Hoss Talk

For fans and those thousands of workers employed within the thoroughbred horse racing industry, last week will be long remembered for all the wrong reasons.

On Saturday night, the Jockey Club of Canada announced its Sovereign Awards winners at a gala event in Toronto.

That alone should have been a forewarning to the small group of finalists from B.C. not to spend their money and attend.

One scroll down the list of the 16 award winners and you could not help noticing that every one was based in Ontario.

If ever there was a chance for at least one winner to have been named from Hastings, this was the year.

Once again, Hastings jockey Nicola Wright deserved better. Last year, despite having a great apprentice year, she lost out to Ontario-based rider Chantal Sutherland, who rode 13 fewer winners for Champion Apprentice Jockey.

This year, Wright's 15 per cent win rate led all rivals. She had five stake winners, while her counterparts had none.

This year's Champion Apprentice Jockey was Ontario-based Julie Brimo, who had fewer wins and not one stake winner. But she did win more money, thanks in part from riding at a slot-machine-financed racetrack.

The voting had Brimo with 179 votes to 132 for Wright.

Another logical local winner for Champion Three-year-old Filly was TNT Stable's top filly Dancewithavixen, who finished third with 91 votes behind Ontario-based Too Late Now (112) and Winter Garden (111).

It appears Eastern voters ignored Dancewithavixen's eight wins from 11 starts and the fact she won almost as much money as was available racing against her own sex at Hastings.

ON IT GOES: Last Tuesday, Vancouver City Council delayed the chance of slot machines being installed at Hastings until June. It was a decision that clearly stunned the thousands of workers who earn a living by working in the thoroughbred industry in B.C.

"We probably will have to take a purse cut and even lose more racing dates if we do not get something happening soon," said Mel Snow, president of the HBPA. " We are in a very critical stage with respect to horse racing in Vancouver.

"I know Mayor Campbell has mentioned he believes the slots will be there [eventually] and everything will be fine. Unfortunately, if it takes until 2005 to get them, we will be losing horsemen fast. If we have to wait till that time to get them, our industry will be in bad shape because it will take us so long to come back."

DR'S NOTE: So what do you do when you're involved in a racing accident that leaves you with three broken ribs, a partially collapsed lung, a broken cheekbone and several facial stitches?

You're tired of watching other drivers race your horses. So you do what Fraser Downs' driver Dave Hudon did: Ask your doctor for a note stating you're OK to be back sooner then expected.

"It was tough, watching my horses race, because I do not think they performed like they should have," said Hudon.

FINISH LINES: One of the top drivers from Alberta will be at Fraser Downs today. Gerry Hudon, Dave's brother, flies in to drive Shine On Kiev in the Mr. Vancouver qualifier. ... Topping their rivals at Hastings this season were Pedro Alvarado (Leading Jockey), Nicola Wright (Top Apprentice Jockey), Dino Condilenios (Top Trainer) and Kim Hart (Leading Owner).

Tom Wolski can be seen on the Sport of Kings, 11 a.m. Saturday on Citytv.

twolski@shaw.ca

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