Hastings' 1st annual Open House · 27.04.10

Although the first day of Hastings Racecourse’s 2010 season was April 24, the season arguably began the previous Sunday with their first annual “Open House”. Horsemen and fans had the opportunity to mingle in the grandstand, enjoy a free buffet breakfast (the breakfast wraps, filled with eggs, ham, onions, and chopped green pepper, were the highlight for us), and watch some of the top local horses go through rare public workouts.

Hastings GM Raj Mutti kicked off the proceedings, welcoming all guests and thanking his staff for making things happen — all while trying to keep his notes from blowing away in the morning breeze. He sounded excited and optimistic about the upcoming season, outlining their new promotional and advertising initiatives, and debuting the new radio/TV advertising spots over the PA and closed-circuit TV. Mutti thanked local horsemen for agreeing to participate in the Open House, and said he was hoping to have more “Clockers’ Corner” style events as the season progressed.

Racing Manager Paul Ryneveld and Hastings Daily Racing Form columnist Randy Goulding then took over and introduced the horses as they stepped onto the track. Unfortunately it sounded like there were some communication problems between the track and the grandstand — walkie-talkies cutting out, last-minute work schedule changes, etc. — so their commentary was occasionally disjointed. Hopefully their routine will be tweaked and improved for future events.

Of course, it’s all about the horses, and some of the best “local heroes” were on the work-tab that morning. Several younger horses were being schooled at the gate, breaking for their works out of the 6 1/2 furlong chute. The ever-popular Spaghetti Mouse earned a round of applause as he prepared for his debut as an 8-year-old(!) with a solid 5-furlong work. Last year’s top 3-year-old Tommy Danzigger also looked good — he looked on the muscle as he finished his work — as did leading race-mare Blue Sky Holiday. All three were due to run on opening weekend.

In between, I had the chance to briefly meet Mutti and Province racing columnist Tom Wolski. The GM was friendly, and seemed to be trying to enjoy himself while trying to stay on top of things. Wolski was generous in his praise for Left Coast Racing (“I like your blog — we need more of those!”), and seemed to get a kick out of watching my daughter practice jumping up and down the grandstand stairs.

Final verdict on Hastings’ first Open House: more please!

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