Hoss Talk

   Thanks for the memories! That's what fans, horsemen and management will be saying when the queen of B.C. standardbred racing, Jerry Blanchet's and Phil Coleman's Fast Lane Cruizin paces her last race at Fraser Downs in tonight's Surrey Cup.
 
   Although this will be her last appearance in B.C., the lanky mare's career is far from over.

   After a brief rest, she will once again head east to campaign against the best mares in harness racing.
 
   To many expert handicappers, it appears Cruizer should win like a good thing, which is something, trainer-driver Coleman hopes does not deter fans from seeing the race live at Fraser Downs.
 
   "[Tonight's] race is really for all those people who have supported Cruizer since she first began her career at Fraser Downs," said Coleman.
 
   "For this reason, you can expect to see Cruizer put on another exciting performance. I definitely intend to let her out the last part of the race. It's what her fans deserve to see."
 
   During her remarkable career, Fast Lane Cruizin has won 26 races from 31 starts and earned $471,877, racing unplaced only twice.
 
   Among her many victorious, one race stands out above the others.

   "I would think her most memorable victory came when she beat Robert Murphy's Red Star Kelsey last February in the Miss Valentines Pace," said Chuck Keeling, general manager at Fraser Downs.
 
   "I would argue that race had all the hype, momentum and intrigue of any race we had here in years, mainly because that was the showdown race between those two top fillies."
 
   If there was one major disappointment in Fast Lane Cruizin's career, it came not in a race but at the ballot box, where she was out-nodded by Ontario-based Legacy of Fame for the prestigious   O'Brien Award for outstanding three-year-old filly.
 
   "I remember being at the O'Brien Awards and people were snickering over the fact that this horse from B.C. was up against Legacy of Fame," said Keeling.
 
   "They were laughing at this horse, and what did she do when she went east and met Legacy of Fame? She beat her numerous times.
 
   "There was no doubt that, head to head, Legacy of Fame is not as good as Fast Lane Cruizin."
 
   As with most top professional athletes, Fast Lane Cruizin proved her critics wrong by winning where it counted most, on the racetrack.
 
   TWIST OF FAITH: A week ago, when nominations in the media category were announced for the 2001 Sovereign Awards, thoroughbred racing's highest honours, two nominees had 
Vancouver Province connections.
 
   And thanks to a little help from lady luck, Hastings Park photographer Larry Goulding's picture, Dave Wilson Wins Six, made the finals in the outstanding photograph category.
 
   "It is a bit ironic, because if Wolski had not requested Larry's picture for a Hoss Talk column on Dave Wilson, he would not have qualified for a Sovereign," said Bill Linn, who is Goulding's boss   at Hastings Park. "I know first hand, because I submitted a picture from our website,  but because it was not published in either a newspaper or magazine, it was returned. Yet they will be using it in their Sovereign program."
 
   The other nominee, local horse racing TV program the Sport of Kings, sponsored in part for its entire 11-year run by The Province, received a nomination in the outstanding film/ video/broadcast category.
 
   FINISH LINES: The Sport of Kings, now on CKVU on Saturdays at 8:30 a.m., profiles Fast Lane Cruizin and looks at how acupuncture works   on racehorses. ... This afternoon, Woodbine Entertainment (OJC), Pacific Racing Association and industry groups are meeting for what hopefully will be closure to a proposed sale of Hastings Park.
 
Tom Wolski can be reached at www.sportofkingstv.com.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Source: Vancouver Province
E-mail Tommy Wolski at twolski@home.com