Racing by the snow

Racing in the Vancouver district since 1889, Hastings Park - originally known as East Park, then which became known at Hastings Driving Park, was established 118 years ago at its current site across Vancouver Harbour from North Vancouver.

Hastings racecourse has the magnificent back-drop of the snow-capped Grouse Mountain, one of the North Shore Mountains of the Pacific Ranges.

Held on Canada’s first spring/summer long-weekend, the track, with a racing surface of synthetic nature, is a tight oval shape for racing at six and a half furlongs, meaning participating horses pass the finishing post twice during each race. 

Like numerous other North American racetracks, but unlike Australia, money from trackside poker-machines or “slots” is earned, the Vancouver located racetrack supplying a ground-floor room which was bustling with 500 machines. 

With a “purse” (prizemoney) for each race of up to $CAN27,000 for the seven-event card, race starters ranged from six to 10, with each being escorted to the barriers or “starting gates” by an “outrider” (a clerk of the course horse), and which had a maximum of 12 starting stalls.

After each race, two tractors scarify and smooth out the racing surface to give level and equal footing for all horses. Hastings’ 72 listed trainers (that may only have a couple in work) train about 550 horses and only race at its local track, a vast difference to the numerous miles that Australian conditioners travel across each state, each week. 

Racing every Saturday and Sunday, as well as a few local public holidays, keeps the trainers busy, until the fall/autumn when racing at Hastings shuts down for the winter, with most horses sent away to spell, or continue competing at locations such as Santa Anita in California, or Turf Paradise in Arizona, USA.

As is seen at Australian race meets, like those held on Melbourne Cup day, Hastings took a break from local racing to show – via “simulcast” (similar to our TAB live coverage) on a large infield screen, of the time-honoured Preakness Stakes-G1 at Pimlico, in Maryland state, America, the second leg of its famous USA three-year-old triple crown. That enticed a bigger crowd to Hastings, with the winner, Cloud Computing (by Maclean’s Music), ending the hopes of entrants, including the Kentucky Derby winner, Always Dreaming, and Classic Empire (second).

“Mutual Tellers” or the Totalizator, was available for trackside betting, while there were other provisions of individual cubicles which contained personal betting monitor screens. 

As in Australia, there were also a “bank” of simulcast/televised meets for added betting from across North America, including racing from Pimlico, Churchill Downs, Arlington, and Monmouth Park in America, as well as Mohawk in Ontario, Canada, and at times some Australian racing is seen in the early evening.

During past century there were two other major tracks built nearby in Vancouver, including Richmond’s Minoru Park (later renamed Brighouse Park) in 1909, and Lansdown Park in 1924, however, only Hastings Racecourse remains where all Thoroughbred racing in Lower Mainland has been conducted since 1961.

THEY may have lost Time For War last year, but the Brown family owned and operated Kitchwin Hills has introduced two new boys, Counterattack and Sooboog, to stand alongside proven Group 1 siring stallion, Dane Shadow, to their Gundy located property.

Like Time For War, Sooboog is by Australian sire sensation Snitzel. A $1.5 million Australian Easter Yearling Sale youngster, Sooboog won the heralded Melbourne stakes sprint VRC Aurie’s Star Stakes, as well as taking two races in Sydney. A brother to $2 million earning Group 1 mare Snitzerland, Sooboog hails from the celebrated Tennessee family of Group winners.

A Group 1 winner, Counterattack is by Snitzel’s triple champion Australian sire, Redoute’s Choice.

Also Group 1 place, twice (Brisbane and Melbourne), Counterattack won the BRC Doomben 10,000, one of the Group 1 highlights on Brisbane’s renowned Winter Racing Carnival.

Interestingly, Counterattack is a half-brother to Group 1 winners Red Tracer and Shellscrape, a daughter and son respectively of his new stable companion and successful sire, Dane Shadow.

FOCUS turns to the Clarence River Jockey Club’s celebrated annual Grafton Cup Carnival, which begins this Sunday with its feature, the South Grafton Cup, a $50,000 race across 1600 metres.

Racing continues at Grafton next Wednesday and Thursday with the stakes listed $160,000 race highlights Ramornie Handicap and Grafton Cup. 

Sydney star trainer, Gary Moore, and champion jockey, Hugh Bowman, will be special guest speakers at the Grafton District Services Club Ramornie Handicap and McKimms Real Estate Grafton Cup barrier draw luncheon next Monday.

While racing was initiated at Grafton in 1861, the middle distance Grafton Cup event can date back to 1910, which was won by Gossine.