HorseRacing Central February 15, 2007

AWARDS GALORE

The month of March offers a busy social calendar for the racing industry both of the thoroughbred and standardbred variety.

The BC Standardbred Industry and Fraser Downs Race Track & Casino celebrate the unveiling of the BC Harness Racing Hall of Fame on Saturday, March 3 at Newlands Golf and Country Club in Langley. It ties in with the annual Awards Gala to recognize the excellence of today's standardbred racing talent.

Sports anchor Kathy Kovacs of CTV Channel 9 will co-host the dinner with Dan Jukich. Tickets are available by calling 604-574-5558.

The Thoroughbred Industry Awards dinner is booked for Friday, March 16 at the new Boulevard Casino in Coquitlam in the Red Robinson Show Theatre. Co-hosted by Dan Jukich and Mike Heads, it is a salute to the best thoroughbreds of 2006 and includes a silent auction, dinner and dance. Cristan is in charge of ticket requests at 604-251-0406.

HANDICAPPING TIPS

Our resident analytical expert, Mike Heads, has an intriguing theory about the role a jockey plays in a race. Says Mike: "Staying loyal to the top two or three riders at any track will definitely provide you with more winners on a consistent basis. The bottom line is that the trainers at every track try to attain the best jockey on the grounds. On the flip side, all riders want the best horse available. It works both ways. As a handicapper, you have to respect the decisions of the trainer, jockey and agent. At most tracks, the top two or three jockeys win somewhere between 50 and 70 per cent of the time."

Not including Hastings Racecourse, Heads bravely shares his list of favourite jockeys from tracks we can follow via simulcast coverage: Garrett Gomez and Victor Espinoza (Santa Anita); Russell Baze and Chad Schvaneveldt (Golden Gate); Ramon Dominguez and Eibar Coa (Aqueduct); John Velazquez, Javier Castellano and Rafael Bejarano (Gulstream); Jose Lezcano, Daniel Centeno and Carlos Montalvo (Tampa Bay Downs); Jeremy Rose, Ryan Fogelsonger and Mario Pino (Laurel); Deshawn Parker, Dana Whitney and R.A. Stokes (Mountaineer); Joe Talamo and Robby Alvarado (Fair Grounds); Harry Vega, J.L. Flores and Frankie Pennington (Philadelphia); Julien Leparoux, Miguel Mena and Alonso Quinonez (Turfway).

GET THE 'HEADS' UP

Every Saturday and Sunday throughout the balance of the 2007 schedule at Fraser Downs and carrying on for the entire thoroughbred season at Hastings Racecourse, Mike Heads will be hosting a video internet Horse Racing Central Simulcast Show providing insight and betting tips.

Like the old saying goes: Two 'heads' are better than one ... in this case, yours and Mike's!

HOCKEY & HORSES (Chapter Two)

Neither rain, nor sleet nor snow was going to keep the Sedin twins, Daniel and Henrik, from making their second attempt to visit Fraser Downs Racetrack & Casino. The Canucks' dynamic duo had to abort their initial trip in January when a snowstorm swept the Lower Mainland.

With an NHL Productions television crew monitoring their every move, the Sedins went directly to the backstretch on Friday, February 9th to spend some time with drivers, trainers and, more importantly, horses.

"You could tell that they have a love for horses," said Fraser Downs General Manager Scott Sinclair. "They walked up and down the barn area, talking to our people and petting the horses. Both of them were really enthusiastic."

Daniel and Henrik own two standardbreds that race in northern Sweden. They told Sinclair that one day they'd like to "jog some horses" and promised they'd one day return to Fraser Downs for a longer visit.

"They're extremely good guys," Sinclair said. "I told them they'd be welcomed back any time and on behalf of all our entire racing family, I wished them all the best in the upcoming Stanley Cup playoffs."

The NHL Productions shoot from Fraser Downs will be seen as an in-house feature on jumbo screens throughout the league and will eventually wind up on the Canucks' pay-per-view programming schedule.

ASK THE HANDICAPPER

In each edition of HorseRacing Central we invited readers to email our resident analyst Mike Heads (mheads@hastingsracecourse.com) with a race-related question. The person who submits the question we publish wins lunch for two at Hastings Racecourse or Fraser Downs Racetrack & Casino. Our winner this issue is Wayne Railian of Vancouver who asks:

“In a normal season, how many horses get gelded at Hastings? I notice that in the Santa Anita program they give you that information but it is never printed in the Hastings Racecourse program or never announced by Dan Jukich when he gives the changes for that day.” -- Mike Railian

MIKE’S ANSWER: Most horses at Hastings have been gelded, usually when they are a yearling or early into their 2-year-old season because 99 per cent of them will never be stallions and most trainers will agree that a gelding is far easier to train than a colt. The reason for this is that a colt is far too interested in other things around him while a gelding will be a more even-keeled type which a trainer can progress with and make profitable results happen faster for the owner. With so much focus needed for a horse to win on a five-eighths track, trainers can get a gelding to run far more consistently than a colt. Speed and agility do well at Hastings, while the competitive nature and sturdiness of a colt seem to prosper more on a one-mile track.

I will ask the stewards at Hastings why it is not mandatory information for the public to announce first-time geldings.

SHOW OF HEARTS

Variety Day at the Races has become an annual event at Hastings Racecourse and the results just keep getting bigger and better.

Chuck Keeling, Vice President of Racing Operations, and Raj Mutti, Director of Operations at Hastings, presented The Children’s Charity with a cheque for $21,512.00 during Global TV’s Variety Show of Hearts Telethon on February 11th.

It was the largest amount to date donated by Hastings Racecourse to help raise funds for the purpose of inspiring hope, enriching lives and building better futures for the children of British Columbia.

In concert with the PNE Fair, arrangements were made August 27th this past summer at Hastings Racecourse to include guest appearances from the most famous mascots in the Lower Mainland: Fin (Canucks), Jack the Giant (Giants), Leo the Lion (B.C. Lions), Winger (Whitecaps) and KC Bear (PNE). They gathered under the Marquee Tent at Hastings with several families from Variety to enjoy a barbecue lunch shared by popular local athletes and media personalities, who all helped out with the successful 50/50 draw throughout the day.

Representing both Hastings and Great Canadian Gaming Corporation, Keeling and Mutti were Gold Panel guests during the 41st annual Variety Show of Hearts Telethon that raised more than $7.5 million for B.C. children with special needs.

FUTURE BOOK BETTING

It’s why they call it a “Future Book” gamble. You might have noticed the new wagering opportunity of being able to be early on your favourite Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks hopefuls. This is a “win” wager only, providing you with excellent odds on some talented 3-year-olds but it also involves the risk of losing your wager because there are no refunds. If the horse you bet early suffers an injury or doesn’t start, you do not get your money back.

Pool number one closed on February 11th and not surprisingly, being almost three months from Derby Day, the masses went for the mutuel field (#24), sending them off as a 5-2 favourite. The mutuel field consists of every other 3-year-old “not” listed in the program. The second choice was Nobiz Like Shobiz, recent winner of the Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream. Final odds were 8-1.

Your next chance to wager on Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks futures will be when pool number two opens March 8th and closes on March 11th.

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’

There are just three Saturday dates remaining before the 10 winners of the Fraser Downs Racetrack & Casino California Dreamin’ are determined in the Southern California handicapping contest. It’s easy and it’s fun, with a trip for two to the 2007 Santa Anita Derby in early April for the lucky winner. Contest entry forms and rules are available Fridays from Guest Services at Fraser Downs. Entry forms must be registered before the second race on the Saturday cards at Santa Anita.