This week, BC's racing and breeding community celebrated the 2023 Hastings racing season's best.
Vancouver's Italian Cultural Centre hosted 200 horsemen and ladies for another near-sellout.
In the Horse of the Year category, the superb race mare INFINITE PATIENCE (Sungold—Montero, by Louis Quatorze) again won both BC-bred and Open titles, as well as the Older Filly/Mare categories. The seven-year-old mare was voted Open Horse of the Year for the fourth time. Her only trophyless year was 2020 when she only ran three races at Woodbine.
Infinite Patience, bred by Bill DeCoursey and trained by Barbara Anderson-Heads, won four of five races in 2023, including the $100,000 Ballerina Stakes and $100,000 Northlands Distaff at Century Mile in Alberta. The April 18 Sovereign Awards, celebrating Canadian winners, included Infinite Patience as a Champion Older Mare/Main Track finalist.
Infinite Patience has won 19 of 25 races, 17 stakes, and $595,974. Bill DeCoursey, her breeder and part-owner, says the fantastic mare is back in training at Hastings for a 2024 campaign.
Bryan and Carol Anderson's Champion Older Horse and BC-bred Older Horse, AT ATTENTION, won twice. The son of Shanghai Bobby won the BC Cup Classic and finished second in three races, including the Grade 3 Premier's Handicap.
Aside from the horses, significant owners, breeders, trainers, jockeys, and backstretch personnel were honoured, as were Ron and Rae Fawcett of Tod Mountain Thoroughbreds, Terry Sangara, and Randy Goulding, racing journalist. The New Stride Thoroughbred Adoption Society again sold 50-50 tickets, auctioned a limited-edition racing print of John Henry and Bill Shoemaker, and auctioned a porcelain bowl of racing scenes. Hastings track announcer Dan Juckic and paddock analyst Mike Heads hosted the evening in typical style.