Hasting Racecourse opens Saturday, while they run for the roses in Kentucky

Article content

Horse racing shakes off its winter hibernation and returns to Hastings Racecourse on Saturday, where the locals will share top billing with the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby.

Hastings, which opened in 1892 and Vancouver’s longest continuously used professional sports venue, is celebrating opening day by offering a “Mystery Wallet” giveaway, with $100 in betting vouchers up for grabs. Arrangements have also been made to pause live racing to allow fans to view the Kentucky Derby live on the track’s jumbo screen.

More locally, veteran Hastings’ trainers Barbara Anderson-Heads and Steve Henson will both be hoping for a repeat of last season when, between them, they sent out more than 80 winners. However, 2025 will be a very different campaign for both barns as they each come to terms with the passing of important owners.

Henson goes into the 2025 campaign without his leading owner following the tragic passing of Willow Creek Farms’ founder and Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society president, Dairen Edwards.

“Losing Dairen was a huge blow, obviously,” Henson said. “He was more than an owner and everyone here will feel his loss for some time.”

Edwards won’t be far from Henson’s mind this season as the east Vancouver native goes into battle with last year’s leading two-year-old, Mount Doom. The son of leading B.C. stallion Bakken was bought by Edwards and Henson as a yearling and is still owned jointly with WillowCreek Farms — now under the guidance of Edwards’ widow, Tia and daughter, Makayla.

“Mount Doom has wintered phenomenally well and I couldn’t be happier with him,” Henson said. “We sent him up to Kelowna, which was a mutual decision with Dairen. He came back looking like a million bucks and is training forwardly. He looks the part, acts the part and knows he’s the real deal.”

Also working well this spring are recently-crowned B.C. Horse of the Year Avana and Canadian Derby and B.C. Derby winner, August Rain. The two superstars will again fly the flag for the all-conquering Barbara Anderson-Heads who, last summer, endured the loss of stalwart owner and breeder, Russell “R.J.” Bennett.

Anderson-Heads said: “Losing “R.J.” was more than losing an owner. He was family. An amazing man who was a mentor and educator to me. It was obviously a tough and emotional time for everyone, but R.J.’s family are still very much involved and remain unwavering in their support for racing and breeding in B.C.”

As for Avana and August Rain, Anderson-Heads couldn’t be more pleased with their progress over the winter.

“They’re both training well and I’m happy with where they are at this point and looking forward to a good year with them,” she said.

Both Avana and August Rain are owned by Peter Redekop, another huge supporter of racing in B.C. who, now a sprightly 90, remains as committed to the sport as he ever was.

“I was talking to Peter at the awards dinner,” Anderson-Heads confided. “He said he’s 90 now and should probably stop, but he’s not sure he can!”

SATURDAY SELECTIONS: FIRST RACE 2:30 p.m. Race 4: Trainer Steve Henson traditionally gets his team going early and BAK TO LIBERTY, a three-time winner at Hastings last season, has been working well. The five-year-old has hit the board in 16 of his 22 lifetime starts and will have the assistance of last year’s leading rider, Amadeo Perez.

Kentucky Derby (3:57 p.m.): SANDMAN’s unhelpful gate position should be largely negated by his running style. He’ll need to navigate a safe passage under Jose Ortiz, but expect to see him closing with real purpose late on, in what looks like a typically wide-open renewal of the “Run for the Roses”.