2-year-olds take aim at first stakes

EDMONTON, Alberta - A field of eight 2-year-old fillies will experience their first stakes in the 25th running of the six-furlong Princess Margaret at Northlands Sunday afternoon.

Each will carry 117 pounds under the allowance conditions of the $40,000 feature.

All are winners, except for Nessarose, and she was beaten only a neck by the colt, Poor Iggy, in her only start.

Nessarose, coupled with Miss Venturous trained by Greg Tracy, and Rumbeau Rumpus are the only fillies to have raced 5 1/2 furlongs. The others are stretching out from 3 1/2 furlongs.

Nessarose, ridden by Real Simard, drew the rail, while stablemate Miss Venturous, Leanne Painter up, has post 7.

Red Smith is also sending out a coupling in Wye Road, ridden by Shannon Beauregard, and Five Crystals, ridden by Richard Hamel. They drew posts 2 and 8, respectively.

Wye Road, named for the location where Smith now stables his horses, has lost the services of Peter Wong, who guided him to a win and a third in his first two races.

Wong suffered a fractured leg in the first race here Wednesday when his mount, longshot Power Blue, ducked in sharply on the backstretch. Power Blue bounced off the rail, and catapulted Wong into the infield.

Rickey Walcott, waging a tight race with Simard for the riding title, will ride Rumbeau Ruckus, who won his last race after a third-place finish previously.

- Racing continues here Monday with the holiday program headlined by the $50,000 Sun Sprint Championship, a 6 1/2-furlong race for 3-year-olds and up.