Democracy Reigns at Hastings

Eight races, all won by different owners, trainers and riders, not to mention horses. The track was wet, but the day got better as it went along and the card provided four high quality races, three Allowance Optional Claimers and a Maiden Special Weight. The handle was in the neighborhood of 700K and four races handled over $100,000 each. There were six winners on the day that paid more than $10 to win, so it could have been a good day for the more imaginative speculators.

Twistgrips
The feature was the seventh, an Allowance Optional Claimer ($50,000 tag) for horses that have not won $27,500 this year, and it went to the seven-year-old gelding Twistgrips ($13.20). He rolled to his third straight win in 2016 with his now familiar late move, this time diving to the inside of pacesetters Bluegrass Angus and The Odds R Good early in the stretch after they drifted out a little. From there he took the short way home to preserve a margin that was starting to diminish approaching the wire as The Odds R Good refused to go quietly while finishing second. Cederberg ran a much improved race to be third. The 6 ½ furlongs went in 1:16.90, the fastest sprint of the day.

Twistgrips opened the season with a win in a 16K claimer, although he was waiver protected and could not be claimed. From there, trainer John Snow moved him to allowance company and he won again. Today’s condition kept only stakes winners out, so Twistgrips got another protected kick at the allowance can. He made the most of it under rider Silvino Morales who has been on board for all three wins this year.
Twistgrips, by Benchmark, was bred in BC by his owner Gordon Christoff who also raced his dam, Victor’s Secret, the winner of the 2004 edition of the Brighouse Belles.

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Slice of Red
The fifth race was an Allowance Optional Claimer ($25,000 tag) for older horses at a mile-and-a-sixteenth for non-winners of 2/BC3. Eight of the contestants were in for the 25K tag, one of them being the winner Slice of Red ($7.70) who led early from along the rail prior to blowing the race up on the last turn with a move that moved him 6 lengths clear of the rest on his way to an easy win in 1:45.19. Calgary Caper came from way back to photo Burnum for the place, but neither was ever a cause of concern for Slice of Red.

Jockey Richard Hamel had Slice of Red on the pace immediately and she stayed there all the way around even though Burrard Breeze made intermittent moves on him prior to their parting company after 6 furlongs in 1:14.37. At that point Slice of Red found another gear, got the last five-sixteenths in 30.4 and was as gone as a horse can get.

Slice of Red was bred in British Columbia by Village Bus Service Ltd. and is raced by Linwood Stables. Robert Anderson trains. Slice of Red, by Rosberg, won the Richmond Derby Trial in 2014 and is a half-brother to stakes winner Wilo Kat, both being out of the stakes winning mare Regal Red.

Lord Vancouver
Lord Vancouver ($10.70) went to the lead for the first time as a sprinter and it proved extremely effective in Sunday’s sixth, an Allowance Optional Claimer ($25,000 tag) for three-year-old non-winners of 2/BC3, when he led almost all the way to score in 1:18.09 over 6 of his peers. Dashing Don chased all the way around to be second and Sunscape closed late to be a remote third.

It was a gritty performance from Lord Vancouver who was ridden by Denis Araujo. He was hooked early with Dashing Don lapped on inside and Coulterberry in a similar position outside. After a quarter in 22.09 and a half in 45.76, they were no longer lapped on. Lord Vancouver moved to open a working margin on them going into the turn and from there he gradually widened all the way home. Dashing Don persevered and Sunscape showed up, but they were not about to beat the winner on this day.

Lord Vancouver is by Teide, he was his first winner, and was bred in British Columbia by Philip Hall and Blair Law. He is owned and trained by Philip Hall.

Always Sunny
Once was enough for Always Sunny ($33.00) to get to the Winner’s Circle as he put in an eye-catching move while running around a field of three-year-old Maiden Special Weight types to take the third for owner/breeders Russell and Lois Bennett and trainer Barbara Heads. Final time was 1:17.87 for the wet 6 ½ furlongs.

Jockey Amadeo Perez had Always Sunny well back early behind the fast pace being carved out by Cowboy Phil and Omega Victory (21.86 first quarter and a 45.65 half-mile). The top two opened up daylight on Good As They Get and even more on Always Sunny before they both launched moves. Good As They Get closed well, Sunny Always closed huge, getting the last five-sixteenths in 30.4 and moving to a two-length win.

Always Sunny was bred in British Columbia by the Bennetts. He is a gelded son of Sungold and the Dixieland Brass mare Always Brassy and a full brother to the multiple stakes winner Brass and Gold, a foal of 2009. Always Sunny, a foal of 2013, is the first for the mare since Brass and Gold. At this point, he could prove to be any kind.