VANCOUVER, British Columbia – A future star could emerge out of the third race at Hastings on Friday night. The maiden special weight race for 2-year-olds going 3 1/2 furlongs is loaded with horses that have shown a lot of potential in the mornings. Their connections will find out if the promise they have shown in their works will be fulfilled when they run in an actual race.
None of That. trained by Jim Ellickson, certainly has the pedigree to be a good one, and he figures to be one of the favorites in the nine-horse field that will go as race 3 on the eight-race card.
None of That is by Officer, who won five races as a 2-year-old, including the Grade 1 Champagne. Officer has been a decent 16-percent debut sire with 25 of his 155 2-year-old starters winning first time out. None of That also has appeal from his dam’s side of the family. He is a half-brother to Dat You Miz Blue, a Grade 3 stakes winner who won 14 races and more than $800,000. Another sibling, Dust Me Off, won the Grade 2 Bonnie Miss Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.
Ellickson likes the way None of That, is coming up to the race.
“He’s a little guy but he seems to be pretty fast,” said Ellickson. “You never know how they are going to do first time out but so far he’s done everything right. It looks like there are some quick ones in the race, though.”
Amadeo Perez, who was aboard for None of That’s bullet three-furlong work out of the gate in 35.20 seconds July 31, has the call.
G Its Late has also worked swiftly leading up to her debut for trainer William La Vanway. She earned a bullet for her three-furlong work out of the gate in 35.20 seconds July 17. In her final prep, she didn’t earn a bullet, but she went a scorching three furlongs in 34.80 on Aug. 1. Eight of her dam’s 16 wins were in stakes.
“She’s a nice filly, she’s quick and she has a bright future ahead of her,” said La Vanway.
Taylor Said will attract a lot of attention coming out of leading trainer Troy Taylor’s barn. According to DRF’ s Formulator, over the past five years Taylor has a 21 percent strike rate with first-time starting 2-year-olds.
