated and relatively untested, he clearly is the one they will have to catch and beat.

Trainer Pat Jarvis is hopeful he can carry his substantial speed going around three turns. His breeding certainly suggests a middle distance will be well within his reach.

“He’s fast, but he’s a pretty mellow horse,” said Jarvis. “You never know until you try, but he sure trains like a horse that will go long.”

Richard Hamel retains the mount.

Oh Derek (Last 3 Beyers: 61-61-55)

Trained by Sylvea Gregory, Oh Derek finished a fast-closing second in the $50,000 New Westminster, then tuned up for this with an easy win in a first-level allowance race Sept. 27.

Blue Dancer (Last 3 Beyers: 63-39-43)

A son of Bluegrass Cat, Blue Dancer is undefeated in three starts, all at Northlands and Assiniboia Downs and for trainer Greg Tracy.

In his last race, he was an easy winner of the $50,000 Winnipeg Futurity on Sept. 8.

Mr Rosberg (Beyers: 35-25)

A longshot with a chance, he looked like a horse that will improve dramatically going a middle distance when he worked five furlongs on Oct. 5.

Mario Gutierrez rides, and according to DRF’s Formulator, he has won with 36 percent of his mounts from trainer Tracy McCarthy over the last five years.