While the queen's away . . .

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Elana d'Amour figures to go favored over four other fillies and mares in an allowance race at Hastings that was written to exclude local sensation Dancewithavixen.

The 6 1/2-furlong feature was put up as an extra by racing secretary Lorne Mitchell when a wide-open allowance race failed to fill last weekend. Trainers told Mitchell that they had seen enough of Dancewithavixen, who has won both stakes races for fillies and mares at the meet. Dancewithavixen was forced to run against colts and geldings in the Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes and she ran an exceptional race to finish a fast-closing third over a speed-favoring surface.

Elana d'Amour, who was the horse of the year in British Columbia in 2002 and won two sprint stakes last year, was entered in last weekend's race, and her trainer, Brian Giesbrecht, was bemoaning the fact that the race didn't go.

"She was ready to run," he said. "I worked her instead and she went 58 and change for five furlongs. Hopefully she'll be as sharp when she runs Saturday."

Elana d'Amour has had one start at the meet, finishing third to Dancewithavixen in the Sun Handicap May 1. She'll be ridden Saturday by Alan Cuthbertson.

Victor's Secret finished a head behind Dancewithavixen in the Sun, and while Victor's Secret has never won a stakes race, she might have won the Senate Appointee last year if she hadn't been impeded going around the stretch turn. She's trained by Lance Giesbrecht and will be ridden by Chris Loseth.