Hastings -- Labour Day weekend · 2.09.08

There was a mouse in the house this past Labour Day. Spaghetti Mouse sent his many vocal supporters home happy at the end of the long weekend by winning the $50,000 S.W. Randall Plate, holding off Rosberg by three-quarters of a length and covering the 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.76. Similar to his last win in the BC Cup Classic, Spaghetti Mouse and jockey Pedro Alvarado had to survive a foul claim from the second-place jockey. Rosberg’s rider David Wilson claimed interference at the top of the stretch, but the stewards quickly dismissed the claim. That made it four stakes wins in a row for Hastings’ favourite bay gelding.

Spaghetti Mouse wasn’t the only one to end the summer on a high note. Alvarado, Stephanie Fedora, and Mario Gutierrez each won two races on Monday — Alvarado’s total for the long weekend was five wins.

True Metropolitan’s track record for six furlongs, set in the George Royal Stakes back in May, didn’t even last a full season. B R Remark set a new standard of 1:09.44 in Saturday’s PNE President’s Speed Stakes. B R Remark is the defending local sprint champion, but had tailed-off slightly this year, losing the George Royal, Johnny Longden 6000 (to Spaghetti Mouse), and the BC Cup Sprint (to And All That Jazz). Going off as the longest shot in the six-horse field, the bay gelding evened the score for the BC Cup loss by catching And All That Jazz in the stretch and drawing off to win by almost two lengths.

On the down side, speedy filly Dancing Allstar lost her third straight on Saturday. She led early in the Hong Kong Jockey Club Handicap, but gave way after 1/2 mile and faded badly to finish fifth in a six-horse field as the odds-on favourite. Lecturing Lynn was the eventual winner, covering the 1 1/16 race in 1:44.27. Trainer Terry Jordan admitted before the race that Dancing Allstar “isn’t as sharp as she normally is”. After travelling across the continent, only to lose tough races at Calder (behind one of the top female sprinters in North America, Indyanne) and Woodbine, she could have probably benefited from a rest. However, her connections felt that she needed a prep for the B.C. Breeders’ Cup Oaks on Sept. 20 — hopefully she will be able to redeem herself in that race.

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What do you think?

  1. It was great that the powers that be carded the usual 6.5 Speed at 6. When we saw the 44 and change half, we yelled “New track record!”

    The little girl Dancingallstar, needs a rest after burning her heels in Florida and having a flipped palate in Toronto. She looks and acted DULL, a sure sign in a filly for a vacation.

    — Dr, Timothy Yatcak · Sep 3, 12:29 PM · #

  2. Was the track that fast, or is BR Remark that good?

    Speaking of True Metropolitan, is he done for the year after tearing his hoof in the Longacres Mile?

    — E-man · Sep 3, 11:21 PM · #

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